Can Someone else do a nurse's charting?

[karentou]

I've been a nurse for 20 years and just came across something at a new job that bothers me. one of the nurses has a broken arm and is in a cast. Management is keeping an extra MHT on staff when this nurse works. (MHT=mental health tech, not a nurse but like a nurse's aide). this "tech" is "assigned" to this nurse. she does the nurse's charting for her. I overheard the tech say "I'm getting pretty good at signing her name for her." I have lots of issues with this nurse even working with a broken arm (it is a psych hospital and not safe for the rest of us, among other things.) However, I feel the tech doing her charting is a legal issue. any thoughts on this?

[Dogen]

I'll pay any of you $5/hour to do my charting for me. If you can do a mental status exam I'll make it $10.

[Davey Do]

I'll pay any of you $5/hour to do my charting for me. If you can do a mental status exam I'll make it $10.

Hmmmm...

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Sure, the MHT can act as a scribe for the nurse...provided that the nurse him/herself reviews and signs off on the content.

It's when the MHT starts bragging about how well they sign the nurse's name that it becomes a problem.

[JazzyJane]

The note can be dictated to the aide and at the bottom it should say that it was a dictated note and who it was entered by, BUT that nurse still has to sign. (Or make some sort of mark to indicate her acceptance of the note as it was written). Even if it is typed than the RN has to hunt and peck out her password. For giving out your password is an offense that will get you immediately terminated.

[qaz99]

I' would have thought forging the nurse's signature would be risky. Imagine if a case went to court and they said to the nurse, "is this your signature on this document?", she can't lie, and her saying no would probably mean anything charted would be admissible.