Co-worker hitting up the Dr.s for meds during shift?

fgoff · Sep 4, 2006

I too have seen this done. In the ER & on med/surg floors. It never use to bother me. Now I wonder where the paper trail is? The assessment & Dx that is required to be documented proir to treatment.. Couldn't the lack this get a MD (&/or hospital) in ... even when done with good intentions????

banditrn · Sep 4, 2006

I worked at one place where if someone called in sick and the shift was already short, staffing would tell that person they HAD to come in. One nurse was puking and pooping and was told to come in anyway.....she spent most of her shift in the bathroom.
Where I am now, there was a house supe who would ask what was wrong. Most times people answered automatically, then she would say "Why can't you work with that?"

Tazzi - been there, seen that!!:uhoh21: A co-worker called me to work for her one time - she had diarrhea, and the supervisor told her to put on a Depends and come to work. :madface:

babiesX2 · Sep 4, 2006

I have asked a Dr for an RX when I worked in the ER. The doc's were great and didnt mind.
I think the big question is...why are you EXPECTED to come in to work sick? Dont tell me no one else has felt the pressure to come in sick. I think it is rediculous that nurses should be expected to tend to the healthcare needs of others when, if we are sick, should be tending to our own.

Like I said, this is only the 2nd nurse I have known (outside of ER) to want the Dr. to look at them and give antibiotic Rx. This nurse wasn't expected to work sick. She has been at our hospital for less than a week so she is in orientation. Once our unit director came in around 8AM, she told her about the nursery policy regarding illness and had her clock out. Prior to the UD sending her home, the charge nurse wouldn't let her care for any of the babies. She was told to sit behind the desk so it is not like she was "made" to be there.

lovemyjob · Sep 4, 2006

Tazzi - been there, seen that!!:uhoh21: A co-worker called me to work for her one time - she had diarrhea, and the supervisor told her to put on a Depends and come to work.

That is totally against the law.... I have heard of this sort of thing too and I just cant imagine why we as hcw will encourage our pt's to take care of themselves, yet cant do the same for each other.

I think if there is an established relationship with a doc, asking for a script isnt a big issue. Like others say, if they dont feel comfortable, they will say no.

I had a HORRIBLE UTI a couple months back and was having a hard time getting an appt b/c I was fairly new to the area and had not established a FM doc. My coworkers were flabergasted that I had not just come up to the unit and gotten a script from one of our docs. The thought had never crossed my mind.....but next time I am in a bind like that, I will DEF consider it.

nicolel1182 · Sep 5, 2006

I don't see the problem if you know the Dr

RN2MSNasap · Sep 5, 2006

Heres the thing...a well baby nursery nurse should not come in if spiking a temp...actually no nurse should come in sick but we all do at one time or another...as far as asking for a script i cannot say that I havent done it once or twice in a pinch for abxs, but I always knew the docs well and vice versa..i do not make a habit of this because i think it puts the doc in an awkward position..and wow i cannot believe some of the above post with what supervision says... that is despicable..at my institution to my knowledge I have never heard of this ....in fact think when you call in sick due to the hippa law they arent allowed to inquire as to the nature of your illness..I can just go by my own experience in 18 years they have never asked me the nature of my illness i would just bring them the docs note when i came back to work.....It is also our policy that if someone goes home sick they have to go through the ER and be seen,,

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Sep 5, 2006

I've never understood how an employer can make it policy that an employee must go to the ER if leaving sick. That violates the employees privacy with her/his health information. It is also unnecessary for some chronic illnesses. I understand that employee health/infection control needs to know if something is going on...but there must be a better way.

I knew an RN who had flares of PTSD shortly after being sexually assaulted. Right after the assault she had to leave mid-shift one day. She had to go to the ER and go through a dog and pony show of trying to get excused to go home and preserve her privacy at the same time. What a crock. Only school children are treated this way.

HappyNurse2005, RN · Sep 5, 2006

It is also our policy that if someone goes home sick they have to go through the ER and be seen,,

i think that is a drain on ER services. I went home once, vomiting, tired, diarrhea. Nothing I had to go to the ER for, its just a bug. But by your facility's policy, i woul dhave had to pay my 100 dollar ER copay, plus drain teh ER services for a bug that i knew was just a bug.

seems a waste.

HappyNurse2005, RN · Sep 5, 2006

i wrote my post wihtout reading the above one first. guess im not hte only one who thinks this way

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 5, 2006

It is also our policy that if someone goes home sick they have to go through the ER and be seen,,

Wonder if they get some sort of info from the ER about what the findings are.

CritterLover, BSN, RN · Sep 5, 2006

wonder if they get some sort of info from the er about what the findings are.

not without violating privacy laws. had a patient in the er a while back who was trying to get out of work. 24 yo c/o of chest pain. actually, the "problem" was that one of the cnas had called in sick, leaving her unit short. so she was trying to leave them even shorter. was dx with pleuritic chest pain and told to go back to work. i even wrote it in her dc instructions, and did not give her a work excuse. however, she chose to go home anyway. there was no way i could tell the admin supervisor what her dx was or that she was told to return to work. (however, since she didn't get the work excuse, she will more than likely get disciplined anyway, unless she can get an excuse to cover her from her pmd). they can't legitimatly look up her info in her chart or in the computer unless she signs a release.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 5, 2006

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[color=#483d8b]they can't legitimatly look up her info in her chart or in the computer unless she signs a release.

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[color=#483d8b]yeah but doesn't mean they wouldn't which is why that er visit policy would make me suspicious.