What did I do wrong?

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OK. So I'm a Cna while in nursing school. I work at a retirement center. And I was assigned to sit with this gentlement who had a stroke. One evening while sitting with him he gets really agitated and starts yelling, screaming at his wife. Kept getting up saying things were out the window that wasn't there, asking was he going to doe and couldn't sit still. I thought he was honestly going to hit his wife..I never seen him so upset. Now I'm not suppose to give meds we give them to his wife and she gives them to him. Every other day, the mangers are changing the "what to do" forums and who to call and his son also. He's on hospice. I called the triage nurse because it was late. I explained to her what was going on and I told her he had ativan and she told me to give it to him. ThT was two days ago and now. I get to work and I hear I'm in big trouble and the son is so upset yelling. Saying it was the wrong medicine, but it had his name on it and he's now messed up. Anyway I'm suppose to have a meeting tomorrow and don't know what to expect. I feel bad and everyone is looking at me crazy like its my fault and I don't know what to tell my boss. I feel embarrassed and it makes me not want to be a nurse anymore. Plus the wife is fabricating the story and she isn't all the way in her right mind. How can I handle this or should've handle this? I charted everything, like I was suppose to and other girls gave it to him and didn't chart anything.

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As a cna you cannot administer medications. Doesn't matter if you are in school or not. You are employed as a cna. The triage nurse should have called hospice and came to assess the situation. This can be reported to the BoN. You can bet on being wrote up. I'm so sorry this happened to you. The same thing happened to me as well. Except mine was digoxin. I was a can going to nursing school. I called hospice and she told me to give a half of a tablet of digoxin. I did and omgosh I got into hot hot water. I was wrote up and taken off the case. I cried for three days. I never made that mistake again.

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Specializes in hospice.

We as CNAs need to be aware of our scope and protect our own butts, because no one is going to do it for us. I've had to make waves at my employer over similar issues, but THEY are in the wrong for trying to get me to do things outside my scope. If they fire me because I refuse to violate my scope, then good riddance. I can find another job, but you can bet they WILL NOT be there to defend me when I get hauled in front of the BON, and the excuse "my boss told me to" won't fly anyway. We are responsible for what we choose to do, no one else. Also, now that I am in school, I'm not risking getting thrown out of my program for doing something I am not allowed to do. No way, no how.

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I didn't give him the medicine..I took it out box and his wife gave it to him. I know.I'm no suppose to pass meds.

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You can't touch medicine. You cant even pour it out onto a napkin or cup. That triage nurse should have got off his/her butt and assess the situation. The wife probably told them that you administered the drug. Again, I truly have empathy for you. Please let us know the outcome. And don't quit nursing because of this. Crap on my second to last clinical day a doctor told me to give 45 units of humalog. It was suppose to be 4.5 units. Thank gosh the person was non compliant and ate three Snickers prior.

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Specializes in hospice.
Crap on my second to last clinical day a doctor told me to give 45 units of humalog. It was suppose to be 4.5 units. Thank gosh the person was non compliant and ate three Snickers prior.

LMAO. I can just see this becoming a blog entitled, "When Non-Compliance Saves Lives."

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Specializes in Cath/EP lab, CCU, Cardiac stepdown.

To protect yourself you must know your scope of practice because it will always be your behind on the line.

And this goes to everyone, including nibbles. Always perform the 5 rights regardless of who orders the medicine. You have to confirm everything yourself. Check the mar before giving anything. During a code nurses have to check what medicine they're giving and if they take time to check during a code, everyone better be checking all the time. Even if the provider gives you the wrong order, it is your license on the line, and you better check and do Triple check it.

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Nibbles1, then I guess all if us are to be in trouble. I don't want to loose my job ..I HV bills and I don't want this in my record. They have his meds in a lockbox from the wife and we have a key to I've her the meds and she gives them to him. Now she's saying she remember giving them to him

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I guess he wasn't suppose to be on/have ativan at all. The son says it make him crazy.

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Snurekylam...there isn't a Mar. He's on hospice in his home. All there is is a lockbo with meds. I asked the triage nurse what to do and she said to give ativan and I explained to his wife and she gave it to him. Now the son is hot...

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Specializes in hospice.
I didn't give him the medicine..I took it out box and his wife gave it to him. I know.I'm no suppose to pass meds.

But you said

I called the triage nurse because it was late. I explained to her what was going on and I told her he had ativan and she told me to give it to him.

I'm wondering what actually happened here. If you handed the box to the wife and she gave it, are they claiming you handed the wife the wrong med? Is it possible you did? I work hospice and very often our patients will have more than one sublingual liquid med.

Is this a case of the son being in denial and his dad isn't reacting to medicine but is just declining?

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Specializes in hospice.
I guess he wasn't suppose to be on/have ativan at all. The son says it make him crazy.

Well if it was that big a deal, then the son should have made sure it was out of the house. Some people do react badly to Ativan. This seems like a perfect storm of poor choices and dodging responsibility, and unfortunately it looks like your house is the one getting wrecked. :(

If the order for the Ativan had been d/c'ed then the triage nurse should never have told anyone to give it to him. She is responsible for not checking his orders before telling you that.

Jeez, I'm sorry this is happening to you.

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