Soooooo..... I made my first med error & I feel awful!!!

[eccentricRN]

I made my first med error last NOC... I feel like the worst nurse ever. My NOC started out bad... not an excuse...but I had to catch up for the nurse on the previous shift, and did I mention I've only been a nurse for just about 2 months... and I'm still on orientation, sorta.

Ok, sorry, that sounds like an excuse... I'm just frazzled I had 7pts & 2 wouldn't behave, 1 had a K+ of 2.6 & needed riders that were not done on PMs... yada, yada.... So I ended up giving a pt a med intended for another. Totally my fault... then I have to call the MD, thankfully he was nice & didn't expect the pt to experience anything adverse other than drowsiness... but still.... my fellow staff nurses were like stuff happens & they were supportive, too.... but I fell like such a bad, bad nurse... I know I will not do what I did last night... the circumstances surrounding it again...but What IF I HAD Hurt the PT???? God I wish I could take it all back & I can't... sorry this is so long, but I feel like... I don't know...it's just totally weighing on my mind...

Thanks for listening.

I don't feel better, but I feel a little less heavy getting it off my chest.

[poopsie9466]

As a new grad myself, I know the feeling of making your first mistake and all the emotions that come with it: the sinking feeling in your stomach, the guilt, and the fear that "Maybe I'm not cut out for nursing??" The night after my first mistake, I couldn't sleep and I basically beat myself up over it for the next few days.

I am trying to look at my error as a learning opportunity and never let it happen again. Good luck and try to keep your chin up! You sound like you are a very caring person.

[Kthale81]

IMHO, if a nurse tells you she/he has never made a medication error, watch out, you're either talking to a liar or worse, someone who isn't aware the she/he has made an error.

It happens, and we feel awful when it does, but I'll let you in on a little secret: contrary to what we are told in nursing school, in general, it's really hard to kill a patient - not that I've ever tried!

If stupid mistakes (which making a medication error is not) were always fatal, no one would walk out of a hospital alive.

I also have made mistake with medications. Also have had two patients different times that needed a dose of narcan. Nursing is hard work, mostly mentally exhausting more so than phyically. Mistakes teachers us to be more careful and nurses learn everyday from experience.

I imagine that many patients make medical mistakes at home. Patients sometimes are not as fragile as they apear. We all live and learn.