Fired for holding valium

[ekwatson55]

I work at a mental challenged facility 2 wks got fired for holding valium due to sedation...unaware that the big heads incorporated this drug because he would throw himself onto the floor in daytime...45 pt he was last person for 2 days straight...asleep in w/c all but falling onto floor I held med, documented in chart but failed to call DON at 10 pm...is this a reportable offense

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I am having a little trouble following your post. You held the Valium because he was so sedated? Or were you fired be=cause you held it without an order and did not call the MD?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

If nurses hold medications without predetermined parameters to do so, it is definitely within our nursing judgment. However, the prudent nurse needs to notify the patient's attending physician regarding the held medication to make him/her aware and see how (s)he wishes to proceed.

Furthermore, if company policies/procedures dictate that nurses must notify the DON, then the nurse needs to notify the DON, too.

is this a reportable offense

Each state has a different nurse practice act, so we do not know. Some states, such as Vermont, require employers to report every nurse who has been involuntarily terminated. So without knowing your location, no one can answer this question.

Good luck to you.

[systoly]

what form or route was the valium to be given

doesn't sound like oral route was available

[ekwatson55]

med was po

[MunoRN, RN]

As a requirement of your license you are not only allowed, but required to hold medications where you believe it to be unsafe. Unfortunately, your employer is not required to support the decisions required by your license and can terminate you for doing what your license requires. This often leaves nurses with two bad options. One is to abide by the requirements of your license and potentially face discipline or termination. The other is to abide by your employer, which then means that if harm were to come to your patient the BON would want to know why you gave a medication that you deemed to be unsafe, and saying your employer required you to won't make it any less likely that you'll lose your license. So you're basically left with the choice of risking your license or your job, and at least you can get a new job, you can't get a new license.

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

As a requirement of your license you are not only allowed, but required to hold medications where you believe it to be unsafe. Unfortunately, your employer is not required to support the decisions required by your license and can terminate you for doing what your license requires. This often leaves nurses with two bad options. One is to abide by the requirements of your license and potentially face discipline or termination. The other is to abide by your employer, which then means that if harm were to come to your patient the BON would want to know why you gave a medication that you deemed to be unsafe, and saying your employer required you to won't make it any less likely that you'll lose your license. So you're basically left with the choice of risking your license or your job, and at least you can get a new job, you can't get a new license.

By law and probably facility policy, you are required to use your judgment but that doesn't mean that you aren't required to notify the MD.

[MunoRN, RN]

By law and probably facility policy, you are required to use your judgment but that doesn't mean that you aren't required to notify the MD.

Of course you should notify the MD, I don't think I said you wouldn't.

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

She wasn't fired for not giving it, she was fired because she didn't notify the MD. If she had then she would've known that the pt is a danger to themselves when not on Valium.

[MunoRN, RN]

She wasn't fired for not giving it, she was fired because she didn't notify the MD. If she had then she would've known that the pt is a danger to themselves when not on Valium.

That wasn't my impression:

got fired for holding valium due to sedation