When you have students on the floor...

[NightOwl0624]

Quick question to some of you more experienced nurses...

Last week we had students on the floor. I work the 7pm-7am shift, so we usually don't still have students at this time. I was working with 3 different students that covered my 5 patients. They were going to pass 2100 meds.

I was told that I was to check off their medications and to just look over all documentation. These students were so quick that they passed the medication without checking with me or their instructor first (instructor was on another floor with other students the entire time). I caught one of them as she was starting to mix the concoction to put down the NG tube, and another one I saw because I had to get something out of the pyxis for her, but 3 of my patients got meds by a student that were not checked off by a registered nurse.

I have been a nurse for less than a year, and have not worked with students very often. As a student myself, I would have never, NEVER done this. This situation was upsetting to me. Some people I work with thought it was outrageous, and others didn't seem very surprised. I sent off an email to my manager, but have not heard back from her. I did learn a lesson to say up front what I expect when working with students.

My question to you ... does this happen on your floor? Am I overreacting? How would you have handled it?

[musiclovinpisces]

I'm not sure where you live, but in my school (Nebraska) that would definitely be a HUGE no no. We always have to have an instructor go through our 3rd check with us and also make sure that we identify our patient and check for allergies. That sounds a lil fishy to me!

[latebloomer74, LPN]

Where on earth was the clinical instructor!!! No one in my program would have the balls to pull and pass meds without the clinical instructor. I saw someone get reamed because she did a skill on a pt w/o the CI present. I can't even imagine what would have happened if someone pulled and passed meds w/o the CI present!!!!

I was under the impression that as students we are working under our CI's license? I don't know why the CI would risk her license by not supervising the students when meds are due. It is the CI's responsibility to supervise the students not the new nurse's.

[Madison09]

I am currently a student and that would never have happened in our program. Our instructor did meds one on one with each of us and we had to make sure to check and recheck. That is unbelievable.

[wlyndsy]

I am currently a nursing student. If we did that, we would get written up by our instructor.

[merrywhiterose]

LPN's are not RN's and shouldn't be allowed to pass meds while doing clinicals, either

[royhanosn]

I agree! they are not trained!

[latebloomer74, LPN]

Am I missing something? LPNs are trained to adminster medication. Why are you saying they aren't trained to do so?

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Some are and some aren't, and in some states it depends on the type of medication/its delivery system (IV, IVP, injection, etc.).

[healthstar, BSN, RN]

Quick question to some of you more experienced nurses...

Last week we had students on the floor. I work the 7pm-7am shift, so we usually don't still have students at this time. I was working with 3 different students that covered my 5 patients. They were going to pass 2100 meds.

I was told that I was to check off their medications and to just look over all documentation. These students were so quick that they passed the medication without checking with me or their instructor first (instructor was on another floor with other students the entire time). I caught one of them as she was starting to mix the concoction to put down the NG tube, and another one I saw because I had to get something out of the pyxis for her, but 3 of my patients got meds by a student that were not checked off by a registered nurse.

I have been a nurse for less than a year, and have not worked with students very often. As a student myself, I would have never, NEVER done this. This situation was upsetting to me. Some people I work with thought it was outrageous, and others didn't seem very surprised. I sent off an email to my manager, but have not heard back from her. I did learn a lesson to say up front what I expect when working with students.

My question to you ... does this happen on your floor? Am I overreacting? How would you have handled it?

I can only imagine how you feel. You know I am a student too and one day a nurse on the floor asked me if I wanted to administer medication with her being there and I said according to my school policy I can only pass meds with the supervision of my professor. That is crazy, as a student I would never take a risk like that. I had to administer Digoxin and Metoprolol one time and I had to take the blood pressure and apical pulse and after 2 minutes my professor did it too just to make sure HR was over 60 and blood pressure was not very low.

[latebloomer74, LPN]

Some are and some aren't, and in some states it depends on the type of medication/its delivery system (IV, IVP, injection, etc.).

Thanks for clearing that up. In my state, MA, LPN's cannot do IV push or do blood transfusions, but can do most everything else.

[kcochrane]

I agree! they are not trained!

Are you really only 11? Or did you mean 11 years as a nurse?

LPNs in most cases are trained to deliver meds. My instructor was a little less hovering with regards to PO, IV and SQ meds with me. But my IV experience was almost non existent, so she keep a closer eye on me when a pt. have IV meds.

[piperknitsRN]

"LPN's are not RN's and shouldn't be allowed to pass meds while doing clinicals, either"

Perhaps the poster who stated "LPNS are not RNs"(quoted above) and the response (I'm assuming) that followed re: LPN training in regards to meds conflated two separate issues.

I assume that LPNs are not practicing under their LPN license while in clinicals--they are RN students and therefore practicing under their clinical instructor's license. During clinical, therefore, just as any other student, they can and should pass meds, while supervised and within the confines of and clinical instructor discretion/school policy.

When LPNs are practicing under their own license in a facility at which they are employed, however, they are trained and licensed to give meds per scope-of-practice and facility policy.

Just a thought--or perhaps I am stating the obvious ;-).