re: CMA (covering my ***): What to do if clinic nurse refuses to see a patient?
Thanks for the replies.
Unfortunately, the problem cannot be addressed by the pill call nurse because there just isn't any time. If assigned to pill call, we spend the first half of the shift pulling meds and the second half distributing meds/documenting MARs either at the window in the pill room or delivering to buildings around the campus (lockdown, psych, other units that can't leave their buildings to come to the main pill call room). This is why we refer to main medical any non-routine medical problem.
There have been times where I have referred a very serious case to the clinic, the nurse refused, and I saw the patient myself in the clinic. However, this ends in me staying past the end of my shift and a slap on the wrist by administration for unapproved overtime.
Also, on evening shift, there is no real charge nurse. There are usually two nurses in the clinic, and one is designated as the clinic "team leader". However, the nurse that is refusing to see patients is the team leader.
As an aside, the evening clinic nurse has no scheduled visits (no sick call, wound care, chronic care, etc). All of the scheduled patient visits are handled by day shift. Evening shift is there to see urgent/emergent walk-ins only, which makes it even more frustrating to have a referral refused.
As I mentioned, this problem has been reported numerous times (by myself and others) to administration, but nothing is being done about it. I just want to cover myself with documentation. I just hope that it's enough to document in the chart that I gave report to the clinic nurse, requested that the patient be seen immediately, and leave it alone.
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