What do you do when you screw up?

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HappyParamedicRN

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Hi all,

I feel like I messed up fairly big time on a call. I am not going into details and I don't think in the grand sceme of things it made a big difference in the patient's outcome.

It is just REALLY bothering me to the point where I am teary eyed thinking about it and embarrassed because I think one of the EMTI on scene realized that I did screw up and of corse I feel guilty because it involved a patient.

I am realizing my big error and cannot believe I let it happen! I was a huuge oversight on my part. I work as the sole medic on a 911 truck so I have the sole responsibility for the mistake.

Maybe I should switch careers, I feel like a total idiot!

I am not sure if I will indeed get in trouble and I am not sure if I should risk talking to my clinical director and risk my lisence and job...

Any advice would be appreciated!

Unhappy
 
Without knowing the details, and I don't think any of us should be informed of them, here is my take on owning up to your mistakes...DO IT!

It is far better for you to be upfront and honest about your mistakes than to try and hide them from everybody. As a training officer, I much prefer to hear about mistakes from the people making them than from another source such as medical control. This also applies in my full time job as a supervisor.

The reason I believe this is simple and can be summed up in one word...INTEGRITY. In EMS, integrity is critical because without it how can your medical director trust you to follow his protocols? How can the patient trust a system that doesn't trust it's personnel? Everyone needs to know that you will do the right thing, even when nobody is watching and that is integrity.

To err is human, to hide the error is inexcusable.

Please note that these are my opinions only, and I don't mean to come across as if I'm challenging you in any way.
 
OWN up,

If its a mistake learn from it and better your career. Talk to someone above you and ask to talk thought what happened.

If you hide it, then you will wreck your career.
 
ffemt8978 said:
Without knowing the details, and I don't think any of us should be informed of them, here is my take on owning up to your mistakes...DO IT!

It is far better for you to be upfront and honest about your mistakes than to try and hide them from everybody. As a training officer, I much prefer to hear about mistakes from the people making them than from another source such as medical control. This also applies in my full time job as a supervisor.

The reason I believe this is simple and can be summed up in one word...INTEGRITY. In EMS, integrity is critical because without it how can your medical director trust you to follow his protocols? How can the patient trust a system that doesn't trust it's personnel? Everyone needs to know that you will do the right thing, even when nobody is watching and that is integrity.

To err is human, to hide the error is inexcusable.

Please note that these are my opinions only, and I don't mean to come across as if I'm challenging you in any way.
Click to expand...

Well said, your sentiments are exactly what they are drilling into our heads at the fire academy. It is all about accountability and trust.
 
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If it makes you feel any better, the only people I know who have lost their licenses were for:


1. Making a mistake that seriously harmed or killed a patient and tried to cover it up.

2. Grossly exceeded their scope of practice in a situation where such measures were not called for and caused the patient harm.

3. Criminal offenses at or outside of work that were very serious and resulted in felony charges and either jail or rehab instead of jail.

I know several providers who made errors which resulted in harm or worse outcomes who have properly reported them and are still at work in the same agencies today.

Everyone makes mistakes, some are bigger than others, but it is much better to address them in the proper and timely manner because they always come out sooner or later and the act of trying to cover it up is a greater concern than the actual mistake.
 
OWN you mistake and learn from it. in my county if you f-up and report it they will grant you amnesty as long as you talk with the medical director and they will remediate your training in that area so you dont do it again.
 
Thanks for the advise everyone... I will take it to heart and hope I do not get fired or worse, loose my lisence that I have worked so hard for! :(
 
I don't know what service you work for, nor will I ask as it's not my business, but as everyone said- own up to your mistake. Even if I screw up at the BLS level- the FIRST phone call I make is to our clinical director...she can be hard if a patient's welfare is put at risk, but she knows at the end of the day we're all human- and to admit error means you recognized your mistakes and you'll work toward not repeating them.

Get it out in the open. Talk to the clinical director. If you made the mistake, own it, and show a comittment to not let it happen again. This will help you better in the long haul than hoping it blows over/never gets noticed.
 
Good people have been fired for small things when they have lied.
Some folks still working have done worse than those fired.... but were honest.
 
It sounds like this is really bothering you. If you don't own up to it you'll have it sitting on your conscience for the rest of your career and that's not good for you or your patients.

It's easy to take credit when things go right but it's far more important to take credit when things go wrong.

Good luck :)
 
Just own up to it, it will all be okay. Just as the others have said, I too can attest that I have never seen an individual fired for making a mistake unless they tried to hide it.

It is only a mistake if you don't learn from it. Here is a question for you.

Having been through the situation you did and making the mistake you made, do you think you will make that mistake again?

If the answer is no, then it wasn't a mistake, it was a learning experience.
 
I've got nothing to add that hasn't been stated here already except for goodluck Happy, sounds like a pretty big rough-patch for you, we're all human. Hang in there bud, use it as a reminder & motivator & you'll come out the other side a better medic if you wish to be.
 
HappyParamedicRN said:
Thanks for the advise everyone... I will take it to heart and hope I do not get fired or worse, loose my lisence that I have worked so hard for! :(
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There should be some policies in place with your company for you to admit to a mistake or error just as there are for nursing.

There is always a chance a chart will be flagged for review. There may also be station talk since you believe someone did see your mistake. It is best your supervisor and medical director hear about the error from you and not at the water cooler.

Since you also hold an RN license, there is a chance the BON will be notified if the situation is serious enough or action is taken against your Paramedic license. But, again, this will depend on the seriousness and when the error is discovered...before or after you report it.

You may also have to seek legal advice depending on the severity and possible consequences.

My other advice is for you not to discuss this on the internet forums. Someone may know you and it might attract more attention to you than you want which could get back to your employer or whoever might be involved in this situation. Your company might not take it too well that you discussed this on a very public forum before they were informed.
 
Not so fast!

Be conscious of who you talk to at first. There's no reason for you to go to, say, the Top Dog and blurt out your confession.

Not until, of course, YOU actually get clear on what happened and the circumstances that led you to make the bonehead judgment. I'm not quite sure you're sure.

In that light, my suggestion is FIRST you talk it over with someone whom you trust. Ask an opinion. Look at the actual options you had at the time.

Then, when YOU are clear -- having gotten so in a non-threatening environment -- DISCUSS it with the next Higher Up. Who IS the appropriate person to talk to? That's something you need to be clear on as well.

I agree that you should not hide mistakes, even if there were no consequences to your patient, but you don't have to stick your neck out unnecessarily either.

Talk it over with someone you trust.

Get perspective.

Choose the appropriate person to reveal it to.

(and Oh, Yeah!) Learn from it!
 
I have been in EMS for many years and do not know any medic that has worked for any length of time in the field that has not made a mistake, own up to your mistake, the truth will carry you along way, med control has to trust us that takes time an honesty to build, you may have to go back for some remedial con ed but who among us couldn't use a little more education. good luck
 
Very few people have ever been fired for their mistakes. It would almost have to be malicious in nature, like defibrillating a patient 'cause he wouldnt shut up, in order to be fired over it.

As other people have said, it's not the mistake that gets most people fired it's ANY activity whatsoever that looks like the mistake was being covered up that gets people fired.
 
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