New grad here. I started working two weeks ago at a SNF, as a med nurse. Today the treatment nurse asked me for a Tylenol. I said, "Sure, for which patient?" She said, "For me, my back is killing me."
I told her I didn't feel comfortable giving her some from the cart. She was shocked and gave me attitude! Later on I told her I felt uncomfortable about the whole exchange over the Tylenol and that as a new nurse, I am terrified of putting my license in jeopardy. She replied, very snottily, "Whatever. Next time I need some I'll know not to come to you."
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
On 3/25/2019 at 8:50 PM, FromMNtoCA said:
He is my direct supervisor, its a small facility. And I dont know if I should. That's why I'm seeking the advice of more experienced nurses. If shes taking Tylenol, is she taking anything else?
No. She isn't. Who would want to work in a place that couldn't spot you the occasional Tylenol for your aching back so you can carry on working? Would it have been better for everyone if she went home sick midway through the shift? Would you have wanted to add her unfinished work to yours?
For all the years I've read BON disciplinary actions, I've never seen one for giving a Tylenol to a coworker. So you can relax a bit. Your license is not in the constant jeopardy your instructors have led you to believe. Tell your coworker you're sorry for being such an anxious new grad. In a year you'll both laugh about the time you refused her a Tylenol.
At my hospital you can call down to pharmacy and ask for something that is over the counter for personal use. I have had to do that before because a patient’s family member brought in flowers that triggered my allergies and I needed a Benadryl to function. Pharm tubed it up no problem. I also worked nights at the time, I don’t know if that’s a difference. Now, I just keep ibuprofen and Benadryl in my locker in case it is needed.
I was an aide in a LTC facility a few years ago that would give employees Tylenol/ibuprofen from the cart, if needed. I would just ask management what the policy is should you be faced with that situation. Reporting would be a bit excessive.
Specializes in psych, dialysis, LTC, sub acute rehab, hospice.
I always have my own OTC pain meds, mostly NSAIDs, and I offer those to staff members who ask for something for a headache, etc. I prefer not to use floor stock.
Totally hijack the thread...but the oddest incident happened to me. I was driving through Jack in the Box. I got to the drive up window and the employee at the window asked me if I had any Tylenol. I do carry it in my purse and really had no problem in giving her some...I kind of jokingly asked her if she was allergic to Tylenol as I gave it to her. I even told her I was giving her two 500 mg tablets and to not take any more than 1000 mg in 24 hours it can really damage your liver.
Then she says...she had hit her head on something and has a headache...I think, "Oh great, I'm giving nursing advice to someone who has a TBI and needs to be seen in and ER!"
I saw her the next day (my husband loves Jack in the Box milkshakes) and she thanked me and was fine.
Somehow my husband has made it to 72, is fairly healthy, has the worst diet you can imagine and is maybe just a little overweight.
I never heard of a facility providing free drugs of any sort for the staff. I guess it is a regional thing. I wouldn't report her though and I would try to find out if there is some sort of policy or something regarding it. One other thing, I have become a bit wary of what people tell me if it isn't policy. I write down who told me and what they said and when. Pocket notebooks are good for that sort of thing.
Maybe it is a regional thing? It's perfectly accepted around here. Heck, our DON raided tums off the med carts all the time when she was pregnant. We keep ibuprofen on the carts pretty much for staff, it's there and we go through it but there's not a single resident that has an order for it now. Any staff member regardless of department feels free to ask to any of the nurses for an OTC if they want and not a one of us thinks twice about it.
Tell on her?.. this is why nurses eat their young!!!
No it isn't. We need to stop with this NETY nonsense all the time.
This was an novice/inexperienced nurse who is/was trying to understand his/her duties and asked a question.
ETA: What it also is, is a perfect example of why it is *wrong* to teach each other that we should always be on the look out for diversion (as in, suspecting everyone around us), and that any number of perfectly innocent behaviors could represent diversion.
Tell on her?.. this is why nurses eat their young!!!
Really?!?! Tell on her!?!?
I've asked this before on AN - why is it that so many nurses, particularly newbies, feel it's their appointed duty and obligation to run & report other nurses? Puhleeze...
Is it any wonder that a few months down the way, the same 'reporter' nurses will be the ones bemoaning some overwhelming distress that their unit peers 'don't like them' and 'don't talk to them' or 'don't help them out' or "don't sit with them for lunch' or 'don't extend an invite to a unit baby/BBQ/backyard swim party'??? Or nobody will switch schedules or holidays with them? Etc, etc, etc.
And then they want to quit their jobs because they believe they're being bullied or NETY'd ?
Am I the only one here seeing this trend?
One thing though - are we being 'snookered' for this post? Maybe it's popcorn time?
I've asked this before on AN - why is it that so many nurses, particularly newbies, feel it's their appointed duty and obligation to run & report other nurses? Puhleeze...
Is it any wonder that a few months down the way, the same 'reporter' nurses will be the ones bemoaning some overwhelming distress that their unit peers 'don't like them' and 'don't talk to them' or 'don't help them out' or "don't sit with them for lunch' or 'don't extend an invite to a unit baby/BBQ/backyard swim party'??? Or nobody will switch schedules or holidays with them? Etc, etc, etc.
And then they want to quit their jobs because they believe they're being bullied or NETY'd ?
Am I the only one here seeing this trend?
One thing though - are we being 'snookered' for this post? Maybe it's popcorn time?
That is exactly what I meant- I was just too tired to type it all!!! But that’s why I put the question mark after “Tell on her”. Not sure if you were thinking I was saying to tell on her. I wasn’t!
I’ve worked with WAY to many new nurses who come into a new job thinking it’s their responsibility to TELL on more seasoned nurses because the seasoned nurses aren’t doing things exactly how the new nurse learned to do it in school. I’ve been the victim of a new nurse as well. She actually had the b@lls to tell me if I were just more positive I’d be a much better nurse (she later learned why everyone was so negative- management was horrible and facilitated all 4 departments on our floor to be at each other’s necks)! All along She was telling on me for everything under the sun... only to be finally told to knock it off, I wasn’t doing anything wrong. She gave herself a very bad reputation with management as well as peers!! I have seen it happen way too many times in my career to count.
They should be preparing new grads for the ‘real world’ of nursing and not that there is only one correct way to do something and if ever a nurse has an off day, she MUST be on drugs and likely diverting!! New nurses have no clue how they can destroy someone’s career, even life, by running and telling on them for such things. Unless a patient is being put in jeopardy, please talk to the person before telling. Maybe they can enlighten or even teach you something you had no idea you didn’t know! I, for one, don’t want to be anywhere near tattle tail nurses period (Much less mentor or help them)!
@amoLucia and @StillRN - don't necessarily disagree with some of your comments but with the way you are looking at it.
This is a new RN probably practically drowning trying to manage this cart and safely administer medications to all of the residents.
When you are new you do not have nursing-specific wisdom to judge situations such as the one described in the OP. Is this the big bad stuff that you were taught about in school? Or is it small potatoes? If you're brand new, you just can't say for sure. You've just been through school where they scare the crap out of people, make them feel responsible for everything under the sun (including other people's free choices and actions), make them fear that their licenses are constantly "on the line" and that they may even be charged with crimes. Employers further compound this with all of their threats and efforts to control; they exaggerate definitions and conflate issues, etc.
You have to understand: When very new it is difficult to discern that "telling on someone" for requesting one of the employer's tylenol is different than "telling on someone" who does something much more serious. If you don't know what is commonly acceptable vs. never acceptable or what is serious vs. what is minor, then you will be concerned about situations like the one described in the OP.
For these reasons, I disagree with the comments here that are somewhat chastising in nature.
We can help by providing the background and the wisdom that is lacking and then suggest reasonable ways for the OP to proceed.
@amoLucia and @StillRN - don't necessarily disagree with some of your comments but with the way you are looking at it.
This is a new RN probably practically drowning trying to manage this cart and safely administer medications to all of the residents.
When you are new you do not have nursing-specific wisdom to judge situations such as the one described in the OP. Is this the big bad stuff that you were taught about in school? Or is it small potatoes? If you're brand new, you just can't say for sure. You've just been through school where they scare the crap out of people, make them feel responsible for everything under the sun (including other people's free choices and actions), make them fear that their licenses are constantly "on the line" and that they may even be charged with crimes. Employers further compound this with all of their threats and efforts to control; they exaggerate definitions and conflate issues, etc.
You have to understand: When very new it is difficult to discern that "telling on someone" for requesting one of the employer's tylenol is different than "telling on someone" who does something much more serious. If you don't know what is commonly acceptable vs. never acceptable or what is serious vs. what is minor, then you will be concerned about situations like the one described in the OP.
For these reasons, I disagree with the comments here that are somewhat chastising in nature.
We can help by providing the background and the wisdom that is lacking and then suggest reasonable ways for the OP to proceed.
???
One thing I will mention, that I forgot to say before, is that I appreciate the OP for asking for guidance with this issue. My rant was more in line with those who DO run and tell without seeking guidance first (over trivial things). I agree that as a new nurse you are nervous and scared and just aren’t sure what to do in many circumstances. But, I also feel that it’s still a place of employment and, common sense goes a long way in realizing that running to mgmnt over everything they don’t agree with is not going to get them very far. In OP’s situation, I can understand why she wasn’t comfortable giving the Tylenol. She just doesn’t know if it’s allowed or not (I’ve also worked in several places where pharmacy would tube you up PRN’s as it’s better to help you feel better than have you go home) and wouldn’t know until she was told such information or asked about it. But it’s not a narcotic and worrying about whether she should report this other nurse For asking her for a Tylenol, and then linking that to diversion, seems overkill.
I was not chastising OP, In my last post I was more speaking in general. But, I do believe, you must have some sort of intelligence and common sense just to graduate nursing school (ok, not always, we all know that one nurse, lol). Asking questions is GREAT but assuming they know it all (which many new grads do) and reporting over trivial things, rather than thinking it through, is just going to cause them a lot of problems in their work place. JMO.
This is a new RN probably practically drowning trying to manage this cart and safely administer medications to all of the residents.
When you are new you do not have nursing-specific wisdom to judge situations such as the one described in the OP. Is this the big bad stuff that you were taught about in school? Or is it small potatoes? If you're brand new, you just can't say for sure. You've just been through school where they scare the crap out of people, make them feel responsible for everything under the sun (including other people's free choices and actions), make them fear that their licenses are constantly "on the line" and that they may even be charged with crimes. Employers further compound this with all of their threats and efforts to control; they exaggerate definitions and conflate issues, etc.
You have to understand: When very new it is difficult to discern that "telling on someone" for requesting one of the employer's tylenol is different than "telling on someone" who does something much more serious. If you don't know what is commonly acceptable vs. never acceptable or what is serious vs. what is minor, then you will be concerned about situations like the one described in the OP.
TriciaJ, RN
4,328 Posts
No. She isn't. Who would want to work in a place that couldn't spot you the occasional Tylenol for your aching back so you can carry on working? Would it have been better for everyone if she went home sick midway through the shift? Would you have wanted to add her unfinished work to yours?
For all the years I've read BON disciplinary actions, I've never seen one for giving a Tylenol to a coworker. So you can relax a bit. Your license is not in the constant jeopardy your instructors have led you to believe. Tell your coworker you're sorry for being such an anxious new grad. In a year you'll both laugh about the time you refused her a Tylenol.