A nurse is concerned that a newly hired colleague is exhibiting signs of a substance abuse problem. What did the nurse observe to come to this conclusion?
Select all that apply.
1. The new nurse is always sucking on mints and has applied strong-smelling cologne.
2. The new nurse completes documentation and is prepared to give report at the end of the shift.
3. The new nurse has volunteered to give medications to patients.
4. The new nurse has displayed difficulty juggling his patient assignment and seems to be highly unorganized.
5. The narcotic count at the end of the shift is off; two doses of morphine sulfate are missing.
Correct Answer: 1, 3, 4, 5
Eating an excessive number of mints and wearing strong-smelling cologne can be used to mask odors of alcohol on the nurse's breath. Offering to give medications to patients is consistent with a substance use problem. Unorganized thinking and erratic behavior are consistent with a substance use problem. The narcotic count is off while this nurse is working; this is consistent with a nurse who uses narcotics from the hospital supply. Completing documentation and being prepared to give report at the end of the shift does not indicate a substance abuse problem.
You might also like to view...
A client approaches the nurse grimacing, talking in a whisper, and waving his arms. Which of the following actions best demonstrates the nurse's ability to develop a therapeutic relationship?
1. Greet the client by name to demonstrate caring. 2. Assist the client to leave the area to prevent distress to others. 3. Ignore the client to convey disapproval of the behavior. 4. Confront the client about the behavior to encourage insight.
The nursing staff is continually upset about inability to provide clients with supplies needed because third-party payers will not reimburse for those items. This is an example of which conflict antecedent?
1. Task interdependencies 2. Distancing 3. Role 4. Incompatible goals
The level of significance of the findings in a research study can be found in which section?
A) Discussion B) Introduction C) Methods D) Results
Documentation should include:
1. objective and subjective data. 2. observations made by other nursing staff. 3. information that is accurate and complete. 4. incidence reports.