How do you deal with mistakes?

[rlwpac]

I have only been a PA for a short while so I am hoping those of you who are more seasoned can help me. How do you mentally deal with mistakes you've made with patients, such as an inintended injury from a procedure? (The possibility is listed in the consent if that matters.) It just happened to me and I feel sick to my stomach, want to cry my eyes out, have lost confidence in myself, am embarassed in front of my co-workers and am worried I am going to get in serious trouble from my supervisor. I understand mistakes happen but I don't want them to happen from my hands. I am devistated about what I have done to my patient who trusted me. The issue is not life threatening by any means, but I still don't know how to cope with how horrible I feel and my loss of confidence. Thanks.

[ventana]

happens to the best of us

 

before you do anything you need to sit down and talk with your SP

 

take your cues from them.....   they need to know you know you made a mistake and are learning from it.....  but let them set the tone of any patient contacts

 

 

 

 

as for your own feelings - realize they are real, you injured someone and this is an unfortunate part of medicine..... hence why we have INFORMED consent

 

 

 

 

learn from it - try to refine your technique so you don't make same mistake again, be humble and realize medicine is ups and downs, learn from the downs, enjoy the ups and always try to be a better PA

[UGoLong]

Well said, ventana.

 

No one is perfect. You clearly care and want to get better at your job. Follow through with those desires and you'll do fine.

[rev ronin]

Everything we do--every procedure, lab, surgery, medication--has good outcomes and bad.  Everyone who prescribes bactrim for a UTI risks curing that at the expense of avoidable TEN or SJS.

 

Nothing about that minimizes our obligation to do the best, maximize the good outcomes and minimize the bad, to the best of our abilities, but we can never make anything risk free.  Sometimes we do everything right, and it still goes south.

 

You had statistics, right?  Take refuge in the fact that throughout your career, you will be curing far, far more people than you harm.  Learn every lesson, and resolve that you will never make the same mistake twice.  None of us got into this field to hurt patients, and your reaction sounds completely natural.  Don't suppress it; rather, move through it.  Accept the consequence, learn from the mistake, and become a better clinician thereby.

[winterallsummer]

If you feel bad about it, you are doing well.  It's the practitioners who make mistakes and simply go into self-defense mode and never acknowledge their errs that we should be worrying about.

[gleannfia]

I agree with the others above.  Also, please remember, MD/DOs make *plenty* of errors.  It is called being human.  Although, in some cases, it is from arrogance or carelessness.

[rlwpac]

I appreciate everyone's feedback. You've been very helpful.

[Febrifuge]

If you feel bad about it, you are doing well. It's the practitioners who make mistakes and simply go into self-defense mode and never acknowledge their errs that we should be worrying about.

Exactly. Show me someone who claims to never make mistakes, and I'll show you someone who is lousy at recognizing they have made a mistake.

 

To the OP, all I can say is this: the only way to get better at anything is to learn from mistakes - mostly learning how not to repeat them. Make the focus NEW mistakes, instead of trying to insist on NO mistakes ever.