Can this put MY license at risk?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I work in a medical clinic and I am the "Charge Nurse". There are several PCTS that work with me and one LPN. Now I have worked with some terrific LPNs in my day and love them to death, however, this particular LPN is sloppy with meds and has made several med errors. She does not fess up to them, I catch them and then question her about them and sometimes she confesses, other times she denied it even though I know it happened.

My clinic manager said that if she hurts someone, it is against MY license and I need to watch her better. Doesn't she work under HER OWN license?

I do not want this girl working under my license, she is not safe and the clinic manager keeps her on knowing this. I cannot watch her every single minute but I feel like I have to babysit. I have told the clinic manager I do not want to work with her anymore but she has told me it is not my choice.

Bottom line, I do not want to work with this nurse, and do not want her giving meds under my supervision. I am currently looking for another job, but in the meantime what can I do? I have started emailing the clinic manager, just so I have a paper trail.

Errors I have caught:

Tossed a vaccination in the sharps container without giving it. Signed it was given. Patient states no vaccination was given. PCT states vaccination tossed in sharps, I looked it was right on top full and not given.

Gave patient XYZ another patients meds, she was caught red handed, no harm done to patient, reported to clinic manager, no write up or discipline. Dr who runs wrote order to cover errors, 3 medications.

Signed off that several meds were given to patient, meds never dispensed from pharmacy so could not have been given. This error has happened numerous times. I have written it up twice, both times she has denied it.

Specializes in m/s,tele.

As charge you do have some responsibility to supervise and see that meds were given, not tossed into the shaprs bin. I'd report her to the BON in a New York minute! She is lazy, dishonest and VERY dangeous.

Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.

Um those aren't errors. That is deliberately not doing your job. AKA laziness. I'm with the people who say to report her!

Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

Isn't charting you gave a med and not giving it falsification of medical records? Since your clinic manager doesn't seem to care about the patients, I'd make a comment about how that could be considered medicare/medicaid fraud, which of course could shut down the clinic. Money motivates people when nothing else does.

Specializes in Wound Care, LTC, Sub-Acute, Vents.

the lpn is responsible for her actions but in my state an lpn is supposed to be "supervised" by an rn, dentist, or md even though the lpn has his/her own license. i do not know how this plays out when you are in front of the board of nursing because you cannot be with the lpn at all times.

you are following the proper procedures so it would be the lpn's own license on the line not yours.

Me and the PCTS are akk thinking this LPN must be related to someone higher up. She appeared out of nowhere when we were not hiring and they created a schedule for her. She was "laid off" from her previous job according to her but we know no details. I think she is related to someone and got canned from her previous job, and she has no interest or desire to work at this clinic. I am currently sending out resumes and looking for a new job, when I leave I will tell them exactly why. I have started emailing my clinic manager to alert her to the write ups in her box, so I have a trail.

Thank you for all the advice. I am afraid she will do serious harm.

New grad LVN..jobless at the moment.

I work under MY OWN license.

I am required to take direction from the RN.

If she tells me to do XYZ...then I do XYZ unless I believe it to be a risk to my license or pt safety and then I should document why I believe that to be true to the supervisor.

I am sorry that this LPN is not doing her job well.

Is she just overwhelmed and easily confused or just flat out apathetic about the standard of care she gives?

I would understand mistakes if she's just feeling overwhelmed...I don't know why she doesn't admit to them. Every one makes mistakes..we are human.

Maybe requiring her to take a CEU regarding medication errors...or pulling her aside and saying to her.

What exactly is going on?

ASK her. Offer her help.

Don't just come out swinging. I know if it were me...(keep in mind I'm not in the habit of blaming others for my screwups..but still...) I would appreciate someone offering me help with my area of weakness.

I just don't know.

She could just be a bad nurse. ???

Can you read her...i mean...does she have a chip on her shoulder, seem flighty or unstable, nervous...?

there are too many mistakes being made for sure. Time to find out WHY.

Specializes in Short Term Rehab.

This needs to be reported and stopped she is obviously incompetent and her license should be pulled.

I was in a similar situation.- working nights with an LVN who would disappear (sleeping off the unit). I paged the supervisor each time telling her I did not know where the LPN was and needed help to cover the floor.

I suggest you complete an incident report, ideally with the problem employee each time you discover an error (find out the procedure at your facility). Copy the director of nursing on your emails. Ask for a meeting with supervisor to document the problem and state that that is a safety issue. This problem employee should be counseled or fired.

+ Add a Comment