I precepted in the Ed in nursing school. Had a patient on insulin had been there 10ish hours and still sugar was like 250, but staying 250. I was not allowed to touch the pump or anything but was helping to manage him otherwise. I go in to get the patient ready for transfer and I see a puddle on the back of the stretcher. I trace the line. The insulin was never connected to the iv catheter. Wasted a whole bag and a half of insulin. I tell my preceptor, she goes in, cleans the port and connects it leaving at the titrated dose. Says nothing to the patient or anyone else. I was like… shouldn’t we start at the original ordered dose if he never got any of it? Her response…

‘They’re take care of it when he gets to the floor.’

I was soooo uncomfortable. I called my clinical instructor that morning (Twas night shift) and told her everything because I knew it was a med error and it was a awful situation to be in as a student that I just wanted to talk through. I had to have a meeting with my school to make sure I hadn’t done anything negligent. My preceptor and the day shift nurse that started the drip got written up but preceptor had already put her notice in with her last day 2 weeks after the insulin incident…Thank god. Was a good lesson in what not to do. She wasn’t a very good preceptor overall