"Since I am a new nurse, I am very watchful in my practice, but I did make a serious medical error when I started working on my own on the peds floor at the hospital. In pediatrics, weight is usually documented in kilograms since recommended medication doses are documented in kilograms. Upon intake, I entered the patient's weight in the system, and when it automatically converted to kilograms, I thought it was a mistake, so I adjusted it to reflect the patient's weight in pounds. This was a big mistake on my part because the patient would receive more medication than they were supposed to. At first, I didn't realize what I had done, but later while I was entering the history and physical of another patient, I realized my mistake. As soon as I finished with this patient, I immediately informed my supervisor of my mistake. Luckily, the patient had not received medication yet, but an error was still documented, and I went through a training program to ensure I understood how to document weight properly."

I remember almost giving a medication that was not due yet. The patient would have gotten too much Tylenol if I had given it. In this experience, I was reminded of the importance of double-checking the last time a medication was given. Luckily I caught myself before giving it to the patient and avoided a med error.