Unsupervised nursing

[lchat]

I work at a weight control clinic where the physician rarely comes in. He has written a standing order as to how to handle new and follow-up patient visits. It's similar to a flow chart. It's the RN's duty to look over the minimal medical history, provided by the new patient, to check for any red flags that would be a contraindicator for the weight program. If there are no red flags, the RN follows a flow chart, detailed by the MD, as to what diet medications should be given. Then when the patient returns for follow up visits, again the RN follows the flow chart for the correct meds to be dispensed. The meds are all pre-packaged. When the RN is not in the office, the receptionist (non-licensed) follows the orders, and hands the patient the correct pre-packaged meds. On many occasions, the MD has never seen the patient. Please enlighten me as to the correctness/non-correctness of this situation.

[bluesboyj]

I think you should check with your state BRN. It sounds like you're dispensing medicine with out a license. I believe you'll find only th MD or a pharmacist may give out the meds and the doctor should do physicals on all new patients if he doesn't use a NP. If something adverse should happen, I'm afraid you lose your RN license. To me this seems the same as a nurse going into the hospital pharmacy to get take home meds for patients after the pharmacy closes. Nursing supervisiors have done it in the past at small hospitals but it is ILLEGAL.

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