Nursing student mistake

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I would like some feedback. I am in clinical and I did a procedure that I thought i was allowed but it ended up that I wasn't. I am a first year student studying to be an lpn in Canada and I was wondering would it effect my permanent nursing record in the future or just on my student file. I don't know how it works for nursing in the real world when they make mistaks and if any one whom as a student made a mistake. I didn't hurt the patient or anything just was helping them get dressed before being discharged and undid the cord for the Iv so they could put their shirt on and get it right back asap. I wanted some feedback and advice on this topic and what your experiences have been. I'm pretty upset over this situation and I know we all make mistakes just worried about my record as a future nurse. Thanks for everything.

Help student nurse need some advice.

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Specializes in Emergent pre-hospital care as a medic.

Call me crazy but I don't see what you did as being a "procedure". The rule for me when I was in clinical was to ask my preceptor if there was any doubt--if I encountered something I hadn't done before I would ask. I can't imagine anything coming from what you describe here and to my knowledge anything you've done during clinical time through your program stays within the program.

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I DIDN'T discontinue the IV but put it on hold and undo the cord so I could put her shirt on.Once the shirt was on, I put it back and ran the iv saline again. I thought iwas allowed but told the teacher what I did and she said I may have to redo the clinical because I put the patient's safety in danger and did something that I wasn't trained on yet.

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Specializes in Emergent pre-hospital care as a medic.

I don't see how you put the patient in danger (I'm assuming that there was some sort of extension set attached to the IV catheter and that you didn't disconnect the IV tubing from the IV hub and allow the patient to bleed everywhere). I get what you're saying you did and I think it's ridiculous that you would have to redo the clinical. If only my opinion mattered......

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Yes, there was an extension set attached to the iv catheter. I did disconnect the iv tub from the iv hub and that started to bleed.

I thought it was the right area and the patient bleed like 2 drops of blood and then connected it right away. I disconnected the wrong part. That's why i let the teacher know what happened and know I'm like afaid of what will happen. The patient was discharged and was happy that I helpedthem out. Hope this makes sense.

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Specializes in Emergent pre-hospital care as a medic.

It does make sense. I still don't see it as a big deal. Better to take and make it a teachable moment. Those things are where we learn the best. You'll never disconnect it in that manner again I bet. In the future I would attempt to get very clear and up front guidelines from your instructor/preceptor so these "errors" aren't made again. In my school new skills were to be observed by our instructor and after that was done successfully we were able to repeat that task again unassisted. They just wanted to be sure we knew what we were doing.

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I have to meet with the teacher and head department of my college to determine a course of action.

I will learn from this experience for sure.

Yah, they observe procedures 1st when we do them and then assign us off to do on my own latta on but now I lost their trust because I did something I wasn't suppose too. It's hard because I want to be a nurse more than anything. I truly feel bad for this but i'm happy the patient is okay. Are u a nursing student or currently working as a nurse? Thanks alot for your advice. I feel a bit better but i'm still in shock.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I am glad that there was no harm done and I hope that you learn from this experience.Never touch any equipment without supervision unless you have been cleared to do so.

I would think having to redo any clinicals would be harsh punishment. When i was in school they made one of my classmates write an essay on patient safety after she did something she wasn't supposed to.

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Yeah! I was sick for two days already and it's a 4 week period. We can't miss more than 3 days if we do we have to redo it. So the teacher sent me home so imissed half a day and tomorrow which is 12 hours so i'm sure i'll have too. It totally sucks. I will never touch anything ever again.

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Did you at least swab the port before you reattached it?

You've increased the patients risk of infection by doing this and so indirectly did create a safety risk for the patient.

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Thanks

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Specializes in Emergent pre-hospital care as a medic.
Are u a nursing student or currently working as a nurse? Thanks alot for your advice. I feel a bit better but i'm still in shock.

I've just graduated and passed the NCLEX but I've been a paramedic for 15 years.

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