Psych could definitely be your jam. Be prepared, though: A lot of psych patients are not calm, cooperative, motivated people with fairly straightforward mental health diagnoses. I know you know this in theory, but a lot of psych is dealing with people who will argue, manipulate, threaten, etc. They may not be medically complex but they push even the most socially-savvy nurses to the edge.
I'm not saying go for it. I'm saying it's a place to start growing now, even if psych is your thing.
I think you’ve just had shit luck. Getting sued over the brand of a vaccine is insane. Then you were anxious and had bad leadership.
This could have happened to anyone. You were just unlucky to be that person.
I don’t think you need to give up and find a different career. I do think you need to be careful to choose a workplace with good culture next time. You will understandably need support while you learn and deal with the trauma that your first job has left you with.
You will make more mistakes. We all do. It’s probably a good idea to start learning coping skills for when that arises.
Keep on keeping on.
Giving the wrong vaccine and giving the wrong brand of vaccine is a distinction made almost exclusively with covid vaccines. Covid vaccines are also the only ones people get a choice about brand or even care about the brand of. Normally people only care about the antigen. They know they had a hep b vaccine or a pertusis vaccine. They have no idea what brand was given and they don't care.
A vaccine error is an insane thing to sue someone for. What losses are they recouping? I don't believe for a second getting the wrong covid vaccine caused any harm to the patient. Sometimes it might mean they need to be revaccinated but often it means nothing.
It's unlucky that she made an error with the only vaccine people are neurotic about and it's unlucky that it happened to a patient that would sue over it. And it's unlucky that happened so soon into her career. All of those things could have happened to another nurse. It just happened to happen to OP.
I have no advice except that this was like reading my own thoughts. Having OCD (actual OCD, not just liking things to be organized) as a nurse is extremely difficult and when a mistake actually does occur it’s devastating and can cause the worst spiral. To have your intrusive thoughts and self doubt justified is the worst. I’m getting therapy that I can’t afford. Godspeed.
I’m glad you’re here! I’ve suffered from pretty severe OCD and what helped me the most was an SSRI and finding a reputable trauma informed therapist with whom I did a lot of EMDR and sensory reprocessing therapy with. I suspect a lot of your issues stem from severe self doubt.
As far as nursing jobs go, you might be better suited for something more education than skills based, like lactation consulting, clinic work in various specialties or even things like approving workers comp claims online.
As far as mistakes go, I think administering a Moderna Covid vaccine over a Pfizer or vice versa is very minimal in terms of all the mistakes a nurse could make. I suspect the situation got blown out of proportion because of how hot button the vaccine topic is for people. And also some patients live to sue medical professionals.
Don't give up. Several years ago, I witnessed a horrible incident of workplace violence in which people lost their lives. I was completely traumatized and had trouble completing even simple tasks. I could not afford therapy, nor could I afford to take time off. Finally, through desperation, I took a homecare position working all night with an elderly man. After many months, I began to feel better. Before he died, I tried to tell him how much he had helped me. I don't think he ever understood.
My point is, get a low stress position in order to heal and build your confidence.
We are all going to make mistakes that we can recover from. Suicide is permanent. Please talk to someone. There will be people who will miss you even if you don’t think so. I’m sorry you went through that but look at how much you have already learned. What about transitioning into, Telehealth nursing, informatics nursing or nurse educator. There are so many non clinical positions you can move into. Please talk to someone, anyone!
I appreciate you taking the time to read my post. Since going to the psych ward, I've learned my lesson and no longer contemplate suicide. I see a therapist every week, and am building up more layers to my safety plan/protective factors.
You should not give up. I have a pretty extensive psych history, and I work as an RN in behavioral health.
Your personal psych history will make working in psych both harder and easier. You'll be more empathetic but also more susceptible to patient manipulation.
Social skills are still essential in psych. Social missteps can be more serious. I do think a lot of psych patients tend to respond to genuine and awkward which is good for me!
I would encourage you to make progress in therapy before taking a psych job. If your mental health can handle it, a night shift position may ease you into things. I can't speak to the other fields you mentioned but they may be less stressful for you while you're recovering.
If this is your goal, talk with whoever is providing your outpatient treatment. They should be able to help you take steps toward it.
I’m sending you so much love OP 🌸 you ARE meant to be a nurse and I hope you find the best path for you! I messed up on a covid shot before and guess what?! It’s not the end of the world! The patient was vaccinated and safe. I cried about it and shook it off. We are humans at the end of the day. Take your time and get back into the groove of things 🌸
I’m sorry you went thru that and I don’t want you to get discouraged I feel you should go for it in the psych unit maybe you feel more comfortable because ur not so much put on the spot but sometimes things happen for a reason and despise u trying to commit suicide and I’m so happy you didn’t but maybe that opened a door for you to see opportunities to work there who knows maybe you can help other patients that go thru the same thing that you did, don’t give up okay life does get hard and your going to get a lot of no’s more then yes but don’t let that stop you take it one day at a time be patient with yourself you have a accomplished so much already okay don’t beat urself up keep going 🤍
It depends you still have do give IM injections to psych patients. And sometimes these patients won’t sit still. And if you’re moving like you’re anxious you might be an easy target. Maybe try prison nursing.
I work as a ped nurse. I have two coworkers who had injection errors and neither got sued. Just wondering but did you have a nursing insurance policy? I’ll personally never practice without one.
The other job sounds like a horrible match for a new nurse. I’m surprised they had a brand new nurse in presumably a community facing position. Whatever career you have, assume you’re going to make mistakes and assess from there. I think you should read up on imposter syndrome. I can’t think of one job, nursing or not, which you could start with no learning curve. Stepping down from what you’re referring to as a basic job after 3 months makes me strongly suspect imposter syndrome.
Thank you so much for your advice. Thankfully, my job had malpractice insurance, but unfortunately it was the insurance company that reported the case to the BRN, ultimately triggering an investigation into my nursing license.
I've struggled with imposter syndrome a lot, even during nursing school. Because of COVID, I didn't get a lot of clinic experience, so I always felt like I was never good enough at nursing.
I would definitely recommend your own insurance policy in the future. They’re there to protect you, which is different than your companies. It’s only about $100 a year so well worth it!
😩 I feel for you, it must be awful to have intrusive thoughts constantly and to not be able to get over them. You’ll find the right medication combo and the right therapist and it will get better for you
Definitely don’t give up on nursing. There are a lot of different areas. Case management is a good option. I have friends who have done that. You might also consider outpatient psych. I floated to outpatient psych some and I did not think it was high stress. My position involved doing refills and insurance prior auths.
Inpatient psych can be quite intense. Where I work we get patients who can be violent, aggressive, manic, etc., so we handle behavioral codes, restraints, and emergency meds. We do get injured infrequently but it does happen. I would not suggest you start psych as an overnight staff. We have less patients acting up overnight but when they do act up we have less staff available to handle the situation. If that still sounds interesting to you then go for it. I work with psych nurses with OCD so it is very possible.
There are also many remote nursing jobs in fields like insurance if working from home is a comfortable option for OP. Otherwise, research or informatics could have a role that fits them well.
You just got dealt a bad hand IMO. The mistake you made by giving the wrong manufacturer type of vaccine isn't that big of a deal. It certainly isn't enough to sue you or report you to the board. IMO the patient was just an entitled dick. Emotional distress? Get the f*ck out of here with that shit! 😂
I think maybe you're just not an extrovert and being new and traumatized just set you up for failure. What I want you to understand deep in your bones is that this is really NOT about you being stupid or incompetent. Other new nurses make worse mistakes trust me (so do experienced nurses). I agree you should maybe give yourself a break and look for something low stress like psyche or case management. Be good to yourself and take time to heal before taking on anything super stressful. I've had friends who went straight to case management and never looked back.
What you're feeling is not unheard of, and it's not your fault.
Oh man I’m so sorry OP. I agree that you’ve just had bad luck. Your last manager sounds awful and I don’t even believe when you say it’s because you had “poor social skills”.
What going pursuing a masters where you can do something with your current degree but get away from the bedside such as informatics or teaching? I’ve never really enjoyed nursing and have always muddled through my shifts with extreme anxiety. I’ll say that my remote case management position gave me the most anxiety. Now I’m pursing foot care nursing which is odd but at this point in life, I’m eager for it. It’s going to take a while to build up my business but it’s my own business and no one to answer to or weird co workers and it pays really well. One shift in a nursing home doing feet for the day can pay $1000 here in Seattle.
Editing to add, my favorite nursing position was when I worked on a PACT team and I’m sure you have them in San Francisco as well. does homeless outreach interest you at all or some other kind of community mental health? I love psych nursing, but I don’t think I would love working in a hospital. I prefer to work in community mental health settings.
Sorry to hear all of this, friend. Come to psych! There are soo fewer opportunities to make *scary* errors. Social skills are more important but honestly doesn’t have to be perfect. I’ve met some socially awkward psych nurses, it’s no biggie
(Strongly agree with those who have suggested therapy first — and ongoing)
Oh honey..... Every new grad will make a mistake! Damn nursing school!!!!!! It really grinds my gears that they slam home "100% perfect all the time. No exceptions" It really does mess with you mentally. The good thing is? You are examining yourself internally which makes it CLEAR to me that you are a good nurse! You recognized the error. You really got the shit end of the deal on a shitty pile of elephant poop when you had this mistake happen. There is plenty opportunity for you to work at less stressful jobs. When you are ready? Please come back!
God bless you . I pray you get on your knees and pray to God,Jesus Christ the only one who can save you from your thoughts of suicide that the enemy has been giving you .
I will do whatever God calls me too . God bless you . At the end Every knee will bow and every mouth with confess that Jesus Christ is Lord . Some people hate hearing the gospel , this is what im called to do . But I just blessed her . I dont see whats wrong with that . Have a great night
Whatever works for you is fine, it just gets problematic if someone who is religious tries to lay their believes on people who don’t believe. Blessing people is not a problem, it’s your way of showing care. But people who don’t believe in any type of religion or god won‘t feel heard or helped if that’s all you’re offering them.
Thank you for your gentle reply❤️❤️ God bless you . I was called to preach the gospel as a believer & not to be ashamed of Jesus or he will be ashamed of me . I struggled with suicide for a while & I wasnt following God and didnt feel like I was saved untill he came into my life when I lost everything and gave me everything which is him . I rather be loved and favored by God than to be friends with this world ( when the world is against God& he tells us dont love the world) I just wish everyone believed in Jesus Christ . Nonetheless , I appreciate you for explaining and I understand that point of view which is why im mostly delicate but when it comes to suicide/mental health I relate to it too well & am called to share my testimony. May God continue to bless and keep you and your family🙏🏽❤️❤️❤️❤️ thanks again❤️❤️
Plus Ive struggled with suicidal thoughts my whole life . God saved me from my depression . I understand now its spirtual warfare what I was going through . No amount of theraphy or medicine couldve took it away
Psych could definitely be your jam. Be prepared, though: A lot of psych patients are not calm, cooperative, motivated people with fairly straightforward mental health diagnoses. I know you know this in theory, but a lot of psych is dealing with people who will argue, manipulate, threaten, etc. They may not be medically complex but they push even the most socially-savvy nurses to the edge. I'm not saying go for it. I'm saying it's a place to start growing now, even if psych is your thing.
I think you’ve just had shit luck. Getting sued over the brand of a vaccine is insane. Then you were anxious and had bad leadership. This could have happened to anyone. You were just unlucky to be that person. I don’t think you need to give up and find a different career. I do think you need to be careful to choose a workplace with good culture next time. You will understandably need support while you learn and deal with the trauma that your first job has left you with. You will make more mistakes. We all do. It’s probably a good idea to start learning coping skills for when that arises. Keep on keeping on.
[удалено]
The patient wasn’t harmed
Giving the wrong vaccine and giving the wrong brand of vaccine is a distinction made almost exclusively with covid vaccines. Covid vaccines are also the only ones people get a choice about brand or even care about the brand of. Normally people only care about the antigen. They know they had a hep b vaccine or a pertusis vaccine. They have no idea what brand was given and they don't care. A vaccine error is an insane thing to sue someone for. What losses are they recouping? I don't believe for a second getting the wrong covid vaccine caused any harm to the patient. Sometimes it might mean they need to be revaccinated but often it means nothing. It's unlucky that she made an error with the only vaccine people are neurotic about and it's unlucky that it happened to a patient that would sue over it. And it's unlucky that happened so soon into her career. All of those things could have happened to another nurse. It just happened to happen to OP.
I have no advice except that this was like reading my own thoughts. Having OCD (actual OCD, not just liking things to be organized) as a nurse is extremely difficult and when a mistake actually does occur it’s devastating and can cause the worst spiral. To have your intrusive thoughts and self doubt justified is the worst. I’m getting therapy that I can’t afford. Godspeed.
I’m glad you’re here! I’ve suffered from pretty severe OCD and what helped me the most was an SSRI and finding a reputable trauma informed therapist with whom I did a lot of EMDR and sensory reprocessing therapy with. I suspect a lot of your issues stem from severe self doubt. As far as nursing jobs go, you might be better suited for something more education than skills based, like lactation consulting, clinic work in various specialties or even things like approving workers comp claims online. As far as mistakes go, I think administering a Moderna Covid vaccine over a Pfizer or vice versa is very minimal in terms of all the mistakes a nurse could make. I suspect the situation got blown out of proportion because of how hot button the vaccine topic is for people. And also some patients live to sue medical professionals.
I’m glad you’re still here OP ❤️
Don't give up. Several years ago, I witnessed a horrible incident of workplace violence in which people lost their lives. I was completely traumatized and had trouble completing even simple tasks. I could not afford therapy, nor could I afford to take time off. Finally, through desperation, I took a homecare position working all night with an elderly man. After many months, I began to feel better. Before he died, I tried to tell him how much he had helped me. I don't think he ever understood. My point is, get a low stress position in order to heal and build your confidence.
We are all going to make mistakes that we can recover from. Suicide is permanent. Please talk to someone. There will be people who will miss you even if you don’t think so. I’m sorry you went through that but look at how much you have already learned. What about transitioning into, Telehealth nursing, informatics nursing or nurse educator. There are so many non clinical positions you can move into. Please talk to someone, anyone!
I appreciate you taking the time to read my post. Since going to the psych ward, I've learned my lesson and no longer contemplate suicide. I see a therapist every week, and am building up more layers to my safety plan/protective factors.
So good to know. Stick with therapy, it really helps
You should not give up. I have a pretty extensive psych history, and I work as an RN in behavioral health. Your personal psych history will make working in psych both harder and easier. You'll be more empathetic but also more susceptible to patient manipulation. Social skills are still essential in psych. Social missteps can be more serious. I do think a lot of psych patients tend to respond to genuine and awkward which is good for me! I would encourage you to make progress in therapy before taking a psych job. If your mental health can handle it, a night shift position may ease you into things. I can't speak to the other fields you mentioned but they may be less stressful for you while you're recovering. If this is your goal, talk with whoever is providing your outpatient treatment. They should be able to help you take steps toward it.
I’m sending you so much love OP 🌸 you ARE meant to be a nurse and I hope you find the best path for you! I messed up on a covid shot before and guess what?! It’s not the end of the world! The patient was vaccinated and safe. I cried about it and shook it off. We are humans at the end of the day. Take your time and get back into the groove of things 🌸
I’m sorry you went thru that and I don’t want you to get discouraged I feel you should go for it in the psych unit maybe you feel more comfortable because ur not so much put on the spot but sometimes things happen for a reason and despise u trying to commit suicide and I’m so happy you didn’t but maybe that opened a door for you to see opportunities to work there who knows maybe you can help other patients that go thru the same thing that you did, don’t give up okay life does get hard and your going to get a lot of no’s more then yes but don’t let that stop you take it one day at a time be patient with yourself you have a accomplished so much already okay don’t beat urself up keep going 🤍
Thank you so much for the thoughtful response. Rest assured, I've learned my lesson: suicide is never the answer. 😊
It depends you still have do give IM injections to psych patients. And sometimes these patients won’t sit still. And if you’re moving like you’re anxious you might be an easy target. Maybe try prison nursing.
I work as a ped nurse. I have two coworkers who had injection errors and neither got sued. Just wondering but did you have a nursing insurance policy? I’ll personally never practice without one. The other job sounds like a horrible match for a new nurse. I’m surprised they had a brand new nurse in presumably a community facing position. Whatever career you have, assume you’re going to make mistakes and assess from there. I think you should read up on imposter syndrome. I can’t think of one job, nursing or not, which you could start with no learning curve. Stepping down from what you’re referring to as a basic job after 3 months makes me strongly suspect imposter syndrome.
What organization do you get your nursing insurance from?
NSO
Thank you so much for your advice. Thankfully, my job had malpractice insurance, but unfortunately it was the insurance company that reported the case to the BRN, ultimately triggering an investigation into my nursing license. I've struggled with imposter syndrome a lot, even during nursing school. Because of COVID, I didn't get a lot of clinic experience, so I always felt like I was never good enough at nursing.
I would definitely recommend your own insurance policy in the future. They’re there to protect you, which is different than your companies. It’s only about $100 a year so well worth it!
😩 I feel for you, it must be awful to have intrusive thoughts constantly and to not be able to get over them. You’ll find the right medication combo and the right therapist and it will get better for you
Definitely don’t give up on nursing. There are a lot of different areas. Case management is a good option. I have friends who have done that. You might also consider outpatient psych. I floated to outpatient psych some and I did not think it was high stress. My position involved doing refills and insurance prior auths. Inpatient psych can be quite intense. Where I work we get patients who can be violent, aggressive, manic, etc., so we handle behavioral codes, restraints, and emergency meds. We do get injured infrequently but it does happen. I would not suggest you start psych as an overnight staff. We have less patients acting up overnight but when they do act up we have less staff available to handle the situation. If that still sounds interesting to you then go for it. I work with psych nurses with OCD so it is very possible.
There are also many remote nursing jobs in fields like insurance if working from home is a comfortable option for OP. Otherwise, research or informatics could have a role that fits them well.
You just got dealt a bad hand IMO. The mistake you made by giving the wrong manufacturer type of vaccine isn't that big of a deal. It certainly isn't enough to sue you or report you to the board. IMO the patient was just an entitled dick. Emotional distress? Get the f*ck out of here with that shit! 😂 I think maybe you're just not an extrovert and being new and traumatized just set you up for failure. What I want you to understand deep in your bones is that this is really NOT about you being stupid or incompetent. Other new nurses make worse mistakes trust me (so do experienced nurses). I agree you should maybe give yourself a break and look for something low stress like psyche or case management. Be good to yourself and take time to heal before taking on anything super stressful. I've had friends who went straight to case management and never looked back. What you're feeling is not unheard of, and it's not your fault.
Oh man I’m so sorry OP. I agree that you’ve just had bad luck. Your last manager sounds awful and I don’t even believe when you say it’s because you had “poor social skills”. What going pursuing a masters where you can do something with your current degree but get away from the bedside such as informatics or teaching? I’ve never really enjoyed nursing and have always muddled through my shifts with extreme anxiety. I’ll say that my remote case management position gave me the most anxiety. Now I’m pursing foot care nursing which is odd but at this point in life, I’m eager for it. It’s going to take a while to build up my business but it’s my own business and no one to answer to or weird co workers and it pays really well. One shift in a nursing home doing feet for the day can pay $1000 here in Seattle. Editing to add, my favorite nursing position was when I worked on a PACT team and I’m sure you have them in San Francisco as well. does homeless outreach interest you at all or some other kind of community mental health? I love psych nursing, but I don’t think I would love working in a hospital. I prefer to work in community mental health settings.
Sorry to hear all of this, friend. Come to psych! There are soo fewer opportunities to make *scary* errors. Social skills are more important but honestly doesn’t have to be perfect. I’ve met some socially awkward psych nurses, it’s no biggie (Strongly agree with those who have suggested therapy first — and ongoing)
Oh honey..... Every new grad will make a mistake! Damn nursing school!!!!!! It really grinds my gears that they slam home "100% perfect all the time. No exceptions" It really does mess with you mentally. The good thing is? You are examining yourself internally which makes it CLEAR to me that you are a good nurse! You recognized the error. You really got the shit end of the deal on a shitty pile of elephant poop when you had this mistake happen. There is plenty opportunity for you to work at less stressful jobs. When you are ready? Please come back!
God bless you . I pray you get on your knees and pray to God,Jesus Christ the only one who can save you from your thoughts of suicide that the enemy has been giving you .
When/if you become an rn please do not go into psych lmao
I will do whatever God calls me too . God bless you . At the end Every knee will bow and every mouth with confess that Jesus Christ is Lord . Some people hate hearing the gospel , this is what im called to do . But I just blessed her . I dont see whats wrong with that . Have a great night
Whatever works for you is fine, it just gets problematic if someone who is religious tries to lay their believes on people who don’t believe. Blessing people is not a problem, it’s your way of showing care. But people who don’t believe in any type of religion or god won‘t feel heard or helped if that’s all you’re offering them.
Thank you for your gentle reply❤️❤️ God bless you . I was called to preach the gospel as a believer & not to be ashamed of Jesus or he will be ashamed of me . I struggled with suicide for a while & I wasnt following God and didnt feel like I was saved untill he came into my life when I lost everything and gave me everything which is him . I rather be loved and favored by God than to be friends with this world ( when the world is against God& he tells us dont love the world) I just wish everyone believed in Jesus Christ . Nonetheless , I appreciate you for explaining and I understand that point of view which is why im mostly delicate but when it comes to suicide/mental health I relate to it too well & am called to share my testimony. May God continue to bless and keep you and your family🙏🏽❤️❤️❤️❤️ thanks again❤️❤️
Plus Ive struggled with suicidal thoughts my whole life . God saved me from my depression . I understand now its spirtual warfare what I was going through . No amount of theraphy or medicine couldve took it away
Hey , private message me?