Giving OTC medications to your aides/coworkers?

Nurses LPN/LVN

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I'm an LPN in WA state. I passed my NCLEX this January so I am pretty new. I work at a LTC facility and I had a question about how y'all feel about providing OTC meds like Tylenol and Tums to CNAs and other coworkers while on the clock.

The reason I ask is because I have witnessed many nurses at this LTC facility just hand over a few APAP to their aide if (s)he says they have a headache.

Everything I have been taught in school and read defines this as "prescribing without a license".

So I personally would not do it because I worked hard for my license but I posted this question on Facebook (maybe not the best move) and am getting mixed answers.

One of my professors from school, who is a nurse practitioner, simply replied with "no".

One of my fellow nurses at the LTC facility says "OTC is legal but Rx is not."

And one of my old CNA coworkers just used it as a chance to crap all over me as a nurse and said some very insulting things.

What would you say if your aide came up and asked you for APAP or an aspirin? Would you tell them "no" or would you put the bottle on top of the cart so they could get it themselves?

What would you do if they got offended but you refusing and then tried to make the rest of your shift difficult?

Background: I just finished my orientation at this LTC facility and I only work on the weekends as I have another job that is M-F. Because of this , I do not see the aides regularly and so many of them do not know me.

I don't feel comfortable giving out OTC medications to anyone who doesn't have a doctor's order because I do not know what else they are taking or what medical issues they have BUT a also don't want to "rock the boat" and have my CNAs get mad at me because "all the other nurses do it".

CNAs who might be reading this, what do you do when you have a headache at work? Do you have your own supply of OTC meds to take or do you go ask your nurse? Does your nurse give you medication?

What would your reaction be if your nurses did not give you medication?

In my mind, the worst reaction would be for the CNAs to start referring to me as the mean nurse and not wanting to work with me. Or IF they do have to work with me, they are uncooperative.

So how do you guys feel about giving OTC meds to CNAs or other coworkers? How do you deal with someone getting offended and not helping you just because you said "no".

Thanks for the responses and advice!

Since I only work at this LTC facility once or twice a week, I do not know the aides and other nurses that well. Because of this, I really don't feel comfortable giving any kind of medication to anyone who isn't under my care and has no doctor's order because I, honestly, don't trust any of them to not point the finger at me if something goes wrong or they have a reaction.

The incident that originally brought this up was an aide going to the nurse I was orientating with (while I was still in school) and just saying "I have a headache" and my nurse opening the med cart and just handing her two APAP. I don't know if she pulled them out of her own personal stash but I just don't think we as nurses are there to be everyone's pharmacy.

We are there to dispense ordered meds and treatments to our residents.

Maybe I'm coming off as paranoid, but I think this is one of those issues people don't think twice about until they have a suspended license or are getting sued.

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I think most of us understood your post to be giving your co-workers OTC.

I think if you had asked if it was okay to use patients or the med carts OTC for staff needs we would have understood your question differently and thus the no answer.

Yeah I realize I was very unclear and I also just realized I was very unclear on Facebook and that's why my old CNA coworker attacked me. But I think that shows a bit of entitlement on her part.

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Just so long as it doesn't belong to the facility there is no problem there. I would say if you are uncomfortable with 'giving medical advice' or 'prescribing medications', just make the bottle available to them so they can read and dose themselves.

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Specializes in NICU.

[COLOR=#000000]"Everything I have been taught in school and read defines this as "prescribing without a license".[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]I think my dear that you are suffering from Iam a new nurse and I am also smarter than everybody because I follow the textbook.You are the one that will see someone take a iron vitamin from floor stock and report them as drug addicts.

[/COLOR]I do not recall a class addressing co workers feeling in need of a headache remedy.

I Always use my own supply and share.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

If someone asks for ibuprofen, the nurse gives the bottle to that person, the person takes 2 and then he/she has a reaction. I suppose that maybe, somehow that can get thrown onto the nurse. How is this possibly a risk to the nurse's license? I could, maybe, if the nurse said "here try this....", but otherwise I can't see how giving a coworker the pill bottle when the competent adult is asking for that particular med is a risk to one's license.

If you don't feel comfortable giving it out, a polite, "no, I don't have any to give out" would suffice.

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I think my dear that you are suffering from Iam a new nurse and I am also smarter than everybody because I follow the textbook.You are the one that will see someone take a iron vitamin from floor stock and report them as drug addicts.

I don't appreciate you assuming anything about me (unless you're quoting someone). I'm simply asking for advise and I'm only worried about my license.

EDIT: please ignore the post below this one. My bad.

EDITTED to include quote

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[COLOR=#000000]I think my dear that you are suffering from Iam a new nurse and I am also smarter than everybody because I follow the textbook.You are the one that will see someone take a iron vitamin from floor stock and report them as drug addicts.

QUOTE]

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Alright so it sounds to me like the general consensus is that I am in the clear if I offer MY OWN OTC medications when asked.

But giving house stock is a big "no no".

Thanks for everything, you guys.

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Alright so it sounds to me like the general consensus is that I am in the clear if I offer MY OWN OTC medications when asked.

But giving house stock is a big "no no".

Thanks for everything, you guys.

I don't fully agree with your conclusion. It wouldn't hurt for you to talk to a couple of attorneys in your state.

Just don't ever do it, whether it's the facility's stock or your own. Maybe that will encourage people to carry their own OTC stuff. I think you might be being tested to see how far you can be pushed or pulled if someone is asking you for free stuff.

If you just don't supply people with meds, when they should have their own, you can't be accused of wrongdoing.

Is it a small crime, like spitting on the sidewalk, urinating in public, jaywalking? You will have to answer that for yourself. Remember that you can still be ticketed, even arrested, for these little things. Just say no and sleep peacefully, knowing you did not open the door, however slightly, for being accused of wrongdoing.

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Just don't ever do it, whether it's the facility's stock or your own. Maybe that will encourage people to carry their own OTC stuff. I think you might be being tested to see how far you can be pushed or pulled if someone is asking you for free stuff.

If you just don't supply people with meds, when they should have their own, you can't be accused of wrongdoing.

I agree with you 100%. I'm not going to do it. Maybe that makes me a bad nurse, but it's my license. I'm just "summing up" the general tone of the thread.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I agree with you 100%. I'm not going to do it. Maybe that makes me a bad nurse, but it's my license. I'm just "summing up" the general tone of the thread.

You're not a bad nurse nor are you holier than thou. When you are new it isn't unusual for a particular worry to take center stage, even if it seems a bit irrational to others. I recall having a particular terror of breaking a needle giving immunizations to rambunctious children. I know I never encountered that, but the thought plagued me for quite a while anyway.

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I say this with respect....stop over thinking things here, or you will put yourself in a box out of fear. You aren't the careprovider for your coworker. You would not be looked at as their nurse. I understand being new and afraid, but you can share your OTC of your own stock and shouldn't fear the consequences. I would hate to see you overthink it so much and be afraid to be the nice coworker that helps when another coworker is in need.

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