Unhygienic practices?

[worriedabouthygiene]

Is filling syringes at a receptionist's desk unhygienic? I went to a doctor's office today for a job interview and they gave me some "on the spot training" which was basically sit at the phone and answer it, and fill syringes between calls. Oh, and unwrapping bandages. They showed me how to fill the syringe and left me to it. I didn't have gloves or anything and I was handling the phone without washing my hands between syringe/phone times. And they had me unwrapping bandages and shoving them into big sandwich bags. The needles went into separate sandwich bags.

It was my first time handling a syringe and I'm pretty sure they gave all the people that were being "interviewed" this task.

Am I being paranoid or is there something sketchy about the doctor that runs this place?

I also searched reviews of her practice and the majority of her patients seem really dissatisfied. It also seems that she does this "training" sort of interview daily according to what I read.

I'm not going to post her name or practice or anything like that, I'm just worried that her practices could be considered health hazards.

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

Oh man, stories like this remind me of my first MA job. I worked in a clinic that gave conscious sedation for outpatient surgery. The MA responsible for meds would dump the liquid versed and whatever narcotic we were using (can't remember) into a tub, mix it up, and draw up a week's worth at a time. No individual labels on the syringes, just kept them in a big bag. Good times.

[Guinevere39]

[The MA responsible for meds would dump the liquid versed and whatever narcotic we were using (can't remember) into a tub, mix it up, and draw up a week's worth at a time.

[mariebailey, MSN, RN]

I assumed you were a nurse. Google the Board of Medicine in your state, look up their #, & share your experience.

[worriedabouthygiene]

I assumed you were a nurse. Google the Board of Medicine in your state, look up their #, & share your experience.

I'll be calling first thing Monday morning.

If someone bad were to learn of this crazy woman's interview process they could easily take a bottle filled with some awful stuff and start filling syringes with that instead of anesthetic since the area where it's done is completely unsupervised.

[Fiona59]

So, the "doctor" has one receptionist working for free as an interview?

Free labour!

Was this a cosmetic surgeon???

[worriedabouthygiene]

So, the "doctor" has one receptionist working for free as an interview?

Free labour!

Was this a cosmetic surgeon???

It was a dermatologist

[Luv2BAnurse]

I would have thought it was some sort of test. "Is she going to do this? Or not?" I would not have done it because I would not be the one to use the syringes, and I would have said that. Hopefully, by NOT doing it, I would have been offered the job!

[worriedabouthygiene]

I would have thought it was some sort of test. "Is she going to do this? Or not?" I would not have done it because I would not be the one to use the syringes, and I would have said that. Hopefully, by NOT doing it, I would have been offered the job!

She yelled at one of the other receptionists to show my how to do it and get me started on it. It was a bit awkward.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

Run...

So far as the syringes? I'm not so concerned. As long as it is a clean environment and the syringes are labled. I prefilled syringes at a flu clinic, we were only allowed to prefill ten at a time though.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Oh man, stories like this remind me of my first MA job. I worked in a clinic that gave conscious sedation for outpatient surgery. The MA responsible for meds would dump the liquid versed and whatever narcotic we were using (can't remember) into a tub, mix it up, and draw up a week's worth at a time. No individual labels on the syringes, just kept them in a big bag. Good times.

And THAT, my friends, is why MAs are NOT nurses, and don't have NEARLY the training that RNs have, even though many of them would like to think they do.

[Pets to People]

That reminds me of a vet that I once worked for who would have her assistants (high school students trained on the job that did a little of everything) stay late at least once per month to count all her meds and measure all the injectables because inventory in the computer was always off. Well that was because people would always use things, the vet being the biggest culprit, and not charge for them. Funny how I could never get anyone to understand this concept :/

Anyhow, I came in one night to help them and I noticed that the person who measured the injectables, as she had been instructed by the vet, would take a big 60cc syringe, pull the med out of the bottle, write down the amount and then do the same thing with the next bottle....using the same syringe!!!!! So dexamethasone was getting a little bit of valium, atropine was getting a little bit of epinephrine and something was getting a little bit of euthanasia solution!!! When I stopped the girl and tried to expain it to her she looked at me like I was crazy :/ This had been going on for months, so all the bottles were contaminated, but was the vet going to pony up the dough to have them all replaced? Naaaaa.

Needless to say that was not the only issue I had with this place and I did not stick around long, I'd rather be broke and unemployed because it's not worth it to participate in such unethical behavior. Racial comments, all previous vet techs had left before the one year mark, several pets dying within the clinic for preventable reasons, using expired vaccinations, a different employee fired atleast once a month, dogs getting lose and running out the door and down the four lane road and the list goes on, what a nightmare, gives me chills just remembering it.

[08RNGrad]

I did a clinical rotation at a same day facility, at the end of the day, the nurses would pre-fill lidocain for wheels they would use for IV starts. I see no problem with that, but these were RNs not MAs and it wasn't at the front desk.