Physician assistants

[piglet8]

With regards nurses interpreting ECGs, I've never seen a nurse do this and it doesn't sound like a nurse's role. The majority of nurses I work with don't even perform the test

nurses are trained to record nd interpret ECG but not in order to diagnose more to be able to identify normal and abnormal PQRST waves such as sinus tachy and bradycardia, Supraventricular Tachycardia and AF etc so that you can bleep the doc should need be.

ps on a seperate note, i agree with that if a nurse want to have more diagnostic input they should retrain just the same as if a doc suddenly wanted to nurse, or the cleaner be a plummer.... hence me applying to medschool rather than going down the nurse practitioner route

[Dee41]

We are taught how to to ECGs as students but unless you work in CCU or other critical care areas are not brilliant at interpreting them and so it gets left to the doctors to do so. I guess with anything unless you do them regularly you lose the skill!

[elz]

i agrree with noodles many people are nurses coz they couldnt get into medicine. u say they could go for grad entry, but thats even more competitive then non grad entry so if they cant get in they cant get in. there were nurses on my access to medicine course who still didnt get into med school. i dont get what ur saying about HCA's either. im an HCA an im TRYING to get into medschool, but its not as easy as i want to go and so thats it im in. is it?

i work in maternity and theyr getting HCA's to do midwife visits to peoples homes following the birth of their babies. its getting an hca to do the same job for less money. and i dont agree with it, i wouldnt be pleased to be a new mother and know that it was someone who wasnt even properly trainned coming to see me. i guess its the same with doctors and physicians, theyr wanting someone to do similar job but for less money and theyr not as well trainned. i dont think its a great idea, but i guess someones gonna be doing the job.

[Gizmo says -]

i read ecgs and i'm an hca....
wats the big deal, macca?

just get a book form the med library and wurk it out from furst principles, nd ask other staff if you ave questions.

more than i've ever learned about them on this medicine course, i wuld add.

[Muffin2]

Well i know plenty of nurses who wanted to be nurses, not doctors. If you want something bad enough you will stick at it. Its an insult to nurses to say they wanted to be doctors but couldn't get in. I personally couldn't be a nurse, it would drive me insane.
If people are going to make ridiculous comments about nurses being "rejected doctors" i suggest you do a bit of asking around, i'm sure most of them would be highly insulted.
and like blueberrypie said there doesn't seem to be any boundaries between health care professionals any more. the safest way for pateints to be treated is like epionie hugo said, doctors stick to being doctors, nurses to being nurses, HCA's to being HCA's. Doing what we are trained to do carries far less risk and benefits the patient.

[piglet8]

i totally agree, all of my friends on my nursing course are there coz they want to be nurses and not for a second because they couldnt be doctors. differant jobs appeal to differant ppl but nursing is by no means the dumping ground for failed doctors wannabee's

[elz]

errr noone ever said all nurses want to be doctors. but you said if nurses wanted to be doctors theyd have gone to med school, and we were just saying its not as simple as that. a few nurses did initially want to be doctors but for what ever reason didnt end up that way. if u want to do something enough yes u perserve. but if u've already been rejected ie 3 times, then when do u say enoughs enough and start living ur life? u cant just keep on applying and living with ur parents working as an hca all ur life can u ?

clearly most nurses want to be nurses, thats beside the point of what u said, not everyone who wants to do medicine ends up doing it and not always through lack of trying.

[Muffin2]

Exactly well said. and tbh most people who don't get into medicine go and do access courses or another degree and go for post grad, if medicine is what they really want. Nurses do a brilliant job, go into a ward at most times of the day and there isn't a doctor in sight, the nurses are the ones looking after the patients.

[Muffin2]

oh and i was rejected five times and i kept going, now here i am.

[Gizmo says -]

phew...five rejection rounds, macca. you are going for me record (hehehee)

i reckon some doctors want to be nusses too, of course, but they simply dont ave the guts to own up to it after their parents ave paid their way thru posh skool and a place at med skool for them, or thru their family pushing them towards it (particularly asian ones).
the fort stays well 'idden till about the age of forty, and then some.