The Narc Count

    When a nurse takes the keys to the cart, that nurse is taking ownership of every person's care on that floor.  It is an incredible responsibility that is taken too lightly.  If it weren't for the 'counting of the narcs' there would be no ceremony to it all.  During the 'counting of the narcs' the nurse leaving reads out of the ledger how many pills each person has locked up in the narc drawer.  The on-coming nurse looks at the pills in the narc drawer while the other nurse counts them off.
     "Five for Amos"
     The other nurse replies, "Five".
     "Twenty-seven for Barde"
     The reply, "Twenty-seven"
     "Sixteen"
     "Sixteen"
     "Twenty-two"
     "Yes"
     "Thirty"
     "Yes"
     "Forty-six for Fredric"
     "Yup"
     "Ten"
     "Ten"
     This goes on for sometime, until the first nurse says something like, "Forty-five?"
     The nursing coming on duty then asks, "Forty-four?"  The nurse leaving will then begin to correct the ledger and explain that she had given Mr. So and So one of those Xanax at n o'clock and the count then resumes until all Narcotics are accounted for.  Some ceremony, right?
     Maybe we should be forced to do the count in our most solemn singing voice, in a sort of chant and reply singing ritual.  That would put some emphasis on it!  For the count is important, and without it how would we know who has to do the A&I that occurred during change of shift?
     And what will we do when computers really do become integrated into Nursing Homes?  There will be no need for a narc count at all?  Maybe we can hold a symbolic count, after all, we will have all the extra time left over that the count took up.  A better idea would be the on-coming nurse takes the Nightingale Pledge by witness of the off-going nurse.

     I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.

     

     That is, of course, only if we get rid of the narc count.