twistedsister057's Blog

What a beautiful child she was. Talk about melting your heart. I hope the proper punishment in inflicted on those who are responsible for this tragedy. God bless this family. Now she is a beautiful little angel.

Oh my gosh BSnow. You have me very concerned. Does this go for hospitals or are we talking pharmacies. How would one go about finding out the credentials of these techs. How can institutions get away with using techs instead of a pharmacist. Not to discredit you in any way because you sound like a very responsible and honest person, but I do not want to put my life in the hands of a non-licensed pharmacist. Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention.

Generally, intravenous solutions are prepared in hospitals and independent pharmacies servicing nursing homes etc... The reason hospitals can legally allow non-licensed personnel to perform such tasks is due to the lack of laws. I am a strong advocate of professional training for pharmacy technicians. In the past decade, colleges and technical schools have been offering such programs to provide technical training. The technicians that graduate with proper training are more capable of performing invasive duties such as assisting pharmacist with preparing intravenous solutions. As an educated and trained technician, you have the ability to understand medication dosage and should be able to easily recognize written instructions and know when to question a physician order that possibly could be incorrect. To answer your question about knowing the credentials of the pharmacy staff, you would not know unless you ask to speak to a Pharmacy Director or similar. One would only hope that hospitals would not risk allowing staff to take on such a responsibility without the proper credentials and on-the-job training. The good news is that more hospitals are requiring their current and newly hired techs to be certified. One solution that may alleviate mistakes that can be fatal would be to have a double check procedure by two licensed pharmacists similar to what some hospitals require their nurses to do

It makes me sick that we can not even trust our medical proffessionals. They are som afraid of law suits, wonder why do your damn job right and you wouldnt have to worry.God knows they get paid enough and again it is the dollar thats important not the person they are caring for.

i am a retail technician so i really cant speak on how iv drugs are done at the hospital but i will say that i am certified, but I personally have opted not to work in a hospital because of doing IV drugs.Alot of responsibilities are put on techs and pharmacist make a whole heck of alot more than us the least they could do is make sure we dont make mistakes!thats why they get paid all that money. I do agree however that techs do need more training than that test, i never went to any of the schools to get certified but im a smart person and i feel confident with my knowledge but some of these people go and and get certified and have no idea what they are doing. I really do kind of feel sorry for the pharmicist though because i'm sure he never meant to kill that little girl, but again i'm sure he probably trusted the tech mixed it right(his mistake)and now he is going to pay for being neglegent.That poor little girl and her family i'm so sorry for their lost, but him going to jail is not going to bring her back,i'm sure he's going to have to live with what he did for the rest of his life!

twistedsister - I agree with just about everything on this blog. But - in all fairness- doctors are afraid of lawsuits because we have a litigious society that sues everybody for everything nowadays! No wonder they're afraid to speak out about another dr. There is a big shortage of OB/GYN's in this country because over the past 20 years, they've been sued more than any specialty. I work at a hospital and they have a hard time finding and keeping a good OB/GYN because medical students are afraid to go into branch of medicine. So many people in this country are "sue crazy" , and it's gotten out of hand. I am not talking about this case in this regard. These parents have every right and reason for suing this individual!! I'm talking about lawsuits in general in the medical field.

The fact remains that when you are a licensed professional you take the responsibility for your actions! One dealing with such dangerous medications should NEVER take it for granted if any question of error is at stake! I know this pharmacist personally from a working relationship. It does not surprise me that he vacationed after this tragic event. I am sure his distress warranted him to lounge on a white sandy beach while Emily’s family was experiencing the worst event that could happen to a family. The bottom-line is we need legislation to control medical facilities and make them responsible and accountable for whom they impose this type of work. I am so upset about the situation it literally makes me feel ill! Although I do not know this family, I am a mother and would walk through fire for my children, how could any parent not feel their pain. One suggestion that I can make to anyone who visits a medical facility is to ask questions, demand answers, and take charge of the care they are receiving. Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals appreciate an educated patient. Know your healthcare facility, inquire in advance of the credentials of the people they employ, and if the basic standards are not met, look for a facility that meets your standards. Americans will not eat in a dirty restaurant where they can die from bacteria, sleep in a dirty hotel where they could be exposed to skin diseases, and demand customer service when spending their money. Healthcare is a business and we should choose our healthcare facilities just as we choose other establishments th

Read my response again - I said there are many cases, including this one, that warrant a lawsuit. But a lot of lawsuits are just people looking to make big bucks. And this is what makes medical professionals so leary. I am sorry for all of your medical problems and am not saying what that dr. did was right. Nor am I saying that this pharmacist should get off easy. On the contrary, he caused this little girl a horrible death and deserves to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. There is still a small amount of room on the other side of this argument though, that needs to be seen. Everything is not totally one-sided.

54ever, you are right! Mr. Cropp was negligent and criminal charges are appropriate. I have spent some time researching news articles about this tragedy. In one report, Mr. Cropp said the pharmacy computers were down, techs were backed-up, and that the day was just chaotic! I worked in a hospital pharmacy for over eight-years, I never experienced or had any problems working with a pharmacist without a computer and being over worked and stressed. If one cannot take charge in critical situations then they should not be in such a position. One also needs to remember that pharmacy technicians are not licensed and legally cannot be held accountable if a pharmacist is on duty. I am not a lawyer and really do not know all the laws pertaining to pharmacy technicians and legal responsibilities however, it has been stated that the tech did try to alert him of a potential error. Just think what would happen if a pilot panicked every time, he had an instrument or mechanical malfunction. This is when their professional training and judgment skills are displayed. A pilot/ pharmacist have a responsibility to take care of its passengers/patients and lead them to safety/healing. Mr. Cropp failed to put things into perspective and will now have to face the consequences.

Amen,... a possibility for the I-Team to fllow up on this one?