Today I made a big mistake.

Nursing Students General Students

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This is my second clinical. I made a terrible mistake of administering medications (Bystolic orally, and Lovenox) without my "elders" in the room. My clinical instructor had to file a complaint report with my statement. What should I do next?

I am sure I'll be out of the program, but am I eligible to start RN program ever again?

Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.
Oh...my patient and I, we had a great communication, and she recognized her meds right away. She even encouraged me to administer it, since "she has been doing it herself at home all the time, and she doesn't not feel it at all". It's just slipped out of my mind that my professor should be in the room with me... We, as a students, were allowed to administer meds today.

How is any of this an explanation why you would administer meds without the instructor present? What were you thinking? Even if there was no harm caused I can see this being grounds for dismissal.

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Specializes in Family Nursing & Psychiatry.

Stop eating your young. We all make mistakes. The student clearly understands what they did wrong.

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

It's up to the powers that be in your program on whether or not you can be dismissed. Some programs will not allow you to re-enter if you've made a med error. Only your program's director can give you the answer you're looking for.

You'll need to demonstrate your understanding of what went wrong and how you'll prevent it from happening in the future.

While I understand you made a mistake, the consequences could have been disastrous if you gave the wrong meds. That's why your instructor has to be present.

Good luck to you and let us know what happens.

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Stop eating your young. We all make mistakes. The student clearly understands what they did wrong.

clearly loriangel14 has never ever made a mistake in nursing school ever.:roflmao:

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Oh...my patient and I, we had such a great communication, and she recognized her meds right away. She even encouraged me to administer it, since "she has been doing it herself at home all the time, and she doesn't not feel it at all". It's just slipped out of my mind that my professor should be in the room with me... We, as a students, were allowed to administer meds today.

I can't tell you how many patients you will meet in your working life that will tell you that, and they are usually completely in another universe. Never, never let any patient delude you that you are special and that you can cut corners for her. Be vigilant about that, because if you forget again, it will come back to bite you.

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Specializes in Family Nursing & Psychiatry.

To the OP, make sure you are prepared to express your understanding of what you did wrong, why it was wrong and what you can take from this as a student and as a future nurse. You seem to be very sincere in story. Nursing school is about doing everything necessary to be a nurse. It would be such a burden if you had to start over. As a nurse, I feel that you are remorseful and I behind you!

I understand being a student. Our judgement can easily be skewed with the situation. I fully believe you should be given a second chance.

Matthew Andrew, BSN RN

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Ok, I'm confused? Did you administer meds without being first checked off? Did you administer the wrong med? Your nurse had to pull the meds for you right? I think I'm missing something... In my program, once we were checked off with instructor present, we routinely gave meds to our patients? Our nurse had to get into the pxysis and verify with us present, but didn't necessarily have to be in the room while we gave them. I had computer access and could scan and chart meds? Are certain programs different? Somebody help clear the confusion for me because I'm failing to see why OP is kicked out?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

It is not "eating the young" when pointing out that this student made a mistake. "Forgetting" that you need an instructor present and thinking it is OK because the patient is nice and you have a good rapport is a serious lapse in judgement and safety. Something the school will not take lightly.

OP: Please reflect on your mistske and what can be done in the future to be sure you are attentive to the safety of the patient.

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Specializes in Family Nursing & Psychiatry.

In some programs, a nurse has to be present in the room if any med is administered, even colace. There wasn't a nurse at the bedside.

Matthew Andrew, BSN RN

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Ok, I'm confused? Did you administer meds without being first checked off? Did you administer the wrong med? Your nurse had to pull the meds for you right? I think I'm missing something... In my program, once we were checked off with instructor present, we routinely gave meds to our patients? Our nurse had to get into the pxysis and verify with us present, but didn't necessarily have to be in the room while we gave them. I had computer access and could scan and chart meds? Are certain programs different? Somebody help clear the confusion for me because I'm failing to see why OP is kicked out?

Our instructors, whether first semester or last semester, were required to be present in the patient's room while we gave meds. We had the fear of God put in us prior to our first med pass that under no circumstances were we to give anything without the instructor. We scanned and charted meds, but our instructor had to document them as well.

OP, I'm glad you realized the seriousness of your mistake and wish you the best.

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Our program after the 1st trimester if you verbalized your meds to your instructor she didn't have to be in the room with you and we get our own meds, my school is part of the hospital so I guess it was okay to give us the code to the med cart only control and IV drugs you need to use a badge number to get.

OP sorry to hear this as I'm in nursing school to but like the other lady I'm so confused how one patient talked you into giving a med, it's always wonder to have the patient give you confidence but as a student critical thinking skills should of kicked it and you could of got your instructor then gave the meds. This is very serious bc if one patient can convince you so easily I worry about all the other manipulative patients will fool you so easily. I hope you dnt get kicked out but some action should be done.

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Specializes in Hospice + Palliative.

I'm unclear as to exactly how this happened. (And I'm honestly not trying to pile on the OP, just understand the circumstances because each program varies) In my program, an instructor must be present when pulling meds (from a pyxis if in an acute care facility, or a mobile med cart in long term/sub-acute) Once the instructor witnesses the correct med pull, the student can then actually pass the med without an instructor in the room (unless it's first semester giving meds, then the instructor will oversee the entire process from start to finish) So....I'm wondering how the OP actually got hands on the meds to administer them without an instructor? Or did you pull the meds with the instructor and then just administer without him/her present? It seems to me that pulling and administering independently would be a bigger hurdle to overcome because it had to take forethought to retrive the meds (without an instuctor) and then follow through with the whole process of administering.

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