I am a brand new RN and got a job at a local nursing home.
I got a call this afternoon from my DON at my work.
According to her, they found out missing norco prn pain medication from med cart.
It is 30 Norco pills. They told me they couldn't find the medication and drug slip. Those are missing now.
They told me the medication was delivered while I was working and sign the delivery sheet.
I got several medications while I was working.
I also remembered the resident's name.
1. I did not deposit the controlled medications immediately after I got them. I left them on the nursing station where we usually put stationary or personal stuffs. I left there more than 4 hours. I went break and left the place without securing the medications. I did not think about it. Yes, this is my fault. But I am sure that I put all the controlled medications in the med cart later although I was late. 5 days later which was today. They found the one of controlled medications was missing.
They sent me home for the company policy because I am suspended.
They told me I may mot lose my license but will have discipline for the unsecured medications in time. They also told me to report this incident to the state and police.
What will happen to me? By the way, the security video showed me I took all medications to the cart. But it does not have any camera at med cart. Furthermore, one of nurses told me she did not see any drug slip or medication when I reported her.
I am worried about this incident and my position.
What do I need to do? I do not drug at all. I don't take any medications with me.
How often do they count the meds. They discovered it after 5 days? It looks to me they are covering their butts for this and trying to lay the blame on you.
First of all, THANK YOU for self- describing as brand new RN, and NOT " baby nurse". No more annoying new term around here than " baby nurse!"
Secondly , are you ESL? Only because your post is hard to follow at times
Third:. I'm beyond gob- smacked at your " paragraph 1"- where you state very matter of fact that you left the narcs unlocked, in a COMMON AREA, went on BREAK, AND this was all amounting to 4 hours!?!?
WOW
it doesn't take nursing s chool or even a license per se- it just takes Common Sense - not to do that. My 84- year old mother who never set foot in any healthcare academics would've known not to do that
Not sure what a lawyer can do for you ; but it's probably still a good idea to consult one.
How often do they count the meds. They discovered it after 5 days? It looks to me they are covering their butts for this and trying to lay the blame on you.
I'm also wondering about the count with the oncoming nurse.
Do you remember making a MAR or a narcotic record entry for the narcotics that night? Did you count with the oncoming nurse and did both of you sign the record?
Just guessing here, but it seems like someone took advantage of your newness and took the opportunity to divert the narcotics when they discovered you hadn't followed protocol. If that's what happened, it was a rotten thing for that person to do.
In training or not, you should have known not to leave 30 Norco's out on a counter for anyone to grab. I'd a fired your butt. No reason to make it sweet.
Specializes in Flight, ER, Transport, ICU/Critical Care.
I would politely ask to see the video again make a copy for your self (just so you can review to ensure no more mistakes). Then I would hustle over to see an attorney.
^^^^ This ^^^^
Record the video with your phone. Make sure you get timecodes, do a recording a others in room with the recording - say "gee, that was blurry, can we run it again, get a wider frame". Then GO GET A LAWYER. STOP TALKING.
I would go do this so FAST anyone watching me leave the facility would be CONVINCED that I was running from Freddy Krueger, Bigfoot, Zombies, the Xenomorph alien, the shark from Jaws and a freaking Yetti. Run! To a lawyer. Like your life depends on it - it does.
My DON and I watched the video together to verify whether I deposited the med or not. I brought them to the cart even though it was late. No one entered the nursing station while I was gone. One of ADON told me you are in training period and they will not fire me. If I was not training period, she told me they would fire me. And she also told me " Don't leave us because of this" and " I had big lessons from this incident" You will not leave any medications later. I know you guys told me to find a lawyer. Still do I need to find a lawyer and do I need to go with the lawyer whenever they call me to come to report your situation?
YES.
At the end of the day, your facility is focused on doing what is best for THEM, not you. You need to get someone who's primary interest is YOU and your license.
And regardless of the outcome of this matter...in the future, never never NEVER leave controlled substances unattended. If you sign the slip and accept delivery, you drop whatever you're doing and secure those medications. If you can't drop whatever you doing to do just that, then call your manager and let them sign for it.
I'm really confused by this. Putting the 4 hours they were left out aside, after that they have you on video locking them up, and then 5 days later discover they're missing? How can they blame you for that? Do they think you locked up an empty bottle? Did you check the count on the bottle before locking it up after it sat out for 4 hours? Did you work these last 5 days?
I'm really confused by this. Putting the 4 hours they were left out aside, after that they have you on video locking them up, and then 5 days later discover they're missing? How can they blame you for that? Do they think you locked up an empty bottle? Did you check the count on the bottle before locking it up after it sat out for 4 hours? Did you work these last 5 days?
I'm going to take a guess that another nurse re-ordered the narcotic for the patient in the following days, not knowing they had already been ordered and delivered....and (possibly) diverted at that point. The pharmacy must have notified the nurse/facility that the narcs had been delivered and signed for a few days prior.
The part that I'm also still curious about is the count. Even if there were errors with documentation on the narc record, or missing narc slips, the oncoming nurse would have caught that there were extra narcs in the med cart that were not documented on the MAR/narcotic records during the count. The med records would have been updated at that point.
Absolutely get a lawyer. Hopefully, you have malpractice insurance. Notify your carrier ASAP.
It's not malpractice, there wasn't any harm done to a patient so the insurance carrier shouldn't be involved. IMO notifying them of the investigation wouldn't be prudent at all.
Kyrshamarks, BSN, RN
1 Article; 631 Posts
How often do they count the meds. They discovered it after 5 days? It looks to me they are covering their butts for this and trying to lay the blame on you.