Will you give out a medication without the order yet?

[rn4ever?]

Just wanted to vent.....yesterday was a very busy day. The charge RN did an admission and apparently forgot to ask the dr. for a nicotine patch for a patient who was a heavy smoker when she asked for the admission orders of the patient. I gave out all the STAT orders and then the patient asked for the nicotine patch. I said, as soon as I get the order, I'll give it. Apparently, patient told charge nurse about it. Charge nurse barges in the medication room upset asking why I was making a big deal out of "just a nicotine patch" and also said that as an experienced nurse, she knows that it was not something to make a big deal of. I replied that I was uncomfortable giving something that was not ordered for legality's sake and it wasn't even an emergency! I don't care even if they say it's "just" Tylenol, Motrin, or a Nicotine patch-----if a patient gets a reaction and there's no doctor's order, I don't want to be in trouble. Because before, one patient told me that one of her allergies was a nicotine patch-----so it's possible to have an allergy from that. To the highly experienced nurses out there, was I out of line? What are your thoughts on this? How would you have reacted?

[husker_rn, RN]

No order, no med. End of story. Absolutely you did the right thing !!

[oramar]

I promise you that if you did put it on the patient and there was a bad reaction and no order she would act like she didn't know anything about it and didn't know you.

[CRCRN]

I agree with everyone else. How hard is it to pick up the phone and get the order? It protects everyone involved.

[AggieNurse99, BSN, RN]

Thinking about it, it all depends on the med and the situation. I can think of quite a few times I've pushed D50 without an order for FSBS

[steelcityrn, RN]

She has alot of nerve asking you to give a medication without a order. Wonder how often she does this?

[PMFB-RN, RN]

It's a physicians job to order medications. The nurses job is to tell him what meds to order :)

[Lisa, MA]

Yep, you were right. Next time, hand it to her and let her administer it if she has a problem.

[Lisa, MA]

It's a physicians job to order medications. The nurses job is to tell him what meds to order :)

Sadly, this is SO true!!!

[missy--kay]

It's your license... protect it. If she wants to put hers in danger over a Nicotine patch, so be it.

[massrn116]

A nicotine patch can wait for an order

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

You did the right thing. Kudos to you for knowing it was the right thing to do!!! Well done - I don't EVER pass out a med without an order...

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

A nicotine patch? Seriously? Hardly something that requires rushing to get done before an order.

Maybe ativan for an active seizure prior to having the doc call back or something...

You would give a controlled substance without an order? Please tell me you know that is wrong. It's practicing medicine without a license, prescribing, diagnosing. Please don't ever do that.