I am currently working as a CNA at a local hospital while I am going to nursing school. I worked an 8 hr shift yesterday after class. I was going to report off sick because I really am sick, but decided not to because I was going to be an extra person and it would be an easy day. I walked in at 11a, and ended up taking over 14 patients. There was 10 complete baths left for me to do in 4 hrs. OK. I muddled through those, but it was crazy. I had 4 patients being discharged. One woman with a fractured hip was going over to our skilled nursing department. The transporter came to take her, and all of the nurses were at lunch and I was there alone. The woman had a tesio for dialysis with argatroban running. I did not know what the drug was for. She was a tough lift from the chair to a stretcher and I was afraid of ripping the tesio out (It had happened earlier in the week with another patient with a R IJ CVC). I unhooked the drug to move to patient. I was being called to help move the other 3 patients who were being discharged and never hooked the drug back up. 2 hrs later the skilled nursing department called wondering why the patient didnt have the drug hanging. They talked to the patients former nurse. The nurse said she would look into it to give her 2 minutes and she would call them right back. The immediately called the nurse manager. The nurse came to me and asked me if I had unhooked the pump, and I just couldn't remember. It had been so busy that I could not remember physically doing it. Well, the nurse manager had snuck up behind her and heard the conversation. I got pulled into the back and given a lecture, which I surely deserved. She was not mean or nasty, she was stern but aware that I was competent and understood the consequences. The nurse and I went over to the skilled nursing portion of the hospital to rehang the drug. The nurse asked the patient if she remembered who unhooked the drug from her tesio. The patient winked at me and told the nurse that she didn't remember. I really feel terrible about what happened. The patient was ok, and the doctor wasn't mad about the incident. I am just so nervous about it though.

Has anyone else ever had an experience like this?

All the nurses were at lunch? You mean there was no nurse on the floor? This is illegal, to leave you there without a nurse available. Never disconnect any meds, it is not in your scope of practice. I'm not saying you are not capable and knowledgeable, it's not in your scope of practice as a CNA. This is to protect yourself and your patient.

Next time, you ask the transporter to wait, and go find a nurse. If you can't find the nurse, then you call the supervisor. This should open a big can of worms, because they all were irresponsible by leaving you alone. Good luck toots, don't give up but learn from this.

Take this and use it as a learning experience. Don't beat yourself up, truely learn from your errors.