The Ethical Dilemma of Medical Prescription - Essay Example

The LPN is under the supervision of an RN and therefore cannot dispense medication or prescriptions without the okay from the RN. In this situation, Jerry McCall does not know this patient and therefore does not know the dosage that the doctor has given him in the past. Also, the patient could be lying so McCall should look at the individual's chart before doing anything.

What Jerry should do in this situation is tell the patient that he will talk to the doctor about it and see what he can do. He cannot take the word of the patient that the doctor has given him Valium in the past. Jerry can tell the patient that the doctor is currently out, but he will page him and ask him about the prescription. It does not matter whether the patient needs medication for high blood pressure because the point is that the LPN must always have a doctor or an RN sign off on their work.

If Jerry were to call in the refill and something happens to the patient, he is not protected from a lawsuit because he went beyond his scope of practice if he calls in the medication. The doctor that he works for would be in the most trouble under the doctrine of respondent superior. In terms of ethical and legal issues, Jerry must first think about the oath of "no harm." If he were to prescribe the Valium, and something should happen to the patient or the medication should have an adverse effect, his boss would be the most liable in the situation.

However, Jerry has acted under his own will if he gives the medication and legally, he was not able to dispense this medication on his own, which means he could lose his license to practice. Depending on the state that the individual is practicing in, they may have more legal responsibilities in this case. Ethically, Jerry is bound by whatever training he had and the licensing in the state where she resides. He would need to fall back on his knowledge of his legal and ethical responsibilities according to what he was taught in his medical training.

However, Jerry is only working in the capacity of an office assistant. The case does not say that he is actively working as an LPN or medical assistant. Ethically, he cannot give medication in his capacity as an office assistant so there is no other dilemma that he must be concerned within the situation. The problem-solving methods that should be used are common sense. Jerry does not have anything to think about in the situation except that he is an office assistant. He should tell the patient that no one in the office can help him at this time and he will need to talk to the doctor directly. The patient should have planned instead of waiting until the last minute. He may or may not be a personal friend, which is of some concern to the situation.