Homework answers / question archive / The potential ethical and legal implications for medical assistants are to carry out basic skills such as taking patients vitals, venipuncture, front desk duties, and running tests on urinalysis and using the centrifuge machine

The potential ethical and legal implications for medical assistants are to carry out basic skills such as taking patients vitals, venipuncture, front desk duties, and running tests on urinalysis and using the centrifuge machine

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The potential ethical and legal implications for medical assistants are to carry out basic skills such as taking patients vitals, venipuncture, front desk duties, and running tests on urinalysis and using the centrifuge machine.  Medical assistants are not considered licensed professionals and therefore are not allowed to prescribe medication of any sort to patients. They are not allowed to prescribe medications, authorize refills, or provide patients with medical advice (Chapman & Dower, 2015).  In this case scenario Stephanie the medical assistant prescribing medication is illegal no matter how proficient she is at her job.  Prescribing medication is acting outside of the scope of practice for a medical assistant.  Nurse Practitioners are allowed to prescribe medications, however prescribing medications under a physician without permission can lead to legal problems for a nurse practitioner.  This is a big risk to the practice and can place the medical director along with the physician at fault.  Non-licensed professionals working out of their scope can cause harm to patients and could also cause the practice to close. 

Strategies that would have to be implicated to prevent further episodes of illegal behavior, would be an investigation into the situation. The Medical Director would have to speak to Stephanie to find out why she prescribed medications to Mrs. Smith.  A meeting would also have to be held in office to ensure that staff understands their job duties and the consequences of workin outside of their scope.  Policies would have to be updated and accessible to staff so their wouldn’t be any misunderstanding on what is expected of each staff member.  There would also have to be very serious disciplinary action to anyone who violates the policies of the office no matter how long they have worked for the practice (DeNisco & Barker, 2015).  

 Some great leadership qualities that I would apply to ensure positive change would be leading by example.  I would always have an open door policy so staff would feel comfortable asking questions they didn’t understand.  I would make sure to always stress how important it is to practice under the scope of each persons title.  I would also provide information to each staff member educating them on their job description, job duties, and what is expected of them at work.  I would have to reiterate that the only staff that should give medical advice are the licensed professionals. Everyone would have to know the seriousness of their actions and how they can cause harm when policies aren’t respected. I would also make them aware of the punishment they could face as well as the problems they would cause for everyone else involved. 

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