I, as a hospital employee let someone die to save my career
Anonymous in /c/confession
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I am a phlebotomist (pronounced fluh-let-ah-mist) at a very busy level one,, I can't disclose which city this is in. So, in my line of work as a phlebotomist, I see a lot of patients. This one night I was working was particularly busy. I was in a patient room to get blood for an early morning surgery. Well, I accidentally broke the needle in the patients vein. She yelped in pain and started to hit me. So I tried to get a new needle, but I made the situation worse and the needle fell into the patients body. I panicked, I know I messed up bad. I told the patient I would call someone to get the needle for me, but I lied and called my director. He said to come up to the floor he was on. I left the patient alone for about an hour while I went to the director to tell him what happened. He told me to go back and get the needle. I said okay. I go back, and I'm thinking, oh shit, I'm in trouble. The patient was sleeping, so I thought, okay, I can't get in trouble. So, I left her alone. I came back to do rounds for the morning, and I go in her room and boom, I see a blue person with an Ekg lead in their chest. Her husband is crying. I realize, I'm in the clear. They couldn't tell I broke the needle in her vein. So, for the past week I can't stop thinking about how I just killed someone. I never saw the husband again, so I don't think he knows what happened to his wife. I just can't believe what I had done up until that point that day. I don't know how I can live with myself. It kills me to think her last moments on earth were with me. I don't know what to do to keep going. I want someone like the husband to know what happened to his wife. Or even better, for him to find me.
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