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Nurses General Nursing

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Hi,I'm still in nursing school and I have a few questions.I heard that nurse have to bill or some kind of office work and sometimes manage financial things in small clinic or office.Also sometimes work like medical assistant(put electrocardiograph on etc...) Is that true?? and one more. Nurses can advise patients about HIV/STD?Also can understand/read results of HIV/STD?? Any info will be appreciated. Thank you.

I'm wondering what their jobs/tasks are in clinic?? I took HIV and STD test at clinic before. A person who examined my body is nurse?? and a person who talk about result of those is a nurse?? Any info will be appriciated. Thank you.

Their role depends on what kind of a clinic it is, what their job title is, what their policies are, and who owns the clinic. Actually, now days there are starting to be very few actual licensed nurses working in many clinics. Medical Assistants are now allowed to do all kinds of things you never thought before - like give PPDs and vaccination injections, as well as client education. What you may think is a nurse may not be. I have recently noted a trend in clinic staff (and hospital staff) wearing nametags with first names only so that you are not sure unless you ask, what the title of the person is. And we've all seen non-nurses claiming that they are nurses, especially when told by their boss not to tell people that they aren't a nurse. Before you allow someone to physically examine you - I'd make sure that they were a nurse and had the authority of their license to do so. Many people think that if the person is wearing scrubs and doing something with them, that it is within that staff person's level of education and job title (the general public often sees everyone in scrubs as a "nurse", with said knowledge). I recommend that if it is not immediately apparent by a nametag or verbal introduction as to what that person's job title is - ASK BEFORE they do or say anything to you. They may have been instructed to educate you on something when in reality they themselves do not have the education to perform this duty but were merely handed a script to recite.

Specializes in IM/Critical Care/Cardiology.

When did CMA's become unable to give ppd's and immunizations. Part of their program includes pharm and injections. I am an LPN now but during my CMA years I worked in a pediatric environment and gave immunizations.

Just curious, maybe it's a state to state rule? I agree they are not "nurses", but curious how this came about?

Thank you for your reply.I was surprised. I didn't know that. MAs are allowed to do that?? That means they dont hire nurses at clinics like free clinics any more?? What's the difference between Medical administrative assistant and medical office assistant??Are they same??A lso I was confused about what community health workers do??A re they working in hospitals or clinics??If so, what they do there?? Are they simmilar to nurses?? By the way,nurses cant work inER wothout EMT certificate?? Any info will be appriciated. Thank you.

Specializes in IM/Critical Care/Cardiology.

When I went to Medical Assistant program,we learned alot of how to stuff, take blood, lab readouts on fairly easy specimens, ua,WBC w/diff. We could only let the patients know after the doc reviewed, signed off and asked us to inform patient.

In MA school we also learned the administrative side to a medical field. Dictation, accounting, medical records, some Medical Law Practice.

When I graduated from MA school, I ttok the Certification test and passed and I chose to work the clinical aspect of the MA scope. But as I said it could be differeent from state to state. You need to check with the Board of Nursing.

Do I think it's important that patients know who they are talking with, what background, etc. of course I do. It is the patient's right to know.

community Health or Public Health Nurses are much more highly educated than the MA. And the same goes for school nurses. Medical Assistants are often found working in a clinical setting or in the medical office doing administrative work.

I hope this answers your question. It's ok to ask, I've been asked what my "title" is as an LPN many times. I'm always happy to let them know as I worked very hard to achieve the license I cherish, and I work within my scope of practice and help co-workers, it just makes a smoother team approach to analready stressful occupation.

I've never worked in an ER setting so I can't answer that question for you. Anybody else?

I thought this question sounded familiar, already been asked by the same person.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/questions-231561.html

Specializes in IM/Critical Care/Cardiology.
I thought this question sounded familiar, already been asked by the same person.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/questions-231561.html

Thanks for pointing that out Taz, like I said on the new thread about repeat questions in allnurses and threads, I am notorius for not realizing this!

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Threads merged.

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