Techs and nurses who don't ask about meds (RANT)

[kitkatz]

I am sick and tired of being given meds that I do not want or need by people who do not stop to ask if I am supposed to get it!  CRAP!  Ask the patient first! Before you give the meds! C ase in point:  Friday my tech was in a hurry to get me on and pushed heparin into the line, Now I am a heavy bleeder and heparin makes it worse after they take me off the needles. So DO NOT give me heparin in my lines. Give it to the machine so the dialyzer will not clot, but NOT to me! I said two seconds after she was done, (I had not even seen her put the heparin syringe up to my lines)," what the hell? Did you just give me heparin? I do not get heparin in my lines, you know! Shit!  I am going to be here all night."
I then asked the tech if she was going to be here all night with me. She just walked off.  I then asked the air if anyone read orders around here?  Then I shut up.  Might as well not make it any worse! I was pissed!
    Ask me first before you GIVE me anything through my lines! I don't care if it is a vitamin, tell me first.  Then listen to me if I want it or not!  Easy thing to do!  I am IN charge of my treatment, not the techs or nurses!  Damn it!

[angieskidney]

wow! Wasn't it written down? In my unit everything should be written down and that is what they follow. For me since my unit is the "self care" unit I put in my own numbers to control how much and for how long I get the heparin and they read the paper about anything they put in my fistula or catheter.

I am still learning but you were talking about what they put into your arm or set the machine to put in?

[kevno]

On our unit we have Drug Charts. The Nurses can not even give me a Paracetamol. If it is not written down on the Drug Chart.

[Hawkeye]

On our unit we have Drug Charts. The Nurses can not even give me a Paracetamol. If it is not written down on the Drug Chart.

Everything during treatment should be perscribed by you neph. and on your treatment sheet.

[Sara]

I can't believe the tech did that Kat! 

[Hawkeye]

Friday my tech was in a hurry to get me on and pushed heparin into the line

Wait, your techs are allowed to push your meds?  I just reread this post after the last reply I noticed that.  Only nurses are allowed to push meds here.  If I was a nurse that's the way I would want it.  If a tech screws something up or injures a patient by giving them the wrong thing or the wrong dosage by accident it is the nurse that could lose their license to practice.  There is no such thing here as a license for techs.  I hope the nurses at least draw the meds up.

[kitkatz]

Heparin is given in the lines before you start dialysis. That is the ONLY thing the tech can push.  I caught another tech almost doing it today.  I asked him what the hell are you doing? Is that Heparin?
He said Oops glad you caught me.  Geez!

[Joe Paul]

When I first went to my clinic, I had no idea who was a nurse or who was a tech. Seems whoever hooked me up was giving the meds(Nurse or tech). Now, until I reread this post, did I realize, its only a nurse who comes by and gives the meds. Wonder if it had anything to do with that state inspector who dropped in week before last?   

[dorris]

oooooooooo!  This is so scary.  I can't believe my eyes, your techs are allowed to do certain things here, which are only permitted to be carried out by registered, competent, dialysis trained nurses in the UK.  Wow, I would definately be questioning what they are actually allowed to do.  Seems rather odd and potentially dangerous. 

Dorris

[DeLana]

I was horrified when I first worked in outpatient dialysis to see techs push heparin!  In the hospital not even LPNs were allowed to give IV drugs.  I was even more horrified when I found out that it is illegal in my state for techs to give any meds, including heparin    (It happened because some burned out nurses were too  lazy to push the heparin themselves, as they should have, and instead chose to break the law.  I never did, and this didn't make me a popular nurse.  Some called me "slow" because I couldn't be with two patients - my own and the tech's - at the same time  )

Whether or not techs can give heparin, lidocaine or saline boluses varies from state to state.  Regulations are much more generous in outpatient settings (my suspicion:  industry lobbying - this allows them to employ fewer nurses and more techs).  In some "no heparin by techs" states some companies try to get around this by letting the patient push heparin - come on, this is ridiculous.  Where did the patient get a nursing license?! 

DeLana

P.S.  This is one reason I now work in the hospital.  Here regulations are so strict that two nurses have to cosign the heparin dose for each patient - but we have an all-RN staff, and that makes all the difference.

P.S.  Ask whoever pushes your heparin what their title is (if you don't already know).   If a tech, ask the supervising nurse (or manager) if it is legal in your state for techs to push heparin.  Their reaction should tell you a lot 

[renal30yrs]

Different states have different regulations.  In some states techs can do whole a lot more and states much less. One thing in common they forget things a lot.

[thegrammalady]

in my center we have the center director who is a nurse, not always there, and one nurse per shift. the rest of the staff are techs. some very good techs. there is one tech that i won't let near me. she put me on one day without reading the daily sheet. it had been 3 weeks since she had last seen me and there had been changes. luckily she didn't do anything that would put me in danger, but you never know. when i complained and said i wouldn't let her near me any longer i was told i couldn't do that because it would cause problems. i just smiled and told them to call my lawyer because i was calling medicare. have never had another problem and she doesn't ever take care of me.