Prescribing out of Speciality?

Yes there are rules. In the states I have worked you cannot prescribe for yourself or family members.

I think there are also rules about prescribing out of specialty. Check your state BON. I wouldn't since I don't have training out of my specialty.

I know it is "looked down" to prescribe for friends or family. If you MUST, I would write up a HPI, PE, ect and have the patient sign it as well with included therapy options. This would somewhat legally protect you. Although the best scenario would be to not prescribe anything.

As far as out of speciality, depends on your BON, to my knowledge as long as you have EBP rational behind your clinical decision you should be good. However do not turn your patients into lab rats. Remember... Do no harm.

Personally, I'd tell HR to take a hike and mind their own business.

If I write a script for a co-worker in the OR, which I've done. I DO have a provider-pt relationship. I also document a PE, assessment and plan in my trusty IPAD (Drchrono).

Working in the OR, I have seen coworkers ask PAs, NPs, and surgeons for prescriptions. I am unaware of any board actions; however, several were contacted by HR. The reason? There is no professional relationship (provider-patient) between the person writing the prescription and the person requesting it. I would stay away from any situation that involves writing prescriptions for someone with whom you have a personal relationship or no provider-patient relationship.

So there are no specific laws banning this? I'm not talking about restricted drugs, scheduled 2s, etc - I just mean very simple things. For example, I have a brother who gets ear infections 5-6x per year because of the strange shape of his ear canal. When it happens, he is in so much pain he typically wants to start antibiotics immediately, so he goes to an urgent care. 3-4 hours and $100 later, he has his antibiotic prescription. I plan to be an NP, I'm not sure what type, but I just wanted to know if it would be okay to help him out with this once I graduate. Instead of being such a huge burden each time he gets an infection, I could call in his typical antibiotic and he could be on his way.

Obviously I would never feel comfortable writing a new prescription for someone without a relationship, but we're talking a family member with a well known history who uses the same medication each time it happens. Would it really be frowned upon/ lead to disciplinary action to do this for him once I'm an NP? And if I do become a PMHNP, would I be unable to do it because I'm in the psych field?

I'm really curious about this..

It depends on your state. In my state:

I would write a prescription for him after the normal PE etc.

You should probably document the exam and treatment to make the board happy.

If you are in the psych field, I think you would take a hit if you treated a patient with this complaint.

If you were an FNP, Adult or acute care NP, it would be fine.

Ok thanks - I will just not do it. Better safe than sorry.

North Carolina has just recently made it (officially) against the rules to write scheduled meds for family, those living in the same household as the prescriber, or the collaborating physician. I reckon they realize many of us have/will write scripts for the occasional blood pressure medication when a brother-in-law is here over the holidays and forgot his script at home, or a coworker has dysuria and dips her own urine to find leukocytes and nitrites. They've drawn the line at feeling pressured by family/friends/collaborating doc to write scheduled meds for those individuals and I think that's a good thing.