Drug Assessement

[RGN R Pereira]

Dear colleague.

I am a Portuguese nurse, and I am finishing my period of induction in a care home in Somerset.

I have a question i would like to have clarified.

After the second week of work, a director of a company made me the drug Assessement. However, I discovered a couple of days he had not been signed up and it would have been lost. This means that I'm almost at three months giving medications to patients without the Assessement done. What can I do now? I may be prejudiced in my registration? Who is the responsibility of my Assessement?

The other issue is?

I am working alone in a ward with 31 patients from the August 27, when my induction only ends on November 15th? Is it legal?

[merlee]

I think what you mean is that you are in orientation or probation, and it ends soon. I do not know what you mean by drug assessment. Do you mean that they made you take a written test, or that they tested your urine or saliva for drugs you may have taken?

As for the number of patients, it varies, but I have seen 30-32 mentioned many times.

Please clarify, and best wishes.

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

Hmmmm ... what is induction (orientation/probation?) and what drug assessment (yours or an assessment of patients taking meds?) ... hmmmmm. Did you void for someone in a cup?

LTC places are famous for outrageous staffing isssues and if induciton is orientaion most places only give nurses 3 days if that in most LTC facilities.