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.
Showing posts with label newsletter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label newsletter. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Things not to do as a nurse, February edition
Yes, the fun never stops in RehabLand. Days ago, the State Board sends out renewal notices and today, they send out their regular newsletter.
Guess it's a reminder to answer those questions correctly.
We have plenty of our regulars: lapsed licenses and drug testing abuses. Here's the ones from this edition that you really need to put on your "DO NOT" list, students (and any other RNs for that matter...).
1. Do not attempt to substitute blue mouthwash.
Yes, we all know that certain forms of morphine smell just like some of the mouthwashes on the market, but stealing pain meds from terminally ill patients, is, was, and ever shall be unforgivable.
It will also cost you your license (there were actually two mouthwash switchers in this edition from RehabLand State Board of Nursing).
2. Don't go to a party, get wasted, then trespass.
This is also a problem, especially when you are convicted.
3. Do not share your Pyxis/Omnicell/drug dispenser password.
One person lost his/her license for this (and diverting narcs), but my question is, what happened to the idiot who shared the password?
Here at the Hotel, you would be fired for violating the information security policy.
Speaking of policies...follow them.
4. Don't assess the patient after a violent incident involving security.
This nurse was reprimanded for leaving that lil' old task to someone else. If your facility states you will assess following any altercations you must.
Besides, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Remember: you're considered in a position of power.
5. Don't just "borrow" a retiring physician's prescription pad.
When you are from a little town, people talk. And those pharmacists are smart. Hence the reason why they didn't fill any of your prescriptions.
And finally, my personal favorite:
6. Don't go offroading in the company car.
This applies to anyone really, not just nurses, unless of course your company car is an off-road vehicle and/or your job demands it.
Home health RN was out on his/her regular route seeing patients when he/she ran off road and damaged the axel of the car, requiring towing. Luckily, no one was hurt, but since this is a recordable incident while on duty, HHRN was required to submit to a drug screen.
As you may have guessed, he/she flunked (positive for marijuana). Remember kids, buzzed driving, driving while high (or getting high during working hours) is really NOT a good thing.
Guess it's a reminder to answer those questions correctly.
We have plenty of our regulars: lapsed licenses and drug testing abuses. Here's the ones from this edition that you really need to put on your "DO NOT" list, students (and any other RNs for that matter...).
1. Do not attempt to substitute blue mouthwash.
Yes, we all know that certain forms of morphine smell just like some of the mouthwashes on the market, but stealing pain meds from terminally ill patients, is, was, and ever shall be unforgivable.
It will also cost you your license (there were actually two mouthwash switchers in this edition from RehabLand State Board of Nursing).
2. Don't go to a party, get wasted, then trespass.
This is also a problem, especially when you are convicted.
3. Do not share your Pyxis/Omnicell/drug dispenser password.
One person lost his/her license for this (and diverting narcs), but my question is, what happened to the idiot who shared the password?
Here at the Hotel, you would be fired for violating the information security policy.
Speaking of policies...follow them.
4. Don't assess the patient after a violent incident involving security.
This nurse was reprimanded for leaving that lil' old task to someone else. If your facility states you will assess following any altercations you must.
Besides, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Remember: you're considered in a position of power.
5. Don't just "borrow" a retiring physician's prescription pad.
When you are from a little town, people talk. And those pharmacists are smart. Hence the reason why they didn't fill any of your prescriptions.
And finally, my personal favorite:
6. Don't go offroading in the company car.
This applies to anyone really, not just nurses, unless of course your company car is an off-road vehicle and/or your job demands it.
Home health RN was out on his/her regular route seeing patients when he/she ran off road and damaged the axel of the car, requiring towing. Luckily, no one was hurt, but since this is a recordable incident while on duty, HHRN was required to submit to a drug screen.
As you may have guessed, he/she flunked (positive for marijuana). Remember kids, buzzed driving, driving while high (or getting high during working hours) is really NOT a good thing.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Just in time for the holidays...
Ah, it is always an interesting time reading the RehabLand Board of Nursing newsletter. So here's today's edition of what not to do as a nurse.
Don't say those licensing people forget the holidays...be careful out there!
Things not to do as a nurse: the holiday edition.
1. Don't sleep on the job.
Yes, that nicely made bed looks comfy, but if you forget to wake up, you have a problem. NOTE: some facilities do let you take power naps, but remember, you are PAID to come to WORK (notice the items in caps).
There are some expectations that come with that.
2. Forget to pay your income taxes.
Here in RehabLand, the Department ofTake it all Revenue can report you if you don't and you can lose your license. According to the numbers, almost 25% of nurses lost their license last year due to tax issues.
3. Don't force someone to do something they refuse to consent to do, like take a bath.
Do the words assault and battery mean anything to you? I knew they did. Patient says no, you document to CYA.
4. Drive while intoxicated.
They shouldn't have to tell you "when to say when" if you are a health care provider. But if you tend to be indulgent, get someone else to drive.
5. Fail to monitor a patient and act accordingly.
The example used in RehabLand's newsletter was disgusting. An RN (old one at that--we can tell by their license numbers) flat out did NOTHING for a patient who became sick in the morning. Let him/her throw up, wait until nights when said patient drops the phone, while satting at 82% (normally 100% person on room air) and passes out.
The night nurse had to call EMS to take this person to the ER.
And finally the topper of this edition:
6. Don't let residents who are supposed to be on the unit (per orders) out.
Another old RN decided to go on a smoke break and six (not one two or three...) residents who were confined indoors got out of the facility. One, Z., was gone for so long that he/she did not get scheduled insulin, had glucose issues, passed out and fell out of his/her wheelchair.
Old RN left Z on the ground, got the other 5 back into the building, hoisted Z back into a chair and told a CNA to take Z to his/her room. No assessment, no documentation, no nothing.
Z sustained a head injury, which was later diagnosed when Z started having other issues.
Don't say those licensing people forget the holidays...be careful out there!
Things not to do as a nurse: the holiday edition.
1. Don't sleep on the job.
Yes, that nicely made bed looks comfy, but if you forget to wake up, you have a problem. NOTE: some facilities do let you take power naps, but remember, you are PAID to come to WORK (notice the items in caps).
There are some expectations that come with that.
2. Forget to pay your income taxes.
Here in RehabLand, the Department of
3. Don't force someone to do something they refuse to consent to do, like take a bath.
Do the words assault and battery mean anything to you? I knew they did. Patient says no, you document to CYA.
4. Drive while intoxicated.
They shouldn't have to tell you "when to say when" if you are a health care provider. But if you tend to be indulgent, get someone else to drive.
5. Fail to monitor a patient and act accordingly.
The example used in RehabLand's newsletter was disgusting. An RN (old one at that--we can tell by their license numbers) flat out did NOTHING for a patient who became sick in the morning. Let him/her throw up, wait until nights when said patient drops the phone, while satting at 82% (normally 100% person on room air) and passes out.
The night nurse had to call EMS to take this person to the ER.
And finally the topper of this edition:
6. Don't let residents who are supposed to be on the unit (per orders) out.
Another old RN decided to go on a smoke break and six (not one two or three...) residents who were confined indoors got out of the facility. One, Z., was gone for so long that he/she did not get scheduled insulin, had glucose issues, passed out and fell out of his/her wheelchair.
Old RN left Z on the ground, got the other 5 back into the building, hoisted Z back into a chair and told a CNA to take Z to his/her room. No assessment, no documentation, no nothing.
Z sustained a head injury, which was later diagnosed when Z started having other issues.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Just when you thought the poop was over
I got this information in a fitness newsletter I receive via e-mail.
Still drinking E. Coli Bacteria Feces?
If you are drinking or eating any amount of aspartame (the main sweetener in diet pop), then you are drinking poop from genetically modified E. coli bacteria. Now that the patent is available online, the cat is out of the bag and everyone is talking about it. I always thought diet pop tasted like crap...
Guess I won't be drinking diet soda again, especially after all the other artificial sweetener news lately.
Enjoy your weekend wherever you are...and don't feel guilty about drinking that regular soda, either!
Still drinking E. Coli Bacteria Feces?
If you are drinking or eating any amount of aspartame (the main sweetener in diet pop), then you are drinking poop from genetically modified E. coli bacteria. Now that the patent is available online, the cat is out of the bag and everyone is talking about it. I always thought diet pop tasted like crap...
Guess I won't be drinking diet soda again, especially after all the other artificial sweetener news lately.
Enjoy your weekend wherever you are...and don't feel guilty about drinking that regular soda, either!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Ways to lose your license in RehabLand
Yet, another version of MiddleOfNowhere SBON Newsletter appeared in my mailbox recently and it has the most interesting revocation notices in it. Sadly, most of the infractions noted are due to drug diversion or alcohol abuse. Once you have substance issues and get caught, you have report to monitoring agencies in order to complete probation and get your license back.
Some things, though, are downright scary. You can lose your license if you do the following:
1. Threaten bodily harm. To other staff members, to patients, to visitors. Probably the worst threat overheard and recorded: "Oh, don't worry about X (an obese patient) for evacuation. He/she will just have to die if there's a fire, since we won't be able to get the bed out of the room."
2. Prescribe drugs for your family, that your license does not allow.
3. Forget to tell the Board about that conviction you had several years ago for drug dealing and embezzlement. No, kids, you didn't just forget...
4. Get a facility handbook from your hospital system that says, "no loafing" After that, proceed to sleep on the job and get caught not documenting on your seven patients on multiple occasions.
And finally, if those weren't scary enough:
Work as the only licensed nurse at an assisted living facility, when you're listed as a resident AND you're disabled enough to have your own guardian, who thinks you're just filing records all day in the office.
Some things, though, are downright scary. You can lose your license if you do the following:
1. Threaten bodily harm. To other staff members, to patients, to visitors. Probably the worst threat overheard and recorded: "Oh, don't worry about X (an obese patient) for evacuation. He/she will just have to die if there's a fire, since we won't be able to get the bed out of the room."
2. Prescribe drugs for your family, that your license does not allow.
3. Forget to tell the Board about that conviction you had several years ago for drug dealing and embezzlement. No, kids, you didn't just forget...
4. Get a facility handbook from your hospital system that says, "no loafing" After that, proceed to sleep on the job and get caught not documenting on your seven patients on multiple occasions.
And finally, if those weren't scary enough:
Work as the only licensed nurse at an assisted living facility, when you're listed as a resident AND you're disabled enough to have your own guardian, who thinks you're just filing records all day in the office.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
From the e-mail and snail mail boxes
I usually give my e-mail newsletters a passing glance, but a couple of links in my ADVANCE for Nurses e-mail today were pretty good.
Professional vulnerability
This editorial discusses the "who can call themselves a nurse" issue. I've heard some of it before, but this is a good read nevertheless.
A clean exchange
This article discusses the fine art of the handoff. As a new nurse, this was a good article and made me think.
From the snail mail box:
I subscribe to AJN, which is a great publication if you haven't read it lately. I find at least two good articles in there every month. October's issue is no different. One of the more interesting articles this month (a CE article) discusses motivational interviewing. It's more outpatient than inpatient, but I think it has tips that are valuable, even in the inpatient setting. I also thought that the article about insulin management, Rethinking Sliding-Scale Insulin, although, geared toward ICU nurses, has great tips for the rest of us on the floors. At least, I'll have something interesting to discuss with the endocrinologist when he's on the floor next time. (We have a very, very wonderful one at Saintarama. He's the best!)
More next time...enjoy! I'm off to be computer geek for the rest of my day off, since I'm back on at the Hotel Rehab tomorrow. Ciao!
Professional vulnerability
This editorial discusses the "who can call themselves a nurse" issue. I've heard some of it before, but this is a good read nevertheless.
A clean exchange
This article discusses the fine art of the handoff. As a new nurse, this was a good article and made me think.
From the snail mail box:
I subscribe to AJN, which is a great publication if you haven't read it lately. I find at least two good articles in there every month. October's issue is no different. One of the more interesting articles this month (a CE article) discusses motivational interviewing. It's more outpatient than inpatient, but I think it has tips that are valuable, even in the inpatient setting. I also thought that the article about insulin management, Rethinking Sliding-Scale Insulin, although, geared toward ICU nurses, has great tips for the rest of us on the floors. At least, I'll have something interesting to discuss with the endocrinologist when he's on the floor next time. (We have a very, very wonderful one at Saintarama. He's the best!)
More next time...enjoy! I'm off to be computer geek for the rest of my day off, since I'm back on at the Hotel Rehab tomorrow. Ciao!
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)
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