The Case of High Blood Pressure

There would be no difference even with a case of high blood pressure. The patient may be in dire need of the drug but the best solution is to involve qualified personnel to do the prescription. It is only in politics where the end justifies the means. In medicine, the uncertainties involved are always dangerous hence practitioners are not allowed to use ‘any’ means. There is always a better solution to every medical problem, even emergencies. However, the need for a standing order to practice such duties can be considered (Fremgen, 2006). If the doctor decides to order Jerry to do the refill upon hearing the case, then he would have no choice but to succumb. Even if the patient daily relies on the medicine, it would be inappropriate for Jerry to do the refill because the law does not allow him.

Respondent superior

The doctrine of respondent superior can be applied in a case such as Jerry’s where a medical assistant is faced with a challenge and has decided to prescribe a drug to a patient. The doctrine makes Dr. William liable for any mistake done by his follower. It is believed that that all medical practitioners can only perform to some limit hence the higher level medical officers have a responsibility to supervise the activities of their seniors and the juniors should respond to that by following orders (Aristotle and Smith, 2006). Due to such standards, Jerry is a responsibility of his doctor. However, William can only take the responsibility when Jerry acts within his jurisdiction. Jerry is not allowed to prescribe any medicine therefore such a behavior will be considered as practicing medicine without a license which is unethical and illegal because it can expose the patient to danger.

Advice

My advice to him is to contact the doctor so as to know what to do. It does not necessarily mean that he must talk to Dr. Williams; he can refer the situation to other qualified medical officer in order to avoid falling into temptations that can cause him both his freedom and his license. Filling the prescription will mean a breach of the law which may also affect Dr. William. The patient mentioned that he got the prescription from the doctor because of the relation they had. Jerry should stay away from such vices to guard his career. He should not follow all that Dr. William does because the law may protect him but his conscience may not let him be at peace.

Issues in decision making

Jerry is in a decision dilemma is affected by laws regarding his scope (Fremgen, 2006). Different states for instance practice different laws. If he was in California where medical assistants are allowed to conduct examinations to patients and administer drugs, he would easily make a swift decision. However, such state laws only allow qualified medical officers to prescribe medicine. Jerry is also affected by the fact that he is an APN hence his work must always be supervised by a registered physician or nurse. Apart from the legal requirements, it is also unethical to perform duties that require higher medical responsibility when qualifications do not allow for it. Jerry might want to avoid mistakes of omission that could harm the patient who can decide to sue the entire institution.

Problem solving methods

Before making any ethical decision, one should identify the problem (Aristotle and Smith, 2006). Once the problem is identified, it will be easy to know the best decision to make in order to find a solution. Making a decision involves weighing alternative actions therefore it is also very important to list all the alternatives and choose the ethical ones in order of their effectiveness. There is a slight difference between ethics and laws; however, laws originate from ethics hence one should consider doing what is within the law when making decisions.

Conclusion

Even with the absence of the doctor, Jerry’s duties are still limited.The fact that he is the only one in the office does not mean he should take the position of Dr. Williams. He still remains the medical assistant.

References

Aristotle,., & Smith, J. A. (2006). Ethics. Teddington, Middlesex: Echo Library.

Fremgen, B. F. (2006). Medical law and ethics. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

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The Case of High Blood Pressure

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Introduction

Qualification