Would you do this for someone else?

[onthejourney]

I'm a new grad. I just realized I forgot to sign off on a 0600hr g-feed that I gave. I just phoned and spoke with the nurse who came on after me and asked her if she could just put my initials beside it for me on the MAR. She said ok, but what I am wondering is if this is common practice? would you do it for someone else? She knew I gave it because the pt vommited up the feed and I stayed to clean it before I left...I just don't want to get in trouble for asking someone to do something that they shouldn't have to do.

thanks

onthejourney

[LadysSolo]

Brandon, because you are operating from reality, and it seems many of the other posters are operating in an ideal world, where you don't have 40 patients for med pass and treatments. Wait till you've been a nurse for a few more years. BTW, I will mark treatments but I WILL NOT mark narcotics for anyone - my particular "line in the sand" - but it also depends on the nurse - do I trust that nurse or not.

[Pistachio]

We use an emar, so we can just leave a note that says given by so and so and it's marked in an I didn't give it way of that makes sense. When we had paper mars and this situation occurred we would write "given". Probably not for narc's either though but never had that come up.

[OnlybyHisgraceRN, ASN, RN]

I would not have done this for you. This is bad practice and false documenation. Lesson, learned.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

All I'm saying is there's nothing wrong with nurses having each others backs as long as it does no harm. Yes, even if it's technically against the rules. Everyone knows nobody's hurt if I put the dayshifts initials on a couple boxes she missed. OF COURSE she gave that ONE pill out of the hundreds she gives. Shes been doing this same med pass for years. Do you really think this morning she just decided to hold Agnes's multivitamin out of nowhere? And then not circle her initials or something? Sometimes a little common sense goes a long way. And I'm sorry, calling that "falsifying a medical record" IS being pretty dramatic. Now if I was signing/rewriting something in order to do a "coverup" or something, yes that"s obviously fishy. In the examples I mentioned that's clearly not the case.

One of this profession's biggest problems is its lack of camaraderie. Too much of the "every man for himself" and the "gothca" attitudes.

[withasmilelpn]

I agree - it's stupid. We all know 'Mary' gave the pill. Some of us have the common sense to deal with this rationally. But, there is always Nancy Nurse - better than thou - who will be out to get you if you don't watch out. Who doesn't ever seem to realize we are a team and help each other out. Just CYA - please.

[caliotter3]

I don't put marks down for another nurse. I, however, will go through the trouble to bring it to their attention so they can sign off on their own work. No way am I going to put myself in that compromising position, especially after observing some of the attitudes of coworkers over the years.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

No, I would not sign off on someone else's work. They can either come back and do it, or do a late entry when they return for their next shift.

[Elladora]

We have post it flags we stick in the MAR if we see a missing signature. The nurse/med aids initials go on the flag and they sign it the next time they come in. Easy peasy!

[SE_BSN_RN, BSN]

Just to clarify, what I was talking about was those big huge MARs in LTC that have thousands of tiny little boxes to initial. If I'm working after Jane Doe and I notice that out of the hundreds and hundreds of tiny little boxes, she forgot to initial one prilosec or one glucoscan or

something, sure I'll initial it for her as I'm initialing my stuff. Obviously she did it and just missed that box. It's almost impossible not to mis a box in a med pass that size. Now, if she missed ALL the meds for a resident, or there's no initials at all for her entire shift (yes, I've seen that) then that's another story. EMARS are also obviously different. Guess what, I also routinely fill in the last shift's med fridge temp log, too if they forgot. And I borrow meds from one resident if I run out of anothers. And I don't ask for the PIN number from family members calling about grandma when it's a granddaughter I've talked to every week for a year. And I give insulin shots in the dining room. So I guess I'm guilty of forgery, stealing, violating HIPPA and violating "dignity rules". It's amazing I still have a nursing license! I guess my coworkers, residents and family members only like me cause they don't know my deep, dark secrets.....

Been there, done that. In my old facility, the MANAGERS would do MAR/TAR audits and SIGN the initials of the nurse that worked that shift. BECAUSE for every hole that is there, it is a monetary fine to the facility.

[SE_BSN_RN, BSN]

No, I would not sign someone else's initials. I would document that Suzy, RN reported that pt received his full volume of Nutren 1.0 at 1800.

You shouldn't document names of staff in the NN, except for signature and title of whoever is writing the entry. LNC would have a hay day in court with that, should it ever happen.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Bad practice--let charge know you gave it, that you will initial when you return. As an aside, not knowing anything about this patient, I noticed in your OP you said the patient vomited the feed. That is something that needs to be brought to the charge nurse's attention, as before you give it, you need to check for residual first, be sure the head of the bed is up enough, etc. according to the policy of the facility. Patients can and do aspirate. That would be of more concern to me than having the nurse put my initials in the box (and again, bad practice). Cause if the patient did aspirate the feed, and gets a pneumonia, they are going to see who is giving this patient the feeds--which I am sure is more than just you, but that is important information the next nurse needs.