Rewarded for med error?

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

Ok...not really, but attention getting isn't it??

Yesterday, had my FIRST med error in the year i've been working. It was seriously VERY minor and a mistake anyone could have made given the situation (long story). Basically it ended up in me giving a medication at 12:00 when it was due at 2:00. I filled out the proper paperwork, i was really upset about it. we had a "safety huddle" i guess you could call it with my manager, the CNL and myself. To discuss what happened, why it happened. i was in no way being punished, i was really shocked.

The next day (today) i find a candy bar in my mailbox (Hersey! YUM) for my honesty about the med error and helping the hospital in finding ways to decrease medication errors.

Here i am...thinking i'm going to get FIRED because of my stupid med error, not resulting in patient harm. The doctor could have cared less that i gave it at noon instead of two. Infact she asked me to move it till 12:00 later because she thought it would be a more convenient time since she had other meds due at 12:00.

Thought it was really interesting my hospital handled it so great and made it actually pleasant to come to them with a med error. It was more like "What could have our facility done to make this not happen?" type of discussion.

Thoughts?? i hear so many stories on here of people almost losing their jobs to medication errors. and my medication error resulted in a hersey bar.

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Specializes in LTC.

Thoughts? It was a small med error and they were happy you were honest. You don't get fired over something that minor...trust me I know.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

Another nurse i worked with had a bigger med error (gave 8 am pills at 8pm) same thing happened with her though. Not sure if she got a hersey bar, but she said they didn't make it scary.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Neuro, ICU, travel RN, Psych.

I think it's a much better way to handle things, than to have everyone terrified of being fired over every little thing. Med errors happen, even to people who are extremely careful sometimes. People are much less likely to report things if they are always worried they will get fired.

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

If they make it scary, people will cover it up then more severe errors will be made and attempted to be covered up. Doesn't mean you can't get fired if you start having frequent med errors.

Enjoy the candy bar though and at least you know they are concerned about your emotional welfare about the med error.

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Specializes in LTC.

Nevahmind

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

Does your facility practice "Just Cause" when it comes to med errors? I think that is the name of the policy. Although the hospital in Seattle that fired that 20 year nurse with no prior problems followed the same motto apparently.

Anyway, our facility has this policy in place. I am pretty sure that is the name. It encourages all misses, near misses to file an incident report and come forward. If the error is found to not be negligent you aren't in trouble. Negligent as in it's your 4th med error and you are refusing to scan the meds and patients. Something that you are willfully doing causing the error.

The hope is to encourage people to come forward with these near misses or misses and help the hospital as a whole learn from it. Same with Docs and when they mess up. The facility drills into us they are humans and will make mistakes, they feel the best course of action is not to punish the person for making the mistake but to try and learn from it and prevent it from happening again. They know if they punish it will just keep people hiding mistakes.

Again, only if it's not willful. They also provide full malpractice Ins. for us as long as we are working at their facility and they provide it for the doctors too (that work for them), housekeeping, cna's, food service. It's covered for any employee. In fact, they encourage us NOT to go buy our own because if we do then we can be named in a suit and the person can go after them, and than us individually. So if we are sued they provide all our legal expenses unless it was something criminal we did. If that is the case they cover things up until it's found out we broke the law and than we are on our own.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.
Nevahmind

nevermind?? no it's fine. Im not disregarding what you said. I've just heard so many stories of people getting fired or yelled at because of their medication errors. So i was REALLY shocked today to see how my hospital handled it. Wondering if this is how all hospitals handle it (unless its really huge!!).

our hospital is in the process of looking at getting medication scanners, so they are looking to see how many of these medication errors could be caught by the medication scanners.

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Specializes in LTC.

No I had something else then changed my mind :p ;) Iz all gud. I've always gotten yelled at and fired for them...and made feel like crap for a nurse.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.
If they make it scary, people will cover it up then more severe errors will be made and attempted to be covered up. Doesn't mean you can't get fired if you start having frequent med errors.

Enjoy the candy bar though and at least you know they are concerned about your emotional welfare about the med error.

It hit the spot :). chocolate can definitely make it all better!

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Specializes in Intermediate care.
No I had something else then changed my mind :p ;) Iz all gud. I've always gotten yelled at and fired for them...and made feel like crap for a nurse.

It happens, nurses are human too. Betcha your manager has made a few mistakes in her day. My manager fessed up one of her medication errors to me when she was on the floor.

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Specializes in CICU.
In fact, they encourage us NOT to go buy our own because if we do then we can be named in a suit and the person can go after them, and than us individually. So if we are sued they provide all our legal expenses unless it was something criminal we did. If that is the case they cover things up until it's found out we broke the law and than we are on our own.

You can be sued regardless of whether you have personal insurance or not.

If I am ever involved in a lawsuit, I want MY lawyer advising me, not the hospital's...

Make sure that hospital insurance will still defend you if a lawsuit pops up after you are no longer employed there.

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