How did you feel the moment you realized you had made a mistake? If you haven’t experienced this yet, ask yourself—what would you do if it happened tomorrow? The reality is, errors happen in EMS, and sometimes, we may not even realize we’ve made one. The question is: will you be prepared to own it, learn from it, and use it to improve patient safety?

In this episode of the Tennessee EMS Education Association Leadership Podcast, we sit down with Autumn Watts, now a seasoned Critical Care Paramedic, to explore her journey of growth and accountability after a medication error early in her career. Autumn shares how this experience reshaped her perspective on leadership, mentorship, and patient safety.

With National Patient Safety Awareness Month as the backdrop, we discuss the critical role of self-leadership, the impact of human and systemic factors on medical errors, and how EMS leaders can foster a culture of transparency and learning. Autumn’s story highlights the importance of psychological safety in error reporting, the power of event analysis over punitive measures, and actionable steps to prevent similar incidents.

Tune in for a candid and thought-provoking conversation about personal accountability, leadership in crisis, and the path to building a safer EMS culture.

Four Main Leadership Applications from This Episode:

1. Self-Leadership and Accountability

True leadership starts with personal accountability. Autumn’s story highlights the importance of owning mistakes, reflecting on them, and using them as catalysts for growth. EMS providers must recognize that the hardest person they will ever lead is themselves—meaning leadership begins with the courage to admit errors, learn from them, and commit to continuous improvement.

2. Fostering a Culture of Psychological Safety

Leaders must create an environment where providers feel safe reporting mistakes and near-misses without fear of punishment. A punitive culture drives errors underground, whereas a psychologically safe culture encourages open dialogue, enabling teams to learn from each other’s experiences and improve patient care.

3. Balancing Systemic Accountability with Personal Responsibility

While individual diligence is crucial, many errors result from systems-level failures rather than personal negligence. Leaders must analyze errors with a systems-thinking approach, identifying process gaps (e.g., medication storage issues) and implementing safeguards like cross-checks, education, and process improvements to prevent recurrence.

4. Mentorship and Teaching Through Experience

Leaders should use past mistakes—both their own and those of their teams—as powerful teaching tools. Autumn leveraged her experience to mentor new medics, helping them navigate the “invincible phase” of their careers. EMS leaders should proactively educate their teams about common pitfalls, reinforcing vigilance, teamwork, and proactive decision-making to minimize preventable errors.