[oramar]

The stuff that goes on is unbelievable. Medical assistants are doing everything these days. I can't help but wonder if mistakes are being made in large numbers and are being covered up. Everybody is so up in arms about mistakes being made in hospitals by LICENSED PERSONEL. One wonders what is going on with unlicensed personel in clinics and MDS offices. Remember that post I did about being given wrong prep for test by a tech. When I said something about it being med error the person tried to blow me off saying contrast was not a medication. It would have never even got written up if I had not insisted. Of course every single nurse on these boards knew it was a med error, with techs you don't know if they are playing dumb or if they really don't know.

[itsme]

I know this thread is old, but.... Yesterday I asked to speak to a nurse at the clinic, and "Margie" got on the phone. I was talking about different meds for GERD, and she said xanax. I asked her to speel it , which she did, then I asked what type of nurse she was, she said " Well I am doctor so&so's nurse" I asked specifically if she was an RN or LPN, she said well I am a MA, then she said that was the same as a nurse. I informed her I am a nurse and that they were not the same, then I had a nice little conversation with a real nurse, found out the answers to my questions, and proceeded to tell her that "Margie" said she is as nurse too. The actual nurse assured me that that would be taken care of as this isnt the first time they have ran into probs with Margie.

[itsme]

Oh, and I think she meant Zantac instead of xanax!!

[Chttynurs]

I'm an RN, the very first time I called in a prescription I asked the pharmacist on the other end of the line if they needed my full name and nursing license number. I was FLABBERGASTED when she told me, "You're an RN? We don't need your name, you're better than what we usually get!" She went on to say they get secretaries, medical assistants, etc calling in scripts. I was calling in NARCOTICS!! I couldn't believe it. All I could think was about how easy it would be for me to call in a narc prescription for ANYBODY if I were the type of person to do that!! I hated calling in prescriptions because of this. Didn't feel comfortable with it. Anyhow, the pharmacists here no longer take narc scripts over the phone (Thank goodness!), but you still don't have to be a nurse to call in the others. Still a mistake, I think. Hopefully this will change too!

[hogan4736]

I'm not sure how it could be changed...

Only if the pharmacy required an RN/LPN, and then verified her lic# w/ the nursing board the next business day before filling the rx...

Otherwise anyone can say she's a nurse...

[jemb]

I would put the responsibility on the physician/ facility rather than the pharmacy. (Ideally, it should be a cooperative effort, but in the chain of communication, the safeguards need to start where the presciption initiates.)

If a physician/ facility would require of whatever employee calls in the RX to spell out the name of the drug along with the directions, many problems could be avoided.

1) The physician would have to write or print legibly.

2) The person calling the RX would not risk misreading or mispronouncing a name. (i.e. Zantac would not become Xanax.)

3) Risk of mistakes due to variations in dialects/ accents would be minimized. (May be a regional issue, but definitely can create problems in my neck of the woods!)

When you are concerned about a particular facility's practice, send a certified or registered letter to the physician or administrator expessing your concern. Be polite. Cite specific examples of the reason for your concern, and request a reply by a specific (reasonable) date. Suggest what you think would improve the situation. (Use my suggestions above if you'd like.)

If you do not get a response from the facility, send a second letter, including a copy of your first letter, and CC a copy to your local media. Even if the newspaper or tv station doesn't do anything with the info, the facility may initiate change to avoid the risk of publicity.

[zambezi]

I also work part time at a clinic...the MAs call in RXs all the time, in fact, the clinic does not even have an RN that works there (other than me, and I only do clinical trials and am very part time and trying to leave). The MD has to write the RX and the MA calls it in. We have even had one of the MAs tell patient that DR. so and so would not prescribe them a narcotic due to their symptoms....(which may have been the case but it is not the MA that should decide this...esp since i later showed it to the Dr. and he did rx ty3....)

[Sekar]

Brace yourselves for this one folks. In North Carolina, MAs can do whatever the physican deems appropriate for them to do. They have no to minimal training, no regulatory boards, and frequently don't even have to meet the minimal certification requirements currently in place for CMAs. They can literally walk in off of the street with NO training and function as a medical assistant. In some clinics it is so bad that MAs run rampant without any apparant supervision. My wife worked in a place that tried to assign a MA as the "clinical supervisor" over a LPN and a RN. This is against the law in the State of NC but they wouldn't change the chain of supervision so she quit and reported to facility to the State. This was how the Physicians and Office Administrators in NC dealt with Nurses finally demanding and receiving semi-decent pay. The State BON has made it quit clear that MAs cannot supervise Nurses nor can they over ride a Nurse's authority. The battle still rages...

[Brownms46]

Calling the wrong med in and calling in RX for themselves isn't just a problem with unlicensed people. Nurses calls the wrong meds in, and call in RX for themselves or others also! I have worked with an excellent MA, and I would trust her, before I would trust some nurses I have worked with!

I feel RXs should be faxed with the MD's signature., and there should be some kind of control system, as to what has been faxed to the pharmacy, so things like this don't happen.

http://www.drl.state.wi.us/Regulatio...rd/nur1197.htm


The single most reason I have seen for nursing being disciplined by the board is for drugs.

Yes I do understand the problem, but let's not blame it all on unlicensed personnel calling in those RXs. I think there sholuld be more accountability for everyone in dealing with RXs . Just being the devils advocate here

[featherzRN]

At my clinic, the MA's call in 99% of the Rx's. They also will call and inform the patient of things the MD's want them to know ("Call Pt, he has anemia"), etc. This is in California. I'm under the impression that in this state MA's are allowed to do whatever the MD lets them do.

RN's do all the screening of pt messages, lab results and walk-ins, however.