ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION

A MISTAKE

1

In the  first few  days of my  Oncology  placement I watched  nurses  doing  drug  calculations and administering  chemotherapy . They were helpful to me an talked me through what they were doing . I found out that though drugs are checked by the pharmacy, the ward nurses always check them again. If a patient is on a combination of drugs , then  the calculations nurses  do can be quite  complicated  ,especially if the drugs are administered  via pump .Later in my placement  I started  to do  drug calculations  myself and  my  confidence  grew.

2

Then came the time when I was on night shift. The ward was extremely busy and I assisted the charge nurse as he gave out medication . I asked If  I could give out some medication myself and, when  he  agreed ,I picked up the medicine pot for my first patient , and gave  him the tablets . Almost immediately, I realized that  I had given him the  wrong  ones. Because chemo medication is cytotoxic. And potentially fatal .I knew that the consequences of my mistake could be disastrous.

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I went into a panic and started  to sweat  and  shake .I rushed  to the charge  nurse  and told him what  I had done . He called the doctor who came  within minutes. That gave me a chance  to compose myself –after all .panic ,would not help the situation  at all. In the end it was OK . The doctor said  that the patient  would not  suffer  any ill effects  from this particular  medication .

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What did I learn from this? I learned  how important  it is to be alert  and careful  and about  the  kind of stress .I will have to deal  with when I am fully  qualified .Perhaps my mistake would never  have been noticed ,but I  know that I did  the  right  thing by telling the charge  nurse  what  I had  done . If I had said nothing. I would never have learned how important it is to follow the correct procedure  and check  and check again

I.-Reflective writing:

Read the student’s nurse  reflections  on an experience  and say  which title a-d is the best  one for each paragraph  1 -4

a.- The lesson________

b.- The observation_______

c.- The error __________

d.-Reassurance ________(reaffirmation )

II.- Decide  which of the following  is the most accurate summary of the student nurse’s experience :

a. When I was on placement, I observed a mistake being made . A patient was given the wrong medicine and nearly died. But it was OK in the end .The Doctor saved his life  and I learned  how important it is to be careful when administering  drugs and how  easy it is to make a mistake .

b. One Oncology placement did taught me a very important lesson. I made the wrong calculation and gave the wrong quantity of medicine to a patient .I stayed calm and kept quiet and because of this everything turned  out all right in the end .I learned never to panic in a crisis and always to double –check drug calculations.

c. Honesty is the best policy when you make a mistake. I learned that from the time on the Oncology ward  when I gave the wrong medicine  to a patient . My mistake taught me about the importance of accuracy in administering drugs and how  to keep  calm in difficult situations.

III.-Respond the following questions

1.    The drugs are checked by the pharmacy and the ward nurses always  check and check again?(     )

2.    The calculations nurses  do can be quite complicated  ,especially if the drugs are administered  via pump (     )

3.    The consequences of my mistake could not  be disastrous.(     )

4.    The nurse called the doctor who came within minutes.(     )

5.    I learned how important it is to be alert and careful  and about the kind of stress(     )

6.    If I had said nothing. I would never have learned how important it is to follow  the correct procedure and check  and check again  (     )