Letting CNA pass your meds, bad idea?

Nurses General Nursing

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I fill the cups and check for all interactions and whatnot, but anyone have any negative experiences or can think of any possible neg exp with this?

Thanks

Is this the way companies are getting out of hiring trained Nurses

LPN'S / RN'S------not to put down the great work of good CNA'S

The nursing boards have pretty much stated LPN's are not real nurses.and many RN's and LPN'S are leaving, not wanting to put up with the paper work instead of the patients

Sad, would you like your parent /child, family member have non license personel giving meds to them, and having the possibility of reaction. And in this world of everyone sueing each other who would be responsible

Companies not hiring enough license personel / the nurse who co-signed / Are they being paid extra to take on that responsibility....

My thoughts for what it is worth:uhoh3:

Specializes in Psych.
In North Carolina, anyone off the street can take an 8 hour course at the Community College, which includes clinical work, pass a state test and give meds to Assisted Living residents, and Nov.1, they can give meds to Skilled residents. They can give Insulin and controlled drugs, but not IM injections or IV meds. HOW IS THAT FOR SCARRY ????

So, after an 8 hour course, anyone OFF THE STREET can give insulin and controlled drugs? When did the state's supply of Vicodin run out? UnbeLEIVeable!!!!!!!!!!!

Specializes in Psych.
Well our legal code of conduct allows the delegation of some tasks "as long as the practioner is satisied as to the competence of the delagatee".

I am so satisfied, I do not suggest that the HCA dispenses and checks the drug, that is my job. Once I have done that I see no problem with the HCA giving the drug to the patient. What can go amiss?

What could go amiss? Here are just a few suggestions:

1. the medication could be given to the wrong pt and you would never know. Maybe even someone who is allergic to said medication.

2. the medication might not be given AT ALL if your designee gets distracted.

Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

It amazes me that we are now on page 19 and still going strong with this topic:uhoh21:.

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Yet again, the issue isn't about whether or not a nurse thinks CNAs are stupid. If it falls outside their training and scope of practice, CNAs should not be doing it.

Student nurses are training to be nurses and their CI is responsible for them, CNAs are not in training and the NURSE is responsible.

:yeahthat:

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I think CNA can give oral meds but not injection meds. Well caregiver can give oral meds also so why CNA cannot?

They have all the practice which I think they can give oral meds.. CNA are not stupid to give the meds to the wrong patient. As if you're saying that student nurses cannot give oral meds to the patient because they don't have their license even their CI with them..

Oh well just my opinion. Thanks!

What practice do you think that they have had? I agree with some of the other posters...if the CNA/CMA are totally held liable, accountable and responsible for any possible error, then, fine, but, as another poster mentioned, the nurse working at Burger King was not present when this occured, yet, she lost all that she worked really hard for, and that is plain WRONG.

I always felt that the CNA should bear more responsibility with their certification than they actually are. If a CNA lifts a patient the wrong way, and breaks a limb, they are counseled, the nurse may have a real problem. I think that the CNA should have to face their 'board of CNA" (if there is any) the same way that a nurse should have to. This way, they may think twice about glossing over any mistakes in care. I was a certified AMAP, and I made mistakes during that time (over 20 years ago), and, I was not responsible enough to care what happened, either...because I wasn't licensed. Now, I see that this is a mistake. Unless the CNA, whether they are trained to pour meds or not is to take the full brunt of the error, then, they really shouldn't.

Go Head, Do Yo Thang. We'll See Your Name Soon In The Suspended License Section

your putting your license on the line I'm a student nurse and there in no way, after all my hardwork, I'm going to throw it away by letting someone else give the meds I'm responsible for.

:trout:

your putting your license on the line I'm a student nurse and there in no way, after all my hardwork, I'm going to throw it away by letting someone else give the meds I'm responsible for.
Would you give an injection that some one else drew up....

yes i have - when i have helped pass meds for another wing but i am always ther watching them draw it up and only wth someone i KNOW i trust., its quite easy to double check being right there to look at the mar and look at the injection to be sure its right.

I would never let and Aide give medications for me. When I was an aide I hated it when nurses tried to make me give meds.:angryfire

wow responses making me feel a wee bit incompent, just ta let ya know my thoughts I have decided to share my very rough draft, (just wrote between post) of my essay, tell me what ya think,

The decision to delegate the task of passing meds to any unlicensed personal is in most cases an irresponsible action. The first and foremost problem is the liability issues of the patients' meds, as a nurse we are held accountable for any negative events from that medication regardless of our involvement. Examples of this are the obvious risk of theft whether it be the CTA directly or someone else that may have taken the meds off the patients table. Obvious harm could come to the person taking this medication whether it be a allergic reaction, complication due to health condition, or interaction with other drugs the individual may have also taken. There is also the patient to be considered, the meds taken by another may have been vital to the patients treatment causing severe repressions.

The training a CTA receives is not at the level to make decisions to keep the medications safe. And as professionals we are given the responsibility to protect the patent and safeguard others from controlled substance, it is in fact our complete fault if another does harm with these substances.

The patient may be curious about the side effects or maybe even the reason they are taking their prescribed drugs, the CTA's level of knowledge and experience with patients would not be able to at the very least answer these questions. Even more so the patient to health provider trust would be greatly dimished, patients correctly expect professional staff in professional situations, any less is..../

leaving them at a table with the resident in many places has been made so its aginst policy - even though the resident may be alerert and oriented doesnt mean they would take it on time or that some dementia resident might come run by the table grab em and eat em.........

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