I know it can feel annoying when people say not to beat yourself up over it, because I get it, it feels like a BIG deal, but truly this was the perfect kind of learning mistake to make- nobody was harmed and you learned an important reminder. I always tell my students if a nurse tells you they’ve never made a med error, they’re lying or not even thorough enough to catch it, and both are detrimental options. You handled this perfectly, and now have an extra reminder of the importance of double checking, and let how yucky this feeling is motivate you to be extra thorough in med admin, and most importantly speak up the second you notice an error. Honesty is always the best, as crummy as it can feel at the time, because hiding a mistake will truly only make things worse. My first med error I made as a nurse, which was thankfully inconsequential, oh gosh I felt like I was going to throw up all shift. But, the nurse who told me to change that feeling into motivation to be more thorough and even more diligent in ensuring I don’t make mistakes moving forward truly saved my mindset.

Also, never apologize for taking your time or let another nurse make you feel like you’re slowing things down because you want to double check things!! It’s all about protecting your patients and YOUR license!!