want to just quit, maybe its not right for me!

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Feb 10, 2010

Sorry, how much ativan did you give her? If you checked the MAR and you gave the correct dose based on Dr.'s order I don't see the harm?

Usually when in ER and they are giving frequent doses it's a "x1" dose or whatever, not necessarily her normal order. What is going on in ER is different from the floor. They give (and some times have to) ativan out like candy frequently. I have given 2mg ativan IV push q hr. So I doubt her having 5 mg of ativan in 12 hours is going to harm her.

We all make mistakes, we learn from them, as of right now I don't even see the mistake you made based on your post?

travel nurse2009 · Feb 10, 2010

please don't quit.you sound so much like me 25yrs ago it's scary.you have got to get a system of check and balances that work for you.i made a lot of mistakes those first six months and thank god above i didn't kill someone, i did come close though and really did think of resigning.best advice i got was "what did you learn from this?"first,don't get in a hurry to please a patient,they may get mad but at least you won't have made any mistakes.patient's really don't understand all of the things a nurse has to check and double check before they "simply" handout a pill. this ain't "er". please ,send me pm's and i will help anyway i can.just don't quit, if you were going to be a bad nurse you wouldn't be this upset.myself,after one year of retirement, i am about to go on my first travel assignment and i feel like a new grad, and that's after at least 16yrs in icu and 5 yr. or in a major trauma hospital,everyday i learned something new and relearned at least 2 things i forgot.if you don't have acls ,get it ,if for nothing else it will help with your personal confidence.you can do it! :yeah:

RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN · Feb 10, 2010

Yes, I totally agree with the above post. You don't need to quit. You've got a lot of time invested in going to school to become a nurse to only let 7 months go by. I made a lot of mistakes too in the beginning. It's all a part of learning. We learn by the mistakes we make, and an extra dose of ativan is most likely not to kill someone. Give it some more time, please. I didn't start feeling comfortable until about the year mark. I'm at two years (almost) and still have to ask questions every so often. We need people like you in nursing, so please re-consider your decision. And if you still feel this way after a year, then maybe you can re-consider, but it would be smart to wait it out a little longer.

God Bless you.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 10, 2010

if everyone who ever made a med error quit, we'd only have the nurses that are too stupid to know they've made a med error working. personally, i'd rather have someone who recognizes when they've made an error and works to correct it taking care of me and my family. or working next to me. don't quit. de-stress. take a nice, long walk or run or swim or whatever you do for exercise and then talk to a respected mentor. let us know how you feel in 12 hours. or 24.

i've been a nurse for over three decades, and i've made some whoppers. i've learned from them. the key thing is to recognize when you've made a mistake and then be honest and admit you've made a mistake. patients can survive most errors if the person who made it works to mitigate the damage rather than trying to cover it up. so congratulate yourself. you recognized the mistake and then tried to fix it. you've got the right stuff.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 10, 2010

everyone here wrote good advice... here is more: come join us on the first year after licensure forum because you are not alone. there are lots of nurses on that forum who have made mistakes and feel or felt as you do! :up: https://allnurses.com/first-year-after/

SoundofMusic · Feb 10, 2010

I remember making a med error in my first year. I gave like 50 of atenolol PO when I should have given 25. So, I always remembered -- just admit the mistake. I called the MD and he was so nonplussed about it, I was shocked. "Ok," he said. "Just hold the next dose."

That was all he said! No big deal. And we did -- and the pt was FINE.

I think nurses are hardest on each other over these errors, seriously. I mean -- just think of all the pills people take by accident at home and nothing comes of it. Not to say that it isn't an error -- it IS. But you just have to tell someone and correct it.

I do my med checks ALWAYS three times. Once when pulling, another at the counter, and the third time at the bedside. Always, every patient -- every time I give a med. Everytime. So far I've had no more med errors, but I have come close. When giving meds, I slooooow down, no matter how insanely crazy it is. Always, always have a MAG when giving meds, or refer to the order before you go in.

Still, even w/ those checks, you CAN make mistakes, so you own up to them. After a while, you know that certain amounts of drugs are too much and the doses seem strange. It comes w/ time.

beatrice1 · Feb 10, 2010

please don't quit.you sound so much like me 25yrs ago it's scary.you have got to get a system of check and balances that work for you.i made a lot of mistakes those first six months and thank god above i didn't kill someone, i did come close though and really did think of resigning.best advice i got was "what did you learn from this?"first,don't get in a hurry to please a patient,they may get mad but at least you won't have made any mistakes.patient's really don't understand all of the things a nurse has to check and double check before they "simply" handout a pill. this ain't "er". please ,send me pm's and i will help anyway i can.just don't quit, if you were going to be a bad nurse you wouldn't be this upset.myself,after one year of retirement, i am about to go on my first travel assignment and i feel like a new grad, and that's after at least 16yrs in icu and 5 yr. or in a major trauma hospital,everyday i learned something new and relearned at least 2 things i forgot.if you don't have acls ,get it ,if for nothing else it will help with your personal confidence.you can do it!

"if you don't have acls, get it"

what is acls?

Kei35 · Feb 10, 2010

ACLS = Advanced Cardiac Life Support

Don't quit. I have been a nurse for almost two years in May and I have days where I doubt myself and make mistakes but if you love what you do and love to learn, keep up at it.

Jules A, MSN · Feb 10, 2010

if everyone who ever made a med error quit, we'd only have the nurses that are too stupid to know they've made a med error working. personally, i'd rather have someone who recognizes when they've made an error and works to correct it taking care of me and my family. or working next to me.

amen. i cringe when i read the posts about someone claiming to have worked as a nurse for 10+ years "without ever making a med error". really??? :eek: learn from it and move on the great news is that this isn't something you will do again and that may prevent a bad mistake in the future. keep in mind also that if tele doesn't turn out to be for you that doesn't mean that nursing isn't. take care.

caholine · Feb 10, 2010

you aren't a bad nurse - in fact you sound like a caring, compassionate nurse - and in some places - these characteristics are getting difficult to find in nurses. i have been an rn for 9 years. can i tell you that in the first year i seemed like i was always writing memos (req. for errors where i work) every week! like you - none were serious - and have to say now they all contributed to my learning experience. the 2nd year - memos decreased. the 3rd year - none! so buck up, cheer up - you are a great nurse and frankly we need great nurses!!

efy2178 · Feb 10, 2010

You are way too hard on yourself!!! Give yourself a break. We all make mistakes. It happens. Hopefully , you don't make mistakes that will kill someone. In my 25 years as an RN, I have made more than a few mistakes but our brains have a way of checking for the very serious things. Don't expect perfection and look at the ways to improve errors by changing processes--not by blaming nurses. There should be a set of checks and balances in place. If not, then the process needs to be changed. A lot of these processes become habit--like always having another person check insulin/heparin doses with you before they are given.