Congratulations graduates! You worked hard and now you're prepping for that NCLEX. Some people say it's the hardest exam they've ever taken. You may get nauseated (I did) before it's done.
Please, grads, don't find your way into your state's Board of Nursing (BON) newsletter for getting a ding or losing your license. Trust me, keep it clean and shiny. You are worth it!
Here are some of the things I noticed in this edition:
1. Use respectful language.
Yes, believe it or not, one RN was censured due to this little problem. They just keep piling on the issues, too, as they did for this nurse, if you're really a pain (unauthorized record access, changing orders, etc.)
Just say no.
2. For all of you nursing instructors out there, don't dope slap your nursing students.
One RN did and she was written up in this BON newsletter. One word: priceless. I think some of my nursing instructors may have thought it, but no one ever did it.
3. Don't steal a resident's purse, then get something from the med room and shoot up.
This nurse did. She obviously forgot the video cameras reported her every move.
4. Don't ask nursing students to do the wrong thing.
Telling your student to give a patient normal saline instead of Dilaudid is a perfect example. Someone will notice. The patient did and reported the nurse.
5. If you forget a specimen, get it to the lab. Do not take it home.
Yes, someone actually took a specimen from a procedure home, since the nurse forgot to send it along. A technician found it when cleaning the room. Admit your mistakes, but get it to the lab!
6. Drug testing is not optional.
Just remember: your facility policy is not optional. Compliant is a lot different than "slightly compliant".
7. Do not forget to document drug wastes.
Always, always, always waste drugs per your facility policy (we have special containers for various classes of drugs) and make sure you document appropriately. Your license really does depend on it.
Many happy returns and best wishes for a long nursing career!
Showing posts with label BON. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BON. Show all posts
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
What not to do as a nurse: Fall edition 2015
Yes, the quarterly Board of Nursing newsletter just showed up in my mailbox, and as usual, it contains some pretty interesting stuff.
For all you newbies (or even not so newbies), make sure you don't do any of these at work.
1. Practice without a license.
I was quite surprised at the number of folks listed in this section this time. Remember: you have to pay up at whatever interval your state requires to be legal.
2. Create documentation discrepancies
Time and time again, there were multiple examples in this issue. My personal favorite was the nurse who charted a skin assessment (multiple times) even when she didn't work.
In particular, if you are in home health, and this happens, they may call into question that you ever visited your client. In fact, if they pay you and you lied about your charting, they may ask for the money back (this happened.)
Moral of the story: as the old nursing saying goes: If it wasn't charted, it wasn't done, really does apply. Other folks really do read your notes: risk managers, quality managers, and even some patients.
3. Inappropriately use your medical record access
No, it didn't involve any celebrities, but please follow your organization's policy on medical record access. This nurse, who had been counseled before re: this issue, decided to look up about 20+ other folks just for the heck of it, and got dinged.
Rule of thumb: if you're not taking care of this person (or you are not evaluating them for a program, etc., as part of your job), do not read their medical record.
4. Forget to be careful in the OR
This was one I haven't seen in a long time, but if you are sending patients to the OR, make sure you send the right patient to the right OR suite. Screwing that up can cause lots of time to be wasted and trouble (in the form of lapsed safety). Identifying your patients really is a big deal.
Also, if your job includes sending specimens to pathology, please do it.
5. Forget to double check those safety devices
One nurse was dinged because he/she did not verify that a fall risk patient really had his bed alarm turned on. Said patient then escaped to the floor.
Yes, some people may fall no matter what you do, but you, as a professional, need to document and be responsible for these folks.
6. Take off without giving report
The stories I could tell about the Slug and this issue...said nurse did not inform appropriate staff that he/she was leaving for the day after lunch, and consequently, left people in a lurch. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
And finally...
7. Don't self-medicate and go to work impaired
Unfortunately, there were several incidents of this in this newsletter. One person actually used his/her own prescribed medication inappropriately and was sent home due to impairment.
Also, treating yourself with propofol for pain relief is also contraindicated. If you are in a lot of pain, it may be time to see a pain specialist.
Stay tuned for our next edition.
For all you newbies (or even not so newbies), make sure you don't do any of these at work.
1. Practice without a license.
I was quite surprised at the number of folks listed in this section this time. Remember: you have to pay up at whatever interval your state requires to be legal.
2. Create documentation discrepancies
Time and time again, there were multiple examples in this issue. My personal favorite was the nurse who charted a skin assessment (multiple times) even when she didn't work.
In particular, if you are in home health, and this happens, they may call into question that you ever visited your client. In fact, if they pay you and you lied about your charting, they may ask for the money back (this happened.)
Moral of the story: as the old nursing saying goes: If it wasn't charted, it wasn't done, really does apply. Other folks really do read your notes: risk managers, quality managers, and even some patients.
3. Inappropriately use your medical record access
No, it didn't involve any celebrities, but please follow your organization's policy on medical record access. This nurse, who had been counseled before re: this issue, decided to look up about 20+ other folks just for the heck of it, and got dinged.
Rule of thumb: if you're not taking care of this person (or you are not evaluating them for a program, etc., as part of your job), do not read their medical record.
4. Forget to be careful in the OR
This was one I haven't seen in a long time, but if you are sending patients to the OR, make sure you send the right patient to the right OR suite. Screwing that up can cause lots of time to be wasted and trouble (in the form of lapsed safety). Identifying your patients really is a big deal.
Also, if your job includes sending specimens to pathology, please do it.
5. Forget to double check those safety devices
One nurse was dinged because he/she did not verify that a fall risk patient really had his bed alarm turned on. Said patient then escaped to the floor.
Yes, some people may fall no matter what you do, but you, as a professional, need to document and be responsible for these folks.
6. Take off without giving report
The stories I could tell about the Slug and this issue...said nurse did not inform appropriate staff that he/she was leaving for the day after lunch, and consequently, left people in a lurch. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
And finally...
7. Don't self-medicate and go to work impaired
Unfortunately, there were several incidents of this in this newsletter. One person actually used his/her own prescribed medication inappropriately and was sent home due to impairment.
Also, treating yourself with propofol for pain relief is also contraindicated. If you are in a lot of pain, it may be time to see a pain specialist.
Stay tuned for our next edition.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
What not to do as a nurse, anniversary edition
Yes, I got the latest State Board of Nursing (BON) newsletter here in RehabLand, and it's never a dull moment. It's the anniversary edition because I found this sad anniversary from the NFL today. I'm not a big football fan, but I've worked with many patients like him.
Here are a few things to remember NOT to do as a nurse. Happy Graduation to the all the August grads!
1. Make sure your documentation is complete.
An advanced practice nurse was reported anonymously for regular and consistent documentation issues. He/she should have known better.
2. Don't come to work stoned/high on meth/drunk/sleepy.
It should be obvious, but too many people were listed in this issue for the above reasons. And as one person told the investigator, it really isn't "joyfully ironic" that you tested positive for two substances, either.
3. Know your basics about diabetes.
A school nurse was pulled out of a meeting to attend to a student with a blood sugar of 590 who was acting goofy. Student gets progressively worse. Does our school nurse dial 911? Of course not. He/she just called the parent, hung out, asked someone else to give the kid insulin.
Thankfully, a school administrator, without a license, but with a clue called 911. The nurse said he/she waited to call 911 because he/she was "confident" that the student would be okay. The kid was, eventually.
I'm so happy he/she doesn't work at Bubba's school.
4. Know the protocols in your state for IV push medications.
Here in RehabLand, it's defined by a state statute, which clearly says no to graduate nurses and LPNs except in life-threatening emergencies.
Guess what this wasn't? An emergency. And it wasn't the first time, either. (Your drug dispensing units keep really good records for narcs, kids).
5. Don't threaten your coworkers or other staff at your facility.
If you run out of leave, then threaten HR, your nurse manager and a couple of other staff nurses, they may not take you back. Said RN wanted to "find a cure for HIV" and "didn't want innocent people to get hurt."
Thankfully, the court issued restraining orders to keep said RN off medical center property AND the BON revoked his/her license.
That's all for now, folks. Enjoy your day wherever you are until our next installment.
Here are a few things to remember NOT to do as a nurse. Happy Graduation to the all the August grads!
1. Make sure your documentation is complete.
An advanced practice nurse was reported anonymously for regular and consistent documentation issues. He/she should have known better.
2. Don't come to work stoned/high on meth/drunk/sleepy.
It should be obvious, but too many people were listed in this issue for the above reasons. And as one person told the investigator, it really isn't "joyfully ironic" that you tested positive for two substances, either.
3. Know your basics about diabetes.
A school nurse was pulled out of a meeting to attend to a student with a blood sugar of 590 who was acting goofy. Student gets progressively worse. Does our school nurse dial 911? Of course not. He/she just called the parent, hung out, asked someone else to give the kid insulin.
Thankfully, a school administrator, without a license, but with a clue called 911. The nurse said he/she waited to call 911 because he/she was "confident" that the student would be okay. The kid was, eventually.
I'm so happy he/she doesn't work at Bubba's school.
4. Know the protocols in your state for IV push medications.
Here in RehabLand, it's defined by a state statute, which clearly says no to graduate nurses and LPNs except in life-threatening emergencies.
Guess what this wasn't? An emergency. And it wasn't the first time, either. (Your drug dispensing units keep really good records for narcs, kids).
5. Don't threaten your coworkers or other staff at your facility.
If you run out of leave, then threaten HR, your nurse manager and a couple of other staff nurses, they may not take you back. Said RN wanted to "find a cure for HIV" and "didn't want innocent people to get hurt."
Thankfully, the court issued restraining orders to keep said RN off medical center property AND the BON revoked his/her license.
That's all for now, folks. Enjoy your day wherever you are until our next installment.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Nuggets this week
Since I just mentioned a few of the interesting infractions noted in my latest State BON newsletter, I thought I'd point you in the direction of some interesting legal-oriented blog posts I've run across this week.
More nurses in trouble with the nursing board
A great post by Taralynn Mackay. Don't miss this if you live/work in Texas.
Will it anger the board if I have an attorney?
A great post from My 2 cents, a nurse attorney blog
On another note, here are some goodies from some other blogs.
Revenge is sweet (from highlytrainedmonkey)
Phone triage (from atyourcervix)
Professional Respect (from traumaqueen)
More nurses in trouble with the nursing board
A great post by Taralynn Mackay. Don't miss this if you live/work in Texas.
Will it anger the board if I have an attorney?
A great post from My 2 cents, a nurse attorney blog
On another note, here are some goodies from some other blogs.
Revenge is sweet (from highlytrainedmonkey)
Phone triage (from atyourcervix)
Professional Respect (from traumaqueen)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)