Tell me about a time you committed a medical error in your nursing career. How did you handle that situation, and what did you learn from it that you can bring to our organization?
No matter the career or profession, mistakes happen in the workplace. The repercussions of medical errors that Registered Nurses can commit can range anywhere from minor to very severe and life-threatening. When a Registered Nurse commits a medical error, it is important that they immediately report the error and not attempt to cover it up. To successfully answer this question, be prepared to talk about a situation in your career when you committed a medical error and explain how you took action to resolve and report the situation promptly. Include details of what you learned from the error and how learning from the situation will prevent you from making the mistake again.
"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.
