leaving clinic with Patients still in exam rooms?

[bethburlson]

The large Hospital I work at, I transferred to an eye/plastics clinic-in interview I was told I would work clinic hours-stay over a little once in a while/in reality a Dr stays over 3 times a week and sometimes till 9pm-I questioned this and the (non medical) manager told me just to leave when I'm ready (with Pts still in exam rooms)-the only one left in this clinic is the Dr and a resident (not even a front desk person). when I asked to talk to the head nurse-they would not let me (she works at a different site). These eye patients are not optical Pts and some are in bad shape. I feel this is unethical leaving Pts.

Can I have fellow Nurse feedback?

Thanks, Beth

[dishes, BSN, RN]

The rest of the staff and the manager recognize that the doctors can manage being alone in the clinic with patients, that's why they leave when they are ready, you should too.

[macawake, MSN]

Why do you think that it is unethical? I don't quite understand your concern. It's not as if you're leaving the patients with only the janitor left on the premises. (I'm not disparaging janitors, but they don't have medical training/license and can't assume responsibilty for a patient's medical care).

You're leaving the patients with a physician, aren't you? They are perfectly capable of taking care of patients. Unless your particular doc is a closet serial killer I'd say that your patients are in good hands

[pixiestudent2]

They are with 2 Doctors, you aren't leaving them alone. I think they'll manage

[BostonFNP, APRN]

Our clinic rule is that MAs can leave providers once the patients are room provided there are at least two providers in clinic. We never leave a single member of staff alone in clinic with patients for legal reasons.

[bethburlson]

We are leaving them in Exam rooms- what if the fall and bang their heads on a microscope? the residents dont even know how to handle a code (IE: where the crash carts are). These Pts have many other problems. I did work at a Peds Clinic here and I was " The Closer"!!! i had to wait till everybody was gone-including out of the waiting room and at least the Peds Pts have a parent with them--the elderly Ocular Plastics Pts are bad off and many alone-many also have Diabetes

Is this a great thing? leaving them alone in exam rooms (closed doors)? One elderly Pt said last time she was here-when she opened the exam door she was all alone and the place was empty (IE: she was forgotten about)

This is what I am up against-- it is unethical. Feedback please

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

We are leaving them in Exam rooms- what if the fall and bang their heads on a microscope? the residents dont even know how to handle a code (IE: where the crash carts are). These Pts have many other problems. I did work at a Peds Clinic here and I was " The Closer"!!! i had to wait till everybody was gone-including out of the waiting room and at least the Peds Pts have a parent with them--the elderly Ocular Plastics Pts are bad off and many alone-many also have Diabetes

Is this a great thing? leaving them alone in exam rooms (closed doors)? One elderly Pt said last time she was here-when she opened the exam door she was all alone and the place was empty (IE: she was forgotten about)

This is what I am up against-- it is unethical. Feedback please

Just how well hidden are your crash carts? You might need to have a bit more trust in the people you work with. Surely you are not the only one capable of making sure a patient isn't locked up in the building after everyone else leaves. I don't see anything in your concerns that two doctors couldn't handle.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

the residents dont even know how to handle a code (IE: where the crash carts are).

Medical residents should be as well prepared as you or the attendings to handle an emergency. I hope anyways...

[dishes, BSN, RN]

It seems you assume the patients are not competent to be left alone. Are they outpatients who live independent lives? If so, why do you assume they are not competent to be alone in an exam room.

[macawake, MSN]

We are leaving them in Exam rooms- what if the fall and bang their heads on a microscope? the residents dont even know how to handle a code (IE: where the crash carts are). These Pts have many other problems. I did work at a Peds Clinic here and I was " The Closer"!!! i had to wait till everybody was gone-including out of the waiting room and at least the Peds Pts have a parent with them--the elderly Ocular Plastics Pts are bad off and many alone-many also have Diabetes

Is this a great thing? leaving them alone in exam rooms (closed doors)? One elderly Pt said last time she was here-when she opened the exam door she was all alone and the place was empty (IE: she was forgotten about)

This is what I am up against-- it is unethical. Feedback please

In my opinion it would have been helpful if you'd have included all the relevant information in your OP instead of adding new information now.

Are you saying that the last staff on the premises (the physician and resident) actually locked the clinic up and left an elderly female patient behind? If this is the case your clinic has a serious problem, but the problem isn't that the staff closing the clinic are physicians but rather that they're not doing their job properly.

I'm not clear on what type of procedures/exams are done at your clinic? Why are the patients leaving/being discharged so late in the evening? Since you mentioned multiple patients in multiple rooms, I assume that they are stable enough to be left alone for short periods of time? Even if you were there you wouldn't constantly be 1:1 with every patient? Are the patients normally able to get home on their own or are they usually being picked up by someone like a friend or relative? (Elderly, frail, fresh procedure/eye problems?)

Regarding the crash carts, perhaps you or someone else could take a minute or two and show all the residents where the carts are located. In my opinion everyone who works in a medical facility should know where they're located. It's something I've always shown new hires (CNAs, nurses, residents or physicians) on their first day of work in all the places I've worked. Just like the location of the closest fire extinguisher, it's just one of those things that everyone should know.

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

Dude, the patients left their house where they presumably live independently, drove themselves to your clinic, parked, and propelled themselves into your clinic all under their own power. They also probably go to the pharmacy, the grocery store, and church without you there to make sure they don't fall.

Leave when you are done. The hours are the reason many of us clinic nurses take a pay cut to move into a clinic setting.

[bethburlson]

I don't knkw if it posted:

Why in all the Peds clinics there is a CLOSER?

The (non medical) manager could have made this real easy " have the off site charge nurse show up to one of the many meetings gs about this!! There was never a medical person at my meetings. And this is a GIANT teaching hospital