Ethics_Case_Study

First of all from the paragraph above it stated that Jerry is an office assistant. An office assistant can be any person off the street who knows how to answer a phone, schedule appointments, and file papers. Even if Jerry has had professional training as a medical assistant and as a LPN, if he is not credentialed and or certified through the facility that he works to treat patients; he is not authorized to give out any medical advice. His only job is to take a message and send it to someone who is authorized to make those decisions. Valium is considered to be a narcotic and it can only be prescribed or refilled by a practicing physician. Jerry can send the refill request to office most narcotics cannot be called in by a refill. The patient has to come in for a medical appointment to be assessed and then a determination is made. If the patient requested medication for high blood pressure then Jerry is still not authorized to give a refill. Every medical facility has a protocol on what happens when a patient calls in for medications. Most clerks are given certain questions to ask patients when they call. If the person in question was having signs and symptoms like, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, etc. Then they would have this person to immediately report to the emergency room. To answer the question, no, the type of medication would not make a difference. Also Jerry could try to schedule the person for a same day appointment or maybe speak to the pharmacist to see if he or she can give out courtesy refills of 2-3 pills until the patient is able to see a physician. Under respondent superior the employer is liable for the injuries caused by an employee who is working within the scope of his or her employment relationship. An employer is liable for harm done by the employee within the scope of employment, whether the act was accidental or reckless. Acting on the behalf of your employer you have to have confidence that you are doing the right thing. If Jerry calls in the refill and the patient has an adverse reaction while flying, then yes I do think that Jerry is protected from a law suit under the doctrine of respondent superior. One reason is because if there were no changes in the type or dosage of the medicine then possibly the patients could have a reaction to something other than the medication. Prescriptions have legal implications, as they may indicate that the prescriber takes responsibility for the clinical care of the patient and monitoring safety. My advice to Jerry would be to think twice before he reacts. If he has to think about it twice then it must not be the right thing to do. Doing nothing is sometimes better than doing something, depending on the situation. Legally by Jerry sending in the authorization to refill the medication he may possibly be committing a crime. If I were Jerry, I would inform the patient that he does not have the authority to prescribe medication but still take the message for the patient. By telling the patient the truth then the patient is not left thinking that their prescription was taken care of. Ethical issues pertain to questions of right or wrong. Practicing without proper license is a legal and an ethical issue that Jerry should be concerned with.