Question

Case Study

You are working the night shift on a medical unit and have been assigned charge nurse responsibilities. You are working with four RNs, one LPN, and two UAPs. A client becomes pulseless and is not breathing, and the nurse assigned to the client’s care calls a code. The nurse is occupied at this client’s bedside for 1.5 hours until the resuscitation effort is completed, and the client is transferred to the intensive care unit. This nurse also has four other assigned clients. In addition to the nurse assigned to care for the client requiring resuscitation, two of the other nurses working on your unit are assisting in the code.

Review the case study and write an essay (suggested length of 2–3 pages, excluding title page and reference page) in which you do the following:

1. Discuss what tasks could you delegate to the UAPs?

2. The LPN working on the unit is a new graduate and has been employed for only 4 weeks. How would you collaborate with this nurse when delegating tasks for completion?
3. Discuss how you will maintain the safety of the other clients on your unit while three nurses are occupied with the client requiring resuscitation?

Explain how might effective delegation to other team members contribute to care of the clients on the unit? (Remember, this is not a question about the patient that is coded, but how you will handle the unit while you are short staffed).

Answer 1

#.Tasks delegated to the UAPS :-

bathing, vital signs, I&O, transferring , turning, feeding,

oral suctioning, cooling measures, empty ostomy pouches, specimen collection - urine, stool, sputum

#. Patient care is provided by the health care team and not by a single individual .To collaborate with other staffs for delegation we should use communication skills ,know the education levels of staff , assess the situation of patient , identity the scope of practice etc

LVN Scope of Practice

Uses and practices basic assessment (data collection), participates in planning care, executes interventions in the nursing care plan or treatment plan, and contributes to the evaluation of individualized interventions related to the nursing care plan or treatment plan.

Performing basic nursing services

Administers medications - PO, NG, SQ, IM

Applies communication skills for patient care and education

Contributes to the development and implementation of a teaching plan related to patient self-care

LVN Tasks

IV Starts

Wound Care

Hang IV Bags Without Additives

I&O

NG Tube Placement and Feedings

D/C IVs

Insert & D/C Foleys

Suctioning

Tracheostomy Care

Charting

Dressing Changes

Specimen Collection (Urine, Stool, Wound Culture)

Data Collection -Not Assessment!

Medications - PO, SQ, IM, NG, PEG

NG or Peg Tube Feedings

#. I would maintain the safety of the other clients on the unit while three nurses are occupied with the client requiring resuscitation by delegating other staff for these patient care and even myself would do the care of them if there is staff shortage

#. Effective delegation to other team members contribute to care of the clients on the unit because it leads to identifying the right person for the right job at the right time or for the right reason.