new nurse medication errors

BrandonLPN, LPN · Feb 5, 2012

Radgey, any nurse who tells you they haven't made med errors is either lying or too vapid and unobservant to notice they've made a mistake.

radgey · Feb 5, 2012

thanks Brandon. being human is no excuse for med errors when it comes to med pass. I hear that all the time we are just human but being human isn't no excuse and that is what scares me because "I am human" and i do make mistakes. I need to figure out a way that i can get a ton of meds out in a speedy manner and safely without overlooking one or two. I read about all these horror stories of medication errors and it down right disturbing. I love my job as a nurse and i so want to perfect med pass but when it comes down to it if i had to look 3 times for each med to make sure i get the right ones i would be there all day just passing meds all day and nothing else. I usually double check and the printing in the mar is so small that sometimes i overlook a med. Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 5, 2012

there's no such thing as perfect. it sounds, though, as if five of your errors were the same thing. take some time and figure out why you made those errors, how it happened and what you might do differently to keep from repeating the same error.

NoviceRN10 · Feb 6, 2012

I can't imagine having to try and keep meds straight for 23 pts and not have anything but paper MARS to guide you. Don't be too hard on yourself, but try and figure out how you missed the doses. Do you have a checklist that you make at the beginning of your shift (that is what I do). I go in about half an hour before my shift starts and I get my assignment and start plotting out the meds I have to give everyone. I work on a regular hospital unit with not as many pts as you, though. We also have electronic charting and MAR, which I don't think many LTCs have?

radgey · Feb 7, 2012

very well said. I do not think LTC is the place for me. I think i will try homecare "one on one" There is way to much room for error working in long term caring for 24 residents. I will be having a meeting with the DON tomorrow at 10am sharp (yikes). I found out that i am not the only one making these same errors, its a ongoing problem where i work. I was offered a homecare nursing postion caring for children on trachs and vents, and gtubes. I have one resident in the nursing home that i care for with a trach and two who have feeding tubes so i do have a some experience in that area. My med pass is not perfect and that is what scares me in Long Term because i have a ton of meds to pass that need to be passed in a timely manner, not including all the interruptions that happen in between. I have been working as a nurse now for two months and feel like i wish i chosen a different field to go into. I love nursing but the Nursing home is getting to be a tad too much. I just pray that the good ole lord will open another door of nursing for me........maby homecare is it. I am tired of going home after a nights work at the nursing home and not being able to shut off, i sometimes stay up for over 24 hours because i am constantly worrying about what i might of forgot to do or didn't do. I hate that feeling. I never thought nursing would be this way, i sometimes feel like i should have not become a nurse.

radgey · Feb 7, 2012

Resigned from first LPN Postion

hope this article is somewhat comforting to other nurses that are in the same boat as me:

http://www.lovesark.net/everlastinglove/closeddoors.html

Frankie Slade · Feb 11, 2012

They are lying through their teeth, heck they probably don't even give half they're meds there suppose too. I've heard of nurses throwing meds in the trash because they were afraid the patient would aspirate, and were to lazy to call the docs. I am concerned about the controlled pain meds. Be careful not to let them pin any missing pain meds on you. Always check the docs orders, check and double check DOSAGES. Take your time when giving meds, just make sure it's the right med. Don't let the other nurses rush you or make you feel stupid because you look up all your meds. Most nurses are lazy and won't take the time to look up meds. When it comes to pain meds, TAKE you time, and document and sign the meds out. There nurses that will steal pain meds and pin it on you. Don't let this happen, trust no one.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 12, 2012

They are lying through their teeth, heck they probably don't even give half they're meds there suppose too. I've heard of nurses throwing meds in the trash because they were afraid the patient would aspirate, and were to lazy to call the docs. I am concerned about the controlled pain meds. Be careful not to let them pin any missing pain meds on you. Always check the docs orders, check and double check DOSAGES. Take your time when giving meds, just make sure it's the right med. Don't let the other nurses rush you or make you feel stupid because you look up all your meds. Most nurses are lazy and won't take the time to look up meds. When it comes to pain meds, TAKE you time, and document and sign the meds out. There nurses that will steal pain meds and pin it on you. Don't let this happen, trust no one.

I find this post disturbing beyond words. What a blanket condemnation of nurses.

ac3070 · Feb 12, 2012

Agreed, Ruby--this individual left an odd reply to one of my posts as well including the "trust no one" line. Looked at all his recent posts and they make me wonder why he continues to nurse if nobody can be trusted and the other things he says of his job are true.

radgey · Feb 13, 2012

hello thanks for your response. yes it was a few norcos that i had overseen and did not give. no harm done to patient they were not in no pain. i turned in my own med errors. I really did love my job but i was afraid they were going to fire me and so i resigned from my position. I have only been on the job for two months so i am still learning. I usually caught the med errors at the end of the shift when i was doing count. yes i have heard stories to where i worked at about how some nurses cheat on their med pass or give them all at once and i think that is dangerous and you do have to be very very careful . I was very careful to give meds at the right time and i know that i am not a slow person not by a long shot and i could see other nurses were getting there meds out alot faster then i was but i guess having practice will get you to that point at some time. I am so mad at myself for missing those doses and at the time i couldn't figure out how i could have missed them but then again i tell myself i was passing a good amount of medications to many residents and the right thing to do is to turn in your med errors but guess what i did and by doing so resulted in .......NO JOB. I am not a job jumper never have been I just couldn't face them running me down (been through that experience before) when i know i am not a bad person/not perfect but not bad and i loved the residents and i gave good care. I am now starting to second guess myself now as to whether or not I am nursing home material. I worked as a cena for 8 years and then went on to be a nurse and i am scared to death that maby i made a mistake at going into nursing. i have spent so much on this education and i don't want to throw it down the drain, i really need to get started on this career but i feel like i am going nowhere with it. It's a shame that being honest will get you out the door in a hurry. The DON even told me at one time that she has made tons of errors in her career but i feel like I have to be perfect or else. I realize meds are important and i do get the right meds to the right patient but yes in those two months worked at the nursing home i screwed up. I know i will NEVER be perfect but as i look back i see what may have happened and what i can do in the future to prevent it from happening again. i was so hoping that they would call me home and ask me to come back and to let me know that there plans were not to fire me but to talk about the problem but they didn't so i guess they didn't value me that much and with that said i think i made the right decision to resign even though i miss my job i just hope that someplace else will be willing to hire me, nursing jobs do not come by that easy. I didn't mention that when i resigned i informed my employer regarding my resigniation that i know i had made a few mistakes but i couldn't face the consequences of being termintated so that i why i am resigning i sent this is a note. I am not a coward but i have had negative experiences in the past and there was no way that I was going through that again being belittled,or run down. They had previously told me that i was doing a good job but after that last mistake i had a gut feeling and not a good one. Right now I just dwell day in and day out what if , what if. would i still have a job if i didn't quit would they had terminated me. I don't know. Well hope to hearing some postive feedback really need it now. Thanks

radgey · Feb 13, 2012

Agreed, Ruby--this individual left an odd reply to one of my posts as well including the "trust no one" line. Looked at all his recent posts and they make me wonder why he continues to nurse if nobody can be trusted and the other things he says of his job are true.

Dang if nobody can be trusted i feel sorry for the residents (LOL) just a little humor:rolleyes: I see what your saying but on the flip side i can understand where the other individual is coming from to:no: