I am new to allnurses.com and I was wondering how come you don't include Medical Assistants in any of your groupings?? I went to school for 18 months to get my honors degree and I have wanted to be a nurse all my life (eventually I will work my way up to RN). Your website was discovered by while trying to find a college in my area (Indianapolis) that has a LPN course that will accept my transferring credits (still haven't found one).
But if you could answer that question as to why MA's are not included it would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone knows of a college in the Indianapolis area that accepts credit transfers from Indiana Business College--Medical that would also be appreciated.
The only person that should be writing the scripts is the person signing the scripts.
I still tend to agree with Marie as above.
Yes, the doctor made the diagnosis. When I was "writing" these scripts, I worked in an allergy/asthma office. The majority of the patients were follow-up. I didn't do any assesing aside from obtaining vital signs, and was not involved in the diagnosis process. I simply wrote the scripts for the physician to sign off on. And, as I stated before, it's simply because the doctor's handwriting was abysmal. I wasn't prescribing, simply "transcribing" as on poster stated.
However, I understand about illegible handwriting.
On my job, we have some doctors who come to see our people and their handwriting is so bad, and I was having to "take" these orders off the chart and put them on the MAR. I knew if I made a mistake and didn't get it right, it would be my fault, I'd be written up for it. So every order that I had {and still have} ANY question about whatsoever, I put it right back in there on the doctor's desk with a note explaining why it wasn't done, so they can decipher it at next am clinic call. It finally got so bad, that now the doctor writes his order but the DON deciphers it and rewrites it again on another sheet. Both sheets are in the chart together. His order and hers as she rewrote it.
I will NOT be responsible for deciphering orders with illegible handwriting, making a mistake and taking the blame for it. There's too much at stake here......the patient's safety first of all, and secondly, but NOT least, my license.
So it is a problem when you have a doctor whith handwriting so illegible. I hope they are teaching the importance of better penmanship in medical school these days, but usually by the time a person gets to medical school their handwriting is set in stone.
We do have two physicians at my job that I have no trouble reading their handwrititing.
However, I understand about illegible handwriting.
On my job, we have some doctors who come to see our people and their handwriting is so bad, and I was having to "take" these orders off the chart and put them on the MAR. I knew if I made a mistake and didn't get it right, it would be my fault, I'd be written up for it. So every order that I had {and still have} ANY question about whatsoever, I put it right back in there on the doctor's desk with a note explaining why it wasn't done, so they can decipher it at next am clinic call. It finally got so bad, that now the doctor writes his order but the DON deciphers it and rewrites it again on another sheet. Both sheets are in the chart together. His order and hers as she rewrote it.
I will NOT be responsible for deciphering orders with illegible handwriting, making a mistake and taking the blame for it. There's too much at stake here......the patient's safety first of all, and secondly, but NOT least, my license.
So it is a problem when you have a doctor whith handwriting so illegible. I hope they are teaching the importance of better penmanship in medical school these days, but usually by the time a person gets to medical school their handwriting is set in stone.
We do have two physicians at my job that I have no trouble reading their handwrititing.
My hospital made a couple of our docs go to "Handwriting Class". It was better for a while but they are slacking again- very frustrating!
Having poor handwriting is no excuse. It is the doctor's responsibility to ensure he/she has legible handwriting. Several lawsuits back this up. No excuses.
Having poor handwriting is no excuse. It is the doctor's responsibility to ensure he/she has legible handwriting. Several lawsuits back this up. No excuses.
No offense, but it sounds like you may be working out of your scope of practice and you and the practice you are working for could get into big trouble! I am also a medical assistant. I agree that we are far more than office staff. I have found charting mistakes by doctors, found atrial fibs on patients while doing intakes ect... however...we are NOT aloud to write Rx's or even suggest them!!! (unless you count suggesting the doctor allows the patient to have a bunch of the exess free samples, of which medication he is already taking) I have written out RX for the doctor's to sign, only after the doctor told me to (like if a patient sends note asking for a written Rx for mail order...I copy what is in the patients chart on an RX pad and the doctor signs it)... but I do not prescribe them myself!!!! I am sure this is illegal in ALL states. Although Medical Assistants do a lot of the same things nurses do, they arn't in any form and shape a nurse, its illegal to say otherwise. Also, I should hope that you are not doing complete physicals....the patients are paying over $100 for the MD to do this, unless you meant that you take their weight, height, vision, vitals, hearing, write down their meds, chief complain ect....
Although I understand that you worked hard to become an MA (I have too, studied hard to become certified by the state) I know you could offend a lot of people here saying you so much like a nurse. I know that when I get my BSN and have been in school for four plus years (although it feels like its been that long already) I would also be offened if an MA compaired themselves to me. Like I said. We do a lot of the same things that nurses do, but that does not make us nurses, or even partial nurses.
Does it ever irritate you when patients refer to you as a nurse (OH please don't think i am knocking nurses; i just don't like being refered to as a nurse when i haven't even finished school, mostly out of my own frustration of "i want it now damnit!!!!! i dont want to wait anymore!!!")? I always find it flattering, but a little irrtating, especially when i correct them and explain i am still in school (some people just don't get it or want to hear that i am not a nurse!!!). some of the older ones, you know the pts in their 80s who don't seem to grasp that you're not a nurse, i just go with the flow. i have never said outright, "yes I am a nurse" I just stopped arguing with them when i have explained that i am a student, and also a medical assistant. The general public seem to have a hard time grasping the differences. I have also answered phone calls with "I'm not the nurse, just her assistant". there was one point where i wanted to tape record "I'm a Medical Assistant, not a nurse. I am going to nursing school" and just replaying it every time someone askes "are you the nurse?" I even got a few times "are you the nurse practitioner?" to which i would always say "no but thanks for the compliment, or i wish!!!" :lol2:
Well, I did alot of reading on the Indiana SBON and on the NCSBN web sites.
Altho the sites did not specifically....that I could FIND....define a nurse for sake of licensure......both sites repeatedly talked about .....RN's, APN's, LPN's or LVN's. Nowhere did either site even mention MA's, that I could find.
I live in Arkansas and I know for a fact that the ASBON defines a nurse as an RN, LPN, or APN and I mean it specifically defines nurse..........and it goes on to say that it is ILLEGAL to use any one of these titles in such a way as to make someone think they are an RN, APN or LPN, if the person does not hold the license.
I have read that definition on Arkansas' web site...it's in the Adobe format, so I don't know how to copy and paste it here for your viewing, but it's there.
I just think it is very interesting that the OP is doing things such as seeing his/her "own" patients and writing RX's on a quarter of a year of pharmacology training....that IS 3 months isn't it?, doing physicals, lancing abcesses and that IS a surgical procedure......oh, boy, I was born in Indiana, but I don't think I want to move there. When I give a doctor my hard earned money I want HIS diagnosis/opinion/reccomended/prescribed treatment.
Just went to the doc today......he has an LPN working for him, but in NO WAY does she do more than what her license says she can do. She takes my b/p, temp, writes down my complaint and HE makes the diagnosis.
I am amazed......you are right up there next to the doctor, and look how long it took you vs the physician to study all that medical and pharmacology.
Amazing.
And in response to this post by Lorraine.......I was at Walmart Pharmacy today to pick up my RX of
Cephalexin.
While I was standing there I observed something very unusual. They have these little counters back there in the pharmacy...there was one on the end of each aisle. I saw one of the workers....and she was NOT a pharmacist.....I've been there many times and I recognize the Pharmacists from the other staff......anyway this staff person was at this little end of aisle counter........she poured a liquid medication out of one bottle into another bottle, slapped a label on it, and turned around and handed it to the Pharmacist.
I was amazed at this. As an LPN I cannot even pour liquid from one bottle into another bottle of the same med.....that is dispensing.
Now to the pharmacy's credit......I did not actually observe the beginning of this sequence of events. MAYBE the Pharmacist got the med off the shelf, computed out the label, and gave it to the staff member to do the actual pouring.
I was feeling too bad to question anyone about this procedure.
The Pharm Tech can do this because of the Pharmacy Boards rules. Not the BON's rules. As does a CNA, they work under the license of the Pharmacist.
I am sorry to see you leave the site. I don't think anyone was trying to make you feel bad. They did however want to clarify the scope of your job and why you aren't considered a nurse. I'm sure you are a wonderful MA and they are a valuable asset to the medical community.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I am sorry to see you leave the site. I don't think anyone was trying to make you feel bad. They did however want to clarify the scope of your job and why you aren't considered a nurse. I'm sure you are a wonderful MA and they are a valuable asset to the medical community.
The original poster who started this thread has not had any activity on these forums since March 2006. Please be mindful of the age of the thread, since you might be reaching out to an OP who hasn't visited these forums in a very long time.
The original poster who started this thread has not had any activity on these forums since March 2006. Please be mindful of the age of the thread, since you might be reaching out to an OP who hasn't visited these forums in a very long time.
I thought this thread was new. I need to start looking at the dates.
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:lol2: 
LPN1974, LPN
879 Posts
I still tend to agree with Marie as above.
However, I understand about illegible handwriting.
On my job, we have some doctors who come to see our people and their handwriting is so bad, and I was having to "take" these orders off the chart and put them on the MAR. I knew if I made a mistake and didn't get it right, it would be my fault, I'd be written up for it. So every order that I had {and still have} ANY question about whatsoever, I put it right back in there on the doctor's desk with a note explaining why it wasn't done, so they can decipher it at next am clinic call. It finally got so bad, that now the doctor writes his order but the DON deciphers it and rewrites it again on another sheet. Both sheets are in the chart together. His order and hers as she rewrote it.
I will NOT be responsible for deciphering orders with illegible handwriting, making a mistake and taking the blame for it. There's too much at stake here......the patient's safety first of all, and secondly, but NOT least, my license.
So it is a problem when you have a doctor whith handwriting so illegible. I hope they are teaching the importance of better penmanship in medical school these days, but usually by the time a person gets to medical school their handwriting is set in stone.
We do have two physicians at my job that I have no trouble reading their handwrititing.