Nurses expecting to do too much!

dishes, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2015

Considering the consequences to the patient if they do not receive DVT prophylaxis or beta blockers, bringing the missing medication to the physician's attention is the only safe and legal thing to do.

ArmaniX, MSN, APRN · Sep 13, 2015

It all falls along the lines of being a patient advocate. If you don't advocate for your patient to get that beta blocker.. then no, you're not a "good nurse".

maggiesulfate · Sep 13, 2015

I agree. At my hospital RNs have been asked to make sure the docs learn how to work our new computer system. I refuse to do any such thing. Who is there to watch over my shoulder to make sure I'm doing things right?

RNperdiem, RN · Sep 13, 2015

That line of thinking annoys me too. Luckily I work in a teaching hospital where this task often falls on the residents, and there is always a doctor present on the unit for all the big and small needs of our patients. Having once dealt with cross-covering docs and answering services, this can get time consuming for many nurses.

Sometimes a nurse had got to do the right thing, however annoying.

pixiestudent2 · Sep 13, 2015

I'm sorry what?

That is your job!

I thought you were going to say something like housekeeping task or receptionist stuff.

You are the last line of defense for your patient and I don't really get why you are so against it.

My mind is blown right now.

CosmoRN77 · Sep 13, 2015

Well then I guess this makes not such a good doctor either since it is HIS responsibility to cover ALL his basics and place all necessary orders right! Right! The problem when some nurses is they have no idea who is truly responsible and just do anything anyone says..

BrandonLPN, LPN · Sep 13, 2015

You shouldn't look at it as doing something for the physician. You're doing it for your patient.

If I have a post-op patient on bed rest with no DVT prophylaxis ordered it is 100% my duty, even as a LPN, to be alert of that and to bring it to the attention of the RN and/or physician. This is not me doing their job for them, it's me doing *my* job.

CosmoRN77 · Sep 13, 2015

I get what you are saying and I do intervein when I see necessary or if something isn't right but what if I were to miss it?? It's the physicians portion of responsibility ultimately and we as nurses have enough pressure as it is and this just adds more stress.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2015

You shouldn't look at it as doing something for the physician. You're doing it for your patient.
If I have a post-op patient on bed rest with no DVT prophylaxis ordered it is 100% my duty, even as a LPN, to be alert of that and to bring it to the attention of the RN and/or physician. This is not me doing their job for them, it's me doing *my* job.

Bravo.

BrandonLPN, LPN · Sep 13, 2015

I get what you are saying and I do intervein when I see necessary or if something isn't right but what if I were to miss it?? It's the physicians portion of responsibility ultimately and we as nurses have enough pressure as it is and this just adds more stress.

Well, people missing things is really the whole point of everyone on the team being accountable for such oversights.

If an adverse event happens do to the beta blocker or heparin or whatever not being ordered when it is clearly indicated, nursing won't be the only ones taking the fall.

If the physician in question is routinely forgetting such things, that should be addressed. But that's another matter entirely.

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2015

I get what you are saying and I do intervein when I see necessary or if something isn't right but what if I were to miss it?? It's the physicians portion of responsibility ultimately and we as nurses have enough pressure as it is and this just adds more stress.

If the doctor forgot it and you missed/ignored it, hopefully it would come back on both of you. We're all human and all part of the healthcare team; when a mistake is made by one person, hopefully another will be there to catch it. This is part of advancing beyond the "physician's handmaiden" stereotype; we are educated professionals and therefore expected to know and uphold certain standards of patient care and safety.