3 medication errors in 7 months!

Nurses New Nurse

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I know, I know...most of you must be looking at this and thinking :eek: I'm living it and I feel the same way. I'm posting this because I really need some advice; I'm depressed, confused, feeling incredibly stupid and very guilty. Let me give you the scenarios and you can tell me what you all think. By the way, in case you can't tell...I'm a new grad, June 2005:

1) First medication error occured when I gave the wrong patient the wrong medication (I did a stupid thing by carrying two patients meds at the same time). This patient happened to be a chronic pain patient, knew the medication wasn't for him but accepted the medication anyway. The medication was Percocet 5/325. I alerted my charge nurse right away, told the doctor (who started laughing and told me not to worry about it because this patient was on so many meds the percocet wouldn't do anything to him.), and wrote out the incident report. Went home that day feeling terrible and wondering if I'm really going to be good at this. :o

2) Second error: received report from Step-down unit, was told this patient had not received his evening dose of Coumadin. When this patient came up to the floor I looked in his file to see if the Coumadin had been given, couldn't find the documentation in the usual place, called the nurse back in an attempt to find out whether it had been given or not, later found out I was connected to another nurse who had also given me report that same night and who told me she had not given the Coumadin. Gave the patient 5mg Coumadin and then found out the original nurse had already given the 5mg!!! Once again filled the incident report and once again went home feeling terrible and wondering if I made the right decision to be a nurse. :o

3) Latest one: Received report from one of the nurse on my floor that the patients Unasym had been discontinued and the patient now had an order for Penicillin Q24hr, when I looked in the MAR I saw the registrar had picked up the order as Q24hr also, I signed off in the patients chart right under the registrars signature. To make a long story short, next day received a call from the charge nurse on days alerting me to the fact that the patient had missed 3 doses of her penicillin because it was ordered for Q4h!! Filled out another incident report, was written up for this latest occurence, went home and cried myself to sleep and have been feeling horrible ever since. :o :o

For the past 20 years all I've wanted and dreamed about was becoming a registered nurse, I graduated at the very top of my class, received the Gold medal at graduation, and am was hired at one of the top orthopedic facilities (which has Magnet status) in the nation right out of school. I can't help but wonder...what has gone wrong? :uhoh3: I can honestly say, I've learned from each and every incident, but I'm beginning to wonder if I should quit before I'm fired. :crying2:

Any and all advice will be very much appreciated. Thanks.

I've made similar errors in the past. The lesson that I learned is, ALWAYS check the original order and don't just listen to the nurse who gives you the report. When in doubt, always ask questions.

I was fired for medication errors. How is that for being honest. I was working at an assisted living working 2nd shift. Every other weekend I would work days. On two separate occasions, I pulled the wrong meds from the tray, thinking in my mind it was still evening shift, checked them on the medex and gave them. (to a single pt, not everyone in the building)

I was so ingrained that it was evening that for a moment I thought is was evening. After that I would write a note and hang it on the wall next to the med cart saying "days" on it so it wouldn't happen again.

I was put on a 6 month probation, after begging not to be fired, and was told if I had one more error that was it.

3 months later, after checking and rechecking everything, I forgot 1 pill.

I should have gotten out of nursing back then. I am human.

I was fired for medication errors. How is that for being honest. I was working at an assisted living working 2nd shift. Every other weekend I would work days. On two separate occasions, I pulled the wrong meds from the tray, thinking in my mind it was still evening shift, checked them on the medex and gave them. (to a single pt, not everyone in the building)

I was so ingrained that it was evening that for a moment I thought is was evening. After that I would write a note and hang it on the wall next to the med cart saying "days" on it so it wouldn't happen again.

I was put on a 6 month probation, after begging not to be fired, and was told if I had one more error that was it.

3 months later, after checking and rechecking everything, I forgot 1 pill.

I should have gotten out of nursing back then. I am human.

So what are you up to these days?

Yes, medication errors are my biggest fears especially heparin and narcotics. A few days ago I has a patient who I gave 15mg of oxycodone q 6 instead of 10mg. The order had changed from the week before. In my head she was still on 15 mg. So when they did the narcotic count in the morning they were short 2. It showed I only gave her 10mg when I know I gave her 15mg. Being in a rush I missed some of the steps of the the medication rights. The only one to blame was me. On top it off I was sick that night and two nurses called out sick. so dummy me trying to be nice went to work. Well the only one to blame is me. I cried too and still am sick from my mistake. I got a written verbal warning. I now have to do a presentation to my night nurses. My word of advice to you is don;t rush.

Trust me I rush and when I do it burns me in the ass. Don't take any, any nurses word for it I don't care how long they have been a nurse. I have seen some of the most seasoned nurses make big mistakes. And they won't be there to back you up. I go with my instincts. I ask, ask questions and I don't care who I annoy. Its your license on the line. You've just have a rough few months. No one has been hurt. My anxiety about going to work got so bad I needed to go to the doctor. Hospital nursing is tough. Its unsafe. I will be making some decisions over the next months whether to stay in the hospital. Maybe there is another floor for you. I am, sure you are a great nurse. Don;t doubt yourself. I will tell you one thing that from your mistakes you will not duplicate them, I assure you.

I wish you all the best. Hang in there. You are going to be ok.

I realize this thread is 4 years old, but since it was getting bumped and this topic was on my mind, I figured I would chime in.

I'm a recent grad lucky enough to have found work as an RN. I trained in school on computerized med systems and I'm currently working in a facility that does the scanning the patients and med thing. I've often complained that the extra minute or 2 that the computer adds to my med passes on each patient and dealing with the hiccups of technology seeming to spaz out at the worst possible moment was too much of a hassle. I always thought things would be so much quicker with a paper MAR. After reading about the unfortunate errors some posters have had, I'm actually grateful to work with a system with some failsafes in place to keep me from making mistakes. I can't imagine the extra stress of worrying about being fired for an accident while you're still trying to learn the ropes of a new profession. Thanks for helping me find a little perspective on one of my daily gripes.:D

My advice to you is dont give up, I think you are a great nurse but like everyone else we are prone to make mistakes. The guilt will not let you see clearly the situation. I believe that you are in the right profession but just have to focus on your skills. Have a great day.

Specializes in CVICU, CCU, Heart Transplant.

If I understand #3 correctly it seems like you relied on the previous nurse & clerk writing the penicillin order as q24 hours & never actually checked the order yourself before signing it off.

As one new grad to another, I learned from my mentors to always physically look at a written order before I sign off on it. First in the AM when I do my 24 hour Chart checks, and EVERY time a new order comes in. I think it's good practice to not trust anyone else.

It's gonna be ok! :redbeathe

Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

Honestly, most of what you describe is a "system problem" within you facillity. We are having simular porblems but have yet to get the support from our nursing admin. to help correct the problem. Knowing what meds have been given, if the orders match the MAR, if pharmacy accurate to the written orders- all are systemic problems that have solutions- they just have to be addressed. Instead of beating yourself up about these errors- address the problem with your unit manager or- better yet, someone from your "risk management" department. You may not only save yourself a lot of future grief, you could save patients from future errors. The trick is turning the problem around from a blame issue to a opportunity to find solutions. And, of course, getting someone in power to listen to you. Good luck with that!

Hi, I can relate to how you feel! I am questioning my choice to become a nurse too. I almost gave the wrong medication in clinicals last week and feel like the biggest idiot of the century. I to have wanted to become a nurse for a long time (20+ years) and decided to raise my children first before persuing my career.

Anyway I do not think you should quit. For one thing the 2nd and 3rd error were not your fault and for another any nurse who says she has never made an error is either lying or too stupid to know they made an error. I felt like giving up the other day and still feel sick about it but the bottom line is that we are accountable for our actions and even though we feel stupid we have the integrity to report it. Patient safety is priority not Nurse pride.

I have made other errors working as a med aide so am feeling really down about this last error since I should know better. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and take a few minutes to breathe when feeling overwhelmed.

I am sure you will be a great nurse because you care!

Specializes in med surg.

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have heard another nurse tell me in training "you need to cover your ass, your license is at stake". What a load of crap. I need to do my job and I need to have someone back me up so mistakes aren't made, but I do not need to fear for my license every time I make a mistake. I don't know any other professional career where your license is on the line for everything like it is for nursing. Hell, I was (and still am) a CPA for over 25 years. NOT ONCE did anyone ever tell me my license was at stake if I made a mistake. Ever. Not when I was learning, not after I was supervising others. Never. Yet, in nursing, you walk on eggshells. Not only do I have to make sure everything I do is absolutely perfect, I have to make sure the doctor wrote the right order, the secretary put it in the computer right, the pharmacy got the dosage right and that the patient gets it when he's supposed to. I see now why so many quit this job. Why do nurses let others put such fear into their lives? What other professional career are you trained to 'fear for your license' if you make a mistake? Hogwash.

Specializes in PACU.

Well, let me just say that I am a registered nurse with 8 years experience, and yes, I actually made a medication error just today.

The thing about med errors is that you have to take time to do your five rights, even if other people are rushing you. If you get fired for being "too slow" then that was not the right job for you, anyway. Think about it. Those folks rushing you will feel no repurcussions from your med error.

The other thing I have learned is to ALWAYS TRUST YOUR GUT INSTINCT. If something doesn't seem right, it's probably not!!! That's what got me into trouble today. Plus, to be honest, I was probably rushing.

Give yourself time. And maybe find an older mentor nurse that you can talk to to vent feelings or help you work through problems. Good luck to you!

I think this will happen to everyone eventually just for learning purposes. You sound like a great nurse. Stay encouraged.

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