Nurse and stethoscope

Can anyone tell me the answer to this. I recently booked in at my local GP clinic for an asthma review as I had received a letter through the post. On arrival I was taken into one of the consulting rooms by a nurse who went over a few questions and took my peak flow reading. She then said after a few answers that she wanted to get a doctor in to have a listen to my chest as she couldn't do it. Eventually a doctor did come in but after quite some time. Was just intrigued as to why the nurse couldn't have a listen hrself. Especially as she was running n asthma review! Does anyone know why this is?

Here in my local surgery the asthma nurses are trained to use a stethoscope for asthma review, In fact before examining me she took the time to explain she had sat in with a GP listening with him to his patients, she said at 1st she couldnt hear the wheezes but now can identify most noises, she then proceeded to give me a very nice stething probably the most thourough one I have ever recieved

It's possible she wasn't qualified to do it. True, most nurses are taught auscultation, but they usually aren't qualified to make diagnoses. Unless it's an NP or something of that sort.

Hi mamakin send me an email

auscultation31@live.co.uk

Depends on nurse, there are many specialties here and titles so it might be different area to area

We nurses can listen all we want, but no nurse, meaning an LVN, LPN, or an RN is by law permitted to make a diagnosis. The law is so strict that, for example when we chart we have to be careful what we say. If I have a patient who is having diarrhea, I can't chart that because diarrhea is a diagnosis. I would have to say that my patient is having loose stools. See the difference?

Mashie

I thought diarrhea and loose stools were one and the same? Talk about splitting hairs...

They are the same thing, but one is a diagnosis and one is a discription of signs and symptoms. It's not my rule, it's the states. It's in place for a reason I guess. I am only a nurse and not educated enough to make a diagnosis. And oddly enough, I tend to agree with them on that issue, at least for most diagnosis'.

Mashie

A lot of the time, nurses are used as triage. Even if hr/she understands what they are hearing, they can only use that information to move to onto a doctor. Doesn't mean it's not nice to be stethed twice!

Once again a professional explanation from mashie thanks mashie😃

If I were a patient and I told you that “ I’ve been experiencing diarrhea”, you can’t note that?

I'm not sure why that is the case. I have my asthma review with a nurse in a couple of weeks so I'll see whether she steths me or whether she asks the dr to do it.

Most likely it is because the visit requires a provider to see the patient and clinically state whether or not the lungs are clear. Its a little silly for sure. Every place is different, so this may not be the case elsewhere, but at least in my experience the medical provider has the onus placed on them to diagnose one way or the other.

So a nurse can say "Wow, your heart is beating fast," but only a doctor can say you have tachycardia.

I went for my asthma review a while back and it was exactly the same.

The nurse said that she'd have to get a doctor to come in and listen to my chest. When the doctor came in, she stethed me and just commented to the nurse

When the doctor came in, she stethed me and just commented to the nurse

As long as the person doing the stething is female; I’m a happy camper.