Med Pass Times

[gentlegiver]

I work 11PM to 7AM. The new fad for new admits or orders are to schedule them for 7AM! This is usually done by the 7Am to 3PM shift, and the ADON has decided that all 7AM meds are to be passed by 11PM to 7AM shift. This means I am literally passing meds during Shift report!! Yes, I know we are allowed 1 hour before to give the meds, but, they are usually due to patients who will not take them until the moment they are due and get angry if you are 5 minutes late getting to them. Anyone else with this problem??

[Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN]

I would just include those meds in the 6am medpass which I start at 5am.

As for your ADON scheduling all these meds for new admits. I'd speak up. Because at the end of an 11-7 shift. I am wiped. I start getting tired around 4am. I try to do meds as quick as possible.

I usually work 3-11 shift and the first med pass on that shift is a beast compared to the 6am on 11-7. So I breeze through it. I even stay in the compliance times which.. never happens on 3-11 due to meal times, pts being showered, changed, put to bed, in activities, etc

[lylenrn]

I often work LTC through registry and have noticed that quite a few have adjusted to giving regular meds at 0700. I can understand the ones that need to be given on an empty stomach, but they are giving RTC Tylenol and such. This makes no sense. The regular med pass for 0800 usually starts at 0730 right after report. At these facilities i think the normal am staff has convinced management that Noc shift should do these meds to make the am med pass lighter. Its a bad idea all around. The patients dont want to be awakened at 0600 for a few pills, so that the nurse can make it to report on time. Even worse, who wants to be awakened in the middle of the night for dressing changes that could be done when the patient is awake.

I find that unless the patient is alert and oriented and complains not much has been done to change this.