Question about wasting narcotics

This may seem like a simple set of questions, but I have to ask them anyway:

When wasting narcotics, there has to be a witness that is a licensed medical professional correct? Does the witness have to have the same license as the person wasting the medication? For example, can a RN waste narcotics in front of a respiratory therapist? The lowest licensed medical professional I can think of is an LPN? Do the narcotic wasting rules differ between states? Thanks for your time.
As far as I know, you can waste narcotics with an LPN or RN. I have never wasted narcs with RT. I've done it in CA and TX.

In my hospital, it just has to be another person who has the same access to the Pyxis as me, so if I was going to waste a tab of Percocet for example, an LPN could witness the waste. But if it was in IV Dilaudid, which at my hospital an LPN cannot push, then it would have to be another RN.

Quote from SweetseRNIn my hospital, it just has to be another person who has the same access to the Pyxis as me, so if I was going to waste a tab of Percocet for example, an LPN could witness the waste. But if it was in IV Dilaudid, which at my hospital an LPN cannot push, then it would have to be another RN.

Hospital policy.

I've just wasted with another RN usually, RT's are fewer and far between, just never thought of it.

I've wasted with RNs, LPNs, and an MD or two.(the MD case was for wasting topical cocaine solution, being used during bedside ENT procedure for stopping massive nose bleeds in a hem/onc patient . The MD applied the solution, thus signed the waste)

I always waste with another RN. We don't have LPNs in my ED, and MDs don't have access to the Pyxis. I never thought to waste with an RT...

i'm no expert but the rts don't give narcotics so i don't think they are allowed to waste.in my job, it is preferably an rn/lpn but lpn/lpn is okay if there is no rn around.

Good question. They have to have access to pyxis, and our RT's have access to pyxis. they are licensed medical professional....so who knows?i always just waste with another RN. I would say that only an RN can do it because we are TRAINED to waste. I.e. in nursing orientation, we went over how to waste. I know its pretty simple but someone may not watch you waste, or make sure you put it in the correct place. I don't think RT is trained for that. So my guess would be only an RN.

Quote from EndoscopyLPNSo this was hospital policy? Or is there some kind of state/federal guidelines for this?

today, 07:25 am updated today at 07:49 am by esme12 reason: to note all i could find for waste "regulations" was there are 2 "approved" signatures required. and the facility decides who is "approved". regulations for licensure are restricted to prescribing and and administering the narcotic.it depends on your facilities policy and procedures. it is the utmost importance that you follow your facilities policies to the letter. most facilities where i have worked they were wasted (always with a witness) in the sink, in the trash, on the ceiling, into thin air, on the walls (hence all the drip marks everywhere)......but i have worked facilities where there was a narcotic "return bin" in the pyxis machine itself where the unused narcotics were returned to and pharmacy wasted them. one place obviously had had an issue. the labled unused narcotic was placed in the bin under the patients name and how much given and pharmacy did the waste. the other the unused narcotic was returned to pyxis and witnessed as returned and pharmacy wasted.check with your facility.

In our ED we don't have LPNs and docs don't have pyxis access. I would imagine that I cannot waste with RT, but I'm not sure on that.We do have a pharmacist assigned to our unit (Pham. D.). I know she can clear narc discrepencies with us, restock narcs, count narcs, etc. Not sure if she can waste with us...I will have to ask her!