A medication error is a signal to get over yourself

Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes, it is human. Everyone makes them. I make them. You make them. Students, nurses, doctors and the all people involved in health care must understand this, and also must understand that they will make mistakes too. Every body's day will come some time.



I remember my first medication error. Nothing very important, but I missed something. I talked to myself about it for a long time afterward, telling myself that I would never admit those insignificant mistakes again. But I realized that I would always know, whether I admitted them or not. Then it dawned on me that it wasn't the reprimand that embarrassed me. It was the fact that I, a capable new grad, cum laude writer of care plans, responsible enough to be charge, role model for my staff, letter-perfect follower of procedures and practically perfect in every way, had made a mistake. What a kick in the rump that was.



I tried to make myself believe again that it was the reprimand that made me feel stupid, but it I couldn't make it work. I was more disturbed by having made a mistake than by the actions that followed it. My first medication error was a signal for me to get over myself.



D.Valerian is a freelance writer interested in items such as medication error leading to a personal injury