Ugh so upset!!

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Sorry I just need to vent. It was a terrible day at clinical today. I made my first med error. I thought it was the 21st so I accidentally gave a sunrise med.(levothyroxine) I pretty much got chewed out by my teacher and have to write a paper about the 6 medication administration rights due Monday and I have to finish my pharm and mental health homework. I know med errors are not to be down played or anything but everyone makes them and if you were to make a med error levothyroxine would be an ok one to make it on because it doesn't do much harm. My teacher just made me feel like an idiot. My clinical teacher is also my pharm and mental health teacher and he told me that I talk too much in class and I need to focus...I'm really sorry but I come straight from work to class I work 12 hour night shifts at a hospital so I'm pretty dead I don't talk.. If anything I'm trying to keep myself awake during his lectures. When he said that last part that's what really made me upset. Sorry it's a really long rant and thank you for reading

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:( hang in there, it will pass, just prove him wrong as time goes on.
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A med error is a med error, regardless of whether or not it "doesn't do much harm."

Having said that, remember that you are still learning, and use this experience to be more diligent in the future. You're not the first, and you definitely won't be the last to make a mistake.

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Specializes in ICU.

Actually, a thyroid replacement medication CAN do harm. If it is a large dose, it can cause atrial fib, among other side effects. If we have a patient who is low, we are very careful to not bring their level up too fast due to this.

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Those medications are real important. Be careful.

Be sure and get the medication checks down, and learn you medications and side effects.

Make sure your professor or RN is with you and walks one time through the checks with you. Do not give a med without backup while you are learning. This is for safety reasons.

That being said, nursing school is tough. There are so many assignments and time is short. Be sure and get enough sleep as not being competent or tired on the floor is your responsibility.

Also, think about having a clinical buddy to pair up with. It's not always good, but it may help to decrease the stress in the beginning.

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Specializes in Medical-surgical nursing.

At my nursing school, a med error of any kind meant removal from the program. Try to be humble with what your teacher has told you and learn from your mistake. No excuses, no arguing. Just learn and continue on.

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Shouldn't the real nurse be double checking all meds? Nursing students shouldn't make errors because their work should be double checked by a real nurse.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

You made an error. A decent sized error. Be humble and lean as this could have meant the end.

You didn't give us much info but I assume this is the type of med error of being 5 mins late, but one where one of the 6 rights was violated. Why happened?

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I agree with PP as a "student" all of your meds should be checked by a real nurse with a license. It's crazy that you would even be able to pass a med without supervision. That has to be against the law. And as far as ur error. Things happen. I have made one in my career too. I gave zofran iv instead of po but my patient was actively vomiting and I found no reason why the nurse practitioner would've written it for po but oh well I still made an error. But back to ur original post you shouldn't be giving ANY MEDS without someone supervising you and checking them right along with you.

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

I'm wondering if perhaps the amount of hrs you work isn't contributing. Doing a night shift,whether 8 or 12, & going straight to class is definitely detrimental. Did you work the night before clinical as well? Even if you did not, you may want to re-evaluate the type of schedule you work while in school if you're so fatigued you're having trouble staying awake in class & making a simple mistake in clinical like misreading the MAR (not to say those mistakes don't happen to all of us!)

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Actually, a thyroid replacement medication CAN do harm. If it is a large dose, it can cause atrial fib, among other side effects. If we have a patient who is low, we are very careful to not bring their level up too fast due to this.

This.

It is really a very important med.

Whether or not a patient gets it and when they get it or with what they get it with can be a problem.

Think about it... the thyroid affects everything including how other drugs are metabolized by the body.

Errors will happen, but they will always be a big deal and how you own up to it, educate yourself on it and think about what you can do to not let it happen again are key points here.

Getting more work on top of what you have to do stinks, but your instructor is right in having you do so.

If there is any possible way that you can meet your expenses and cut back a bit on your work schedule for school, then it might be a good idea to do so.

We've all felt like an idiot from time to time but sometimes learning can be a very uncomfortable thing.

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Yes I understand thyroid meds can do harm if given in large doses but the dose was relatively low 25mcg and I do agree our meds should be double checked by the rn but they aren't i had even asked my teacher about the med too because it wasn't in the cart..he should have cought it. The med had been given earlier and I misread the day (they still use paper charting) I thought it wasn't given..it was an honest mistake something to be learned from

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