Dilemma with Narcotic Med Count

Nurses General Nursing

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I work at a LTC facility as a new nurse for 2 months. I work 3-11 shift, well last night when the new DON came on to work 3rd, we did our narcotic med count as usual, the count came up correct, we signed it off and it was time to clock out. Well, I got a phone call this morning saying that the count wasn't right at 7am and that there was a Lortab missing. I told her that the resident's medicine it was missing from only got Ambien last night on my shift and of course I signed it off. I told her she didn't get any pain medicine. My question is has anyone else ever been in this suituation? My DON said well then "we have a problem". She has called twice this morning and asked me the same thing again. I told her over again that no, I didn't give her a pain pill. Could this jepordize my job, not to mention my nursing licenses, even knowing that I did nothing wrong. What if she tries to blame me for taking it???Should I be this stressed about it??

Glad to here it is working out - it was so not your fault.

But...by the 3rd phone call, I don't think I would have picked up. Second phone call -maybe she's calling to apologize. But the repeated calling is just BULLYING :angryfire - its not going to help anyone "remember" where a med went.

I'm thankful everyday for caller ID...my rule is I don't pick up unless 1) i know you and 2) i acutally WANT to talk to you. :chuckle

Again, glad it got straightened out. :) :balloons:

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Yeah, I went in to work today to pick up my check, DON had nothing to say about what had happened, but she did try to act really nice to me and my two children (uggg). It will take a while for me to get over this, I will now be on guard when I'm at work. I hate feeling that way, but when someone loses trust in someone,especially your boss, how else are you suppose to feel. I love my patients and it will not affect my job performance in any way, but I will always be watching my back now because of this.:uhoh21:

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Specializes in LTC, ER.
But wouldn't making a copy of the narc sheet be like a breech of confidentiality for the patient. It is a good idea, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't want to get into trouble for real. Ya know.

i didn't mean the narc sheet itself, but the sign sheet that indicates that at 3pm nurse jones counted with nurse smith and verified that all the meds in the cart were correct.

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I have made copies of the narc sign off sheet, believe me it has come in handy. Don't even get me started!:angryfire

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Ok, gotcha! Thanks.

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If the two of you counted together and the count was correct when you went home then it sounds like your DON has a problem. I am a DON myself and the problem is hers not yours. As long as the two of you signed off the count as correct at 11 you have nothing to worry about.

I work at a LTC facility as a new nurse for 2 months. I work 3-11 shift, well last night when the new DON came on to work 3rd, we did our narcotic med count as usual, the count came up correct, we signed it off and it was time to clock out. Well, I got a phone call this morning saying that the count wasn't right at 7am and that there was a Lortab missing. I told her that the resident's medicine it was missing from only got Ambien last night on my shift and of course I signed it off. I told her she didn't get any pain medicine. My question is has anyone else ever been in this suituation? My DON said well then "we have a problem". She has called twice this morning and asked me the same thing again. I told her over again that no, I didn't give her a pain pill. Could this jepordize my job, not to mention my nursing licenses, even knowing that I did nothing wrong. What if she tries to blame me for taking it???Should I be this stressed about it??
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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I wonder how the dilemma of the missing pill was ever resolved.

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a couple years ago, I had the nurse who followed me change the numbers on the count sheet to reflect differently from what we counted together. When the DON called me I was able to remember exactly how many pills were left in a particular residents packet and she could see the numbers were changed so she knew I was telling the truth. The other nurse was let go, but a copy of that count sheet would of been a life saver for me had she not believed me. Now I put my numbers in a way no one could ever change them. I print the whole number on the individual sheet and fill the box on the other.

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This missing pill dilemma has been solved. The DON and her boss were working it out Tuesday when I went into work. They had to go back to figure out how it got missing. I still don't know exactly what happened, but the DON signed another nurse's name and date to it? Well, it's solved..I'm glad, because it had nothing to do with me. The DON never apoligized for basically accusing me. Oh well, just glad its over. Thanks to all for the advice and replies!:)

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

What do you mean, signed another nurse's name?

hmmm----------- I would seriously question whether I want to continue to work there. This all sounds wrong.....it sounds realllly fishy to me. I would not trust the DON as far as I could toss her. Be careful.

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a couple years ago, I had the nurse who followed me change the numbers on the count sheet to reflect differently from what we counted together. When the DON called me I was able to remember exactly how many pills were left in a particular residents packet and she could see the numbers were changed so she knew I was telling the truth. The other nurse was let go, but a copy of that count sheet would of been a life saver for me had she not believed me. Now I put my numbers in a way no one could ever change them. I print the whole number on the individual sheet and fill the box on the other.

I had the same thing happen to me about 1 week before quitting my job the nurse manager came to me about a narc sheet that had been changed. One of the nurses was suppose to have sent a med with one of the residents on an outing. I worked the 3-11 shift and signed off for the med. The count was right when I left my shift. 2 days later the nurse manager came to me and the nurse who was suppose to have sent the med had signed above my name and changed the count on the sheet to reflect that she had sent the med. That made the med count different than the sheet count. I told the nurse manager that I did not change the count. It was 2 different colors of black ink. I don't know what happened to the other nurse because after all the other problems I had had with the DON I had already put in my notice and only had about a week left to work. I am surprised at how often this kind of thing happens.

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What do you mean, signed another nurse's name?

hmmm----------- I would seriously question whether I want to continue to work there. This all sounds wrong.....it sounds realllly fishy to me. I would not trust the DON as far as I could toss her. Be careful.

In the long LTC facilities where I have worked if you are passing meds and see that a med on the previous shift was given but not signed off we have in the past written the nurses name on the sheet with the count and left a note for her/him so that they can go back and initial that they gave the med. Doesn't make any sense in this case because there was no other nurse between the one leaving and the DON that would have had the opportunity to give the pill unless another nurse gave the med while the DON was on her break or something. That has happened in our facility where one of the nurses is on break and another nurse will give a pain med for her.

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