I normally work outpatient, but I took an agency position at a hospital this week to help out with staffing during COVID 19 crisis.
Its a very hard job and I had to pass meds for 19 patients yesterday. Paper charting, which I am not used to.
One patient complained that I only had half her normal dose of a psych med. I double checked the chart and she was correct. I said I would ask the charge about getting her the other half, as it was not in my cart. She was angry and accused me of stealing the med or giving it to another patient. Not a controlled substance.
I let her take the half dose and asked the charge nurse how to get the other pill.
Turns out the pill was not available anywhere. Charge nurse called all over.
I documented the partial dose and left it at that. I know this med well and did not think this was a very big deal. She's on the biggest dose I've ever seen, but it is a med that requires more and more over time to get the effect.
The incoming LPN made a big deal out of this and said I should not have given the partial dose, that I should not have given it at all. Then she said I should have gotten a one time order for the half dose. I told her that charge did not think that was necessary. Then she asked me if there was anything else I did that was reportable.
Like... what?
I just told her that it's on me, report whatever she wants. I documented what happened and I'm willing to take the consequences.
I've been sent there for a COVID 19 outbreak with staff both getting sick and also calling out due to fear.
I guess no good deed goes unpunished.
Anyway, I'm an agency nurse and I really doubt anything bad will happen to me.
But I want to know if what I did was very out of line, and what you would have done in my situation.
Also, today is my last day there. I start a new full time gig in the community on Monday. Thank God. I absolutely hate the hospital specifically because of *** like this.
