Narcotics

lamazeteacher · Jun 6, 2012

Thank you, Eaglelady!Evidently that fact wasn't emphasized enough, during the OP's educational preparation.....

ellemiche, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2012

take prioritization...meds first esp narcotic drugs besides pt with cath can wait. :nurse:

minnymi · Jun 7, 2012

if it's "legal" would depend on whether or not it's a locked cart i would think.

some places (i assume most) have carts that have locked drawers, but i have seen carts that are so unsecure it's not even funny.

lamazeteacher · Jun 7, 2012

Yes, Minnymi, that is another problem which should result in discipline of offenders!

Adeleye · Jun 9, 2012

Thank you, Eaglelady!Evidently that fact wasn't emphasized enough, during the OP's educational preparation.....

... Or it was, but then she questioned her knowledge because her charge nurse is an idiot and got her in trouble for doing the right thing.

sll12 · Jun 9, 2012

that was so wrong and ridicules .what was she suppose to do ignore the code and give the meds or discard the meds ,i guess danm if you do danm if you dnt

lamazeteacher · Jun 9, 2012

What code,sll12?If a patient codes, the team should be there within minutes, and you can go on with your tasks. Giving meds you wouldn't be expected to stay with a patient who arrests, after the initial first CPR steps.

It would be mandatory for the charge nurse to be involved in the code, rather than a med nurse.

minnymi · Jun 9, 2012

Yes, Minnymi, that is another problem which should result in discipline of offenders!

i had some clinical experience (in school) at a veteran's hospital that was VERY NICE. i would actually make the comment, "damn...i shoulda went into the military just so i can come here when i'm in a nursing home!" lol

but their med carts were soooo outdated! granted, the way they were set up made the nurse's job super easy. each patient had a drawer on the cart that held his/her meds. the narcotics had to be retrieved from an "omnicell." it was typical for the nurses to remove the narcotics that were scheduled to be administered and place them in the patient's drawers just prior to med passes. however, i would get anxious when i was with the nurse passing meds who i was "shadowing" because she would walk away from the cart (with the narcotics in the drawers) and i wasn't sure if she expected me to follow, or if she expected me to stay with the cart. i chose to stay with the cart, but i realized that if i hadn't been there.....the cart would have been left unattended with narcotics in the drawers.

would a patient have come out of his/her room and started going through the drawers? probably not. would they have even been able to recognize which medication was a narc before someone noticed? not likely. STILL.....you do NOT leave unsecured narcs unattended..EVER!

there have been times when i've walked away during med admin and i've put the meds in my scrub pocket. could the OP have walked away from her cart to insert the cath if she had put the med in her pocket? maybe that was what the charge nurse was thinking. i don't know. it's so hard to speculate these issues. we all know what's "right" but we also all know that sometimes what's 'right' isn't always what happens....i think.

student forever · Jun 9, 2012

a CNA had informed me that somebody needed a catheter changed and that the client wanted it done right away.

The FIRST thing is to "eat de PIE"

DPIE

1. DATA collecting

Ask questions to determine the emergency level of the situation.

2. Planning

3. Implementing

4. Evaluating

(One of the first things I read in the nclex-pn review).

jcmLPN · Jun 17, 2012

In my state if you draw it up and do not give it it is considered a firing offense--as a matter of fact a nurse where I worked did this just with one med and got called out on a code blue state walked in and caught the med in the cart and was later terminated for the offense

so my quest is what should the nurse have done? wasted the med and the repulled w noted explanation.... but how do u waste a narc during an emergency??