...same time and handled by a single person—the nurse. In today’s society, nurses’ roles and responsibilities have drastically changed. Nurses are not only limited to a hospital setting where they are assessing patients, handing out medications or assisting doctors. Nurses are also a counselor, an agent of change and a patient’s advocate. Nurses can also be an educator in a classroom setting, during clinical practice of student nurses or through public presentations. In addition, nurses can also take up roles as part of the administration. Even though nurses’ workloads are constantly changing, they are still governed by a set of ideals and moral norms which nurses are expected to adhere to and embrace. In a nursing profession, daily decisions have real impact on other people’s lives. The responsibility of such decisions creates the need for nurses to have knowledge and skills that enable them to not only provide physical and psychological care, but also to critique and reflect on the standard of health care practices. For the nurses to do this, they must understand ethics and ways in which to utilize this knowledge in a constructive and systematic way. In doing so, they are able to deliver the care required by the profession and also expected by the society. The importance of the code of ethics for registered nurses guarantees that nurses are accountable for their actions, ethical problem are dealt with in a most appropriate way, nurses are guided about their roles and responsibilities...
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...the nature of advocacy in the nursing practice remains ambiguous. Nurses are obligated to act as an advocate for their patients, but there is lack of clarity on how to perform this role. The purpose of this paper is to better understand nursing advocacy and to explore ways it is practiced across all fields of nursing in order to promote improved patient care. Advocacy is an essential role for the nursing profession; however, it can be affected by many factors. The goal of advocacy is to balance the relationship between the healthcare system and the patients who are served by evaluating patient/family needs, providing information and education, ensuring access to proper care and supporting the patient and family’s decision within the structure of a multidisciplinary team. This paper will explore the following research question: What are the variables that affect the role of nursing advocacy and in what ways is it practiced across all fields of nursing? Review of Literature Introduction The general topic of the review of literature is nursing advocacy. We are examining and exploring a clearer definition of nursing advocacy and how it is practiced across all fields of nursing. The studies were retrieved through searches on the CINAHL, Medline, AcademicOne, and Sage Premier for the years 2006 - 2011. The key words used for the literature searches were nursing advocacy definition, nurses role, nursing ethics, dignity, code of conduct, barriers, nursing methodology, patient...
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...The willingness to show initiative and follow a strong work ethic were valued by both groups. Role conflict, in regards to the tasks and activities shared between each position was a common theme for both groups. The RNs depended on NAP to step in when the work of a unit became busy and when RNs had to attend to care activities that they could not delegate. However, some NAP refused delegation when RNs asked them to do tasks that the NAP felt the RNs could do themselves. Consequently, conflict arose when RNs did not show initiative to complete patient care tasks, but instead delegated them to NAP. The NAP saw their role as being very similar to that of RNs other than the responsibility of passing medication, NAP did not demonstrate the awareness of the clinical decision-making and patient care management responsibilities of RNs. Individual personality was a condition among those individuals who had difficulty with the delegation process. Staff quickly become aware of who willingly accepts responsibilities compared to those who are reluctant to do so. Both RNs and NAP described colleagues who consistently had difficulty accepting delegated work. Both groups spoke about being apprehensive at the beginning of a shift when they knew they were assigned to work with a staff member who had the reputation of being difficult to work with or having a poor work ethic. In this situation, staff tried to avoid...
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...article published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies by Bolster & Manias in 2010 “Person-centered interactions between nurses and patients during medication activities in an acute hospital setting: Qualitative observation and interview study.” Background of Study Despite the known benefits of using a person-centered approach to medication related activities nurses continue to routinely use a task-based approach to medication related activities. Most patients have medications administered to them by a nurse while hospitalized. This provides the nurse multiple opportunities to provide education and person-centered care. This is significant to nursing because “previous research has shown that the relationship between the nurse and the patient including how the nurse provides information is critical to enhancing medication adherence and management” (Bolster & Manias, 2010). The objective of the study was to investigate the following scenario: “How do nurses and patients interact with each other during medication activities in an acute care environment with an underlying philosophy of person-centered care?” (Bolster & Manias, 2010). Methods A qualitative research approach was utilized to conduct this study incorporating observation and semi-structured interviews. Participants consisted of 11 nurses with differing levels of experience working on a 20 bed ward of an...
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...different health care needs of the population (American Nurses Association (ANA), 2010). What is it that makes a professional nurse? Is it caring for the patient with compassion and devotion? Based on the interviews conducted among the three categories of staff, it was echoed that professional nursing takes a lot more than just attending to the needs of patients. From a professional perspective, nursing has a complex natural history of identification as a vocation with aspiration of being a profession from a long time (Brown & Libberton, 2007). In the past, the image of a nurse was as clear as, “the nurse is one whose studies give him or her just enough knowledge to follow and apply the decisions taken by the doctor or surgeon” (Gordon, 2000, p.218 cited in Harmer, 2010, p.295). Today, with the diversity of the nursing profession and the extension of the role of the nurse, defining a professional nurse is becoming complex. The identity of nursing is becoming blurred while trying to advance the profession (Harmer, 2010). According to Styles (2005) cited in Allen (2007), the attributes that are expected in professional nursing are higher academic education, a research based specialized body of knowledge, distinct service to society, a code of ethics, autonomy, accountability and authority over work. Be this as it may, the International Labor Organization (ILO, 2005, p.12, L.20) described a professional nurse as “having the education and training recognized as necessary...
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...Introduction: Clinical governance is defined as “a system which organisations are responsible for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish” (“Standards for general practices,” 2015). A method of improving the quality of services and achieving a high standard of clinical practice involves appraising staff performance. Clarke, Harcourt & Flynn (2012) states that in the health sector, a key role in implementing clinical governance is by appraising the performance of staff, this in turn, is critical to containing health care costs and ensuring and improving quality patient care. The intentions of performance appraisals are to maintain and improve a high standard of patient care, however, there are many studies concluding that performance appraisals are not always effective and may even be considered destructive (Bouskila-Yam, & Kluger, 2011). Evidence suggests that appraisals provide minimal satisfaction, as at times can be perceived as unfair, poorly structured and judgmental towards some employees (Spence & Wood, 2007). The reader believes that if performance appraisals were conducted in a manner to suit all parties involved, then appraising staff would be beneficial and critical to improving clinical governance, thus, patient quality care. In the readers’ experience, performance appraisals have not been well presented or conducted...
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...Administrative Ethics Paper Michelle Domo HCS/ 335 January 22, 2011 Bob Vella Administrative Ethics Paper The issue that I researched happens to be a case study about patient privacy and confidentiality. The issue does not impact a population but it does affect hospital staff and personnel. This administrative issue is dealing with three Nurses Michele, Jackie, and Karen which all work at the same hospital. Michele is a MPN which stands for master’s prepared nurse and she has been in administration for three years. Jackie is a BPN which stands for bachelor’s prepared nurse and she has worked in a hospital setting for several years after completing college. Lastly, Karen is the nursing administrator of the flexible staffing pool and Karen happens to be a colleague of Michele’s also in most cases they often had conflicting opinions on issues related to quality care. Jackie is 43 years old and after she graduated college she and her husband decided it was best for her to be a stay at home mom until her two daughters was old enough to attend school. Jackie did work with in home care part time and she found it quite satisfying to be there with her children and such. Her husband informed her that their savings for their children college education was not per say keeping pace with their tuition. Her husband asked Jackie to increase her work time but for her that was going to be quite stressful because she really enjoyed the time she had to spend with the kids. So he decided...
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...availability of personal genetic information. There is also a Reflection piece dealing with how I would feel about the family’s decision ad how I would advocate for their decision. It will also examine the ethical and legal considerations of continuing a pregnancy after a diagnosis of Tay Sach’s. Genetics Case Study Family Ethics and Beliefs guide the Trosack family in the initial decision making process but they will need education and support in order to effectively care for their child and cope with the diagnosis of Tay Sach’s. Many resources are needed to properly care for this family and an interdisciplinary team is required to ensure that as many needs can be met as possible. Interdisciplinary Team Members: 1. Case Manager: The Case Manager is essential to planning and coordinating other disciplines to assist the Trosack family. The Case Manager can provide information on care during pregnancy, and also care and resources available in the community after discharge home. The Case Manager can assist in finding appropriate physicians for the child and referrals to ensure that the family obtains all resources available. The Case Manager will interview the Trosack family to find out religious beliefs, education level, and medical insurance coverage benefits from all sources, home living situation, and other resources available, and collect any other pertinent data. The information I would expect from the Case Manager are medical...
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...Title: Core Competencies Necessary for the APN Role Development. Name: Course: Institution: Date: Interview with an Advanced Practice Nurse Introduction Interview with APN/CNP, Diane John Diane John, APN/CNP is a nurse practitioner at Health land, a Hawaii center for the public. She has devoted 30 years to her nursing career. She has worked as a nurse in a medical intensive care unit and as a research nurse in the study in the intensive care unit. She has been a Female Nurse Practitioner for the past 20 years where she started out as a midwife at wife care center, where she provided midwife services to women. Rationale for an engaged interview process The reason for this interview is to find out Competencies necessary for APN role development and also to get some background information of a nurse leader on a one on one basis. This information will be important because it will help us to develop leadership skills in the field of nursing. About the Diane John APN leader Diane John, APN/CNP is an attendant specialist at Health land, a Hawaii community for the general population. She has dedicated 30 years to her nursing profession. She has filled in as an attendant in a restorative emergency unit as a examination nurture in the study in the emergency unit. Interview What is the CNS nurse? The CNS is a practice for preparing advance practice nurses to be part of the clinical practice team where you work together with doctors to provide service to patients.Bringing knowledge into...
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...Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma Part 2 Gary Bigge, Diana Hanakahi, Jennifer Lockwood, Sheryl Murray, Alex Warkenthien Grand Canyon University Ethics NRS 437V Linnette Nolte March 3, 2013 Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma Part 2 As a continuation of a previous study, the Grand Canyon University Team White Ethics Committee further examines the dilemma of euthanasia. Four individual personal interviews were conducted and the results are included below. The Team White Ethics Committee has been tasked with the challenge of comparing similarities and differences between the cases we have studied and making a recommendation on each case based on our interviews and personal beliefs. The first case was Dax (Busada, 2011) and the second case was Terry Schiavo (Springs, 2009). Interview #1 To receive a spiritual leader’s perspective about euthanasia, Pastor Sandy Ash of Harbor Chapel Community Church in Moss Landing, California was interviewed. The interview started by giving Pastor Ash a brief background regarding both the Dax and Terry Schiavo stories. When asked about her view on euthanasia, Pastor Ash stated, “If it’s a person who doesn’t want to live then there’s still hope and they shouldn’t give up since there is no machine keeping them alive. There’s a lot to live for” (Ash, 2013). Pastor Ash also added, “It depends on what stage. If there’s a machine then the person should let them go if they want to go, if that’s their wish” (Ash, 2013). With Terry’s case, she...
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...patient nurse relationship Chinwe Obukwelu Grand Canyon University September 2, 2012 Introduction to nursing research Schlagel Martha The purpose of this study is set out to explore the interaction between patients and nurses in community practice settings, in order to understand the social meanings and understands brought to the interaction and at play within it. “Interaction is fundamental to the development of the patients perspective is quintessential in their experience of being a patient (Morse, 1991).” Practice nurse employees in four community health centers were approached and invited to participate. A sample of patient participants were invited to participate by means of direct approach to those attending the recruited nurses clinics. The subjects participated voluntarily and they agreed to participate when approached, written informed consent was gained from each participant, also ethical approval to conduct the study was granted by the health board ethics research committee. Eighteen patients and eighteen registered nurse participants from across the health center and the nurse participants were females aged 26-58 years old. Patient participants are in relation to age, gender and socioeconomic status. Data was collected using non-participant observation and informal and semi-structured interviews. Each observation was looking at the interaction between a patient and a nurse. The informal interviews commenced...
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...head: NURSE MANAGER ROLE Nurse Manager Role Abstract The aim of this paper is to discuss the advanced practice nurse manger role. Discussion will ensue regarding the nurse manager role: historical development; original and current educational preparation requirements; licensing, certification, continuing education, value requirements, skill requirements, options in the employment setting; issues of concern; and future projections. Based on the informed understanding of the nurse manager role new insights, personal strengths, and personal challenges that are envisioned for a nurse assimilating to this role will be provided. Introduction Leadership is an integral part of nursing. Grossman and Valiga suggest that leadership is not necessarily tied to a position of authority (Grossman & Valiga, 2005, p. 4). Also suggested by Grossman and Valiga, is that each professional nurse has the potential and the responsibility to provide leadership in each of our individual areas of practice, institutions, professional organizations, communities, and our profession as a whole (Grossman & Valiga, 2005, p. 4). Leadership is a course in undergraduate education and nurses in any role are leaders in many capacities. The purpose of this paper is to look at the nurse manager role: historical development, educational preparation, skill requirements, value requirements, role options, concerns, future projections, and my perspective. Historical Development of Nurse Manager...
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...working for Grifols for 8 years. Tyanisa is a Medical Operations Supervisor for Grifols. When she started working for the company she was an LPN. After about 4 years she took on the responsibilities of becoming a Medical Operations Supervisor. Tyanisa is to perform at the expert level and also act as the area supervisor. Oversees work of others and acts as the area supervisor but does not conduct performance appraisals or make hiring, salary, or termination decisions. She gives immediate feedback and technical assistance to Center Medical Specialists and to staff in the donor processing area and on the donor floor. She coordinates the medical staff schedules. Leads, directs breaks and lunches, and directs donor flow. She participates in the interview process of new hires. Tyanisa may provide input into performance appraisals and participate in employee performance counseling as requested and supervised by the Center Manager. Tyanisa acts as a resource for others and is a designated trainer. She also performs any needed injury, illness or medication evaluations to ensure continued donor suitability. Tyanisa overseas the flow of the clinic, making sure it runs at its optimal performance to increase productivity with staff and for...
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...Health Care Interview Denise Palmer HCS/310 July 16, 2012 Martha Plant Health Care Interview The following summary is based on the information that was obtained from an interview of Mrs. Rayshondal Merrell a Licensed Practical Nurse for 9 years and enjoys everything about the job. Mrs. Merrell work at a state prison in a 21 bed infirmary as a Licensed Practical Nurse. The infirmary is designed to house inmates with acute illnesses as well as inmates who have returned from hospitals for more serious illnesses. Licensed Practical Nurses will conduct routine checks of these inmates or a daily basis. To become a Licensed Practical Nurse one must attain a high school diploma, and have completed and passed a nursing program with a Practical Nursing Diploma. Once the diploma is obtained the student must apply to the state licensing department and pass the state test. The student must also pass a physical and criminal background check. They should also have the love and passion for this profession. The Licensed Practical Nurse must perform duties that are within her/his scope of practice. The duties include, but are not limited to management of acute illnesses and injuries; treat medical problems; perform physical assessments and perform EKGs. The Practical Nurse must review that care of the patient with the physicians. The Practical Nurse can order prescriptions for all medications and medical devices. Prior to order medications the Practical Nurse must consult with the physician...
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...INTRODUCTION This essay is a critique based on a pilot study carried out on ‘patient stories of living with a pressure ulcer’ and I will be using Caldwell, K. et al. (2005) as a structured research framework to carryout the evaluation on this study. First and foremost a definition of what research, (nursing research in particular) and research critique entails will give a greater understanding of what this essay aims at addressing. On one hand, Polit and Beck (2006, p4), defined research as a systematic inquiry that uses disciplined methods to answer questions or solve problems, while on the other hand they define nursing research as a systematic inquiry designed to develop knowledge about issues of importance to nurses, including nursing practice, nursing education and nursing administration. The importance of having research carried out in the nursing field can only be emphasised as it is the key element in generating and guaranteeing evidence to guide nursing practice and improvements to care and quality of life of both clients and service users as claimed by Polit and Beck (2006, p4). However once the research is undertaken and published, great emphasis is placed in finding out or identifying the strengths and weaknesses through critique. Polgar and Thomas (2000), point out that critiquing research entails identifying the strengths and weaknesses of research publications to ensure that patients/clients receive assessments and treatment based on the best available evidence...
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