Rn not giving scheduled meds

What type facility are you talking about? Do you count narcotics at beginning and end of each shift? If the nursed signed that the medication was given, isn't that falsifying documentation? Where are the narcotics stored? Does the nurse know where they are? How much orientation was the nurse given?

Re-educate. Document the re-education. Ask why no narcotics were given, document the answers.
Is the RN new to nursing or just new to you?
hired one week ago and no orienting nurse to oversee? Who oriented this nurse?

It's probably a long-term care facility such as a nursing home or rehabilitation.

At the nursing home where I am employed, occasionally a nurse will initial on the MAR that she gave a scheduled narcotic; however, she never signed it out or ever took it from the locked narcotic drawer.

Hi tinkle,
Is the ward very busy? Ask the nurse to take more time to ensure that the meds are being given. Are the reminders cards in place?

If the narcotics were scheduled meds and not PRN, that constitutes a med error for each dose omitted. This is a serious situation, especially if this is not a new nurse, not new to that center, and familiar to the med carts. Not to excuse a new nurse making the same mistakes... the patients involved did not get the medications that they needed...
The others raise a good question... if she was hired just one week ago and only works weekends, why is she not still receiving orientation?? It sounds to me like more than one person has dropped the ball, here, and once again the patients pay the price.
I am also disappointed to hear that you learned of this by overhearing others talking about this. This should have been addressed quietly by the DON with the nurse involved, and not discussed at all by the other managers, ESPECIALLY where they can be overheard!!This could have a tremendous negative impact on this nurse and her ability to be effective in her position as both a nurse and as a supervisor.(assuming, of course that the errors are addressed and do not reoccur).

Write up a med error on this Nurse or give copies of paperwork and you can copy meds not given in cassettes, etc.....along with signed MARS and let DON do it if you are not comfortable writing up med error.

I sure agree to this. Where is the professionalism?