[DutchgirlRN]

Originally Posted by rgroyer1RNBSN

it was good the ER chief chewed his butt good about not acting quicker with that patient and being nasty to his nurses and that he is definately going to see he gets his privelages at this hospital revoked!

We have a couple of docs like that and it really burns my a** and that's a big job!

[sharona97]

Originally Posted by rgroyer1RNBSN

Thats the thing this office didnt have an LPN or RN, just one MA, 1 receptionist, and 1 doc, this doc is notorious for acting like this hes cheap, he also sends pts over for shots of any narc, and he gives them any meds they want, the other day I had a guy bring his wife in, I was triage, well she had this same doc, and she had overdosed because of poly pharmacy, he had her on Roxanol, Valium, Xanax, meperidine, and hydrocodone, we had to pump her and give her narcan and romazicon out the wazoo, and tube her its rediculous he does this all the time. And about my critical patient his wife asked the receptionist to get the nurse (MA) or doc, and she told her that the nurse had already triaged him accordingly and he would be fine, well I cant say anymore about this but if I were them Id sue the pants off that doc. And yes I got a reply from the doc over his MA, hes not going to do anything to her, not even a warning because she has been there for along time and none of us ER nurses know what were talking about, thats exactley what he told me, although it was good the ER chief chewed his butt good about not acting quicker with that patient and being nasty to his nurses and that he is definately going to see he gets his privelages at this hospital revoked!

That's when you get the medical board involved. Sounds like this doc doesn't get it. I'm wondering if the doc searched the body for a decent vein, most office crash carts don't have much, maybe an 18ga, another point is that there is a defeninitive line behind medical receptionists and persons hired off the street to fill this position.

If the wife asked (again) for the "nurse", the "nurse" should have been there. It's pretty obvious to me that she didn't get it either. But i won't go there.

I started as a medical receptionist (with schooling for this), CMA, LPN, and currently working on my RN. I hear ya. It makes me feel terrible for this patient as you said he was pretty bad when you got him.

As an LPN I had a HHC nurse call me about a CHF'r and told her to call 911 and get him to the hospital. At 7pm as I was leaving there he was sitting in our waiting room. I wheeled him into the ER myself per W/C. Called the agency the next am and reported the pt had expired. I was fit to be tied. Then I went to management, for liabilities sake, and to ensure this didn't happen again.

The CMA has a board, but who knows if this person is certified. I'd still call. I think revoking hospital priveleges is the best last resort in helping save future lives of patients.

I live in MN and no way- no how could we start IV's. Period. Don't Know where this all took place but during codes MD's got to work, but with one doc and one nurse who knows with intubation and a line. Sad, sad situation. There's always one bad apple that takes the cake for stuff like this. Thank you for saving this man's life.

[valkyria]

JeanBean,

You are right. I work at a huge university based medical center and one of the areas I have tried, to round out my resume, was the outpatient center. There was no dilineation of job descriptions or skills needed or anything. And even though there were some ladies there that were very nice people and moderately good workers, it eventually got to me that they were being referred to as "nurses" when they were not. There were 5 nurses, including me,3 college grads and one diploma nurse who graduated from a program who does not exist anymore.
I worked hard to get my BSN and I do not have a problem with all the different levels of entry there are to the career but I should have gotten more responsibility and more money, (they go together). Unfortunately, the organization did not see it that way, experience was the ruler that we are all measured by.
I am in research now and I am happy. But eventually, there has to be a bottom line. I understand that the state of Florida has been trying to make one entry level requirement, BSN. But so far, no luck. Well, I suppose the bottom line is the profession has to grow and change and adapt. That is the only constant in a nurses career, change.

[PoeticDyme]

Originally Posted by JeanthePHN

Now these posts are old but here is my 2 cents....I foolishly went in nursing in 1980 because, at 20 years old, I did not have much career choices. Girls who grew up in the 60's and 70's did not become rocket scientists. The hospital school of nursing closed in 1976. The local voke-tech LPN school was closing--it never did though. All girls who wanted to be nurses had to go to the 4 yr college. There was no 2 year community college nursing degree at the community college then. I did not want to work as a hospital nurse. Even naive as I was, I knew that hospital work was a pink collar ghetto and I always hoped to work in an office. Today, 20 years later, this RN with a BSN is applying for jobs as a medical assistant because RN's are not being hired in doctor's offices/clinics here in Massachusetts. Nursing school did not support ambulatory out-patient nursing. Now a days, some nurising schools are putting community health students in schools for a taste of school nursing, but have you ever seen a college put a nursing student in a doctors office or clinic? As a public health nurse I did have students because I pushed for it at work, but generally across America nursing school ignores that field. So, why would someone spend 12 months in a medical assistant school instead of going toRN or LPN school? Medical assistant are replacing LPN/RN because they are cheaper but they are the only trained health care worker that specializes in out-patient/ambulatory care.The salaries, at least here in Mass are not that much different if you compared a office nurse to an office MA. I wish I could of had the chance to go to MA school. I would of been happier because I would have had a career that did not cost 4 years, a 15 plus year school loan to repay, and more job opportunities.

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If all you want to do is lead them to their rooms & take their blood pressure before the doc comes in, then yea, maybe you should've been an MA. Clinics DO hire RNs, usually BSNs, as pt educators, case managers, triage nurses, etc. It's all about what exactly you are trying to do though. If you're a blood draw kind of gal, then by all means....

[PoeticDyme]

Originally Posted by chili2641

If a medical assistant has the same amount of education as a nurse then what is the problem?

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Nursing assistant

Well first off, they are not taught nursing *philosophy* which is what makes a nurse a nurse to freakin begin with!!!!!!!
Medical assistant = task oriented.
Nurse = care oriented.

HUGE difference IMO. Nursing is a calling, Medical assisting is a doggone job.

[PoeticDyme]

Originally Posted by Clays02

I really cannot STAND when MA's call themselves nurses. I always say to them, "Oh, you're a registered nurse?" and the reply is always, "Well, no, I'm an MA." Nursing is an art, science, and philosophy and so much more multi-dimensional than being a Medical Assistant. I worked as a medical assistant for a very short time while I was in nursing school and I always corrected patients and my coworkers when they were referred to as nurses. I could go on and on about this. It's really aggravating to me. I worked so hard to make it through nursing school with very good grades (successfully) and pass my boards. People who don't go through this educational process don't deserve to call themselves a nurse. Alright...I'll get off my soapbox now.

PREEEAAACCCCHHHH!!!!!!!