Nurse Apparently Misses Basic Stroke Symptoms in Teen

[TranslationalRPh]

Mother demands answers after Dorchester school waited to call 911 after son had stroke​

His mother, Alishia Hicks, says the school called for her to come pick up D’Andre, but she repeatedly asked them to dial 911. “He’s going to die if he’s stroking, they’re taking too long to dial 911,” Alishia said.
She says once the nurse described how her son was feeling, she immediately was concerned he had a stroke. “He came to the nurse’s office to report that he was feeling weak, shaky and that he felt numb weakness on his left side,” Alishia said.
Because she uses a wheelchair, Alishia knew 911 could get him help faster. She is frustrated the school officials put off calling for help.
“She said, ‘well my professional, my medical evaluation, it doesn’t look like he needs an ambulance somebody should come pick him up,'” Alishia said.

Her son was later treated at Tufts Medical Center for an acute ischemic stroke.

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[mentos]

Sad but what does this have to do with pharmacy?

 

[TranslationalRPh]

Sad but what does this have to do with pharmacy

Good question. Glad you asked. Really a continuation of this post. Some pharmacists are fighting for expanded practice. Others oppose it. I think this story could possibly show the perils of expanded practice. (I wouldn't be surprised if she feels like crap, is concerned about keeping her job, her reputation, disciplinary action, and possible lawsuits). Thankfully, the young man survived.

I also recall someone saying that most retail pharmacists have a low threshold for referrals. I know I did. If true, it does make me wonder how most pharmacists would have responded in the same scenario.

Lastly, I believe nurses require even less clinical hours to become MLs than PAs, so it does make me wonder what is the right balance for pharmacists if someone missing a basic diagnosis admittedly in a very young patient has a legitimate path to provider status and pharmacists don't (should they want it).

 

[mentos]

I think if pharmacists want to play doctor then they should go to med school and become a real doctor. Have y'all seen the latest NAPLEX pass rates? I don't want any of those new grads to be diagnosing or prescribing.

 

[deleted1100659]

interestingly enough, many pharmacists at VAs around me are in the prescribing role for psychiatry and with no real training in diagnosing, they diagnose/prescribe.

 

[TranslationalRPh]

I think if pharmacists want to play doctor then they should go to med school and become a real doctor. Have y'all seen the latest NAPLEX pass rates? I don't want any of those new grads to be diagnosing or prescribing.

Got it. You want to hold pharmacists to a higher standard than MLs.

 

[TranslationalRPh]

interestingly enough, many pharmacists at VAs around me are in the prescribing role for psychiatry and with no real training in diagnosing, they diagnose/prescribe.

Wow. I'm surprised. In the VA setting, I have seen expanded practice in ambulatory care but nothing really dealing with psychotropics. Of course, that was almost 20 years ago.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

Good question. Glad you asked. Really a continuation of this post. Some pharmacists are fighting for expanded practice. Others oppose it. I think this story could possibly show the perils of expanded practice. (I wouldn't be surprised if she feels like crap, is concerned about keeping her job, her reputation, disciplinary action, and possible lawsuits). Thankfully, the young man survived.

I also recall someone saying that most retail pharmacists have a low threshold for referrals. I know I did. If true, it does make me wonder how most pharmacists would have responded in the same scenario.

Lastly, I believe nurses require even less clinical hours to become MLs than PAs, so it does make me wonder what is the right balance for pharmacists if someone missing a basic diagnosis admittedly in a very young patient has a legitimate path to provider status and pharmacists don't (should they want it).

Well damn, someone tell APhA to squash that bill about pharmacists giving thrombolytics in the community

 

[JustFillIt]

I think if pharmacists want to play doctor then they should go to med school and become a real doctor. Have y'all seen the latest NAPLEX pass rates? I don't want any of those new grads to be diagnosing or prescribing.

Ugh - this is a really good point….

 

[TranslationalRPh]

Ugh - this is a really good point….

I definitely agree 💯. I think some reasonable qualification is necessary. Would not make the standard medical school + residency though. That said, obviously, if you can't pass the basic practice standards for any profession, you certainly shouldn't have expanded practice.

 

[Pronounce Doxazosin]

Hindsight is 20/20.
If a young person with presumably no major medical history comes to me with weakness and numbness, stroke honestly wouldn’t be the first thing I think of

 

[TranslationalRPh]

Hindsight is 20/20.
If a young person with presumably no major medical history comes to me with weakness and numbness, stroke honestly wouldn’t be the first thing I think of

Totally agree.

 

[owlegrad]

Hindsight is 20/20.
If a young person with presumably no major medical history comes to me with weakness and numbness, stroke honestly wouldn’t be the first thing I think of

Well it’s easy to play armchair quarterback but what if they told you they have one sided numbness?

 

[croquemonsieur]

Hindsight is 20/20.
If a young person with presumably no major medical history comes to me with weakness and numbness, stroke honestly wouldn’t be the first thing I think of

Nurses and pharmacists are generally not trained in diagnosis but we're sure as heck trained to recognize alarming symptoms that require immediate evaluation even if only as a CYA measure. So even if I don't think it's a stroke, I don't want to be the one to make that call (unfortunate homonym)

 

[TranslationalRPh]

Well it’s easy to play armchair quarterback but what if they told you they have one sided numbness?

Or slurred speech.