Check and recheck your orders, check your math for sliding scale insulin, use new bs checks <I witnessed this:  a long time ago, a nurse gave a patient her sliding scale dose............would have been correct if it was 7am, however, it was noon and she dosed the patient without a current bg check, that so could have been avoided, so could the incident report she  had to fill out>, and I cant believe some of the nurses on my unit dont have somebody look at the units they pull up to administer.  Geez, I count  good..............but those syringes are so dang small, I personally like the security of that extra pair of eyes going after me.

RNdude says ...

We're required to double-check any insulin, whether for IV, SQ or mixing a drip, with another nurse before administering.

Im so glad you said this, I thought I was going nuts by thinking that was ' not normal or safe', and that joint comission would pitch a fit if this wasnt routine.  Since I became licensed 12 yrs ago, I was always told that this would be a standard of care.  I'm new at the facility I work at, and wondering if they assume I would know this, well, I do......just wondered at some of the expressions I get when I get somebody to check with me......I just hope new nurses do too as well.  Plus, those expressions could be all in my head, or I'm having a really bad hair day.

I am with all of the above. Check, recheck and triple check with another nurse before giving.