Student nurse gave IV pot, patient died.

[cheshirecat]

Anyone read/heard the story about the 3rd year student nurse who gave IV pot to a patient, patient died.

Seemingly, she drew up the drug with a sister, sister was called away so student gave the patient the pot undiluted IV.

The mind boggles, what was she thinking of? Press are slating nurse education.

Hospital involved was Whiston Hospital, Liverpool. Patients daughter was an anathetist who works at that hospital.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...de/7664404.stm

[Fiona59]

Only one lecture on IV drug administration, and it wasn't mandatory?

In my program, we studied IV drugs for three months, plus I had a full semester of pharmacology. I also had to take a semester long class on drug calculations- and I only have an associate's degree! This nurse was in a BSN program!

You've got to understand that each nation educates their nurses differently. Scopes of practice vary state to state, province to province and country to country.

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

Valarie in the UK giving IV medications is qualified nurse only, in many places there is a IV administration course which you take 6 months post qualification and then you have a ward assessment and competency booklet to work through before you are able to practice independently. The rationale for this is to consolidate nurse training before adding in additional tasks.

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

Valarie in the UK giving IV medications is qualified nurse only, in many places there is a IV administration course which you take 6 months post qualification and then you have a ward assessment and competency booklet to work through before you are able to practice independently. The rationale for this is to consolidate nurse training before adding in additional tasks.

which is in my opinion a faulty rationale as it;s another droute of drug adminstration, no one ever manages to provide any justification beyod the one above wy thisis the case .

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

which is in my opinion a faulty rationale as it;s another droute of drug adminstration, no one ever manages to provide any justification beyod the one above wy thisis the case .

I don't disagree with you Zippy there are many things that happen in the UK as a result of tradition. The reason IV drugs are not classified as just another route of drugs administration is because traditionally it was a doctor's role to give these drugs. I remember the days (I sound very old now) where the IV's were prepared for the doctors to come along and give them. It is trying to change the mindset as you say it is just another route of drug administration.

Still don't think it is a role that should be undertaken unsupervised by a student nurse

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

I don't disagree with you Zippy there are many things that happen in the UK as a result of tradition. The reason IV drugs are not classified as just another route of drugs administration is because traditionally it was a doctor's role to give these drugs. I remember the days (I sound very old now) where the IV's were prepared for the doctors to come along and give them. It is trying to change the mindset as you say it is just another route of drug administration.

Still don't think it is a role that should be undertaken unsupervised by a student nurse

I remember them days lol, I even remember having a argument with a SHO because he wanted to prepare them and me give them even though I was a EN and not within my scope. He got very upset when I insisted on NO

[Bonnie Nurse]

we were allowed to give IV meds our second year, BUT we also had it drilled into our brains from day one IV Pot is a NO NO! we took a week long IV class inbetween yr 1 & 2 as well

IV potassium is not a no no as long as you have a central line, such as a RIJ or Sublclavian, or femoral. I used to give 20mEq bags all the time to post cardiac surgery patients.

[Whisper]

We still have some IVs that nurses don't give, the policy is for medical staff to administer them only... although nine times out of ten nursing staff have to prepare the drugs.

Some of them seem daft, that nurses can hang nasty drugs like amiodarone and Mg, but can't give short synacten!

[ayla2004, ASN, RN]

i've passed my med admistatrion training my trust required this of its newly qual staff and am working on m iv book. however depending on the ward and its needs newly qualinurses do adminster iv drugs before being signed off. its very frustatring for me as now i have to have a patient on iv which is less common on a rehab ward. and get someone to supervise me perferably a band 6 so that i can be signed off.

i want to learn venpucture, cannulatin etc these are skills we take people off the street and train why not nurses.

[karenG]

not everyone gives IV's........... I started my training nearly 30yrs ago.. and I've never given an IV!!

ok I'm a dinosaur but I've never worked in a situation where i have needed to!! oh.. and I've never seen a cardiac arrest either.... when i worked in a&e, they all used to arrest while i was at coffee.. I was never allowed coffee while there was a patient there who might arrest!!

[Sister Fox]

You're not a dinosaur, Karen -just never passed that route. When I took a part-time job in recovery in 2000, only a very few like the Sister in Charge gave IV meds but a couple of years on, it was decided that all theatre staff should have IV training. I resisted as (like you) I had been brought up to belive it was an extenstion to nursing duties and should be a doctor's responsibility.

However, I pretty soon found it was a great inconvenience not to mention embarrassment at not being able to give my patients TOTAL nursing care by having to call on someone else to give them morphine when they were in pain. So I did the training and never regretted it. I was 62 at the time! So you CAN teach old dogs new tricks!

As for this sad case, I am even sadder to recount the numerous student nurses who have crossed my path over the years that are both cocky and devoid of any sense of respect or natural self-restraint. I've seen similar incidents happen and nearly happen on numerous occasions but often as not, my efforts to advise or chastise (nicely!) met with equal disdain and even once got me reported to the Uni as interfering in nurse training! Happily her tutor told her it that as a trained nurse it was my job to teach her!

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

whisper mention s short synacthen ... it's not necessarily the drug adminstration that;s the issue - or maybe it i in the settings it;s done... it's the carefull time blood samples etc ... it's a matter of getting good results to make sure there is soneone dedicated to doing that , especially given the settings you are most likely to be wanting to do short synacthen

as Daisees says - once you get over the historical irrational resistence it is very useful as a skill, if it were a core skill we'd also see far fewer inappropriate admissions to acute hospital beds from a variety of settings where registered nurses can't / don't / won't give IVs

[SisterKate]

okay, I got down to about the seventh post before I figured out you weren't talking about marijuana

Well, you did better than me then....