Should and do fnp's room their pt's

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jan 7, 2015

What's "demeaning" about greeting someone and beginning your assessment as you chat with them on the way to the room? You'll see gait, balance, hearing, sight, hygiene, appropriate dress, and social skills in a way you won't if someone else has "roomed" the patient and you see him for the first time seated on the exam table in a gown.

Perhaps increasing your interaction with the patients will increase their willingness to return more often, and refer their friends. Or they could pick up your negative vibes and generalize them to your whole office, or worse, to all ANPs. If they can't afford to hire another aide until your practice builds up enough to bring in more income, I say you smile, get over yourself, and pitch in, saying, "Willing to help with whatever needs doing if I have the time." (Not a choice in your poll, alas)

Libby1987 · Jan 7, 2015

Not a NP, but isn't that about how many patients an MD sees in a clinic day, on top of NP/PA oversight?

And every NP/PA I've seen had some kind of assistant room me but not always a nurse.

bugya90, ASN, BSN, LVN, RN · Jan 7, 2015

I'm a nurse in family practice. Our providers (2 MDs, 1 PA, 1 NP) all see at least 20 patients a day each. We have 3 nurses and 2 CMAs for the whole clinic so we have enough to staff to room patients for the providers. However on days we are short staffed the providers will be expected to help out and room their own patients. It's all about teamwork.

Side note I was not hired by the provider, they were not even involved in the interview. I was hired by my clinic manager and a provider was assigned to me. You should not be expecting to get to hire your own nurse unless you are paying their paycheck out if your own pocket. Hiring decisions are up to the facility that you work for.

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Jan 7, 2015

I have known plenty of N/P's and P/A's that room their own patients. Shoot sometimes the physicians room their own patients. I guess you have just been lucky at the other employers you have worked at before.

ozarkstumpjump · Jan 7, 2015

Good replies! I should not have use the word demeaning. I am making a comparison between physicians and NP's. Why should they automatically be assigned a nurse, tech, MA etcc... and we should not? Doesn't seem fair. I have roomed many a patient and helped when staff was few. Our clinic has the highest satisfaction rate out of all our clinics and having a nurse allows me to see 25-30 day and spend quality and well as quanity of time with them. Please let me know how you organization approaches this opportunity. Thanks

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · Jan 7, 2015

I have no problem rooming my own patients*, and do it on occasion when we are swamped at the clinic. I don't find it demeaning or anything like that, but I can't imagine I would be able to see nearly as many patients, if I had to do vitals/urines etc on everyone. Where I work, the RNs don't room patients, the MAs do. It seems like using an MA makes much better financial sense than having an APRN do all that on a regular basis.

But yeah, if someone is routinely seeing less than 12 patients in a full clinic day, then i'd imagine you have plenty of time to do your own vitals etc. That's only, like 3 patients every 2 hours. Plenty of time, even if you have complex cases. I'm usually scheduled for 3-4 patients an hour.

*I am "only" a student CNM though, not yet an actual APRN!

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jan 7, 2015

It is normal in the practices I worked in for the NP's to room their own until they had built up to seeing a certain number of patients. Of course we would all help them as needed in the interim.

scottaprn · Jan 7, 2015

I never found it below me to room my own patients. I work in a speciality practice for one surgeon.

If I am working independently for a whole day in clinic I will see 30-40 patients. I always have support staff (medical and/or radiologist tech). I usually room a handful of patients a day when they are caught up doing something just to keep the clinic moving.

As grntea pointed out by the time I finish rooming them I have a very complete ROS and HPI and can jump right into my physical exam.

I see more clinic patients than 1 physician in our group and he always has more clinic staff than I do. He would never room a patient on his own and waits for a tech to do it. Even seeing less patients he is constantly behind while I am close to schedule. I will take the efficiency of everyone (even me) pitching in. Wait times can kill your patient satisfaction scores as well.

Libby1987 · Jan 7, 2015

30-40 patients a day?

I'm going to hug my boss when I get back from vacation.

Jules A, MSN · Jan 8, 2015

I see more clinic patients than 1 physician in our group and he always has more clinic staff than I do. He would never room a patient on his own and waits for a tech to do it. Even seeing less patients he is constantly behind while I am close to schedule. I will take the efficiency of everyone (even me) pitching in. Wait times can kill your patient satisfaction scores as well.

Personally I'm not a fan of working twice as hard and with no support staff as compared to someone likely making 40% more than I do. Nursing, sigh.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Jan 8, 2015

Not an APRN, but as a pt/parent I've never been roomed by an APRN *or* an RN/LPN. It's always the MA. I don't see how it's demeaning though, although if you have a very full pt load I can see how you simply wouldn't have time for it

Should and do fnp's room their pt's

DO you room your own pt as an FNP