Healthcare providers who are emotionally traumatized by mistakes or other adverse events are named second victims (Wu, 2000). The patient is the first victim, and the caregiver who made the mistake is the second victim and also deserves care. School nursing is just beginning to recognize this issue while other health care sub-specialties have more resources and research.
Everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes are unavoidable. Nurses make mistakes. Doctors make mistakes. We all make mistakes and are not alone.
If you have any questions/comments or are interested in assisting in second victim research and/or support groups for school nurses, please email schoolnursesecondvictim@gmail.com.
Resources—A Path Through
If you have experienced a medication error or adverse event trauma?
There is help. Click here for resources:
Learn More:
This hour-long presentation was originally delivered for the annual conference of the Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses & Practitioners, March 2022. Most effective with Ann presenting in person, but you have permission to show the video to groups. If you show the video, please report how many people saw it, and when; schoolnursesecondvictim@gmail.com
Published NASN School Nurse, 33(3), 163-166
Abstract: Medication errors occur in the school setting as they do in other healthcare settings. In this article, three accounts of school nurse medication errors are presented. School nurses often undergo emotional trauma after a mistake is made. Other fields of healthcare are incorporating the second victim phenomena in their responses to errors, with the patient as the first victim, and the caregiver who made the mistake as the second. Researchers have identified six stages of the second victim’s journey. School nurses and administrators would benefit from understanding and utilizing this model.