Leadership and Nursing Care Management, 5th edition, Elsevier-Saunders, 2013.
Read Chapters 3,13,14,15, and 16.
Cross-trained medical assistants are only capable of performing clinical and organizational tasks. As a result of the lack of prescriptive authority, Stephanie, the medical assistant, was practicing beyond the scope of her training. There is a violation of both federal and state laws (AAMA 2019). Patients should be treated with nonmaleficence by a medical assistant. Medical assistants are responsible for keeping patient records, collecting data, and collecting lab specimens in primary care settings. Based on both an ethical and legal perspective, Stephanie behaved outside her field of experience in the case study. Because Stephanie made a medical decision without having the appropriate medical or nursing experience to prescribe amoxicillin to Mrs. Smith, she committed immoral acts that may have resulted in unintended patient damage and maleficence. The nurse practitioner’s license was used to treat Mrs. Smith by Stephanie who impersonated a nurse practitioner, forged the APRN’s signature on the script, and abused her diagnostic and prescriptive powers. In the state of Illinois, Stephanie may be terminated or revoked for her actions, pay monetary penalties, spend time in prison, and be unable to work as a medical assistant (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, n.d.).
Nurse Practitioner
Medical Assistant Stephanie’s improper use of authoritarian power has now presented an ethical dilemma for the nurse practitioner. This would therefore constitute malpractice, with legal and ethical repercussions for the nurse practitioner. A nurse practitioner faces legal repercussions for not practicing justice in this case. She should discuss her concerns with her and decide how to handle the situation. It is unknown whether Stephanie knew about the danger she was putting the patient in and she has put the NP profession at risk. A nurse practitioner has an ethical obligation to assess the patient’s condition and choose the appropriate medication before deciding on drug treatment. Liability for negligent supervision is one of the legal consequences for the nurse practitioner (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, (n.d.)). When a nurse practitioner forges a prescription on their behalf, they are morally and legally responsible for informing the medical assistant. The NP may be sued for malpractice and/or negligence. The nurse practitioner’s treatment falls short because the patient was not assessed until he was prescribed amoxicillin. We don’t know if the patient needed amoxicillin. The patient was not harmed, according to the case report. If the patient was not harmed, the NP might be charged with neglect rather than malpractice.
Medical Director
It will be an ethical dilemma for the Medical Director to decide how to deal with the problems. Despite the fact that the patient was in danger, it’s not stated whether or not the situation impacted the patient. Stephanie’s medical assistance was not harmful, and the next question is whether it should be reported or handled in the clinic (Weiss, 2022). The Medical Director may be penalized for violating state and federal laws. In the event that a patient was injured or died, a lawsuit would be filed against the organization, the NP, and the Medical Assistant. It is possible that fraud charges are based on reimbursements for services that did not take place.
Practice
Medical assistants must be disciplined, such as termination and legal action, to avoid the recurrence of this incident. An unethical act could result in the practice being closed if a certain number of complaints are filed with the medical board. Furthermore, ethical issues arise regarding information disclosure and mandatory reporting, as well as patient safety implications. There is a sense of moral obligation associated with medicine prescriptions in this practice. To minimize medication errors and ensure the safety of patients, appropriate technologies should be used, such as prescribing software and electronic drug references.
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