Question

• The nurse cannot make more staff magically appear. What could the nurse have done, under these circumstances, to improve her documentation and perhaps avoid being reported to the Board? (NOTE: In the real case upon which this scenario is built, the nurse did testify that she felt that she had allowed herself to get lulled into the “that’s the way we do it” mentality for that unit!)

Answer 1

Ans) the nurse should produce a quick and safe harbor forms that she had completed before agreeing to take up the assignment.

- The safe harbor forms give the ways that the nurse may proceed her Nursing license from action by the board.

- According to the American nurses association 2009 a registered nurse has a professional responsibility to reject, accept, object in written form any patient assignment that is bound to put the nurse or the patient at risk for harms.

- The nurse should explain to the nurse supervisor in charge of the small town hospital of misconduct in signing out the narcotic drugs in excess to the patient and forging records of the controlled substance.

- The nurse supervisor will eventually consult the small town hospital attorney to prepare for the nurse's defense.