Sticky situation

Specialties School

Published

I have a bit of a situation today. Please remember, I have been at this job only since Feb 1.

Today when I went to get a student's medication (liquid quillivant) I found that the bottle had broken. I found this out when I went to shake it before drawing into a syringe. So it went all over my hand, the bottle, the counter and it was spilled in the plastic pencil box I store it in (and the broken piece of bottle was in there also).

So I finished with the students who were present (about 6 of them all come for their meds at the same time) and called my supervisor at another building immediately. Told her what happened, she said to get an administrator to see the spill and observe the clean up, so I did and rinsed out the bottle the best I could through the small broken area.

Called the mom, who took it surprisingly well. I really thought there would be a big backlash since I know it is expensive (she told me it was $300/bottle).

I documented what happened and called the certified school nurse who oversees my building and explained the situation to her. I told her that I am really nervous about this since I just started and have not had time to establish myself as a responsible employee and then a controlled substance spills on my watch. She was very reassuring that I am doing a great job and she doesn't think there will be any disciplinary action, but I am still a bit worried about it :(

Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
**UPDATE**

My supervisor was in the building today and came to see the bottle. She was amazed at how it had split open and we saw other cracks in the side. While deciding the best disposal method, I went to close the plastic pencil box it is kept in and she said "I bet it cracked because it doesn't really fit in that box, so it's been closed in there too tight since September!" We looked closer and realized that the crack pattern exactly matches the geometric pattern on the pencil box. So we have determined that repeated closings in a too-small box are the culprit. The new bottle will be kept in it's original box.

She also reiterated that she is really happy with the way I am working out here and that it is really fun to get to know me (we chatted for a few minutes and we have a lot in common- both RNs, we both have multiples--she has quads!- and we just have similar personalities.) So I'm feeling much more reassured that there will not be any follow up issues.

You're such a suck-up...I see how you maneuvered this coup. ;)

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You're such a suck-up...I see how you maneuvered this coup.

No, I'm just good enough, smart enough, and (doggoneit!) people like me.

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I have a glass bottle of naproxen here, I just keep it upright in a ziploc bag.

That is my plan from now on.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
No, I'm just good enough, smart enough, and (doggoneit!) people like me.

Well I wholeheartedly agree with that...suck up.

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Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.

I had a teacher at the beginning of the year call me in a panic because as she was showing a new aide how to use the epi pen one of her students kept in the classroom, and she accidentally injected the desk! I let the parent know that her kids desk was now safe from an anaphalactic episode and she was really cool with it and laughed. I like cool parents. :)

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
I had a teacher at the beginning of the year call me in a panic because as she was showing a new aide how to use the epi pen one of her students kept in the classroom, and she accidentally injected the desk! I let the parent know that her kids desk was now safe from an anaphalactic episode and she was really cool with it and laughed. I like cool parents. :)

Our HS nurse was showing a kid how to use an epi-pen and injected her own thigh. I felt so sorry for her I couldn't even bring myself to make fun of her.

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Specializes in kids.

^^^^^ That may (or may not have) happened to moi...^^^^

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
^^^^^ That may (or may not have) happened to moi...^^^^

That would send me to the ER. Epi eye GTTS make me drop BP.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Telemetry.

I had something similar happen. My little fridge failed spontaneously and it had an antiviral that I medicated a kiddo with cancer with daily inside it. It was basically a full bottle. I had to call the parent and tell her the bottle she just brought in that week was unusable because it was completely room temperature for who knows how long. This was also, according to the parent, not an easy medication to just refill. Obviously I knew that this was not my fault, but I still felt bad about it.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
^^^^^ That may (or may not have) happened to moi...^^^^

I would NOT have made fun of you...maybe

A sub of mine injected her thumb. Fortunately she continued with adequate cap refill until the vasoconstriction wore off; I DID make fun of her.

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Specializes in kids.
I would NOT have made fun of you...maybe

A sub of mine injected her thumb. Fortunately she continued with adequate cap refill until the vasoconstriction wore off; I DID make fun of her.

There may or may not have been a student nurse with me...oye! I was showing her how easy owt was to use a TRAINER!!

I never flinched and kept on going, albeit with a tremble in my hands but then I sent her out for a sandwich.....

Talk about being jittery, it was expired as well, can't imagine the whole intact dose!

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
There may or may not have been a student nurse with me...oye! I was showing her how easy owt was to use a TRAINER!!

I never flinched and kept on going, albeit with a tremble in my hands but then I sent her out for a sandwich.....

Talk about being jittery, it was expired as well, can't imagine the whole intact dose!

Impressive!! Of course I would NOT have made fun of you :)

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