Dude, it doesn't matter. The point is that this opens up the entire nursing profession to challenge physicians role in the sole dominion of doing, even if only the technical aspects, of placing a TEE.
Before I
ever place a TEE probe, I ask whether or not the patient has atresia or achalasia, is there a history of varix or varices, has the patient had prior esophageal surgery or problems, etc., etc. And,
even if they do, I weigh the benefit/risk of whether or not I should
still put the probe in. That's the decision a
physician makes, as well as
fully dealing with the consequences, good or bad.
If people start allowing nurses to have this kind of discretion, then there's absolutely no point in going to medical school anymore because this would become a
de facto assertion (by whomever making it and - more importantly - accepting it) that there's no difference in our training... which, I and hopefully most of you believe, would be complete bullsh*t.
-copro