Feeling off about job

I would look for alternative employment. This is a bad set up. And since you're not there often anything off will blamed on you. Being reported for diversion, even if untrue, is so serious!

Well this happened when I was not around and I've not worked for almost a week as I work every other weekend and two Tuesdays a month. I spoke to a supervisor and it appears to have been an issue with the Morphine and not the meds that have to be counted one by one. I did want to know what was up as the email was weird. 

You're right, no one should be interrupting the controlled substances count. But there's also no reason you should have to count 90 pills individually. There should be a way to secure them in smaller batches that are sealed in groups of 10 or so. 

5 hours ago, Cmanursestudenta said:

The email said we can be reported for diversion if the count is not correct.

I don't take well to this kind of threat at all. Experienced it once as a threat to an entire group of nurses, not individually, but that makes no difference to me. I will not be treated like a criminal while administration creates their special brand of chaos and continues their penny-pinching. Not much more to say about this except words that can't be printed here.

I flat out won't pass meds if they don't trust me. I honestly feel like if they need to make that kind of threat then well it's best if they have someone else pass the meds. It was not an individual threat but I still felt upset as 1. I do a double count and if I find any issues immediately self report to the charge nurse and we have recounted together at times. 2. I start over if interrupted in my count. 3. I refuse to sign off on an inaccurate count 4. have insisted on recount if my count is off. 

I think I might suggest that the charge nurse count the narcs with the med nurse after med pass. The narcs at this LTC are tricky and despite the low patient number much more difficult to count then I've encountered before. 

"The email said we can be reported for diversion if the count is not correct." You have been warned. Administration is ready to throw everybody under the bus. Reported for diversion will be a nightmare.

"Would it be OK to suggest to management that the techs be educated about not interrupting during count?" Management already knows what is going on.... they just don't  care. They would also be not inclined to listen to a part- time newbie.

 This position seems to be a lot more trouble than it's worth.

On 3/31/2021 at 2:33 PM, Cmanursestudenta said:

Let me just say the Narcs there are difficult to count and we have 150  individual pills to count one by one and many narc cards are 1/2 pills and 1.5 pills up to 30. I generally have to use a calculator to count. 

I am just surprised there are that many Narcs at your LTC. Is there a large population at your facility or a large amount of narcs given?

Can some meds be dc'd? How about asking your pharmacy consultant for some suggestions. I believe the contract covers assistance.

The trouble is one very cheap patient. He refuses to use the pharmacy and insists on buying pills. Then he also won't let the meds be repacked. So we are left with 90+ pills to individually count. They don't have a lot of patients but a lot these patients take a lot of narcs. Sorry about not getting back sooner been working a lot lately.

26 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:

He refuses to use the pharmacy and insists on buying pills.

Communicate the problem to the DON to get a policy change. What would happen if every patient required this?

OR

27 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:

Can the pills not be divided into batches of 30 and each batch hermetically sealed until it is needed?  Then you need to count only 30 individual pills each count. 

This patient is requiring more time for counting his pills than necessary, yes drugs are expensive and is actually misusing the nurses time. Could wherever he buy the pills put them into bottles of 30 each? Could the family bring them in one bottle at a time. It sounds like someone is going to his pharmacy to get them.