Practice in AU

[link51411]

A good friend of mine (not in healthcare) recently visited me in the US from AU. He asked me what I did at the hospital and when I told him he thought I was a MD with the ability to use PRNs at my discretion, Titrate drips, and even to the point of doing my own assessments with a stethoscope. Is the practice in AU really that controlled or is my friend confused about nursing and MD roles?

ps. praying for everyone in AU in the line of flooding and trop storms.

[ceridwyn]

Just read your post again and trying to fix up my reply,,,,mmm MD's obviously he has only seen Doctors in clinics....if and RN did not titrate drips, use a stethescope and give out PRNs as necessary, our patients/clients/consumers would be getting below par care, who else would do it?

I am sure a medical resident or registrar or consultant, would have a good laugh at us if we asked them to organise an IV (many RN's that work on wards cannulate this is common and we take blood because after pathology is no longer on afterhours) or give a PRN to our patients. Or tell them they sound bad when our patients breathe.

We have EN RN NP and RM thats it. Other acronyms are NUM - nurse unit manager, ANUM- assistant nurse manager, CNS clincial nurse specialist - these nurses are usually on the ward and give assistance to new grads and students and other RNS that need education/support on whatever. then CNC - clincial nurse consultant - are not often assigned to a ward have post grad in their specialty. Can often work in the community as well as all RN's. An RN here can work in many of these areas without post grad. so experienced is really considered here.

I believe as an experienced RN in your area you develop a scope of practise and have much autonomy. RN's care, assess and advocate for their patients, so when they need medical help, assess, fix it if within scope of practise, get medical staff or NP or if needed.

NP work in their specialised field and use advanced skills prescribe and sometime refer to a doctor if it has gone beyond their scope of practise to treat.

I am a Clinical nurse consultant so I facilitate education to patients, clients, community facilitities, nursingl homes,students nurses, student doctors, doctors, students to my specialty, consultants all this with Bachelor of Nursing and post grad cert. in my specialty, nothing like having to have a masters in the US to do the same thing or is that a myth? Cannot prescribe though only suggest to a NP or doctor. I can get my masters in nurse practitioner and follow this career path if I want to.

So if this is having a narrow practise.....mmmm methinks your friend is believing myths.

We cannot become nurse anaethetists, legal advisors or anything like that though. thats left to med. profession and lawyers, though many nurses have careers in ethics and follow and research this on committees, etc., many have studied law and become advises to health facilities and nurses unions this way.

Now lsetga.

[talaxandra]

Hi dhellwege,

While there are certainly differences in practice here and in the US, I suspect it's far more likely your friend doesn't know much about nursing scope and responsibility in general. Certainly the examples you gave are an unremarkable part of my daily practice.

The sad reality is that people still have no idea what we do, apart from deliver bedpans, help feed people, administer meds and maybe check blood pressures. I've been nursing for over twenty years and - apart from my very ex-nurse mother - my family are still impressed when I can supply the name of a medication they're on but can't quite remember or pronounce ("It's meta, metro...?" "Metronidazole?" "OMG, how did you know that?").

[ceridwyn]

I thought it was going to be metopropolol!

[talaxandra]

Does prostrate cancer make you lie flat?!

The Flagyl was easy - I knew it was an anti going in and there's not much competition for met- beginning oral anti's!

[ceridwyn]

sorry I edited it, thinking I sounded daft. But yes prostrate problems give me a giggle everytime and broneekeel asthma also, he he he. I they say it with much authority :)

[link51411]

good to hear. I thought that this must be the case, that he was confused, expecially with a national health care plan it would be very expensive to have MDs doing the role of a RN. My wife and I are thinking about moving to AU after she and I finish our grad school here in the US and I was worried when I heard such things about the nursing practice there. thanks for clearing up

[talaxandra]

No worries :)