RNs in doctor's office

[diosa78]

So, I went to a new doctor today based on some excellent reviews I read on him. I glanced at the tag of the young lady that roomed me and I thought it said RN. Then I met the doctor and he explained that he does not use MAs in his office due to their inability to triage, assess, educate, etc. that he sees as a requirement in the office, not just in a hospital. He said that he worked at a practice that used MAs and left because he did not believe they were qualified to work based on the lack of education/knowledge. So he opened his own practice, only hires RNs and feels much more confident and feels his money in well spent. Wow...I was very impressed. Anyone else been or heard of a practice like this one? I'm just so accustomed to only seeing UAPs in the office setting that it shocked me.

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

Moved to General Nursing.

I actually knew of a pediatrician that, like this doctor, left a group practice and opened a solo practice. He hired an all RN staff as they could do more to help him see patients much more efficiently as they could do the things you mentioned above.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Interesting and impressive.

I am thinking of how many RNs I have seen in offices in recent years.

There was a triage telephone nurse who worked with my OB-Gyn and I remember a lactation consultant at my pediatrician's office.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Yes, I have seen an increase in this as well. I see more openings for office RNs.

If you are someone who can figure out how to make yourself part of the practice, someone who can collaborate with the Docs. You do become something they gotta have. Think about it. You won't get this working in a hospital. Maybe office is really going to be where it's at soon. You just have to really insist on meeting and chatting with the docs at that practice to size them up and see if they want to work with you. FYI, you usually can tell pretty quickly by putting your nose in the air. I'd say "no" to the job if you were only to interview with some office manager and not the docs. You just gotta know how they feel about nurses. Unless you are very young and inexperienced in life, you are going to have a good idea once you get to talk to them - unless they have that split personality some have eg all smiley and pleasant with patients but wicked with staff.

[surgicalcap]

Most of the doctor offices in this area hire people off the street or MA's. They say they use them for the cost effectiveness. However, they complain about the constant calls they have to take that I know a qualified RN could help them with. I think that more and more doctor's offices will find that hiring RN's is a better cost savings in the long run.

Why is it that even though their name tag does not state Nurse, everyone calls them their nurse. Even the people themselves will do that. A friend of mine is an assistant to a doctor, she is great at her job. She does not really perform nurse duties, but everyone is always referring to her as his nurse. She says people look confused when she corrects them.

[Guest717236]

Yes, I was hired years ago for an office setting because the MD preferred

RNs. He also did some home visits to elders , and often I was sent out

to reassess and work with the family.

We are both in our 50's and remember when we were young our

doctors worked out of their home in many cases.

It was not a drive thru experience, your Dr. would take his time

to assess you. Not run by you with a laptop computer...

Things were sure different then before business took over decisions that

still should be made by medical/nursing personnel.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

I know certain specialty office such as Cardiology prefer to have RN's, but to be honest where I work we all do the same exact job: CMA, LPN, or RN. And yes the patients/families call us all nurses. I don't take it too seriously.. Some of the kids call me doctor instead of nurse, and to be honest I don't think most people know the difference.. To them the nurse is the one who spends the most time with them, give them their medications/injections, etc.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

you may think you all "do the same job" (and if you do, that tells me you are probably a cna or lpn), and it doesn't matter what other people call you. if someone calls a cna a nurse, and the cna lets that go uncorrected, then s/he is committing a crime. really. you can look it up in your state nurse practice act, easily acccessible online. it is illegal to hold yourself out as a nurse if you are not, and it is illegal to let others believe you are a nurse if you are not. it is also illegal to call yourself a physician, or allow others to think you are one without correction, if you are not.

if in the course of "doing the same job" you give wrong advice outside of your actual scope of practice, and something bad happens, there's a world of hurt waiting for ya. sounds like time for an office inservice to me.