nurse iniated medications

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

Hi guys I am just wondering if you (wherever you are in the world) as an RN can iniate medications for your pts? Here in Australia I am discovering that the RN can prescribe one off doses of certain medications such as paracetomol, aperients and antacids as well as the usual in emergency stuff like GTN s/l spray, anginine etc. I am enjoying this because it means that you can correct minor problems such as a pt with a headache 2 paracetomol....

[rubystar]

I have been trying to look up a list of nurse initiated medications, do you have any access to one? I'm not even sure if it is a state by state, hospital by hospital thing or if there is a generic list.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

As far as I know, only Nurse Practitioners can prescribe medications here in the U.S. We do have "Nurse Initiated Protocols" here in the ED, but this does not include medications. A nurse must get a doctor to order the protocol, such as a pain protocol or a nausea protocol, for example.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

I used to be able to do it in the UK. We had a hospital list of approved medications and protocols and especially on nights would initiate medication and then get the Dr to sign off on it as soon as possible

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

I have worked in NSW and Victoria and the list seems to be the same I will pull it from the intranet at work in the morning rubystar.

No an RN Divison 1 can initate / prescribe certain medications once off such as paracetomol (will put up the full list when i get it frm work) and not require any doctor to sign them off. One of the criteria is that they have had the medication at least once before in their life.....most people have had gaviscon or paracetomol at least once in their life

[rubystar]

Thank you! It will be good to have some idea of what is out there before I start my first job. I don't particularly want to be spending a lot of my day reading MIMS.

[loriangel14, RN]

Where I work (in Canada) we have a list of things we can give at our disretion and then have the doctor sign off on as soon as possible. They include antacids, throat lozenges,and antiemetics. We are a small hospital with one doc admitting and our standing orders for all admits includes Tylenol and Gravol,Milk of Mag, fleets and suppositories, all as PRNs.