Questioning a doctors order

[MrsJt]

Let me begin by stating, I am a new nurse. Been on my own for 3 months now, so I am still learning. However, I was just curious how many nurses out there have been told by management or supervisors that we should not question a doctors orders? I had a situation where a pt was admitted and put into isolation for a possible infection in the urine. Pt had tested positive 2 months prior when they were last admitted. (Pt had a foley on admission). A day later pt was taken out of iso. A cpl days later, foley was removed. Now I had been asked by numerous dayshift nurses why this pt was no longer in iso. No cultures, no urinalysis were done to confirm no current infection. So I decided I would ask and seek gyidance from my nursing supervisor. To only be scolded for asking the question and told that I had no right to question it bc that meant I was questioning a doctors order. Like I stated, I am new. I don't know everything, but that is why I was asking. I felt I could seek some guidance and understanding, but that obviously wasn't the case. The majority of the nurses I work with are great and understanding that I am new and I will have questions. I feel like I have made a mistake now going into nursing bc no one sees the good you do, they only point out what you do wrong.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

I teach my students that a physician always owes them an explanation for any order. If it doesn't make sence to you, question it. Doing so may reveal a mistake, or the nurse may learn something.

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

EBSL when present as a UTI; people are put in a private room or isolation. Now they probably found out that the women wasn't actively infected but colonized...that's all I can think of. Also, a UTI with a catheter is a big "never event" and no one likes to scream and shout about it. You should be using clean technique with any patient.

As for questioning a doctor's order: that's part of our job. That nurse with the 10 units of insulin had a brush with death. That's why we always check with another RN about insulin dosage before giving. It's called critical thinking skills and it doesn't take that much to start invoking them. Know you scope of practice. Look it up in the Nurse Practice Act of each state (every states is different).

Don't be afraid to speak out when you know you're right or you have questions concerning patient safety, medication dosage, etc... When you come across a med that you don't know, look it up. If the dosage is more then 2 pills worth, question why. I know a nurse who pulled apart 6 tiny tablets thinking it was one does...it was one dose per day...Think.

Good luck to you.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

EBSL when present as a UTI; people are put in a private room or isolation. Now they probably found out that the women wasn't actively infected but colonized...that's all I can think of. Also, a UTI with a catheter is a big "never event" and no one likes to scream and shout about it. You should be using clean technique with any patient.

As for questioning a doctor's order: that's part of our job. That nurse with the 10 units of insulin had a brush with death. That's why we always check with another RN about insulin dosage before giving. It's called critical thinking skills and it doesn't take that much to start invoking them. Know you scope of practice. Look it up in the Nurse Practice Act of each state (every states is different).

Don't be afraid to speak out when you know you're right or you have questions concerning patient safety, medication dosage, etc... When you come across a med that you don't know, look it up. If the dosage is more then 2 pills worth, question why. I know a nurse who pulled apart 6 tiny tablets thinking it was one does...it was one dose per day...Think.

Good luck to you.

The scary part is had she checked with another nurse that simply double checked the dose, she still would have given it because she pulled up the accurate dose. She had a order, she had the right patient, she had the right time and everything. The part that isn't taught in nursing school is to question the WHY. Well some schools it is. But I think everyone understands the point being made. We have to question things and we have to understand the WHY's of what we are doing.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I don't know where YOU went to nursing school, but I was taught to ask the whys starting on day one. We are not sheep blindly following orders

[MrsJt]

It is not the school I went to. We were taught to question orders. It was an incident at work. I was just wondering if anyone else encountered this issue with management or supervisors.