"I am a new grad working with teens at a mental health/substance abuse facility. My second week in, during med pass, a client asked me, "Are you sure these are my meds?" Odd question, but sure I'll verify everything is correct. I pulled out her med cards and matched everything up and confirmed they are her meds. She became very upset and told me that she got some pills the night before that didn't look like hers. She described them and I figured out that they were indeed a different clients meds. Assessed her over, she was ok that evening, and I reported it to my supervisor.
We had been passing out meds with just their name and program name on the inner cup, and with their meds in an outer cup. So that next day I went out and bought color coded labels large enough to write their full name and dob as well as their program for their med cups. I simply took the initiative and did it, and I received nothing but positive feedback from the other nurses. Never feel that you cannot improve practices, or ask why things are done the way they are. Especially when it is a patient safety issue.
Don't be afraid to report errors as well, it's your license, and the patients life on the line!"
Taking the initiative to purchase and implement colored label systems was a fantastic idea, and will go a long way towards ensuring future med passes go as smoothly as possible. It's easy to feel daunted by being 'the new guy', but being new doesn't mean your ideas aren't worth sharing! Always remember that you can go to your manager at any time to share your thoughts on how your unit is run. It's YOUR unit, just as much as it is anyone else's, so make it work for YOU! You'd be surprised to find how frequently others are probably thinking similar things as you are. The difference is, you spoke up and got the ball rolling!
Go out there and show them why hiring you was the best decision they ever made! Have a happy tomorrow everyone!
