Quick thinking, trust in her instincts and the courage to speak up allowed Lou Lambley, a fourth-semester Bachelor of Science in Nursing student at the UNMC College of Nursing, to prevent a possible medical error.
During clinicals at Nebraska Medicine, Lambley, a Benkelman, Nebraska native, noticed a nurse about to make an error when administering medication.
Lambley didn’t hesitate to speak up. She knew administering the incorrect medication could have severe effects on the patient.
“I didn’t think twice about speaking up and pointed out the medication error because the individuals I worked with were extremely nice to me and valued my judgement from the beginning,” she said.
“I didn’t get treated as a student, but a member of the team as a whole.”
Her quick-thinking caught the eye of Nebraska Medicine staff, too. Suzanne Nuss, PhD, chief nursing officer at Nebraska Medicine, said the kind of action Lambley showed is what is expected in the clinical setting.
“This is exactly the behavior that we expect from our colleagues, but when we heard it was a student that spoke up, we immediately said, ‘We need to hire her,’” Dr. Nuss said. “Kudos to Lou for trusting her gut and speaking up.”
Lambley said she understands that students in a similar situation may be hesitant to point out an error, but she encouraged anyone to follow her example should a situation call for it.
“I hope this teaches students to advocate for their patients,” she said. “I hope this teaches them to trust their judgement and the knowledge they possess. It is better to bring attention to a concern and everything be fine than to not say anything.”
She also credited her professors for instilling the values of putting patient care first and foremost.
“They continually remind us to advocate for our patients and not be afraid to speak up if our gut is telling us something isn’t right,” she said. “Their teaching taught me to listen to the warning bells and act quickly to correct them.”
Instructor Brittany Schlueter said Lambley’s actions are exactly what is taught in courses.
“As faculty, we always encourage students to speak up if they are concerned and to be an active participant in the patient care team,” she said. “Had the student and the RN not worked together as a team, the outcome for this patient could have been very different.”
Lambley is in her last semester in the BSN program and has already accepted a position at Nebraska Medicine. She hopes to pursue a master’s degree in the near future with the ultimate career goal of working with oncology patients.