How do you safely pass meds on 33 patients?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am mostly acute care trained. But through an agency I may go to skilled nursing

facilities.

The times I have in the long ago past, some places I would have like 33 patients

and I found it very difficult. Add any treatments to be done, mind boggling!

Sure some of it was not knowing the patients, but for those of you

that have a lot of experience in skilled nursing...please pass on some tips! Thanks!

By finding a new job. Don't risk your license. If you make an error, will anyone be there to back you up? More medication errors are made through agency nurses working on a LTC facility than any other time. I would imagine due to the fact that the patients are unknown as well as the unknown facility.

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

When you learn it, I would love to know. I know for a fact I cannot do it.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

As many wise nurses have told me umpteen times on this site..... "just because others do it, does not make it safe". I'm sorry, but there always is a go-getter, a noobie, a just in it for the ride person that sets a standard,,,,, and it becomes a standard.

Your patients are multisystem sick... and require more than a med pass. You can't check all the INR's before coumadin, the digoxin level before the dose... try to find out if they've pooped and need PRN's.... the care is lacking let alone with our psyc adults that have levels drawn with hepatic levels.... it's too much to give safe care.

Know that I've never been in your shoes.... the most I've had was 30 to work with charts with as the RN as the LPN did the med pass. It was a wonderfully astute LPN that noticed the coumadin was missing from the MAR. Yep I had missed it.

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