Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumLegal and Ethical Practice

A practical nurse (PN) working in a rehabilitation unit observes a colleague with an unsteady gait, slurred speech, and the odor of alcohol while preparing to administer a narcotic to a client. Arrange the following actions in the chronological order the PN should perform them. All options must be used.

  1. 1Intervene to stop the colleague from administering the medication.
  2. 2Escort the colleague away from the medication cart and client care area.
  3. 3Notify the nursing supervisor or unit manager about the objective observations.
  4. 4Complete a formal incident report detailing the objective findings and actions taken.

Answer

The correct sequence prioritizes immediate client safety, followed by removing the risk, notifying management, and finally documenting the event.
When dealing with an impaired colleague, the absolute first priority is client safety. The PN must intervene immediately to stop care delivery. Next, the colleague must be removed from the area to secure the environment. Third, management must be notified to take official administrative action. Finally, objective documentation is completed as a permanent legal record.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Ensure immediate client safety by stopping the medication administration.
The client is protected from a potentially dangerous medication error.
The core tenet of nursing practice is to do no harm; preventing an immediate physical threat to the client takes precedence over all other actions.
2
Remove the impaired colleague from the clinical area.
The colleague can no longer access medications or interact with clients.
This secures the environment and prevents the impaired nurse from attempting to provide care to other clients on the unit.
3
Report the situation to the nursing supervisor.
Facility leadership is activated to manage the impaired employee.
Supervisors have the authority to relieve the nurse of duty, arrange for mandatory testing, and ensure the unit remains adequately staffed.
4
Document the incident objectively.
A factual, legal record of the event is created.
Thorough documentation is legally and ethically required, but must wait until the immediate safety and administrative steps are successfully completed.

Key Concept

Reporting Impaired Practice and Prioritizing Client Safety
Rate this question

Topics

Legal and Ethical Practice

More questions from this topic