quit nursing after med errors?

Published

Will you quit nursing after making 5 med errors in the first 7 months of being an RN?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Oh, good heavens, no. Some people act as though med errors are the worse thing you can do, right up there with murder, even. I'm not saying they're okay, but I can think of much worse errors.

You need to do what they call a root cause analysis. Find out what exactly is causing you to make the errors. Are you being distracted? Are you going to fast? Whatever the cause is, fix that, and your error rate will diminish.

You're still a rookie. Rookies make mistakes. Be patient, and time and experience will work wonders. Good luck to you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Heck no, but I would sure be a lot more careful. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

To be blunt, I would question whether or not you possess the necessary attention to detail that is needed to avoid such errors. That is a high error run-rate, and I hope that no one was hurt. I'm sorry if this is harsh, but you could kill someone if you have an innate inability to follow protocols correctly.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Of course not...I woudn't quit for that....we're humans and humans make mistakes...more if you're a student...just try to be extra careful when you get to pass the meds....do the calcs twice and re-check that you are giving the correct Meds. It's not that a big deal..like I said, just be more careful and keep learning. :up::hug:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have already done some mistakes within 15 weeks of my new job, not big ones but there are always ways to avoid them. I think organizing time sheet and not missing 5 rights of med giving can reduce it. You worked hard for license so don't give up easily :nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.

I guess it would depend on what the errors were and whether or not I hurt my patient(s) when making the errors. Some "errors" are really more academic in nature like not signing off the order promptly etc. However, I think if I had made seven serious errors that had hurt or injured a patient I would consider my situation very carefully. Questions I would be asking myself would be: did I make 7 completely different errors, or do I keep making the same mistakes repeatedly, what could I have done to prevent these errors, what training do I need to not make these kinds of errors again, etc?

Perhaps there is another field of nursing where you wouldn't be responsible for so many meds?

Really, without knowing what kind of errors and what the consequences were, I couldn't give you an honest answer.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Really, without knowing what kind of errors and what the consequences were, I couldn't give you an honest answer.

ITA. It could be you, it could be the job. Are you working in a place where there is too much to do and you are overwhelmed? If you are working somewhere where you don't have time to use your five rights and there is no time to get orginized, they maybe you need to work somewhere else. There are just too many variables that exist to give you an answer.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CT stepdown, hospice, psych, ortho.
To be blunt, I would question whether or not you possess the necessary attention to detail that is needed to avoid such errors. That is a high error run-rate, and I hope that no one was hurt. I'm sorry if this is harsh, but you could kill someone if you have an innate inability to follow protocols correctly.

Uh? Are you a nurse yet? If not, I guarantee you will make errors. I hope you aren't as harsh on yourself as you are on OP. Not to mention, juggling 6 patients is way harder than being responsible for 2 or 3 or 4.

If you don't have an electronic MAR and scan system a med error is easy. HELL, even if you do have a MAR its easy to forget to open the clamp on the secondary IV or program the pump wrong if you are super busy or distracted. If you are lucky to have an eMAR, wait and see how many med errors it catches that you would have made (forgetting to get two pills to make 10mg or half a pill to make the correct dose, etc, etc, etc).

That being said, OP, you need to follow the advice of these other posters and take a good long look at what may be going on to cause these errors. Enlist the help of a skilled senior nurse you trust or your clinical educator or nurse manager to figure out a process to check, check, and double check yourself.

The quoted poster is right that the right med error could kill someone however, making "small" med errors happens and should be treated as a learning experience. I will tell you two things and I hope they make you feel better: a) the best preceptor I ever had accidently hung a second back of heparin instead of milrinone so there were 2 hep drips going and no milrinone!!

Luckily the drip rate was really low and nothing bad happened to the patient even without the milrinone. It wasn't caught for about 7 hours. Scary stuff. The reason she made that error was she bypassed the double check. The other nurse just signed off on it knowing this preceptor was such a stellar nurse , she signed the MAR without actually checking the med herself. Big mistake and one neither are likely to ever make again.

The second: I also do home health. Do you know how many huge med errors i find the patients making giving themselves medication? They wonder why they aren't getting better and its because of some huge mistake they are making like taking BP meds all at once instead of TID or wrong insulin dosages, etc. Scary stuff that would get you ripped a new one if you did it in a hospital setting. And none of them have killed themselves yet, thank God!

Now do not use this as an excuse to be lax. You need to pay attention, be focused, and find a way PRONTO to fix whatever is causing these oversights. You may be in the wrong setting or you may just need a process change. Do not give up on yourself. If you cannot work out something with the help of another nurse or one of the other administration options I mentioned above, look into a field that isn't so med intensive or slower paced. I wouldn't go to long term since that's a crap ton of med pass. Home health you very rarely give meds unless its an IV infusion or an injection. Cardiac rehab may be a good fit but you will need ACLS and that does involve meds. Don't give up, be proactive in identifying and fixing the problem.

Good luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I had a real problem in the beginning -- LPN in LTC -- and I came on here and got some very good advice. I was reading the MAR in a way that was bound to lead to errors and when I corrected that I got a lot better.

I certainly wouldn't quit.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

No. Slow down, and take your time. Multi-tasking is a skill for the skilled lol. Also, you will make more mistakes- be ready for your next one and the 25 after that. Bigger picture IMO is that you also need to learn how to RECOVER from mistakes. It's hard, especially if you are new to the workforce- but a little thicker on the skin and a little faster with an apology (not an excuse- an apology) will take you far.

Additionally, asking people if you should quit your profession is like walking around with a target on your head. I noticed some people suggested you should, maybe they want your job?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.

If we all quit after making med errors, there really would be a nursing shortage because there would be NO NURSES!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion