mamad7

I was working at a LTC facility and had many cards of the med for various residents because we had an epidemic of a gastrointestinal bug going about the facility. Residents & staff both catching it but fortunately I didn't. Yes the med I gave belonged to the facility but I also knew that ultimately most of them would be wasted at a later date. U see in this area LTC facilities get a daily eve delivery of meds from a Phamacy that is miles away & when we get a new order it does not come in till that eve or the next day depending on when the order was received. So say I got the order @4pm then probably wouldn't get the med till next day. Yes we have a limited amout of meds in an EDK but it is a pain to stop in the middle of everything else to go get it if its a med u already have multiple cards of in your cart. In the case of the Phenergan, so many residents were sick that their docs ( only 3 that worked in same clinic) gave a standing Order to start residents on it for S/S of "flu." So say for 10 residents that had a card of 30 pills each that I knew from experience would only use3/4 and the rest would be wasted after they expired. Only LTC nurses know how many meds are wasted. Its a terrible waste of $. I admit that I made an error in judgement & it will not ever happen again. However I was working at another place not long after that one & the ADON broadcast in front of numerous CNA's that she'd given a pal that works in the office her Z-pak and allegra because the pal had the sniffles, was due to go on vacation, and couldn't get in to see her Doc till next wk. I wanted to tell her to be careful who she told that to but couldn't as my ordeal was not yet official & I wanted to work as long as I could. However I was let go when I got the letter of consent & told the DON. Nurses, I know that I have seen lots of bad stuff done by nurses that I wouldn't think of doing that were never reported to the BON but do be careful what u do & who u trust. ie; moving call lts out of reach, spending too much time on break & not giving meds at all, and I been told nurses that so&so doesn't give her pills cause too many Pts ask for Prn Narcs after she's gone and they're signed off given. I also learned later that a nurse was promising extra care for a pt if the family gave her a "tip". Most of my pals I've worked with could believe I got a mark on my license over it but I did.

Yes I had a malpractice insurance. No I did not do any false documentation r/t the med. I've compared notes with some nurses in this area. Some say it's nothing they haven't done. Others, including the DON who fired me, say "I've never given out anything more than Tylenol or Ibuprophen." However per my attorney they could receive the same discipline for that.

I did get fired and the facility reported it to the BON. However Phenergen has not been a controlled med that was counted or kept in the narcotic box anywhere that I've ever worked. I have spoken anonymously with a couple of DON's about this and they've said that they'd have no problem hiring me but at this time I don't live close enough for that to be practical. The discipline has just now become official so I will start looking for a new job soon but just wanted to get an idea as to what I'm up against. Should I give up nursing & do some other type of work?? The co-worker was not a licensed prof. & I believe she was terminated for another offense a short time later.

yes the co-worker took the med, kept it for 3 wks, then took it back, gave it to the DON, & told her she'd gotten it from me. Yes it was stupid of me to trust her, & yes I will never even give anyone even a Tylenol. I have known nurse to do similar actions but no one ratted on them. I attended a disciplinary conference before the BON & they chose to give me the reprimand as it was my 1st offense.

I recently received a reprimand on my license in my home state for giving Phenergan to a sick co-worker. How will this affect me job wise.