Can I HHA give suppositories?

[Mami.Melissa]

I recently got hired as a private duty HHA and I was told I will be having to do suppositories every other day for a quad's bowel movement.

Am I allowed to do this? I am in the state of Florida if that helps. I have no problems doing it all but just wanted to check if its in my job description.

Thanks, I cant find any information on it anywhere. I look in my book and it said nurses do that but the book is outdated a few years back so it might have changed.

[Sally Lou]

If your allowed to pass med's you can do it. Check with the state board of nursing.

[rosey2007]

If your allowed to pass med's you can do it. Check with the state board of nursing.

I agree. By the way kudo's op for looking this up. I have worked for many companies who don't go by the book.

[MurrR]

Many states have Administrative Rules which will sometimes include a scope of practice or define the limits for unlicensed positions. I'm assuming a HHA doesn't have a licensed or certification, but correct me if I'm wrong!

You could probably find out if suppositories fall into your skill set, legally, or if you need to have a nurse delegate that task to you - basically, a nurse signs off that you are capable of doing it safely, and you are then allowed to do it for that particular client/patient under the correct circumstances from then on until the orders change.

However, the unlicensed caregivers in Oregon often give suppositiories without any nurse delegation - it's not required by the state - so I'd assume it's a similar situation in your state.

If you're at all in doubt, call or e-mail the Board of Nursing in your state as everyone else has suggested. They are a great resource for questions like this.