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

Specializes in Skilled rehab,surgical,ICU/trauma/burns.

i can't believe this is still an issue on this forum, wow. how often does this happen?

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I have been a nurse for 3 1/2 yrs. Not only would I not allow a CNA give meds, I wouldn't give an injection or pills that ANOTHER NURSE handed me! I was relieved to see that you are writing an essay- you scared the hell out of me! LOL. Good luck with school

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
yes - i agree lpn's take thier own winga nd assess etc but ultimatley it still falls on the shoulder of not only the lpn but the charge nurse- say if something happens and the lpn doesnt catch it - the rn is dragged into it - i know its happened - or if a lpn say ships somepne out and hasnt had the rn assess and it turns out they shouldl have not been sent out ( cause the lpn couldnt get the o2 sat up with a mask but she failed to check the oxygen machine,it was broke) it falls on me- yes this happened to me- ripped a new butt for not double checking everything - so in essense no longer can i trust my lpn now i haveto reassesss everthing she has done so i dont get in a pickle myself - making mytime short for my wing which i have my own too. i have also been bombarded espoecially lately cause the lpn refuses to supervise her cnas so i get blamed when there is dissention in the ranks ( even though i am not even informed there is trouble all night till the end of the shift as they walk out the door - like i can deal with it then. ) i have worked with some blessed lpns that i wouldnt even think of double checking on cause i know they are good at what they do and will come get me if there is trouble but i really at least in our area havent found this to be the majority unfortuantely. the ones that were good are leaving or retiring due to staffing and ratio problems - saving thri ,icense before its to late. so yes- you have your own license but by law it still falls to the charge which is why i love when i am working with the only other rn on my shoft right now- i tell her she gets charge by default cause she is full time im casual call LOL. ( i do help her anywhere i can but feel much safer knowing its not MY license gonna get dragged in the office when the SHTF. ) this alone is why had there been lpn classes available when i went o school ( they were phsing em out and not offering em then HAHAH yeah like that worked NOT) id have gone to be a lpn - i dont feel its right we get stick with others mistakes along woith them. we dont have TIME to watch over everyone shoulder - so when i go in i just pray its with the good ones we have and not ones i gotta run after -

you sound like a very responsible and accountable lpn and sure would like more like you where i work :) cudos to you for standing up for your mistyakes - many do not ........

Not trying to be funny, but I am losing the point of what you are saying...why were there LPN classes made available? Were they being phased out...? Please clarify a bit more for me...thanks.

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Not trying to be funny, but I am losing the point of what you are saying...why were there LPN classes made available? Were they being phased out...? Please clarify a bit more for me...thanks.

at the time i went to be to school - they were no longer accepting apps for lpn schools as they were gonna not have them anymore- at the time they thought they could do without lpns i guess though it didnt happen.

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in responce to everyone about cna's passing meds.i don't believe that cnas should, but you all down cma. i have been an cma for a year and a cna for 9 years. i watch everything i do. i also help the nurse so that they can chart, or do treatments,talk to family members. i free up their time. i work the 10-6 shift, this is what i do, i do the glucometer checks, i do the i/o sheets, i put the feedings in their rooms, i check for dc'd meds, ido the humidifier bottles and tubing once a week time and date. i put the nebulizer tubing in the patients room once a week. i do count while the nurses are giving report, i do not so insulin shots, or check them. i do give narc. i have a sheet for myself and the nurse i am working with, at the end of the shift i give a copy to the nurse. i also do treatments and i sign the books i also help with the end of month. i don't check doc. orders. i am responsible enough to know that if you give a blood pressure pill to check the blood pressure and if it is low i put on the mar held and why. i doc. everything. i am there to help the nurse.and then you ask well what does the nurse do. at my place of work not a thing. talk on the cellphone, or talk about how tired they are , or how much one patient get on their nerves. no i did't go through a 12 month course, but a did do 4 months, and i did try nurseing school but the math was a bugger bear.so please understand i am very cautious when it comes to meds, maybe its the people that you work with , you may not feel comfortable with, but the nurses i work with , want to work with me . thanks

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Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.

Another post from someone who is not a nurse, judging how nurses do their jobs. That facility sounds dangerous; certainly not somewhere I'd want to work.

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Specializes in Skilled rehab,surgical,ICU/trauma/burns.

a cma is certified medication assistant, right? sounds like your doing your job... the question was about cna's, which have no training in medication assistance.

if your problem is with the nurses sounds like you need to suck it up and do the math. perhaps a little grammar too

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in responce to everyone about cna's passing meds.i don't believe that cnas should, but you all down cma. i have been an cma for a year and a cna for 9 years. i watch everything i do. i also help the nurse so that they can chart, or do treatments,talk to family members. i free up their time. i work the 10-6 shift, this is what i do, i do the glucometer checks, i do the i/o sheets, i put the feedings in their rooms, i check for dc'd meds, ido the humidifier bottles and tubing once a week time and date. i put the nebulizer tubing in the patients room once a week. i do count while the nurses are giving report, i do not so insulin shots, or check them. i do give narc. i have a sheet for myself and the nurse i am working with, at the end of the shift i give a copy to the nurse. i also do treatments and i sign the books i also help with the end of month. i don't check doc. orders. i am responsible enough to know that if you give a blood pressure pill to check the blood pressure and if it is low i put on the mar held and why. i doc. everything. i am there to help the nurse.and then you ask well what does the nurse do. at my place of work not a thing. talk on the cellphone, or talk about how tired they are , or how much one patient get on their nerves. no i did't go through a 12 month course, but a did do 4 months, and i did try nurseing school but the math was a bugger bear.so please understand i am very cautious when it comes to meds, maybe its the people that you work with , you may not feel comfortable with, but the nurses i work with , want to work with me . thanks

sounds great! where do yo live? our med techs - so we are told can do NOTHING but pass meds- that leaves us in much of a bind if they cant do blood sugars, treatments etc we need to get to that floor besides ours and do that stuff. no complaints if the put them WITH a nurse on a very busy wing so she can get all the other stuff done while they pass meds but not feasible when used for a body on the staffing baord.,

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Before I went to nursing school I worked at an assisted living facility and the only licenced nurse was the DON. The CNA's did all the hands on patient care as well as pass medication. For twenty patients there were two CNA's doing pt care and one CNA passing meds, doing glums and giving insulin shots sub-Q. I took one medication test that was mainly on medical abbreviations before I could pass meds. The CNA's were not passing meds for the nurse it was part of their job description. Not illegal in this state. SC

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Specializes in peds, medsurg.

:uhoh3:

Wow

CNA's passing meds...you are kidding, right? :nono:

I don't remember reading that I could delegate that, while reading my state board papers...wow Maybe Lousiana is more picky than the rest of country...

NOT.

NO, I would NEVER let ANYONE pass meds for me that my name is signed off on...let alone someone who is not licensed to do so.

I worked TOO HARD for my license, and that is jeopardizing the patient's safety, and also taking advantage of the CNA.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

This is an unfortunate reality, that there will be facilities that will certify CNAs to pour meds. I think that we have to make the choice as nurses if we want to risk ourselves by staying there.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
in responce to everyone about cna's passing meds.i don't believe that cnas should, but you all down cma. i have been an cma for a year and a cna for 9 years. i watch everything i do. i also help the nurse so that they can chart, or do treatments,talk to family members. i free up their time. i work the 10-6 shift, this is what i do, i do the glucometer checks, i do the i/o sheets, i put the feedings in their rooms, i check for dc'd meds, ido the humidifier bottles and tubing once a week time and date. i put the nebulizer tubing in the patients room once a week. i do count while the nurses are giving report, i do not so insulin shots, or check them. i do give narc. i have a sheet for myself and the nurse i am working with, at the end of the shift i give a copy to the nurse. i also do treatments and i sign the books i also help with the end of month. i don't check doc. orders. i am responsible enough to know that if you give a blood pressure pill to check the blood pressure and if it is low i put on the mar held and why. i doc. everything. i am there to help the nurse.and then you ask well what does the nurse do. at my place of work not a thing. talk on the cellphone, or talk about how tired they are , or how much one patient get on their nerves. no i did't go through a 12 month course, but a did do 4 months, and i did try nurseing school but the math was a bugger bear.so please understand i am very cautious when it comes to meds, maybe its the people that you work with , you may not feel comfortable with, but the nurses i work with , want to work with me . thanks

What happens if you make a mistake? Are you taking the heat or is it the nurse? I admire the fact that you seem dedicated. But the thing we are speaking of is that if the CNA or CMA (whatever the title is) makes an error, in most cases, the NURSE takes the heat for it. If you had a certification that would make you utimately responsible for what mistakes you make that is one thing. Say for example that you did not lift a person in the room next to you and the other aide did...would you want to be blamed and you were nowhere in sight? I'd think not. However, the nurse may have to face the state if YOU make an error, whether she was present or not (and let's face it...in most cases, the nurse is NOT glued to your hip). If this is what the facility requires, and you are as responsible as you are saying, then you are an asset to that nurse...however, to every one aide that may be great, there are many others that are questionable at best. Once you have completed nursing school and went through the whole nine yards of that blood, sweat and tears, then, you may better understand what we are saying. Heck, nurses get blamed if CNAs break a limb and don't say anything. I have seen it happen. When I was an aide, there was a severely contracted patient who is difficult to dress. Three shifts later, it was discovered that the woman's ankle was broken, and was disgused with a sock. Each nurse on all three shifts had to answer to the state. Did the nurse wash her? Nope! But, she had to answer to it. This is what we are saying...the accountability. Whose is it?? In most cases, it is the NURSE.

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