Ethics Essay

The case study of Jerry McCall, one of many medical co-workers in Doctor William’s workplace, describes one of the many challenges that occur on a daily basis while employed in a doctor’s office. There are many levels of personnel present in an office that have an variety of different job duties and scopes of practice. Jerry was given a patient that was in require of a health professional prescribed refill on the medication that he is prohibited to issue without direct authorization in the physician. Unfortunately for Jerry he was covering a lunch break break plus the only one in the office at that time.

There are a variety of different honest decisions that Jerry is faced with through which we will cover below. Jerry’s medical schooling as a medical assistant is not packed with the release of any type of fill up of prescription medications without the documentation or way from the medical professional. The range of practice for a medical assistant includes performing “administrative and specific clinical duties under the path of doctor.

Administrative tasks may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical information, billing, and coding pertaining to insurance reasons. Clinical tasks may include currently taking and documenting vital symptoms and medical histories, preparing patients to get examination, taking blood, and giving medications while directed by simply physician” (Medical Assistant Task Description, 1997-2013). It is also stated in the case examine that Jerry is a Certified Practical Nurse, which is also simply to refill a prescription beneath the direction with the physician. Would it not make a difference in case the medication requested were intended for control of hypertension that the sufferer critically needs on a daily basis?

Presently there should not be a difference between what types of medications Jerry is asked to authorize to refill to get a patient. This type of duty is usually not part of the medical assistant’s scope of practice. You will discover other alternatives that Jerry can turn to to be able to problem-solve this example that will be talked about below.

If perhaps Jerry telephone calls in the refill and the individual has an adverse reaction when flying, is usually Jerry guarded from a lawsuit within the doctrine of respondent remarkable? The regle of respondent superior is a “legal regle most commonly used in tort, that holds an employer or main legally responsible for the wrongful acts of your employee or agent, in the event such serves occur inside the scope with the employment or perhaps agency” (Cornell University Regulation School, 2010). This is stating that the medical doctor is also liable and can be held accountable for the actions of Jerry. Jerry must practice within the opportunity of practice set intended for medical co-workers and inside his job description.

The physician could be held responsible by the individual and can have charges hard pressed on him based on this kind of doctrine. The advice I would have for Jerry should be to make sure he can looking at this case as if this were the governing board for medical assistants taking a look at the same issue. He should not make a decision that is above his job information and away of his scope of practice. This could cause serious problems leading to Jerry feasible losing his job. Jerry has a code of values that this individual needs to abide.

The patient’s safety should be what Jerry is concerned with. Major legal and ethical issues that might affect Jerry’s decision are extremely clear from this situation. If Jerry authorizes this pharmaceutical drug without the physician’s direction he could be practicing outside of his range as a medical assistant and definitely will lose not merely his work, but his license. Ethically, he is knowingly performing an illegal act and can be organised accountable for this in a court of law. Some problem-solving methods that could be helpful to help in making an ethical decision are intended for Jerry to examine his code of integrity.

This will inform Jerry that “the code of values of American Connection of Medical Assistants shall set forth concepts of moral and ethical conduct as they relate to the medical occupation and the particular practice of medical aiding, render service with complete respect pertaining to the pride of mankind, and uphold the honor and high concepts of the career and recognize its disciplines” (Fremgen, 2009, p. 328). Another honest way to problem-solve this matter it to merely call the physician to leave him understand this patient is in need of a refill which will needs to be known as in as soon as possible for the individual. This will place the responsibility back to the doctor where it should be.

Jerry will need to instruct the patient that permitting a fill up without the physician’s direction is usually against the law, and Jerry is going to notify the physician right away to make him aware of the patient’s requires. In conclusion, Jerry should stick to his code of values as a medical assistant and handle the prescription situation as any medical assistant should do within his scope of practice. Jerry should also take into account that any ethical decisions he makes can result in the physician this individual works internet marketing held given the task of Jerry’s activities. The tips for Jerry to phone the medical professional to make him aware of the patients needs would allow him to make the best ethical and legal decision available.

Like any working specialist, Jerry is usually held into a code of ethics that he had taken a promise to uphold, and should keep in mind this when dealing with the safety of any patient.

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