Nurses shoving doctors out of medicine – slowly but incrementally.

The role of nurses as one disease doctors continues apace as I foresaw in my book – a cure for the crisis – published in 2003. There are inherent dangers in this policy because recent claims in the US medical literature claim that up to 3% of malignant disease in the population is now caused by medical ionising radiation. Nurses now diagnose, order laboratory tests and X-rays and prescribe. Maybe we should abolish the term nurse altogether or turn all doctors into nurse practitioners in line with the control agenda of new medical contracts which turns the doctor/patient  relationship into the state/patient realtionship.

I write this to let you know that some of us are aware of what is happening.There are large vested interests clashing here including Nurse Education Departments, University Expansionists and HSE control administrators cowering the Medical Profession into intimidated submission.

Really, there is now no contest.

Bill Tormey

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Here is the Press Announcement in association with the Leader of the PDs who remarkably is still Minister for Health and Children.

Siobhan O’Halloran, Office of the Nursing Services Director. The
educational programme was devised by a multi disciplinary team to include
nursing profession consultant Radiologists, Radiographers and
physicists.

Minister for Health and Children, Ms. Mary Harney T.D. appreciated the
need to improve patient care and gave the issue of nurse prescribing of
medical ionising radiation (X-Ray) priority when she introduced
legislation in 2007 to amend the definition of prescribers of medical
ionising radiation to include registered nurses maintained on the register
by An Bord Altranais.

Speaking on the day, Minister Harney congratulated all the recipients of
the award, she said, This is a hugely significant day for nurses and
represents the true resilience and determination of the nursing
profession. I would like to congratulate each and every one of you for
your achievement .

Dr. Siobhan O’Halloran, Nursing Services Director said, The
profession of nursing in Ireland is experiencing a rapid change against a background
of unprecedented transformation in the health care environment. The role
expansion for nurses occurs in the context of the HSE Transformation
Programme 2007-2010 and the HSE Integrated Services Programme where the
focus is to improve the provision of safe, effective and timely patient
care. The reform of our health and social care services call for a change
in not only what we do, but how we do things and how we work together to
deliver integrated patient centred services.

I am confident that this will help the health service to deliver
patient
and service outcomes that we aspire to achieve. I wish to acknowledge the
effort and commitment of all those involved in establishing nurse
prescribing of medical ionising radiation (X-Ray), she added.

A robust evaluation and auditing of the nurse prescribing of medical
ionising radiation will take place at each Hospital site. The educational
programme has been validated by HETAC and the role out has commenced in
two accredited centres based at Connolly Hospital and the Midland Regional
Hospital at Tullamore. A new cohort of 33 participants commenced the
programme in October this year. It is anticipated that 220 nurses will
complete the programme by 2012.

Rosaleen Harlin
HSE Area Communications Manager
Dublin North East
Kells

The following is the list of Hospitals involved with X-Ray Prescribing
Programme

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Co. Louth

Monaghan Hospital, Monaghan

Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont Road, Dublin 9
St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny

Sligo General Hospital, The Mall, Sligo

Waterford Regional Hospital, Dunmore Road, Waterford

Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Dooradoyle, Limerick

Mid-Western Regional Orthopaedic Hospital, Croom, Co. Limerick

Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, Finglas, Dublin11
St. Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road, Cork

Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan, Co. Meath

South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital.

Mercy University Hospital, Granville Place, Cork

Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork