Reference no: EM133982367

Question

You are a family nurse practitioner employed in a busy primary care office. The providers in the group include one physician and three nurse practitioners. The back office staff includes eight medical assistants who assist with patient care as well as filing, answering calls from patients, processing laboratory results and taking prescription renewal requests from patients and pharmacies. Stephanie, a medical assistant, has worked in the practice for 10 years and is very proficient at her job. She knows almost every patient in the practice, and has an excellent rapport with all of the providers.

Mrs. Smith was seen today in the office for an annual physical. Her last appointment was a year ago for the same reason. During this visit, Mrs. Smith brought an empty bottle of amoxicillin with her and asked if she could have a refill. You noted the patient's name on the label, and the date on the bottle was 1 week ago. You also noted your name printed on the label as the prescriber. The patient admitted that she called last week concerned about her cough and spoke to Stephanie. You do not recall having discussed this patient with Stephanie nor do the other providers in the practice.

1. Does the patient have a right to know that a non-licensed individual ordered the medication? Why or why not? What specific ethical principles are violated in this situation?

2. I would agree having standards and making sure staff understand is important. What other information would you want to know in order to fully understand the extent of the problem and to determine if this is truly an educational problem?

3. You mention the importance of communication. Would you have a conversation with Stephanie if you were to experience the situation and the MA used your prescriptive authority? Tell us why or why not.

4. Can you identify one action that the NP can take each day that would convey the leadership concepts you mentioned such as teamwork?