Reference
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ( 2015).
Prescription drug physical examination
requirements.
Retrieved from:
Gregory, M. (2014). Researching the Scope of Practice for Medical Assistants. AAACN Viewpoint,
36(2), 13-14. Retrieved from:
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vid=22&sid=3636baec-ed5e-46eb-945c-b091728772b6%40sessionmgr4010
Robert Mathis
This situation clearly exhibits unethical and illegal behavior that not only jeopardizes patient
safety, but the clinics wellbeing. Upon further investigation, it is noted that Stephanie did not
consult a clinical provider regarding Mrs. Smith’s medical condition and her request for a
prescription. According to the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) (2017),
medical assistants are only authorized to call in prescription refills when directed by a medical
provider. With having an outstanding reputation and many years of experience, Stephanie would
most certainly recognize that this action as being illegal without the consent of a provider. In this
case, Stephanie’s actions would be deemed as unacceptable and unethical. With the uncertainty
of an underlying medical condition, Mrs. Smith would need to be thoroughly assessed to address
the possibility of a more serious medical condition. If this were the case, addressing this issue a
week later could have created more serious consequences and put the patients’ health at risk. In
addition to the patient safety concerns, Stephanie’s action put the nurse practitioner and the
overseeing physicians license at risk because their name is on the prescription. In this type of
event, the physician in charge of the primary care office must be notified of the incident and
disciplinary measures must be implemented. Furthermore, it would be suggested to determine if
events such as this one have occurred in the past and if so, those occurrences must also be
investigated. Considering Stephanie’s actions, the clinics policies and procedures should be
reviewed regarding a medical assistant’s ability to call in a prescription and may need to be
adjusted accordingly.
Robert, I agree that Stephanie should be questioned regarding any additional medications she
might have called in. An audit of the charts should be completed. If it is determined that
Stephanie has done this in the past and has been spoken to about not doing it, termination of
her position would be appropriate.
As mentioned in one of my earlier posts the first step in progressive discipline is the informal,
verbal reprimand. The manager arranges a brief, informal meeting with the employee in a
private setting to discuss the infraction or deficiency (Schub &Heering, 2016). Additionally, the
manager should try to understand all components of the situation that have prompted the need
for discipline. Questions that the manager should ask before conducting disciplinary action
include: exactly what unacceptable behavior was demonstrated? Was the employee aware of
the applicable policy/policies and the violation? Does he or she have a history of inappropriate
behaviors, or is this an isolated event? (Schub & Heering, 2016).
