can RN order another RN to bring medicine for a client prescribed by physician

Nurses Professionalism

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My question is can an Rn order newly hired Rn to call to pharmacy and ask medicine for a client which physician has prescribed

My question is can an Rn order newly hired Rn to call to pharmacy and ask medicine for a client which physician has prescribed.

Specializes in Critical Care.

I don't think that in general a nurse, doctor, anyone can "order" a nurse to do anything. Why wouldn't an RN be able to call pharmacy to request a medication ordered by a Physician?

Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

It's not clear if you are talking about a New Grad or newly hired experienced nurse - however a new grad would have to learn how to do these things. What do you mean by Order? Did this nurse specifically say "I order you to call the pharmacy for this med?" Was she in the middle of some task and asked the new nurse to follow through with the pharmacy." I would need to know about the specific situation to state an opinion. The nurses I work with work as a team. If one is super busy another might call the pharmacy, lab or physician to streamline patient care. I don't even order CNAs around. Please and thank you go a long way.

Hppy

Specializes in CCRN.

I don't know about "order", but depending on the situation, a nurse may be able to instruct another nurse to perform a task. This is mostly in situations where there is a charge nurse or nurse supervisor. When it comes to nurses that are equal to each other, they can't necessarily instruct one another, but they could certainly ask each other for help. It really depends on the exact situation.

Does the nurse supervise the nurse she is asking to do the calling? If a coworker, she would be asking her peer to help her out by calling for the med, she would not be "ordering" her peer to do anything.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

odd and vague question

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

I don't think how long someone has been working at a facility as an RN has an effect on whether one can call the pharmacy if a physician has already ordered something -- or is this a delegation issue?

Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

As others have said, I've called pharm etc to help my coworkers out and they have done the same for myself. Could you be a little more clear re your question. If the medication was already ordered by the MD, no harm in calling pharmacy for it.

Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

Now let's see if the OP comes back😉

Specializes in Pedi.

The physician has prescribed the medication. Another RN asked you to call the pharmacy to bring it. I don't see the problem.

Why doesn't the first RN just do it himself?

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