Unit Secretary Doesn't Know Scope of Practice!

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.

So... It's about 10:45PM and I'm about to head out when i hear a very wound Unit Secretary (16yrs) talking about how fun it is to do blood sugars and encouraging our Unite Secretary who is also 16 to dop them as well.

I went up to her and asked her who did she did a blood sugar on and she turned pale white and said one patient but apparently she did 16 blood sugars because the RN's asked her to on another unit because they didnt have a CNA.

I had a total melt down and told her how dangerous that is and how she should never do that again her job is to answer the phones, call bells and enter orders/consults, never was it to perform patient care in any way shape or form.

I'm just amazed how some people do not really understand where they stand in the nursing field and how a simple mistake can cause some serious problems. What if a patient had a blood sugar of 40 and because she did not know what is an action range number did not report it to the RN?

Sorry for the rant guys it just really upsets me.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg.

That really sucks.. to put it bluntly. Makes you wonder what other tasks she's been "helping out" with. ???

I assume you had a brief chat with your manager?

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Your post is confusing......she's been a UC for 16 years or she's 16 years old? I'm assuming the former.

It itsn't just her fault, it's the fault of the RNs who allowed her (probably asked her) to do the glucose checks. I'm hoping you let your NM know about this?

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Specializes in Peds Critical Care, Dialysis, General.

I'm really hoping, in a way, that you mean that this person has been a unit secretary for 16 years. A 16 year old unit secretary is a scary thought.

Agree with Tazzi, though, the RNs who asked her to perform the blood sugars also must be held accountable. The job description needs to be revisited. These actions, both the RNs and the secretary, are unacceptable.

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Specializes in ICU, Psych.

ah what the heck who cares, our your secretary puts in ICP bolts when our neuro-surgeon on call does not want to be woken up (IRONIC NOT TRUE)

thats not only scary but illegal, and its not the secretary thats to blame, no matter know short staffed we have been I would not think of doing something like that. Our unit clerk as we call her/him, will get the patient some water, or a pillow, blanket, but only after checking with the patients nurse each time a request is made, even with a small request like that it is important that the nurse be asked, well in ICU anyhow.

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

The way I read the post the unit secretary is 16. Anyone who says acuchecks "are fun" are most likely 16...

I have a 16 year old and I could see her saying it was fun, kids at that age want to be helpful and they want to feel "responsible" the problem does not lay with secretary it lies with the nurse who asked her to do it.

Yes the 16 year old needs to be re-educated and reminded what her duties are and what they are not. She then need to be told that no one has the right to ask her to perform duties outside her scope of practice, and that includes a nurse.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.

Yes, the secretary is only 16 years old and I spoke with her U.S. teacher who was also my CNA teacher and told her to please inform her what her real duties are. My teacher was furious when I informed her of what happened that night.

I remember being 15 when I started working as a CNA and I was never like that, I understood what I could and could not do and did not overstep my boundries.

Why? Because I was already falsely accused of going beyond my boundries and I do not ever want to go through that again.

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Specializes in ICU/ER.
Yes, the secretary is only 16 years old and I spoke with her U.S. teacher who was also my CNA teacher and told her to please inform her what her real duties are. My teacher was furious when I informed her of what happened that night.

I remember being 15 when I started working as a CNA and I was never like that, I understood what I could and could not do and did not overstep my boundries.

Why? Because I was already falsely accused of going beyond my boundries and I do not ever want to go through that again.

I would be willing to bet she wont do it again either. I am sure being reprimanded for her has freaked her out. The nurse who asked her to do it also needs reprimanded. Not only do teenagers want to please, but teenagers who want to go into nursing Really want to please. I am willing to bet she didnt do it thinking she was getting away with something, she did it because it made her feel needed and helpful.

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Specializes in Rural Health.

The nurses who asked her are just as much at fault as she is.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.

I understand that the RN is also at fault but she did not give me the name of the RN's who asked her to do the said blood sugars.

Hopefully this has taught her to stay within her scope of practice and leave the CNA duties to the CNA's and the RN duties to the RN's

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.
the nurses who asked her are just as much at fault as she is.

if not more!!

but help me understand--where in the world is a minor allowed access to other people's medical histories??

this child has no business being employed in a hospital.:banghead:

what happened to hipaa, btw?

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Specializes in Rural Health.
if not more!!

but help me understand--where in the world is a minor allowed access to other people's medical histories??

this child has no business being employed in a hospital.:banghead:

what happened to hipaa, btw?

i wondered the same thing. i haven't worked in a facility yet that allowed minors to do anything except volunteer. in order to be paid you had to be 18 and have a high school diploma. so i was a bit perplexed by this entire situation.......

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