Not sure whether to continue my nursing career... Input?

[aloneandforgotten]

Background: CNA for 5+ years, graduated August 2011, first LPN job started September 2012 in LTC, day shift. Fired before November due to med error which I cannot get over and bothers me so much to think about. Pt was on hospice and I later found out was transfered to hospital and expired. Investigation followed, went in for questioning one month ago. Now I'm thinking after being in this field for my entire adult career, I should probably just quit and find something else to do. I feel so inadequate, like I wasted my time, energy, and college credits with nursing school. So far, when I check my license online, it is clear. Does it take a long time for actions to happen against a licensure? I'm confused, depressed, and need a job. Where to go from here?

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

I don't have any answers for you, but I just wanted to let you know that I am sorry to hear of your troubles. I hope things get better for you soon.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I can't give you any legal advice re: what might/might not happen with the BON. But I will say that, if you can, you should try and keep going. No nurse who's been practicing for any length of time can honestly say he's never made a med error. You'll emerge from this a better nurse for it. "Whatever does not kill us will only make us stronger"

[LVN2RNMom, ASN, BSN, LVN]

What's in your heart? Is being a nurse your dream? If so, follow your heart. If it were me (hence we are NOT allowed to give advice here), I would take refresher courses to show the higher authority my seriousness. In all honesty, only you can answer this question.

[aloneandforgotten]

Thank you all for your replies, I appreciate them. @ 1pinknurse thank you for the suggestion, that thought has run across my mind. Unfortunately a refresher course is something that will have to wait until I get another job to afford it(most likely outside the nursing field). You know, I sort of "fell in" to nursing, which was the only field I'd given any thought these past years. I feel like it won't hurt to look into different fields, but at the same time I feel like such a loser/waste of space because this is what I went to school for and dedicated myself to these past few years. To start all over is.... Scary. Sorry for the rambling :*

[LVN2RNMom, ASN, BSN, LVN]

Change is scary for all of us but you need to follow your own heart. If this is what you want, then you will need to fight for it. There are refresher courses that you can take which are inexpensive. Even if I had to volunteer my time at a hospice facility then I would. All of this would show good faith & an attempt at improvement.

[Vishwamitr]

Dear 1pinknurse,

I don't mean to generalize and don't mean to speak for anyone else, but most nurses have made medication-errors, sometime or the other; the only difference is that some got caught and some didn't.

[Vishwamitr]

Sorry, 1Pinknurse, the abovementioned comment was meant for aloneandforgotten.

[MIHospiceRN]

where do you go from here?? you go back to work and back to what you are trained to do. We are licensed to PRACTICE medicine and we become more seasoned and experienced caregivers with each day of practice. GET BACK TO WORK if your heart is into healing with your hands.

[agldragonRN]

Do you mind sharing what exactly was the medication error? Maybe somebody else can learn from the mistake.

Did your last employer threaten that you were going to be reported? If not, then you should be okay.

Maybe you can look for another job now and just forget about this employer? You don't even have to include this employer in your resume since you were only there for a couple of months. Just be prepared to explain the gap in your resume.

Good luck and I'm hoping for the best for you.

[MedChica]

I don't know about the BON but you'll be a much stronger nursing professional when you survive this ordeal. That's for sure.

Med errors happen.

I've made a med error. I was running in and out of rooms multi-tasking. Got distracted. Gave beta blockers and forgot to check the BP, though I brought the cuff in the room with me. sigh It was very low.

It shook me up a little. I was very embarrassed but I told and my coworkers were supportive. Push fluids, gave soda and monitored.

She was fine.

I'm not the only newb on the floor to make a mistake, either. Trust me, I've made the least amt. We have a nurse with 3 months on me and he occasionally screws something up. Not that anyone shames him or badmouths him for it. They're small mistakes. Not anything that reflects on his competence level. He's not a bad nurse. He just makes mistakes, sometimes.

We all make mistakes and I'm glad to have supportive experienced nurses around me. I tend to contribute well and make decent calls, but I've had my share of 'Bad Moments in Nursing Judgement'. LOL I tend to run my plans by them, which has saved me more than once.

They'll say something that I never thought of and I'll say, "Oh, yeah...that makes more sense to do it that way." or "Yeah, I can see why I should do it this way." or "Oh, I didn't think of it like that".

[PankaD89]

I can't give you any legal advice re: what might/might not happen with the BON. But I will say that if you can, you should try and keep going. No nurse who's been practicing for any length of time can honestly say he's never made a med error. You'll emerge from this a better nurse for it. "Whatever does not kill us will only make us stronger"[/quote']

This is so true. My very first night shift to work I made an insulin mistake. I was absolutely devastated, still not completely over it - that was the end of August. I was blessed with amazing coworkers who understood the anxieties of being a new nurse, thank God the resident wasn't harmed. You just have to pick yourself up & keep going. One of the things my coworkers told me was I'd never make that mistake again & I believe they're right - I always triple check insulin amounts before I give it. Despite our heroic efforts, at the end of the day nurses are still simply humans doing the best we can.