Advice please

Pedsnurse77 · Nov 10, 2012

Oops! I think I posted wrong. Here is my issue. Tell me what you think. I transferred out of a unit then transferred back in as a charge nurse on a med surg floor. I was asked and decided to try it. I am working on my msn currently and thought it would b a good idea. Recently, my boss called me in her office and asked me about a chart. A patient was transferred from a nursing home with an inaccurate med list. The nurse who admited the patient copied the wrong list. When my boss asked me about the orders because I had obtained admission orders for the nurse I told her the truth. That I don't remember if the doctor questioned the meds or not and that most of the time the doctors just say continue what they were on at home. We are a very busy med surg floor with a high turnover (I had 14 admissions during my shift today) Anyway, I have worked at this facility for 6 years with no issues. However, my boss suspended me for 3 days because I may have taken a blanket order to continue home meds and even though it is common practice at our facility "it shouldn't be" I am very upset! Just wondering what thoughts were. I'm very upset. Especially when I see other nurses actually writing continue home meds as an order!

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Nov 12, 2012

I know that it is very hard not to take this personally since you feel that others are doing the same thing and not being called to account for it. But what is your facility's current policy? That is the process you should have used. Medication reconciliation is a huge pain in the neck for everyone.... but it has been proven to be a big safety risk also & a major source of med errors.

As a charge nurse, one of your major responsibilities is making sure that everyone adheres to the approved policies and procedures. I know that this sucks big time, particularly if you feel that there is a 'better way' or that the P&P are outdated. If so, you need to work to fix the P&P. If you violated policy, your boss may not have had a choice in determining your 'punishment' but I would encourage you to discuss this specific issue with her in order to seek clarification. You're right - if that behavior is 'wrong', it is wrong for everyone, not just you.

This may also be a good opportunity to address the policy - via inservice or staff meeting - to make sure that everyone is on the same page. At the very least, take the time to meet with your 'team' and make sure that they are on board.