Official Nursing Blog

In a travel nursing career, R.N.s face new challenges in patient care that translate into a much wider range of medications, methods of administration, and unanticipated events on the job; this is why the 30-minute medication administration rule—set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)—draws both concern and criticism from nurses across the board. The rule mandates administering meds no more than 30 minutes before or after a certain time.

To date, major players in the healthcare arena have requested meetings with CMS to discuss the 30-minute rule and its threat to patient safety. Officials at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) were among the first; they conducted a survey that gathered nurses’ opinions about the rule, with many respondents citing dangerous examples of its impact on patient safety. Overall, nurses objected to the rule’s rigidity, stating hardships when the uniqueness of patients’ individual treatment plans, as well as being forced to rush in medication administration, came up during the course of a typical shift.

Medication nurses used to administer patient meds; fast forward to now, when its just one part of a primary nurse’s daily routine

Other groups requesting meetings with the CMS include the American Nurses Association (ANA), its health officials in agreement with nurses about what is unsafe and impractical in the 30-minute rule. ANA is among the fray in pointing out how the duties of primary nurses have grown to include multiple responsibilities over the decades, expecting that one nurse, assigned to each patient, is responsible for virtually all aspects of care—from patient assessments to careful coordination of care that includes safe and timely administration of medications.

Well-trained Registered Nurses Across America are Up to the Task!

Registered nurse jobs at 50 States Staffing represent a fraction of highly skilled and capable nursing staff across this great country. Members of our team receive high pay and  generous benefits package, working amidst low nurse-to-patient ratios. No matter what facility employs a qualified registered nurse, patients may rest assured he or she exhibits competency in all veins of nursing, including the knowledge and experience with medication to apply ideal timing in their administration.

Advocating a return to letting nursing staff use their best and most educated judgment in administering meds, rather than strictly adhere to the 30-minute rule, 50 States Staffing Clinical Coordinator Debbie Bacurin, R.N. says:

“Of course, there are medications that need to be kept on a time schedule and this should continue.  Since nurses have so much responsibility and knowledge about what is going on in their patients’ lives both in and out of the hospital, there is no reason for them to not have the ability to determine the best time for the patients’ medications to be given. These nurses are well aware of high risk patient groups, and their needs regarding meds as well.”

Health IT provides reasons for nurses to relax more about administering medications

Good news for travel nurses and permanent healthcare staff in medical and rehab facilities across America is this: billions of federal dollars are moving forward with electronic health records, which means bar codes will, in the projected future, promote medication administration safety. Nurses will be able to scan the medication, the patient’s ID, the provider, and affirm that everything checks out.

Pharmacists are also aware of the 30-minute rule and the challenges it presents, working with nurses to create better patient outcomes. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) in Bethesda, MD believes that nurses need adequate time to teach patients about their medications and answer family members’ questions. Ultimately, and this is unanimous among nurse advocacy groups, R.N.s require flexibility if they want to improve patient safety.

Flexibility being the buzz word in travel nurse careers, call 1-800-996-2206 or apply online today! Healthcare needs you, and so does its millions of patients!

Footnote: To read more about promoting patient safety in your travel nursing career, read “The Institute of Medicine’s To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System,” which talks about unsafe practice environments.