Office nursing = secretary

[sistasoul]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone else feels like a secretary more than a nurse working in an MD's office. Between chasing prior authorizations for procedures and meds and filling out forms it does not feel like nursing. Who else agrees.

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

yes i know, i do despise some of the paper chasing, but few non nursing could ans some of the clinical questions, maybe a seasoned medical assistant could.....every time we have to do these task, please remember it is facilitating clinical outcomes for a patient to gain access to the med and or proceedure....that is nursing....ins companies have thrown these pre authorization req etc as roadblocks to delay or prevent reimbursement, we facilitate removing or getting past these roadblocks, and getting the procedure or med they need....it will get worst, and was non existant in the 70-80s.....

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

Agreed. I was just whining with a coworker the other day that our jobs could be done by a secretary and an MA. Most of it is paperwork, referrals, screening patients before they see the doc, and a little bit of patient education every now and then.

I am looking forward to ETSing from active duty and getting back to a level of nursing that will challenge me again.