Social and Professional Network
What are the legal issues pretaining to a Basic being the health care provider (nurse) at a summer camp in NYS
A summer camp came to me and asked me to be the health care provider (nurse) for the summer. They said that the state would allow this because they could not find a real nurse. I was wondering what the legal issues were for something like this. I know that the state said that they would allow it, but what if something happened. I would be administering meds that i wasnt trained on, but i would have been told that i could administer them. The meds would be over the counter drugs like asprin, calmine lotion, etc. in conjunction with the prescribed drugs that the campers bring to camp anyway. What are the ethics surrounding something like this. I am a little confused in a situation like this. can anyone shed some light on this for me?
Tags: NYS, drug, drugs, ethics, legal, meds, prescription, summer camp
Views: 90
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Skip Kirkwood on -
It is totally dependent on your state EMS rules.
As an EMT, you can't be a "nurse" because that is a protected professional title, and you don't hold the license.
For example, in NC, an EMT couldn't do this unless the medical director in that county had approved him, and authorized protocols for him to work under. If you administer meds that you're not trained on, you will likely be in violation of your state's scope of practice rules. You could use your license, AND if something were to go wrong, you would be at great risk for claims of negligence and gross negligence.
You and the camp operator really need to work together to make sure that you are on firm footing before you begin!
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Ivory on -
Thanks for the info. I ended up turning down the job yesterday. I was thinking on the same lines, i just wanted to be assured that i was thinking along the right lines of logic. Thanks for asuring me. The camp was willing to make certain accomodations, but i just wasnt sure if it was inline with my scope of practice. Thanks. I told them that they should really look for a nurse who is more qualified.
Skip Kirkwood said:It is totally dependent on your state EMS rules.
As an EMT, you can't be a "nurse" because that is a protected professional title, and you don't hold the license.
For example, in NC, an EMT couldn't do this unless the medical director in that county had approved him, and authorized protocols for him to work under. If you administer meds that you're not trained on, you will likely be in violation of your state's scope of practice rules. You could use your license, AND if something were to go wrong, you would be at great risk for claims of negligence and gross negligence.
You and the camp operator really need to work together to make sure that you are on firm footing before you begin!
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