Final answer:
Nurses in a long-term care facility may face disciplinary action for not securing narcotic medications and failing to count them as per the institution's policies.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a long-term care facility, nurses are responsible for strict adherence to policies and procedures surrounding the handling and administration of narcotic medications.
Failing to keep these medications in a secure location, along with neglecting the protocol of counting the medications before and after each shift, can lead to severe disciplinary action against the nursing staff.
Such lapses in protocol can not only put patients at risk, as seen in cases where healthcare workers with addiction issues have put patients in jeopardy, but also compromise the nurses' professional standing and the safety of the workplace.
Ensuring that medications are managed correctly is a foundational requirement in healthcare settings. It's a safeguard against potential abuse, errors in dosage, and protects patients from harm.
Should an investigation determine that nurses knowingly neglected these essential duties, they could face consequences ranging from reprimands to the loss of their nursing licenses, depending on the severity of the oversight and its outcomes.