Omg...afraid to go back to work

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2013

If this post is real.... I would suggest doing a search here on allnurses. You will find oodles of advice and support. One place to start is the one year after licensing forum. There is a sticky there titled. "Hang in there new grads it does get better".I hope your situation improves.Now I'm gonna get the popcorn because this is going get good. Patiently waiting for ruby vee and grntea to chime in and any other members or the COB society.

OCNRN63, RN · Feb 18, 2013

Omg...I am so afraid to go back to work. are med errors common in nursing? i am afraid that i may lose my license. i feel really awful. also i am a new nurse and i think one of my supervisor's is out to get me. instead of her offering a helping hand she lurks around to catch my mistakes. i don't know what to do i love my job but am afraid that i may lose it and my license.
Can someone plz explain to me why seasoned nurses find it hard to help newcomers.
This supervisor has made so many mistakes and i have never told on her, but she makes it her life to try and ruin me. i am beginning to second guess if nursing is what i really want to do, especially if i have to have supervisors like her.

It's kind of hard to offer you suggestions if we have nothing to go on. If you're making mistakes then it's your supervisor's responsibility to note them.

If you gave us some details, I'm sure plenty of seasoned nurses would be happy to help you.

RNperdiem, RN · Feb 19, 2013

Was any harm done to the patient? Is this your first mistake? If this is your first, and no harm was done, your chances are good.

A supervisor" lurking around trying to catch mistakes" might not be a bad thing if you made mistakes in the past and could use a double check on meds.

meandragonbrett · Feb 19, 2013

First off. You can drop the fear instilled in you by your nursing professors that "You will lose your license" I and many others get so tired of hearing that phrase. If you practice as a prudent nurse then you mostly have nothing to worry about.

amoLucia · Feb 19, 2013

First off - is there really a COB Society? I'm sure I would meet all admisssion criteria. Where do I sign up?

To OP - Supervisors ARE supposed to supervise! I take that responsibility VERY seriously. And recognizing the shortcomings of many of today's new graduates (NOT ALL), I feel an obligation to check out the nurses on my shift, be they newbie or experienced. I know that I've po'd many of them. I do med pass observation (be they orientees or regular staff). I'll check doing a treatment with them, esp a PICC drsg. And I do ABT IV meds with them and Gt mgt. I need to know they know how to use the pumps and I troubleshoot for any poor technique. I'm just making sure they're OK and safe.

I walk them thru crash carts; how to set up suction and green O2 tanks and more, incl documentation and clinical situations. I see these activities as educational/learning situations. I'm not out to write up staff or get them in trouble. And I will work with them. But I have had MAJOR problems on a few isolated incidents that needed addressing higher up. I also do similar things with the CNAs too.

If you've noticed, your job description probably has something that starts "Under the direction and supervision of the Director of Nursing and/or designee..." Well, I'm the designee and that's why I do what I do as my job desc. is similarly worded to charge me with being responsible for your practice. Your practice affects my job and my license. And you're only ONE person; I'm responsible for many,many other things.

Just curious - on how many med errors/mistakes has she had to intervene, and could they have had serious negative consequences for the pts? Would you feel safe for YOURSELF or family if YOU were the assigned nurse?

DeBerham · Feb 19, 2013

Omg...I am so afraid to go back to work. are med errors common in nursing? i am afraid that i may lose my license. i feel really awful.

Mistakes happen. You generally will not be penalized unless you:

1) Make them frequently/make the same mistake repeatedly or fail to learn from your mistakes

2) Make a HUGE mistake (ie 1mg dilaudid is ordered and you decide that it's not enough so you give 100mg requiring you to pull out multiple vials of a drug disregarding safety mechanisms in place)

3) attempt to cover up the mistake or lie about the mistake

also i am a new nurse and i think one of my supervisor's is out to get me. instead of her offering a helping hand she lurks around to catch my mistakes.

She's doing her job. Everyone has felt this way at some point, you've got to get over yourself though. I presume this person hired you and so something about you that he or she liked. There is a learning curve/growing pains associated with new hires (from the employees point of view and the employers) and mistakes, at some level, are expected to be made.

i don't know what to do i love my job but am afraid that i may lose it and my license.
Can someone plz explain to me why seasoned nurses find it hard to help newcomers.

Again, in all likelihood you will not lose your license. As far as seasoned nurses helping newcomers this unfortunately is a fact of life. You will work with people who are very good at teaching and mentoring you and others who are not. I would suggest you remember this feeling and when a new grad/employee comes to you for help act accordingly. Be that person you wish that they were.

This supervisor has made so many mistakes and i have never told on her, but she makes it her life to try and ruin me.

BE VERY CAREFUL HERE. I can not overstate this. If she wanted to "ruin you" she would have done it. EVERY hospital that I have worked at has had a probationary period in place to remove problematic employees, I doubt that yours is any different. If she wanted you gone you would be gone by now. Unless your supervisor is doing something dangerous as far as a patient's care is concerned I can just about promise you that if you go around tattling on your her your career will be over. I doubt you have any idea about the relationship that your supervisor has with her manager, and you are heading into very dangerous waters right now. Simply put you are more easily replaced than she is. Your statement also smacks of immaturity. Your supervisors mistakes have no bearing on yours. They are completely unrelated and I'm not sure why you would bring them up unless you are trying to divert attention from your shortcomings. You need to grow up. I would suggest that you develop some thicker skin and accept the criticism as an opportunity to improve yourself.

i am beginning to second guess if nursing is what i really want to do, especially if i have to have supervisors like her.

You will deal with difficult people/situations WHEREVER you go and in whatever field you choose. It turns out that you're in a profession where your mistakes can kill people very quickly and as such mistakes are (rightfully) remedied quickly. Again, try changing your attitude and accept the criticism as an opportunity to grow. If you really don't like working there look for another job elsewhere, but keep in mind that no matter where you go you will be expected to meet standards.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 19, 2013

Omg...I am so afraid to go back to work. are med errors common in nursing? i am afraid that i may lose my license. i feel really awful. also i am a new nurse and i think one of my supervisor's is out to get me. instead of her offering a helping hand she lurks around to catch my mistakes. i don't know what to do i love my job but am afraid that i may lose it and my license.
Can someone plz explain to me why seasoned nurses find it hard to help newcomers.
This supervisor has made so many mistakes and i have never told on her, but she makes it her life to try and ruin me. i am beginning to second guess if nursing is what i really want to do, especially if i have to have supervisors like her.

Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is that you recognize when you've made one, admit it, and then set about to mitigate the damage to the patient. It does become problematic when you make the same (or similar) mistakes over and over without learning from it. Even then, though, it's far more likely that you'd lose your job than your license. Very few nurses actually lose their licenses, and it's usually for some egregious mistake, series of mistakes or deliberate wrongdoing.

It is your supervisor's job to make sure you're a safe practitioner. It's her job to catch your mistakes.

Your assumption that seasoned nurses find it hard to help newcomers is in error. Some seasoned nurses find it difficult to help some newcomers, but you're not one of those newcomers who is impossible to teach, are you?

And here's the thing -- your supervisor's mistakes have nothing to do with the mistakes you've made or are making. "Telling on her" isn't likely to win you any benefits in the long run . . . on the off chance that you've interpreted things correctly and the supervisor IS making mistakes. If she's just doing things differently than you learned in school, she's probably not making mistakes.

As seasoned nurses, we all know that teaching newbies is part of our job. Just like everything else, some of us are better at it than others. Some of us enjoy teaching more than others. And some of us probably teach to your learning style better than others. If you're the type of person who is looking to "tell on" the supervisor because the supervisor is catching you making mistakes, you've probably got a lot of growing up to do yet. When you get grown up, all these things will look very different to you.