questioning hospital nursing for me??

[nursing twin, CNA]

Hi I've been in orientation for about 1 1/2 months now. I felt like I was improving until I was called into a meeting today. I had a really weird order for 24 vials of methadone. The vials were all banded so I pulled them out thinking I had 24 when I pulled 29 by accident. The mistake was caught but I should have been more careful!! I've made mistakes as to other things as well. once I thought a drip rate was faster than it should have been. I don't know if this is normal for orientees to make mistakes or should I really consider working at a nursing home where things are slower paced and the drugs change little. I like working in a hospital where learning is constant and I feel like I'm doing what I was taught to do. I have had a hard year with nursing and finding my career path. I just need to feel accomplished and successful at this point. Does anyone have any advice for me?? I think I will stick out orientation at this point and see how I feel towards the end. I really think at this point in my career if I don't succeed at something...that nursing was the wrong field for me. I really enjoy making connections with people andhelping them... please advice??

[Reno1978, BSN, RN]

Don't get discouraged because mistakes have been made. Learn from them and improve your practice! Plus, if you're unsure about the position you accepted being right for you, remember that in nursing the opportunities are endless and maybe you just need to find your niche. Hang in there...best of luck to you!

[CABG patch kid, BSN, RN]

Everyone makes mistakes, just try and learn from them. When I first started out, I felt really rushed during med pass time and made a few med errors simply because I didn't take the time to double check every single med. And actually, I did second guess something during one of my errors but didn't take the time to call the pharmacist and double check even though I was thinking I should. It's always better to give something a few minutes late than give the wrong med.

As far as working in a nursing home, well I don't know personally, but from what I've read here that can be just as bad because you have a much larger patient load and some nursing homes will try to get away with doing things that you wouldn't see a hospital do (such as making you work double shifts) and I think nursing homes have a harder time keeping staff so you will see a lot of people come and go, or you may have to work short-handed and end up doing a lot of the CNA work. I do a lot of CNA work at my hospital position, but I only have 4 patients so it is manageable.

Really the choice is up to you. You didn't say what specialty you are in, but maybe the unit that you work in right now isn't the best fit for you. Also keep in mind that it takes a good 6 months to a year to feel comfortable in your job (longer for some specialties like critical care, etc) so make sure you give your current job enough of a chance to see if you get better at it.

Good luck, I hope you find the place that's right for you!

[nursing twin, CNA]

thanks for responding. I know people make mistakes but apparently I have made enough to have a meeting about why and how to fix them. I have thinking and thinking about it since alst night and have realized I need to up my vigilance with checking. I honestly though I was doing a good job...but apparently didn't double check that order. I have been letting my preceptor be a check which I shouldn't have done. I should have checked in the med room another time before her. I'm going to stick through with this because I really want it. I have one month to prove that I can be a safe nurse. Every day I need to remember the mistakes and never not take the time to check myself!! not a bad lesson just one I'd rather figure out on my own.

[Dorito, ASN, RN]

Maybe it's just me but an order for 24 vials of Methadone would send some type of flag to me.... not only would I count them....I'd wonder why we're using 24 vials. ?? Everyone makes mistakes- you just need to be vigilant and check, check and recheck yourself.