Doctors’ Office Nursing License Defense Attorney in Kansas and Missouri
Practicing nursing in a physician’s office can be very rewarding. Nurses practicing in a doctor’s office have the opportunity to get to know their patients well and address their individual needs. Like other nursing settings, practicing nursing in an office environment is also demanding and can place a premium on nurse’s time and attention. Inattentiveness and complacency, along with other shortcomings, can lead to ethical and code of conduct violations. Nurses working in the office environment must be wary of falling into those traps. However, Kansas and Missouri professional licensing attorney Danielle Sanger will use her vast experience representing nurses working in doctors offices to protect your rights and your ability to earn a living as a nurse.
What Are Some Of The Ethical Dilemmas Nurses In Doctors Offices Encounter?
Nurses must follow the ethical code of the profession and adhere to the nursing code of conduct for the state in which they practice. These two sources govern the nurse’s daily practice. While they are issued by separate legislative bodies, they are complimentary. Consequently, the following list of ethical and conduct issues is derived from the ethical code of the profession and the state rules of conduct. Some issues are:
- Properly obtaining informed consent. Obtaining and counseling a patient on informed consent falls squarely on the attending nurse. Failing to adequately advise a patient on the document’s significance and of the consequences of the procedure can lead to professional discipline;
- Nurses in doctor’s offices can get emotionally close to their patients. Nurses must be aware that they have an obligation to tell the truth to the patient about their condition, the medicine they take, and any other issue the patient wishes to address. Nurses cannot “soft sell” the situation to the patient simply because it is emotionally easier. Furthermore, nurses are obliged to make sure that the physician has also correctly and effectively communicated with the patient;
- Maintaining patient confidentiality is vital in the medical field. Failing to do so can result in a complaint alleging a violation of the rules of conduct which could lead to professional discipline;
- Ethically and professional dealing with colleagues and staff. Interpersonal conflicts happen in most workplaces, but conflict must be suppressed so that it does not compromise patient care; and
- Maintaining professional competence. Complacency can creep into practice in a doctor’s office because of the repetition of issues nurses face. The patients seeking treatment from the doctor assume, and rightfully so that the nurses treating them are qualified to do so are competent and are compliant with the state’s nursing code of conduct.
Best Practices To Help Avoid Or Resolve Ethical And Code Of Conduct Violations
The responsibility for ethical practice falls on all who are employed in the doctor’s office, from the head physician to the clerical staff. Therefore, the best practice is to use a team approach to guarding against professional misconduct. Some of the best practices are:
- Incorporating the nursing code of ethics into job descriptions and discussing ethical practice in interviews and performance reviews;
- Offer educational opportunities for nurses as a component of their employment. Doctor’s offices should be aware of time constraints and offer educational opportunities during regularly scheduled hours or as a requirement of employment;
- Foster a working environment where nurses, and other professionals, can address their concerns, redress wrongs, and seek advice in a non-judgmental environment; and
- Offer access to ethics experts and counseling if needed.
Where to Turn For Help
If you have fallen victim to claims of unethical conduct, call doctor’s office nursing license defense attorney Danielle Sanger today at 785-979-4353 (Kansas) or 816-520-8040 (Missouri) to schedule a consultation. Attorney Sanger has devoted her professional life to defending professional licensees who face discipline in Kansas and Missouri. Attorney Sanger has the reputation as a tireless advocate for nurses and other professional licensees. Let Sanger Law Office, LLC fight to your right to practice the profession you chose.