A nurse on the unit notices that a co-worker exhibits a pattern of behavior suggestive of drug abuse. What should the nurse do?
1. Report the situation to the unit charge nurse.
2. Send an anonymous letter to the director of nursing.
3. Let other co-workers know about the situation.
4. Report the situation, then let management take care of it.
Correct Answer: 1
Rationale 1: As a mandatory reporter, the nurse is required to report situations where co-workers are suspected of impairment, which includes alcohol/drug abuse as well as mental illness. The nurse should report the matter starting at the lowest possible level in the agency hierarchy. In this case, the charge nurse would be appropriate.
Rationale 2: The nurse should take responsibility for the report by being open about it, not making an anonymous report to the higher level of management.
Rationale 3: The nurse should obtain support from at least one other trustworthy person before filing the report. This doesn't mean telling the whole unit, which could be detrimental to both the nurse reporting the incident and the co-worker.
Rationale 4: After the report is made, the nurse should see the problem through, not assume that management will take care of the situation.
You might also like to view...
A nurse working with a middle-aged adult is concerned that the adult is not meeting developmental tasks associated with Erikson's theory. What question by the nurse is most appropriate?
a. Are there community organizations you would like to volunteer with? b. Do your children come to see you on a regular basis? c. Do you get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week? d. How do you feel about reading for a leisure time activity?
Morphine sulfate is the drug of choice for clients experiencing a cardiopulmonary emergency because it:
a. decreases both pain and anxiety b. is a vasodilator and a bronchodilator and provides pain relief c. relieves the severe pain usually associated with this type of emergency d. helps restore cardiovascular function
An older client with diabetes mellitus is more likely to experience hypoglycemic episodes if the client
A) develops a urinary tract infection. B) skips a meal. C) takes snacks between meals and at bedtime. D) administers fast-acting insulin such as lispro (Humalog) before eating a meal.
The nurse is caring for a 48-year-old patient who is intubated and on a ventilator following extensive abdominal surgery
Although the patient is responsive, the nurse is not able to read the patient's lips as the patient attempts to mouth the words. Which of the following assessment tools would be the most appropriate for the nurse to use when assessing the patient's pain level? (Select all that apply.) a. The FACES scale b. Pain IntensityScale c. The PQRST method d. The Visual Analogue Scale