Case Study 1 You are the nurse manager of a busy operating room in a large metropolitan hospital, serving both adult and
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2022 2:26 pm
Case Study 1
You are the nurse manager of a busy operating room in a largemetropolitan hospital, serving both adult and pediatric clients. Acase is scheduled involving a child who will have a hiparthroplasty. The surgical technician usually scheduled for thepediatric cases is unavailable to assist with this case, so youschedule a surgical technician who has assisted with multiple hiparthroplasties but has never performed one on a younger child.After the procedure, the child has permanent damage to his sciaticnerve, and his parents have filed a lawsuit against the surgicaltechnician, you as the nurse manager, and the hospital.
1. How do you suspect that the court will react to sucha case?
2. What would their findings likely be in such aninstance and why?
3. What could you have done to prevent thisoutcome?
Case Study 2
Judy Jones, RN, has worked in the emergency department forseveral years. She is currently advanced cardiac life support(ACLS) certified, as are the other emergency care nurses. Hospitalpolicy requires ACLS certification for employment in critical careareas. One of the areas covered in attaining this certification isthat the individual is taught to intubate a patient. A new hospitalpolicy expressly forbids the intubation of patients by nurses; onlyphysicians may intubate patients. A crisis occurred in theemergency center one evening, and Judy Jones competently intubateda patient in full cardiac arrest. The patient was successfullyresuscitated and has now been discharged.
1. As the nurse manager for the emergency department,what would you do about this specific incident?
2. How do you begin to prevent a reoccurrence of such anincident?
3. Could you seek assistance from others outside thehospital setting in resolving this issue?
4. Does the fact that the patient was successfullyresuscitated alter your possible actions?
Case Study 3
Millicent, RN, MSN is a white, 40-ish certified therapist in“healing touch.” She has been offering this therapy to herhospitalized culturally diverse post-surgical patients with goodresponses from them. She is aware that some research suggests thatthe therapy lessens the need for pain medication, reduces anxiety,and induces better sleep. Dr. Jones becomes angry when he learnsabout her doing “touch therapy” on his patients, which he calls“the work of the devil.” He strongly tells Millicent that shecannot do anything to his or his partner’s patients without aphysician’s order.
1. What facts should be known about the RN’s scope ofpractice?
2. What are the ethical issues in this case between theRN and the physician?
3. What should be considered by the RN in relationshipto “research ethics”? Patient’s fully informed consent? Culturalbeliefs about an alternative therapy?
Case Study 4
Ryan graduated from his BSN program about 18 months ago and hasbeen working on a surgical unit in a large Magnet™ hospital. Hebelongs to his state nurses association and the Academy ofMedical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN). He recently moved to another townfor graduate school and took a job in a small community hospital.The new chief nursing officer is trying to create a sharedgovernance structure. The nursing staff seems disinterested inparticipating in such a governance structure. Some of them complainthat they do not want to “think” about nursing beyond what theyhave to do at the bedside. Ryan served on the practice council atthe hospital where he worked after graduation. The nurses he workswith now are discouraging him from volunteering to serve on one ofthe new councils being formed to implement shared governance. He isfrustrated by his colleagues’ lack of interest in participating indecision making about nursing care. He wonders if this is the rightplace for him to work while in his graduate program. Although thishospital is closely affiliated with the school of nursing where heis a graduate student, the nurses on his unit openly challenge thewisdom of his decision to pursue a graduate degree.
1. What resources should Ryan use to gain support forhis desire to participate in the new shared governancestructure?
2. If Ryan wants to test the job market to find aposition in a more positive nursing work environment, whatresources can he use?
3. Ryan has been subjected to a lot of questions andnegative comments by some of the senior staff nurses about hisgraduate studies. They tend to negate the importance of advancingone’s nursing education. How can he redirect theircomments?
You are the nurse manager of a busy operating room in a largemetropolitan hospital, serving both adult and pediatric clients. Acase is scheduled involving a child who will have a hiparthroplasty. The surgical technician usually scheduled for thepediatric cases is unavailable to assist with this case, so youschedule a surgical technician who has assisted with multiple hiparthroplasties but has never performed one on a younger child.After the procedure, the child has permanent damage to his sciaticnerve, and his parents have filed a lawsuit against the surgicaltechnician, you as the nurse manager, and the hospital.
1. How do you suspect that the court will react to sucha case?
2. What would their findings likely be in such aninstance and why?
3. What could you have done to prevent thisoutcome?
Case Study 2
Judy Jones, RN, has worked in the emergency department forseveral years. She is currently advanced cardiac life support(ACLS) certified, as are the other emergency care nurses. Hospitalpolicy requires ACLS certification for employment in critical careareas. One of the areas covered in attaining this certification isthat the individual is taught to intubate a patient. A new hospitalpolicy expressly forbids the intubation of patients by nurses; onlyphysicians may intubate patients. A crisis occurred in theemergency center one evening, and Judy Jones competently intubateda patient in full cardiac arrest. The patient was successfullyresuscitated and has now been discharged.
1. As the nurse manager for the emergency department,what would you do about this specific incident?
2. How do you begin to prevent a reoccurrence of such anincident?
3. Could you seek assistance from others outside thehospital setting in resolving this issue?
4. Does the fact that the patient was successfullyresuscitated alter your possible actions?
Case Study 3
Millicent, RN, MSN is a white, 40-ish certified therapist in“healing touch.” She has been offering this therapy to herhospitalized culturally diverse post-surgical patients with goodresponses from them. She is aware that some research suggests thatthe therapy lessens the need for pain medication, reduces anxiety,and induces better sleep. Dr. Jones becomes angry when he learnsabout her doing “touch therapy” on his patients, which he calls“the work of the devil.” He strongly tells Millicent that shecannot do anything to his or his partner’s patients without aphysician’s order.
1. What facts should be known about the RN’s scope ofpractice?
2. What are the ethical issues in this case between theRN and the physician?
3. What should be considered by the RN in relationshipto “research ethics”? Patient’s fully informed consent? Culturalbeliefs about an alternative therapy?
Case Study 4
Ryan graduated from his BSN program about 18 months ago and hasbeen working on a surgical unit in a large Magnet™ hospital. Hebelongs to his state nurses association and the Academy ofMedical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN). He recently moved to another townfor graduate school and took a job in a small community hospital.The new chief nursing officer is trying to create a sharedgovernance structure. The nursing staff seems disinterested inparticipating in such a governance structure. Some of them complainthat they do not want to “think” about nursing beyond what theyhave to do at the bedside. Ryan served on the practice council atthe hospital where he worked after graduation. The nurses he workswith now are discouraging him from volunteering to serve on one ofthe new councils being formed to implement shared governance. He isfrustrated by his colleagues’ lack of interest in participating indecision making about nursing care. He wonders if this is the rightplace for him to work while in his graduate program. Although thishospital is closely affiliated with the school of nursing where heis a graduate student, the nurses on his unit openly challenge thewisdom of his decision to pursue a graduate degree.
1. What resources should Ryan use to gain support forhis desire to participate in the new shared governancestructure?
2. If Ryan wants to test the job market to find aposition in a more positive nursing work environment, whatresources can he use?
3. Ryan has been subjected to a lot of questions andnegative comments by some of the senior staff nurses about hisgraduate studies. They tend to negate the importance of advancingone’s nursing education. How can he redirect theircomments?