MD is wanting me to complete a state School physical forms

[Sweetbaby86, BSN, RN]

A patients mother called our office stating the patient had her well child exam last month and she had asked the doctor for a sports physical form during the office visit. The mother says the doctor told her to just call the office and it can be faxed to the school. Well, the problem is the school form was not completed by the doctor. the doctor sent me a message asking me to complete the school form and print it for her so she can sign it. I told her I do not feel comfortable completing this form as I did not see the patient or complete her physical exam. My question to all the nurses here is: is it within my scope to complete a state school physical form which includes answering questions about the patients physical exam and the patients medical history? My manager is very laissez faire and is typically not able to answer any of my questions or follow up with me on much of anything. Any input from other primary care or office nurses on this situation would be much appreciated.

[JKL33]

No.

The only thing for an RN to do with this form is put it in the provider's box so they can fill out the physical exam portion based on the exam they already did and sign it.

It's worth someone looking into whether you have a good scheduling/front desk process for determining whether a patient needs a sports physical along with their well child visit. These are so easy to do at the same time, but it all goes much more smoothly if they have the form and have their portion filled out prior to the exam, rather than oh-by-the-way at the end of the well-child visit.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I would fill in the stuff I know. Name, address, meds, sports, whatever. And send it back asking doc to fill her portion. 

[Sweetbaby86, BSN, RN]

Thank you for the feedback. I will talk with my manager about having our receptionists clarify with patients who are scheduled for well child checks at the front desk whether school physicals are needed when they check in.

[Emergent, RN]

You can always talk to the doctor with the form in front of you and ask him the questions that you don't know the answer to, and then ask him to sign it right then and there.

[kp2016]

I would personally print the form. Fill in all information that is in the chart and from the recent well child visit. Attach a flag sticker to any boxes where the information is not available and at the sign here box and place it in the providers To Do Box.

[JKL33]

My state's form includes a specific bunch of ROS questions which the patient is to fill out ahead of the visit so that it can be reviewed by the provider. These don't exactly match up with the ROS items in our EMR. Then there is the exam portion to be filled out by the provider, which usually, but not always, is a matter of ticking a bunch of "normal" boxes. 

As a provider I feel it is a poor use of an RN's time to try to go through and either match up and/or try to INFER whether the specific items on the form are normal or not compared to what was written in the visit note. The provider can easily do it in <60 seconds based on a very brief review of the visit note. 

I do appreciate RNs filling in stuff like the practice name/address/phone etc before putting in my box, but on forms based on an exam I've done they shouldn't have to guess how I would fill in the rest of the items. Besides, I would 100% rather have them answering patient calls and messages and working on prior auths and the dozens of other important things they would otherwise be doing.