I didn't know this could happen!

MsLEE2121 · Oct 10, 2009

up in away

newbebop, ADN, BSN, MSN · Oct 10, 2009

I am not there yet, our clinicals start later this month, but it has been stressed that meds are received ON TIME. For us there is a half an hour window on either side of what time meds are ordered for. Late meds can be a serious risk depending on the med. Think pain med that a pt needed well before they were due to get it and have been waiting for relief.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 10, 2009

Late meds can be a serious risk depending on the med.

This is especially true for medications such as insulin. So yes, passing medications on time is very important.

Every facility has their own definition of what is considered "on-time": usually that window is anywhere from 1/2 to 1 hour before and after the assigned time the medication should be given. Hoowever, consider that some meds MUST be given exactly when they are scheduled, such as that insulin: if it's due at 0800, with an hour window you may think you have until 0900 to give it...except that the patient is going to eat breakfast when it arrives at 0810.

I've never heard anyone failing a clinical because of being late one time...but if it was a chronic problem, then I could understand why a student would be failed.

caliotter3 · Oct 10, 2009

When you only have one or at the most two patients to care for during the clinical assignment, how can you fail to pass the meds on time? But I think that a warning for the first infraction was in line, not getting sent home.

CuriousMe · Oct 10, 2009

Was she late or slow? Because they're different things (granted that being slow can make you late...but they are still different issues). Did she give the meds outside of the prescribed time? Or did the instructor just think it took her to long to go through the 5 rights and 3 checks?

MsLEE2121 · Oct 10, 2009

The instructor said she was going to slow, but my friend said she had like 12 meds to pass to the one patient. She said when she went into the med room my friend should have been checking the meds at a much quicker pace.

CuriousMe · Oct 10, 2009

Maybe the instructor interpreted the slow pace as, the student didn't know the meds well enough?

I'd advise the student to make an appointment to speak with the instructor to find out the instructor's concern. At this point, it doesn't matter if the student agrees or not, she needs to be open to the instructors concern and incorporate any changes suggested.

Just my .02

Peace,

Cathie

goodstudentnowRN · Oct 10, 2009

I would prefer to go slow to making a medication error. This was the first time the student passing medication, how cruel can one instructor be? We are all student who are not perfect..we are at school to learn or else we would have been else where. Yes, passing meds on time is important but she should give the student a verbal warning not a Zero..Sick!

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Oct 10, 2009

It may have been a little harsh. Some meds do have to be given right on time such as insulins, ABX that have a peak and trough, Dilantian, ect.

Just a suggestion for your friend, have her make a list of the most common drugs given on Med/Surg and have them written out briefly; what they are for; what the side effects are; which meds they can not be given with; ect. Then if there are a few that are not on that list then there will be less for her to look up.

Also, many med books come with a CD-ROM that you can look up all the drug in the book; she can just cut and past the information she needs onto a document that she can condense. Maybe start a thread on here asking med/surg nurses to list the top 20 meds they give.

CuriousMe · Oct 10, 2009

I would prefer to go slow to making a medication error. This was the first time the student passing medication, how cruel can one instructor be? We are all student who are not perfect..we are at school to learn or else we would have been else where. Yes, passing meds on time is important but she should give the student a verbal warning not a Zero..Sick!

Well yeah, if those were my only two choices I'd prefer slow to a mistake as well....but I'd also hope for a door number 3.

The truth is that we don't know the heart of the instructor's concern.

aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Oct 11, 2009

Maybe your friend wasn't as prepared as they needed to be to give meds. That will slow you down and also makes you unsafe if you dont know and understand what you are giving and why.