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!

I'm not going to answer your question, but I am going to give you some useful advice. When you come across issues such as this, Google "nursing license suspended for no reason" and just read until you come up with an answer you feel 100% comfortable with. Good luck to you!

Then don't give out OTC to co-workers if you don't want to. Are you being harassed for not giving out OTC meds? If not I really don't understand the issue here.

When I worked pushing the cart, one CNA would frequently ask me for a "happy pill" ( Prozac or Paxil ). After a couple of times of explaining how this medication does not work with just one dose, she quit asking me for anything. I guess, the word spread so people quit asking for anything. Its something I feel strongly about!

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

I would not give coworkers meds that are in the facility's stock for patient use. The more clear legal issue there is theft. The only time I'm comfortable giving coworkers meds from the hospital stash is if we're coding them. I've coded both coworkers and visitors. Ultimately, they end up being patients, but weren't at the time something happened. Oh...and I've taken care of coworkers and others who work for the organization (though they were "there" to be a patient).

I have allowed coworkers to "have" some of the OTC meds I often either have in my purse or keep at work. There's a few of us who get migraines at work - and I keep a bottle of Excedrin at work. I also now tend to keep Tums or Zantac at work too. Some of my coworkers know I have it and they can have some. I never tell them they look horrible, and engage in a conversation re: what ails them before telling them it's "just" a headache. No, they know they get headaches and they know what is normal for them and can make a decision on whether to medicate with OTC options, if they need to take something stronger and go home, or if they need to be seen by their provider(s) and/or go to the ED. They know how to ask people they know also have headaches if those others have anything OTC and they usually specify what they need.

With that said, we keep a box of individually wrapped ibuprofen at work. Coworkers - staff, residents, attendings - know it's there. It is kept in an office that isn't open 24/7, so...I have been at work on call and had attendings or residents ask if anyone has anything - Tylenol or Advil. Since those situations have been male coworkers, I don't tell them to come with me into the female staff locker room - I go, retrieve the bottle and allow them to make a decision.

I'd also point out that as far as house stock goes, there are usually policies in place regarding this issue. At my current assignment, employees can go to the pharmacy and sign out otc meds for themselves. Don't ever pop a Tylenol for someone that is on a card with a specific patients name or pull from a pyxsis under a patients name if you aren't giving the med to that patient. Medication diversion does not encompass only narcotics. And in LTC, a card with a patients name has been paid for, usually by Medicare/Medicaid, for that specific patient. It's medication related theft and you could b getting into Medicare fraud issues. You do not want to be sanctioned by Medicare. You'll still have a license that will be effectively useless. I know it seems overly cautious, but I worked way too hard for my license, as I'm sure you did as well.

What?!! You're concerned about giving coworkers ibuprofen/tylenol?

You need to chill out. Your license is an important thing. But your coworkers are not asking you to prescribe medication. If that were the case, you should be concerned. Your coworkers are asking you for a simple friendly gesture, the same type of gesture a friend would ask of you if they were visiting you at home. Giving a coworker ibuprofen is in NO WAY the same as prescribing medication. If the person asking for it could buy it over the counter, I would give it in a heartbeat.

Addendum: These medication always come from my own stock. Hospital stock is a whole 'nother story.

Absolutely do not do this. You're not their mother, their spouse, their doctor. Protect that license of yours at all cost. ALL cost. You worked too hard to just throw it away.

They WILL blame you if something happens to go wrong. You do not know the status of their livers, kidneys, guts, etc.

Just avoid the whole problem by never giving anybody anything. If they get mad, well, let 'em.

How come they can't keep their own little supply of Tums, Tylenol, or whatever? Why would you have to be any part of their equation?

I once had a tech (RN whose license was messed up, really) who every night would ask for Maalox.

After several weeks of this, I told him he should think about seeing his doctor re: this frequent use of Maalox.

Diagnosis: stomach cancer.

What if he had just kept using Maalox, saying, "Well, the RN gave it to me. Repeatedly. First off, it belonged to the facility and was really not mine to give. Secondly, a good lawyer would say his diagnosis was delayed and he missed an opportunity to be cured.

Who needs that, Sour Lemon? Things like this DO happen.

No harm came to your or your license from giving your coworker OTC medication. You're fantasizing about what you think might be possible. Lots of people dream things up. I want a concrete example of a case where the "dream" actually came true.

I agree that stealing from your employer was wrong.

Specializes in Critical care.

That's really nice! A hospital I worked for started to require us to count the freaking Tylenol (and there could be several hundred tablets stocked) just like a narcotic because apparently people were taking it for personal use. We were also reminded the Pyxis is a part of then pharmacy, and if you take something from the Pyxis it means you are stealing from the pharmacy.

I always keep a stash of Advil, sudafed, excedrin, Pepcid, pepto (for when you eat something that doesn't agree with you- not for possible GI bugs), and cough drops in my locker and I have no issues sharing. Work is tough enough, then add in not feeling well and it's even worse. We have to help take care of each other.

I had a time were I forgot my Advil and pads/tampons in my car and had my period start unexpectedly. I asked a nurse to keep an eye on my patients so I could run out and grab it, but she told me there was no need to go all the way to my car and shared some in her locker.

My theory is it's horrible being surrounded by OTC drugs in the Pyxis when you don't feel well and you know just 1 Pepcid or a couple Tylenol will help, but you aren't allowed to take it.

Heck, we had something going around my unit one time among the staff and I went to the warehouse store and bought a big bottle of Tylenol and a huge bag of vitamin c throat drops for the whole unit. I put it in the break room with a big sign that said "help yourself". It didn't even cost me $10, but I felt good knowing it was there for people.

Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

I would gladly share MY APAP or TUMS from my desk drawer, but would never hand something to someone from the med cart. Dispensing without a license. I've had nurses give coworkers prescriptions meds because they 'felt bad' that the other person ran out...you can lose your license. I'm not over stating...it's happened.

Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

Most places just buy a big bottle from Costco and keep it in the break room, problem solved. More convenient for everyone involved. I have zero qualms about sharing my personal OTC meds with coworkers. However, hospital stock can only be dispensed with an order. So dipping into the drawer is, in the pedantic/legal sense, "practicing medicine without a license." Plus admin will not be happy if meds are going missing all the time.

Thanks for the replies, all!

What would you do if the aide or coworker starts having a reaction and all the heat came down on you for giving them the medication?

Lol you won't be well liked by your co workers. I'm just letting you know.

A lot of nursing isn't done by the book.

You seem rather up tight. So, do what you feel is best.

Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

Better to be 'up tight' than to lose your license.

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