Advancing Nurses Role

[paris2]

A patient was seen by the nursing practitioner, then by the doctor and then planed for surgery in 3 days time.

On arrival to the ward no pre-assessment was done.

I questioned the doctor as to why this patient was admitted without adeqately prepared by the NP.

He said that she does not have time.

This is because the NP is busy doing task that is normally done by the doctor hence it benefited the doctors.

I am all for nurses to advancing their role but not if it not benefited the patients.

I have written a stern letter to my lead nurse about this.

What dose others think about this.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

The work should have been done, any problems it would have left a space on the list for someone who has been waiting whilst the patient with problems is sorted. If the NP can't do her work because of doing doctors work then she either needs an assistant herself or another NP to help with the work load.

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

Paris, I don't understand if the NP saw the patient but didn't adequately pre-assess then what was the point of her seeing the patient at all.

All our elective in-patients are pre-assessed by a nurse practitioner, what did your NP actually do?

[karenG]

rather than write a 'stern letter', why did you not talk to the NP and ask her why she didnt adequately pre-assess the patient??

why does the patient see both an NP and doctor before being planned for surgery?

sorry- its a long time since i worked in hospital.. and not sure what is done at pre-assessment these days!

if its the NP's role to do the pre-assessment then she should have done it. she may have thought the doc would do it?

I'd talk to the NP. if someone I worked with wrote a letter to the lead nurse without talking to me first, I would be upset and more than a little miffed! particulary if I felt i was doing my job well!

Karen