[sxg]

It's not necessarily an ego or union thing. It's more of a protocol thing. The nurse needs to know what papers have been signed and generally where the patients are in terms of paperwork. I'm a medical student, and I've been amazed at how efficiently the inefficient system in an outpatient clinic works. There's a very specific protocol that all the assistants, nurses, and doctors adhere to, and any deviation from the protocol seems to halt the entire system. If the doctor in your scenario moved the papers herself, the nurse would be out of the loop. The papers probably signified that your patient visit was almost over, and the nurse needs to be aware of that so she can get the next patient moving.

[QSIITurbo]

No it wasn't a situation like that. It was just that some papers needed to be delivered to someone (don't want to go into details). There were two relevant people: the doctor and the destination. There was no need for the nurse other than some agreement between either the company or the union.