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

[babiesX2]

The other day, a new nurse in our dept. (well-baby nursery) came to work sick (elevated temp and sore throat). The charge nurse wouldn't tell her to go home (didn't want to hurt her feelings ). She said she was going to ask the Dr. to give her a Rx when she made rounds. I thought this was inappropriate, and I told her so. Our unit director came in later in the morning and sent her home.

Am I the only one who feels it is unprofessional to come to work sick and then hit up the docs for an exam and some meds?

[twotrees2]

As an APN, I am often asked for antibiotics, cough meds, etc.. However, like TiredMD - since I haven't established a pt/provider relationship, I decline.

good for this belief - it is as it should be. as others have pointed out - if its YOUR doc and you are working with him or her, and they happen to have an avaialable min - id say it would be ok ( i did have this once hppen - his nurse made a note to be entered in my chart when they got back to the office) - any other doc should not be prescribing anything as they do not know your history.

personally i dont even let my "specialists" run my medicaion regime - they recommend ( and i have only had one issue where the doc refused to order what the specialist wanted) ( withoutgood reason so i changed doctors) i am more comfortable that one doc does all my meds and the amount because he is the one who sees me all the time - the specialists i see have no trouble making recomendations and letting it go as they know when needed we will call and come back for questions if changed need tobe made or trouble with med comes up.except for the one i tried after my orignal doc who i had for 15 rs left town - i have never had a problem doing it this way. and i have found another great doc willing to work with the other docs( specialists ) consulting and conferring.

now for the docs and NPS out there- i do understand this causes extra work for you - it is much easier to get em in a room and say go see so and so and get on to the next - you are all very busy- however to me its important to not feel like i am pushed off ( as the one who came in place of my old doc said " the specialists now owns that part of you - like you had a knee done the surgeon owns it - you have arthritis - the rhumatologist owns that - sounds like beingh pure lazy to me) it may be extra time but to me that is what i look for a doc who will give me total care and wants to go the extra mile. i guess it also helps that i am in a small town where they can do that. i am sure there is even less time in the cities as its busy enough around here.

maybe its important to me cause i know i go the extra mile and i know it can be dione and i know it feels good to get that - besides if i have just about every specialist available the only thing i need GP for is a pap every yr and i can get that at another specialists lol.

[elthia]

I don't ask the doctor's I work with for scripts. I have had one offer to write me a script for zofran, only because I was at work with a migraine and had had my head in a trashcan puking my guts out. I declined on the grounds that I felt violated our doctor/nurse relationship. I am not his pt, and he does not know and does not need to know my extensive migraine hx. If I cannot control the vomiting with my prescribed meds, then I need to see my neuro or go to the ED, NOT hit some resident up for zofran.

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

I'm guilty, once in 3 years. I didn't know I was quite as sick as I was, got to work and got stuck being there, etc. You know, you get in the swing of your routine, look up and realize that you're probably gonna be staying home a day or two no matter what you do at this point, to top it off you've got the green snot and it's probably time for an antibiotic. Bleh. Oh yeah, and it's friday night, so if you see any doc it's either the one standing in front of ya or the E.R. So yeah, I asked but I spat out a quick history and how long it'd been since I had any antibiotics, and what my home meds are, all in about 30 seconds. Got my script.

And we're all wary (I hope we are) of handing out medical advice to people off the street, nursing -wise, yano? We give out that line "go see your doctor" all the time, or maybe we do tell family members what to do once in a while. It's very similar in terms of how this affects our licenses. I'll avoid giving out advice and doing treatments without either a nurse-patient relationship or a doctor's order... unless it's emergent... but if you think the person has your back and isn't going to report you to the board, it's tempting sometimes. I'm sure the docs feel the same way. They wouldn't be writing you scripts if they didn't think you'd respect their going out of their scope a little to do so, and kindly not report them.

Ok. /ramble off. Need coffee.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Since I work in the ER I sign in and then fit myself in if the need is dire. Luckily I get to do my own charges too, so I give myself a big discount for being such a great nurse to myself.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I have asked for prescriptions from doctors I work with in my hospital clinic. They may not be for heavy things, but if I do have a relationship with them, I have asked and don't think anything is wrong with it, because they have drawn labs, ordered Xrays and whatever was necessary before they write one up. Usually it is because my own doctor is off on weekends the same as I am. I try not to take off from work when I am not really sick like I used to in the past. They have filled out forms for my agency jobs, ordered PPDs, vaccines, etc.

I can equally accept if the doctor said "No" (it's his/her license and I can respect that). Many of the doctors have asked us to administer flu shots to them, other vaccines, EKGs, borrow our Litman stethescopes for the day (I don't do that, though-Littmans are too expensive to lose), and a vast array of things as well. Sometimes, one hand washes the other.

[anurseuk]

I trapped my finger in a car door and one of the cardiac surgeons offered to remove my nail.... ummm no thanks!

But it's a two sided thing as the docs and theatre staff will pop through when they've got ailments and ask us nurses for some paracetamol etc and a doc I have a good rapport with I would ask to have a look at relatives xrays if I needed them to... in a quite moment obviously.

In the UK our docs can't just write us prescriptions though; but they might say go get yourself this (drug) or something.

It is a respect thing and not to be abused but I think having that kind of trust and respect for each other can only be a good thing professionally i the end

[MzMouse]

My clinic has a policy prohibiting "hallway medicine" as they call approaching physicians for the script without an appointment. I personally see my primary doctor if I need a script or have a medical problem but I see coworkers do it.

My manager is the biggest offender. I have seen her get an x-ray or lab order from the surgeons and I know they have both written her scripts. My last NM was the same way. Yet we could be reprimanded for doing the same.