When nurses and doctors are new to the job, it’s not uncommon for them to make errors. This is partially why some medical providers go through years of training in hospitals doing rounds with other professionals. The people who have been working in the field longer help train them and catch mistakes to prevent patients from suffering from injuries.

In nursing, that’s not always the case, though. While nurses get some practical training before they’re helping people on their own, there’s still a risk that they may make mistakes that injure patients.

One of the most common errors is handing out the wrong medications to the wrong patients. Doing this could result in a fatality, which is why it’s so important for nurses to check their patient’s charts and to verify that they have the correct medication, dosage and patient each and every time they provide the medication to an individual. Administration errors account for up to 32 percent of medication errors, but focusing on the patient and double-checking his or her chart helps prevent those mistakes.

Another issue is when nurses record information incorrectly. For instance, the nurse may not report all the actions she took when she last saw a patient, which then results in another nurse providing the same services. If it’s giving a patient medications, that could result in an overdose, for example, which is why it’s vital to document records correctly.

As a patient, you deserve the best care. There is no excuse for a nurse making an error when double-checking his or her work is enough to prevent it. If you are hurt, you can seek a claim against the facility and personnel responsible.

Source: Nurse Journal, “The 5 Most Common Mistakes Made By New Nurses,” accessed Nov. 08, 2017