The Student Room Group

How to stop making silly mistakes?

I like to think I'm a good med student - I do well in exams, I work hard, I help out as much as I can on the wards, including doing stuff that doesn't contribute much to my learning. Junior staff have been really appreciative of my help. I'm also pretty organised in my day to day life usually, I have to be to make sure I have enough money to live and eat properly etc.

But I do make stupid mistakes sometimes, like I forgot to label a patient's blood samples before sending them to the lab and had to redo them (luckily the patient was ok with it). In the last 2 weeks I've left my smartcard in ward computers twice (pretty bad for data safety), left a pair of gloves on the side that should have been binned (worn but not dirty as such), 'lost' my phone for a morning...

I don't know if there's an answer, but how can I get better at life so I don't make so many stupid mistakes like this? Right now maybe it's not such a big deal (although I do feel guilty), but I worry that when I'm a doctor and e.g. prescribing I might accidentally kill someone.
Things like this tend to usually happen when you’re not as focussed and/or more tired than you usually are. Sometimes the answer is just to give yourself a break as much as the circumstances allow you to, and to relax a little.

This is certainly something that’s happened to me before and I understand how irritating it is.
Original post by Anonymous
I like to think I'm a good med student - I do well in exams, I work hard, I help out as much as I can on the wards, including doing stuff that doesn't contribute much to my learning. Junior staff have been really appreciative of my help. I'm also pretty organised in my day to day life usually, I have to be to make sure I have enough money to live and eat properly etc.

But I do make stupid mistakes sometimes, like I forgot to label a patient's blood samples before sending them to the lab and had to redo them (luckily the patient was ok with it). In the last 2 weeks I've left my smartcard in ward computers twice (pretty bad for data safety), left a pair of gloves on the side that should have been binned (worn but not dirty as such), 'lost' my phone for a morning...

I don't know if there's an answer, but how can I get better at life so I don't make so many stupid mistakes like this? Right now maybe it's not such a big deal (although I do feel guilty), but I worry that when I'm a doctor and e.g. prescribing I might accidentally kill someone.


I guarantee that most doctors have done all of these things before. It’s a side effect of trying to juggle lots of things. It’s normal, it’s human.
Original post by Anonymous
I like to think I'm a good med student - I do well in exams, I work hard, I help out as much as I can on the wards, including doing stuff that doesn't contribute much to my learning. Junior staff have been really appreciative of my help. I'm also pretty organised in my day to day life usually, I have to be to make sure I have enough money to live and eat properly etc.

But I do make stupid mistakes sometimes, like I forgot to label a patient's blood samples before sending them to the lab and had to redo them (luckily the patient was ok with it). In the last 2 weeks I've left my smartcard in ward computers twice (pretty bad for data safety), left a pair of gloves on the side that should have been binned (worn but not dirty as such), 'lost' my phone for a morning...

I don't know if there's an answer, but how can I get better at life so I don't make so many stupid mistakes like this? Right now maybe it's not such a big deal (although I do feel guilty), but I worry that when I'm a doctor and e.g. prescribing I might accidentally kill someone.

This is pretty minor stuff and has happened to every doctor at one point or another, I can guarantee you that.

It is surprisingly difficult to "kill someone" on the job, especially as an FY doctor. You have to almost go out of your way to ignore warning signs or be outrageously reckless and acting outside of your competence. Patients don't die from a pair of gloves being left on the side.

The fact that you care enough to make this thread suggests you will be switched on enough to avoid making any major mistakes.
Reply 4
Original post by Mesopotamian.
Things like this tend to usually happen when you’re not as focussed and/or more tired than you usually are. Sometimes the answer is just to give yourself a break as much as the circumstances allow you to, and to relax a little.

This is certainly something that’s happened to me before and I understand how irritating it is.


I'm in my second week on a different ward now - it has a much more relaxed vibe, even though It's just as busy, and I've found it much easier to keep on top of everything. I think on my last ward, the feeling of being rushed and pressured made me much less efficient. It's a useful thing to have discovered I guess! So I think You're right

thanks @ForestCat and @Democracy for the reassurance too.

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