Just discovered I almost died TWICE

[VFrank]

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So I just learned about ten minutes ago that I almost died TWICE due to doctor's/nurse's incompetance. When I was 10 I had Lyme Disease/Spinal Meningitis. However when my mom brought me into the doctor with a stiff neck/high fever (obvious?) he put a neckbrace on me and sent me home. She went back the next week and the same doctor told her again it was just sore muscles/neck strain. The next day I went to another doctor who sent me to the ER ASAP where I was tapped and diagnosed. Then when I was in the hospital I had a PIC line of diluted penicillian (I'm allergic), but the pharmacy accidently sent up the wrong drug. The nurse came in and was about to hook up this incorrect drug that would have killed me until my dad (who happened to be there at the time with a list of the drugs I was supposed to be on) read the label of the medicine she was attaching to my dripline and said "STOP RIGHT THERE! THAT'S THE WRONG DRUG." It wasn't until THEN that she checked the label and was like, "oh my God, this IS the wrong drug" and went to get a doctor who came in to apologize for the hospital's mistakes. It kind of puts a new spin on this whole medical lawsuit issue when you think about legitimate mistakes that almost cost you your OWN life. There's got to be some way to get seriously incompentant physicians/nurses out of the workplace without compromising the practices of doctors who are good and smart and thorough. Any thoughts?

 

[premyo2002]

If ever you go into a hospital, you must be careful, the third times a charm

 

[Ypo.]

My thought is that even seriously competent people make mistakes sometimes.

As far as making sure employees are trained correctly-there are many ways. Having them perform a written and skills test-having a more experienced nurse work with them for a probationary period...but none of these are fool proof.

Well, you're lucky you didn't die. Try not to be so hard on others mistakes - you'll see how easy it is to make them once you get there.

 

[wends]

So I just learned about ten minutes ago that I almost died TWICE due to doctor's/nurse's incompetance. When I was 10 I had Lyme Disease/Spinal Meningitis. However when my mom brought me into the doctor with a stiff neck/high fever (obvious?) he put a neckbrace on me and sent me home. She went back the next week and the same doctor told her again it was just sore muscles/neck strain. The next day I went to another doctor who sent me to the ER ASAP where I was tapped and diagnosed. Then when I was in the hospital I had a PIC line of diluted penicillian (I'm allergic), but the pharmacy accidently sent up the wrong drug. The nurse came in and was about to hook up this incorrect drug that would have killed me until my dad (who happened to be there at the time with a list of the drugs I was supposed to be on) read the label of the medicine she was attaching to my dripline and said "STOP RIGHT THERE! THAT'S THE WRONG DRUG." It wasn't until THEN that she checked the label and was like, "oh my God, this IS the wrong drug" and went to get a doctor who came in to apologize for the hospital's mistakes. It kind of puts a new spin on this whole medical lawsuit issue when you think about legitimate mistakes that almost cost you your OWN life. There's got to be some way to get seriously incompentant physicians/nurses out of the workplace without compromising the practices of doctors who are good and smart and thorough. Any thoughts?

😱 thats a scary story...good for your dad! man....the scary part is that i can imagine myself doing something stupid like that..hopefully i'll catch myself! 😳

 

[VFrank]

My thought is that even seriously competent people make mistakes sometimes.

As far as making sure employees are trained correctly-there are many ways. Having them perform a written and skills test-having a more experienced nurse work with them for a probationary period...but none of these are fool proof.

Well, you're lucky you didn't die. Try not to be so hard on others mistakes - you'll see how easy it is to make them once you get there.

I don't know about you, but I don't plan to be a doctor who lives under the mentality that "mistakes happen." I understand that's it's EASY to make mistakes, but being a doctor isn't supposed to be easy -- as people who are responsible for the lives of others, I think doctors should be held to a higher standard and I personally plan to hold myself to that standard. I hate how doctors who mess up come back with the attitude that "hey! I'm a human too! Let me f*** up every once in a while." No. I plan to expect more from myself. Maybe I'm being idealistic, but I think premeds are supposed to be overly idealistic so they have some semblance of purpose and pride after med school/internship/residency sucks out most of it. If you have the type of attitude that that you can mess up and blame it on "life" even before you're a medical student, I feel bad for your future patients.

 

[wends]

i dont think any doctor lives with the sense that "i can make a mistake, im human" i know i'll try my darnest every second to be as vigilent as possible, but if a mistake should occur....some people take it so hard that they cant go on...and those people shoudl realize taht mistakes do happen and somehow forgive themselves.....

 

[dmoney41]

I think doctors should be held to a higher standard and I personally plan to hold myself to that standard.

Human beings make mistakes sometimes. Human beings make even more mistakes when they've been working for 20 hours. It's hardly an excuse, more like reality. Feel free to think that the medical population should be populated by ubersaints who never make errors, but I suspect you may be in for a bit of disillusionment because, whatever you might like to think, there really isn't that massive a difference between your average doctor and your average non-doctor.

 

[Ypo.]

I don't know about you, but I don't plan to be a doctor who lives under the mentality that "mistakes happen." I understand that's it's EASY to make mistakes, but being a doctor isn't supposed to be easy -- as people who are responsible for the lives of others, I think doctors should be held to a higher standard and I personally plan to hold myself to that standard. I hate how doctors who mess up come back with the attitude that "hey! I'm a human too! Let me f*** up every once in a while." No. I plan to expect more from myself. Maybe I'm being idealistic, but I think premeds are supposed to be overly idealistic so they have some semblance of purpose and pride after med school/internship/residency sucks out most of it. If you have the type of attitude that that you can mess up and blame it on "life" even before you're a medical student, I feel bad for your future patients.

Yeah...
good luck with that. You sound like a hyper A-type to me. No offense, I honestly just worry about people like you. How are you going to cope when you realize you are not, in fact, a machine?

Always striving to do your best is a wonderful quality - not realizing that doctors are humans too (not super-humans) is a mistake, in my opinion.
But good luck with your quest towards perfection.

 

[georgebush44]

So I just learned about ten minutes ago that I almost died TWICE due to doctor's/nurse's incompetance. When I was 10 I had Lyme Disease/Spinal Meningitis. However when my mom brought me into the doctor with a stiff neck/high fever (obvious?) he put a neckbrace on me and sent me home. She went back the next week and the same doctor told her again it was just sore muscles/neck strain. The next day I went to another doctor who sent me to the ER ASAP where I was tapped and diagnosed. Then when I was in the hospital I had a PIC line of diluted penicillian (I'm allergic), but the pharmacy accidently sent up the wrong drug. The nurse came in and was about to hook up this incorrect drug that would have killed me until my dad (who happened to be there at the time with a list of the drugs I was supposed to be on) read the label of the medicine she was attaching to my dripline and said "STOP RIGHT THERE! THAT'S THE WRONG DRUG." It wasn't until THEN that she checked the label and was like, "oh my God, this IS the wrong drug" and went to get a doctor who came in to apologize for the hospital's mistakes. It kind of puts a new spin on this whole medical lawsuit issue when you think about legitimate mistakes that almost cost you your OWN life. There's got to be some way to get seriously incompentant physicians/nurses out of the workplace without compromising the practices of doctors who are good and smart and thorough. Any thoughts?

i didnt read all the BS you wrote. But, you're MCAT score makes me hot. 😍

 

[JohnDO]

I think doctors should be held to a higher standard and I personally plan to hold myself to that standard. I hate how doctors who mess up come back with the attitude that "hey! I'm a human too! Let me f*** up every once in a while." No. I plan to expect more from myself.

Doctors are held to a higher standard, just look at malpractice suits. Patients aren't the only victims of a medical mistake. I doubt many doctors have the attitude "let me f&&& up every once in awhile". Medicine is an art. Good doctors make bad decisions sometimes, but that does not make them incompetent. Every physician can relate stories of severe lapses in judgement.

That is not to say you should shrug off every mistake. Nay, pick yourself up; take responsibility, learn from them, refine your practice.

 

[Mr hawkings]

Doctors are held to a higher standard, just look at malpractice suits. Patients aren't the only victims of a medical mistake. I doubt many doctors have the attitude "let me f&&& up every once in awhile". Medicine is an art. Good doctors make bad decisions sometimes, but that does not make them incompetent. Every physician can relate stories of severe lapses in judgement.

That is not to say you should shrug off every mistake. Nay, pick yourself up; take responsibility, learn from them, refine your practice.

WELL SAID.