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Essay Available:
Pages:
2 pages/β‰ˆ550 words
Sources:
3 Sources
Style:
APA
Subject:
Health, Medicine, Nursing
Type:
Coursework
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 11.66
Topic:

Ethical and Legal Implications for Medical Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, and Medical Director

Coursework Instructions:

Purpose:
The purpose of this discussion is to discuss organizational changes and ethical-legal influences in a clinical scenario at an out-patient family practice. Students will explore potential effects on patient outcomes and ethical and legal implications for members of the heath care team as a result of illegal behaviors. Students will develop strategies that result in prevention of untoward outcomes that result in a positive practice culture.
Activity Learning Outcomes:
Through this discussion, the student will demonstrate the ability to:
- Demonstrate effective leadership styles in the management of organizational change (CO3)
- Interpret various forms of ethical theories and application into practice (CO4)
- Discuss practice guidelines and malpractice prevention (CO2)
Preparing the Discussion
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.
Case Study Questions:
1. What are the potential ethical and legal implications for each of the following practice members?
Medical assistant
Nurse Practitioner
Medical Director
Practice
2. What strategies would you implement to prevent further episodes of potentially illegal behavior?
3. What leadership qualities would you apply to effect a positive change in the practice?β€― Be thinking about the culture of the practice.
4. A scholarly resource must be used for EACH discussion question each week.

Coursework Sample Content Preview:

Week 2: Organizational Change and Ethical-Legal Influences in Advanced Practice Nursing Case Study
Student's Name
College/University
Course
Professor's Name
Due Date
Ethical and Legal Implications
This scenario presents serious ethical and legal implications to the medical assistant, Stephanie. In an ethical context, Stephanie breached the patient's privacy by having Mrs. Smith's name written on the label and prescribing medication to her without proper authorization. Regarding legal implications, the medical assistant's actions indicate possibly forging the prescriber's name and having it on the label. Discovering such actions could lead to disciplinary actions, professional reputation damage, and legal consequences. The scenario also presents ethical and legal implications to the involved Nurse Practitioner (NP). The NP did not ethically observe the patient's safety as they do not remember discussing the patient with the medical assistant and prescribing the medicine a week ago. The NP may also be answerable for not supervising Stephanie efficiently. In legal implications, the NP may answer to any harm to the patient due to the medical assistant's actions and may lose their medical license and risk damaging reputation since an NP's primary commitment is to the patient's health (American Nurses Association, n.d.).
The scenario implicated the practice's medical director ethically and legally for the medical assistant's actions. The medical director is ethically required to adhere to the practice's ethical and legal standards. If the medical director did not offer appropriate oversight to Stephanie and knew of her actions, this implies promoting or abetting unethical behavior. The medical director is legally responsible for potential harm to the patient in the scenario and may be held accountable for allowing medical practice negligence. Some state regulations guiding NPs and medical assistants' scope of practice stipulate that medical directors should ascertain the medical prescriptions of NPs and medical assistants (Carnes et al., 2021). The general practice is ethically responsible for promoting patient safety and privacy. The practice seems to be negligent in training and supervising the staff. The practice is legally liable for adverse effects on the patient due to the prescription and medical negligence within its premises.
Strategies to Prevent Further Episodes of Potentially Illegal Behavior
Various strategies can help in preventing further episodes of possibly illegal behavior. Offering extensive education and training initiatives to all the members on patient privacy and confidentiality, the scope of practice, and ethical and legal issues could vent illegal behavior. It is vital to stress the significance of adhering to protocols and seeking authorization. Developing robust policies and procedure...
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