Re: You'd be surprised (or maybe not)
Can a nurse "dispense" the drugs to a nurses aide who then "delivers" it to the patient? Wouldn't surprise me if some places are trying this out until someone takes it to court.
They don't have to take it to court. It's standard practice now. The floor RN is responsible for checking out the meds, and gives it to LPNs to deliver. I think that RNs are still supposed to start IVs but LPNs can inject into the installed line.
I spent about 4 years total in working in the operating room as an OR tech. This is the equivalent of a scrub nurse and equipment handler. No formal training. They just required a RN in the room to sign off on the paperwork. I also spent a couple years effectively running an electro-physiology lab for ophthalmology. It was easier to teach me the anatomy and physiology than it was to teach a nurse the electronics. I did the setup, tests, and initial analysis. I just needed a doctor to sign off on the results.
I am SO glad to be out of that environment.
