Would you let someone else to administer your meds?

[Anagray]

Would/Do u let another person ( Aid, PCA, TCA) to administer your meds, adjust O2, etc?

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

I have helped out others nurses, but our stuff comes from pharmacy and is labeled, so I don't have to worry about what is in a syringe. But, as for an unlicensed person...uh, how many ways can I say no!!!

[SmilingBluEyes]

Nursing Student situations are a bit different than what we are talking about here. Students medicate people under the auspices and privileges of their INSTRUCTOR'S LICENSES, and this practice is therefore, LEGAL......the instructor at our school signed the MAR along w/the student and double-checked the 5 rights w/them when it was being administered. So, you are NOT really "medicating patients in place of the RN/LPN" this way.

I still say, letting an unlicensed person doing ANYTHING WITH meds or o2 is not only dangerous but *wrong*. Even o2 is considered a "drug" in the medical arena. And, if I did not draw it up, I don't give it, even if it WAS drawn up by another RN/LPN.......never.

[NurseDennie, BSN, RN]

Weighing in again.

Thisnurse said

whats wrong with another RN giving your meds if THEY draw them up and THEY chart that THEY gave them?

which is pretty much what I was saying when I posted the first time. Obviously another nurse is going to give your patients meds if you ever take lunch!!

Student nurses are also another situation. They are actually practicing under their clinical instructor's license! They sign off on all the meds that students give.

Indeed has a really valid concern about narcotics. I worked on a floor where we had to use a lot of narcs. PCA's and epidurals and the whole 9 yards. The procedures are set up to handle any questions along those lines - two nurses receive it, two nurses sign that they've checked the orders.... You're right - the wasting is where it all falls down, sometimes. We always had to measure any waste, and I'd always bring the whole thing along, and make the other nurse witness me taking the fluid out of the PCA bag, measure it, note the amount, and waste it!! And I feel like that pretty much covers my butt on that score. But thinking about it from the point of view of someone who WANTED to divert narcotics, what's to keep them from taking the narc out while the bag is still hanging, replace the volume with NS and then go for a witness? Nuttin, honey.

I had an incident where I spazzed out when I was drawing up demerol for an IM injection. I bobbled the vial, the syringe was full, the needle was exposed, it touched the skin of my belly as it went to the floor. Stuck into the carpet like a lawn-dart!! Spoinggggggggg.

I freaked, of course. I made another nurse that was in the hallway at the time go with me to look at my belly (heh heh) and sign the incident report AND witness the waste - I wanted all of it witnessed by the same nurse. Then I made her go with me to the charge nurse, and I told her I needed a blood draw for demerol. I actually had to insist on the blood draw! Oh, they were both pretty peeved at me. But too bad, you know? Politicians are always talking about "The appearance of impropriety" but nurses REALLY have to be careful.

Love

Dennie

[RNforLongTime]

NOPE. NEVER. Not in a MILLION YEARS! I am like Nurse Heather. It only takes 5 secs to sign out the narc sheet and the pt's PRN admin record. I never give the narc until I have signed it out properly!