General Forums >> Ask A Nurse >> legal and ethical issues in nursing
legal and ethical issues in nursing
1 post back to top |
Posted almost 2 years ago The charge nurse on the night shift has noticed one of the nurses spending a great deal of time in the medication room. The missing nurse appeared to be agitated as she blurred her words. The charge nurse begins to suspect substance abuse. What are the steps the charge nurse should take in protecting clients How does the charge nurse approach the nurse? Legally, what is the role of the charge nurse |
25373 posts back to top |
| Posted almost 2 years ago Be very careful with this..If you're right then great, but if you'r not you can open your self up to a lawsuit. Now if you have nothing to do with it, then stay out of it...It is up to the charge nurse to documnet how many times and how often the other nurse goes in there.. Then there should be a meeting with the nurse, the charge nurse and the DON..The proof must be included in the meeting.. This meeting should also be recorded... OK this is the appropriate chain of command...Gosh for her sake, I hope she not taking pt.Meds...Good luck and keep me posted..Hugs.Teresa |
313 posts back to top |
| Posted almost 2 years ago Dear LOVELY FARHAB, I agree with Teresah, if you're not directly inovolved don't interfere. Of course, for her sake, I hope there's a logical explanation. A meeting between the charge nurse, director of nursing, and the nurse in question needs to occur. There needs to be proof that anything is actually happening before confronting the suspected party. Just her going in and out of the med room is not proof enough, and slurred speech can be a number of problems. You have to remember, innocent until proven guilty. I hope my 2 cents helps. |
