Can anyone tell me?

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Why one of the nurses I work with seems to not want to be on record in the pixis? She always asks someone else to get meds for her patients regardless of how busy we are. I can't quite figure it out, she will let her patient suffer until someone has the time to medicate the patient for her rather than just get the med out herself. It isn't laziness, it is something beyond that, I am sure, I just don't know what.

I think it's time for the nurses on your floor to become "too busy" to give meds for her. If patients still aren't getting their pain meds, she will start getting complaints, which will make management take notice of her work habits. I would have to think that if her license were restricted, you would have been informed about it. I worked with a nurse with a narc restriction once - there was ONE designated nurse each shift that would pull narcs and give them to her patients. Not on topic, but that nurse talked the "designee" into letting her use the narc key and give her own meds one shift. Some patients c/o they didn't get their meds, and she was fired. Ended up getting her license revoked.

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I think it's time for the nurses on your floor to become "too busy" to give meds for her. If patients still aren't getting their pain meds, she will start getting complaints, which will make management take notice of her work habits.

Wow- you have just reset the bar for passive aggressive. Is really a better solution than just asking her why she makes this request?

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Actually I thought "sorry, I'm busy" would be a kinder response than "no, I'm not going to do your job for you."

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.
Why one of the nurses I work with seems to not want to be on record in the pixis? She always asks someone else to get meds for her patients regardless of how busy we are. I can't quite figure it out, she will let her patient suffer until someone has the time to medicate the patient for her rather than just get the med out herself. It isn't laziness, it is something beyond that, I am sure, I just don't know what.

My first thought is she maybe is a recovered addict/alcoholic who has a consent order against her license. In that situation, she be barred from handling all narcotics. Don't know if that's the case, and even if it is you probably wouldn't be aware of it unless she says something. It's private information so it may be that only your manager knows the truth.

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"Actually I thought "sorry, I'm busy" would be a kinder response than "no, I'm not going to do your job for you."

If you were, in fact, too busy, it would be fine. As part of a plan to generate patient complaints regarding ineffective paine management? Not so much.

How about: "Why do you need me to get medication from the Pyxis for you? I am happy to help, but am concerned about the legality and professionalism of this practice"

Being direct may well help clear up the situation.

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I'd guess she's had a problem in the past and is not allowed access. I once had a charge nurse that was caught stealing narcotics. Being the charge nurse she had the ability to give agency nurses, traveling nurses etc. temporary codes. She was going back in after and using that nurse's temp. code to pull narcotics out. Eventually she got caught and had to do the state rehab program to keep her license. When she came back from leave of absence she was not allowed to access the machine or give others access. It was one of things that we didn't really talk about but everybody knew what was going on, KWIM?

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

We have a few that can't access the pyxis or run gasses because they are new employees or travelers.

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