marace

I hear you and I empathize. I always made myself available to new nurses on teh floor due to my first experiences. Sad state of affairs. It will haunt you and to ban you... there are places in teh US that do this but I h ear that after a year they will rehire. Try to get a job part time at least to fill in teh void. Take some classes on medication administration. I understand completely. Those preprinted MARS are deceiving as they sometimes post the full amt in a vial (like insulin 100 u) on them which is totally confusing. Take your time is all I can say.

My husband spent 50K on getting an MSN in business to top off his BSN. REsult: 50K in debt with no change in job x 5 years.

Health Unit Secretary. Front desk at Nursing stations.

Mini Cooper is smaller than I thought!

Insurance companies are hiring sometimes enmasse for positions. Several now have case management available. This can be good for nurses who have physical limitations due to injuries acquired on the job and find that the work is prohibitive. Years of experience are a bonus when assessing mbrs on the phone or assisting them to help deal with a chronic illness or condition. Some nurses with kids think this will help them with not requiring childcare but this is not so. Your attention needs to be on your work. Moving up the chain is not so easy. I find that they appear to put nurses with master degrees in the lower positions and sometimes those with an Associate Degree end up in Management positions. Pay is mediocre and benefits not always what one would hope for. More vacation time is given though. Bonuses: No uniforms, wear and tear on vehicles, no travel times,some flexibility, less stress. I own six nursing licenses in seven states. Cons: Limited social activity, need to exercise on one's own time, need to have good spelling and typing skills, not a good choice for fresh out of nursing school first job. Moving up is almost impossible. I have been doing it for about five year now. I have to read journals to keep up with changes but my plantar faciitis is gone. I have gained weight but am walking 10K steps a day to keep in shape. My stress is gone. Telecommunication is coming. Some doctors are doing visits online. Times are a changing.

Wondering if this is happening at work. I am an older nurse and I am appalled and angry about staff using their cellphones at work. I have found staff in patient bathrooms, h iding in bathrooms, and even openly at the nurses station. Lights going off, alarms on pumps, but the nurses continue to abuse their time while being paid to monitor social status or text their friends during work hours.

It was a bad day, on top of my plantar fasciitis, being in charge, people calling in like usual on a Sunday Morning (though never held responsible), I had a 12 hour shift in front of me. I took Vital signs for the Nurses to help out, I also carried a load of 5 patients. We had 3 admissions on our small ENT floor immediately in the morning. At the end of shift, when we are bombarded with admission and their dismissals from PACU and ER, There was an epidural line that was near empty. I could have ignored it but I wanted to be the 'good' nurse that doesn't leave empty IV bags etc for the next shift. I got my code from Pharmacy as the new bag was being sent. It took a long time. It got crazy when it arrived from the Tube system (same one all day),using the code I got from the pharmacist. I put it in my pocket, asked each of the three nurses to double check it with me, they were scrambling and couldn't find time. I was scrambling to accept 2 new patients myself to the floor. I ached, I hurt, I could hardly walk. The clear lexite box the med was in was covered with tape residue and you could not visualize what was in it. The lock was supposed to be locked by protocol and it was held shut by a rubber band. She had been on our floor for a few days. I went and got the key out of Pixis and was interrupted 3 x by others needing help and a family member in the room. I remember looking at the bag.. and I remember nothing. I don't even recall the label. I hooked it up, set the pump, locked it and walked away. I had put up Heparin. a sentinal event. It did not harm her, but she had no pain relief. I got a call the next morning at 5 a.m. from a nurse who found it. Everyone was absolutely in a panic and frantic. I don't blame them. I was in shock. I broke protocol. I admitted everything. I did not attempt to hide it or skirt around it. I was honest. But in thinking about it I wanted to help the hospital from this ever happening again. 1. The lexite box was not openly visible to contents. (I was told it was my responsibilty to clean the box off to ensure contents were visible) Secondly, the box was never locked according to protocol for 3 days. (Probably to assist in visualizing contents.) The anesthesia nurse did not even check the box. 2. I did not follow protocol, 2 person check was not done. 3. Pharmacist gave the same code to everyone that day for tube system, resulting in a chance for a med error, which happened. 4. Nurses were too busy to assist each other, staffing inadequate. 5. Interruptions 6. Continued practice of admitting patients to the floor during/before report time causes extreme disruption and broken reports. 6:30 -7:30 am and the same, PM. In the meeting in the next 2 days, where the event was discussed with my $56/mo Union present, I was offered resignation. I also had my name blackballed from the other hospitals for 6 months. I was labeled and unemployed. In shock, I sat in my office getting denials and turndowns continually. I had been previously nominated for awards twice for being a wonderful nurse. This mistake took me down. I understand 3 other nurses were let go in the process and one pharmacist. Because of me. I had a mental health professional call me to discuss it. I was angry at myself and angry at the system. The patient was failed by me. I was failed by me, the hospital, my coworkers. I beat myself up. Gained 70 pounds. I lost a lot in this; good pay, seniority, friends, respect. It was a very rough time. In two months I found employment and it was slower, way slower, and I had time to review events. I never stopped saying it was my own fault. I gained 70 pounds. I met another fellow nurse from another state, similar event. He was given an option to take a med course through the hospital to correct and educate. He was very thankful this was offered to him and he totally understood where I was coming from. He said I did the right thing: I was honest. Because of this; I never lost my license but they did threaten to do so. The process is to be examined, not to punish anyone but to see where the errors were made and enforce how to prevent. People make mistakes. My problem is I know what was right, what was to be done correctly and I put my coworkers ahead of patient safety. Now they have scanners for medications. A totally different process on epidurals. But those of us involved are gone. I know I learned my lesson. It still haunts me 10 years later.

Out of fear of not being able to take care of my own children, I sucked it up. I was bullied, harrassed, taken advantage of, overworked, missed holidays with my kids,tried to sleep summer days when kids were home from school and worked nights. I hear you, every bit of what you say. Home health is a great experience. So are other places in nursing. School Nursing. Case management. I suffered and survived. I hear what you are saying.

I did ask for help, it was so busy no one had time. I hung a heparin bag mislabeled on to an epidural. TWO sets of eyes may have caught it. So glad no one got hurt, and the LPNS I have worked with were the best ever. I have been in MED surg for sinc 1991. FOr some reason THAT DAY... Protocol did nto get followed due to the amt of craziness going on that day. I have relived those moments over and over and over. If only... why did nt I... HOw did this happen..... Why did no one check on their shift... Did anyone notice anything suspicious.... WHy did it come down to an empty bag and someone replacing it.

I did ask for help, it was so busy no one had time. I hung a heparin bag mislabeled on to an epidural. TWO sets of eyes may have caught it. So glad no one got hurt, and the LPNS I have worked with were the best ever.

someone at new job heard about it and brought itup.. like 'someone actually did this".

I got written up once because I had an abcess tooth (From not being able to get a timely appt with a dentist) and I called in sick one hour before my shift started because that's when the pain got bad from this same institution. It stays on your record for a year. I do understand how hard it is to work short handed, I did it all the time. Especially on Sundays when the younger nurses would go out on Saturday night knowing they had to work the next day. Nurses are not particularly very kind to each other in this regard. Probably trickle down effect from how we are all treated in the work place. Expendible. Replaceable. The ongoing trend now is to hire new grads and get rid of the more expensive seasoned nurses. Quite different from just a few years ago. All it takes is one event of any kind and the seasoned nurse is out the door, a new grad eagerly waiting to walk into those steps. ITs about cost;making nurses work short so money is saved, paying them less and of course, expendibility. The CEOs make a couple million a year, get bonuses as do the managers if they cut budgets. WHo is at stake? you or your family.

In answer to many questions: Yes we make mistakes. Do we get fired? Yes. Even with unions. If the hospital deems that an action or mistake cost them money in any way shape or form, such as in this case, this patient had to stay an extra day to be observed, you get terminated. My biggest regret is that the other nurses, who followed me in the following 3 days also were terminated. The medication was Heparin and I can't tell you how many times I have found ATB with a label slapped on it and find out its the solution the ATB or other med was mixed in. YES it has a RED LABEL on the bag but here we go, in a hurry and hanging meds, everyone too busy to double check with you. My fault? Whole heartedly yes. Follow protocol. Do not waver. 2 sets of eyes are better than one. My biggest problem now? This story following me to my new job. I get to relive the horror over and over...BUT thanK GOD! the patient is fine; no problems, no residual. I have seen nurses put on 'detention' meaning they could not make one more error or miss or they are fired. Suddenly everyone looks at that nurse as incompetent, everyone shuns her or him. Its a sad way we do things. Like I told the counselor, we forgive doctors all the time because they are human and mistakes can happen. They go on and the doctor keeps practicing. The nurse that makes an error? She is supposed to be infallible and no matter what the working conditions, she cannot make an error in medicine, judgement or take time off to be ill. The nurse is judged from all aspects of every medical person around, from pharmacy, Doctors, coworkers, radiation, etc. A mistake can ruin a career by following the days a nurse ever works.This instantly makes you a 'dangerous' person to work with.

I worked over 22 years and five at a big hospital. I hung a bag on a patient and did not follow protocol since our floor was just soo busy; I was in charge, had a preceptee, a new nurse on the floor, five patients myself, two of those were trachs, and an aide that did not show so I was taking VS. Yeah... sounds stretched too thin. When It was found it was 3 days later. Other nurses caring for that patient lost their job since they did not check the med hanging. There were so many things that went wrong: 1. I did not double check with another nurse. 2. I got a 'code' from the pharmacy, they gave everyone the same 'code' that day, so I 3. had grabbed someone else's bag. 4. I put it in my pocket and carried it with me for over an hour, I just couldnt get to the room nor could I get anyone to take time to go in there with me. It was that busy. 5. I put it on the pt's pole in the room so two of us could look at it when we had time. 6. The pump started alarming since the previous bag was empty. 7. I just hooked it up intending on coming back with another to verify and locked the box which had previously been left unlocked by anesthesia. The box was so full of tape residue you could not see into it. 8. My shift was ending, and it was still not done, asked the oncoming nurse to check it with me, she got called to help move a new admit to a bed.. 9. I asked another and she got pulled to help again another admit to a new bed. 10. 13 hrs later, I am so exhausted, I just went home. _________________________________________________________________________ 3 days later I get a call at 4 a.m. asking if I remember anything about this person. I have to wake up and think and then my nightmare starts. THANK GOD the PATIENT WAS NOT HARMED!! The doctor was forgiving, saying it was an error and no harm done; pharmacy was freaking and wanting to hang me by my neck... I can't help but think how many med errors I had prevented before with pharmacy, such as finding an ATB bag with heparin as a base. I had admitted it must be me and never tried to lie my way out of it. I asked to take full blame. Mistakes can happen to anyone. Hindsight; do not let any institution make you SO busy that you don't even have time to go to the bathroom much less try to take on other's work. I would have been liable if those vital signs were not recorded but much better than making a terrible med error that also resulted in 3 other seasoned nurses to lose their jobs too. This was 2 years ago and I sometimes cannot sleep when I think about it. I now do casemanagement to avoid giving meds and this story has now followed me to my new job.