I was chatting with my other sister just now, that she had just finished making an incident report for my nursing student sister. I asked her what happened? I was a bit shocked when she told me that my nursing student sister nearly killed her patient! WHAT? Oh my God, what did she do? I was totally stunned by the news. Then I asked her to send me the report so I would know the whole story. Here it is...
August 13, 2008
To Whom It May Concern;
August 12, 2008, I reported on duty at room 322A. My lady patient arrived back at 12:30 noon from the Delivery Room. However, before she came back, I was handling a newly admitted patient and I was busy doing something at that very moment for that patient. While I was busy attending my other patient, our team leader called me simultaneously, to look after my first patient instead. Then without hesitation, I’ve made a drain and charting on her.
The doctor arrived and asked the staff nurse for fast drip. While I was still doing the charting, the staff nurse who looked after the room 322A called me and asked to watch the fast drip she had made. She instructed me to cut it off when it reaches to 100cc level and then hooked the first used IVF back. Before I supposed to do it, I was thinking of asking permission first to our clinical instructor, however, the staff nurse had left immediately and no one will be left inside the room if I will have to do it. But then, I still wanted to ask my co-student nurse as I supposed, but they were too busy as well. Therefore, I decided to do what the staff nurse had instructed me.
Then the incident happened, at past 1 o’clock in the afternoon when I made the fast drip incorrectly for some reason. Instead of 100cc level it reached to over 40cc level. Luckily, I was saved by the doctor since he asked again for another 100cc for fast drip.
At that very moment of the incident and at that split second, I felt nervous with mixed emotions. But Ma’am/Sir, I did really try my very best to perform my duty and have been trying to do more based on my knowledge and belief, but I do apologize for what had happened. I know I may have made a mistake this time, though we all really make mistakes but again I tried my best, things like this can happen anytime. I will do more and try my best next time so it won’t happen again by God’s help.
I am hoping for your kind understanding and take my explanations.
Respectfully yours,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bit scary isn't it? Thanks God I decided to take up Accountancy course. I should say that it was 50% fault of her team leader as well, since she was asked to attend another patient during that day. Isn't it a Standard Operating Procedure of an OJT student to be given only a patient a day? I don't want to be biased, what my impression of my sister was, she was confused since she was attending two patients at the same time. Do you agree with me.
Girls out there, especially to all nursing graduates, who have knowledge in this course, to please give me your comments so I could relay these to my sister, at least to give her an idea on what to do to support her and give her moral support. As she was a bit scared to be given a failing grades after the incident.
15 years ago
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15 comments:
This is truly a scary incident but I think this is not her fault. They should not let her do it in the first place, she is only a practicum not a nurse yet. So it should be with a senior Nurse on the watch. I've noticed it in our place that most of the senior staff rely only to the practicum which for my own opinion it shouldn't be. Although we know how smart they are but still they are a student and needs to learn more and more. In this case, they should accept her apology. Sometimes it happened but we cannot control the situation.
Thank you for sharing this story to be a lesson to everybody out there... I have a nursing student as well and in fact the nurses and doctors trust her so much, but I always remind her to complain sometimes if she have to complain especially if there patient is in critical condition.
Nobody perfect. Misunderstanding, misleading, mis..mis..mis is a part of human lives. That's why we so call human being. Even robot have fault sometimes. Only God is perfect.
My advise for your sister, dont feel discourage. As she said, she has done the best she can. But she must prepared herself in the near future that something like this, or even more diffucult path she will experience that. By the way, where she's studying?
So sad to note that she's been asked to submit an incident report. What I can only say in this matter is that, student nurses are under the supervision of clinical instructors. Whatever procedures they're gonna perform (be it easy or a difficult one), it should always be under the supervision of the CIs because CIs are meant to guide and to teach them. If in doubt of doing an unfamiliar procedure, it is best to ask questions from a more experienced professional. I just hope your sis is doin ok. Tell her to take that fault as a challenge to strive hard. I am pretty sure your sis will be a great nurse someday.
in what year is your sister now? my youngest sis just graduated and passed the board this year! i don't have any idea about hospital protocols. but i don't think students are allowed to be left alone especially when there's a procedure being done on the patient.
your sister might be at fault, but it would not happen in the first place is somebody was there with her.
i hope things works out well for your sis!
wow! that was pretty scary...I agree with you madz I don't think if it is her fault in the first place. She can even sue the staff their in case the patient is dead.
My advice: she shouldn't feel depress or anything, take it as a part of the experience..it happens sometimes.
I am planning to get into the nursing program too. I hope I will not get in trouble or something. From accounting to Nursing...how odd! :)
oh wow this happened to ur sis? my sis will be graduating this march in nursing also! thats why i choose to gave birth in a private lying in owned by my ob because i dont want those student nurses to handle me or assist me during delivery, they are everywhere in our hospitals here, and some are incompetent, kabalo gyud ko kay daghan ko classmate ing-ana, heheheh apil nko... wah :) asa nag duty emo sis kay kung public hospital sila gyud na ang gina saligan kay understaff, gamay ray DR. mga DR sad feeling alila nila ang mga student as in :)
What really gets me on here was, her professor and the staff nurse didn't want to listen to her explanations, so in short, they were blaming her!, and you know what? She is going to do a make up duty for a couple of days!! sucks!!!... I said to her she must fight, the fact that she was left alone inside looking the patient on her own...
Well, consider this as a lesson..In this incident, no one will be blamed..So next time be careful.Presence of mind is important in this kind of duty.Don't panic.And lastly ask guidance always in whatever your doing..
Well things do happen thats for sure! In this case the student was left with out any options but to do the best she could. Her first priorty was the patient that was in her care. The other patient was Supposed to be in the care of another student or the head nurse. I find it very sad that the head nurse has no honor in admitting she was the one that left a student in charge of more than one patient. Its alot of work to care for to patients when you are running drips and taking care of all the needs. It takes time to be able to manage more than one. Thats why when your a student you have a thing called "Limited Responsibility" So then whats next, shall we have Student nurses proform brain sugery because the doctor also wants to go out for a lunch break like the "Head Non Student Nurse" that left the care of mutiple patients in the care of a student.
dont worry ur sis wont get in trouble! the DR and her CI's are just scared coz they might loss their license thats why they are blaming ur sis... obvious naman!!!
All I can say is that, this is not an unusual incident in the Philippines. Medication errors, negligence, & even malpractice are becoming rampant. We cannot blame anyone actually, just imagine handling more than 10 patients all at one time (this is true esp. in government hospitals). So what I can say for your sister is that take these all in, learn from it, move on and never to commit the same mistake again. It is not uncommon to handle up to 5 patients even if you're just a student nurse (been there myself), but the keyword there is one should be "supervised". Also we could not blame the C.I, Staff Nurse, & the Team leader for they are also looking out for many other patients. All in all NO ONE should be blamed. One should not be afraid if they have to make an incident report, it's a legal document explaining what happen, and it will not be used against you if you made it clear that you've been prudent enough in your nursing care. About her worrying about getting a failing grade, it all depends on her C.I. As far as I know, incident reports should not cause you to fail, there's a lot to be considered. So tell your sister, my friend, just relax but be very careful and cautious the next time. Don't rely on pure commands, check the Doctor's Order! Check the Patient's Chart! Protect yourself and your patients at all times. Good luck on her studies!
P.S. friend, just a word of advise, make the patient's name anonymous, it's confidential. Have a nice day!
i have known of major mistakes made by doctors, so your sister's error was quite minor in comparison. also, it was an honest mistake cause she was supposed to handle another patient. we caught a mean nurse who took care of my mother and who deliberately was unkind to her when we weren't looking. Those are the really scary ones, not those who make honest mistakes as all humans do. tell your sis not to take it to heart, and to do better next time. what's important is her heart is in the right place and she has not just the knowledge of nursing, but the good heart and compassion that this profession requires but that cannot be taught.
Ow, i'm thinking about how if I were the patient. Phew...
nobody is perfect and at least it is only a minor incident. nobody will hurt just for an iv fluid!
i will give you my view as a nurse. when you are a student nurse or a registered nurse don't do anything that you are not confident of doing so. working here abroad i learned that if you don't know tell them that you don't really know to avoid any incident like this. i have a colleague who is a filipino as well. masyado mayabang saka hambog. palaging nagmamarunong. ayun palaging nagkakamali. sino kawawa sya din.
as a nurse you should take responsibility of all your action. i feel so sorrry for your sis. kindly tell her that it is not all her fault. clinical instructor are there to help and support them of all their/students doings because it is their job. tell your sister that next time. try to say no...and stand to it.
have a good day!
scary incident indeed. hope your sister's alright, and the patient as well. kakatakot. :O
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