Overall score
After completing the game, I obtained and overall A grade for this case study.Decision
This case presents a scenario of a unit that is faced with the dilemma of under staffed registered nurses. Even so, it would not be necessary to request and get approval from the CNO for one nurse to extend their working hours. Registered nurses are expected to have adequate time of rest; hence, making a nurse to work overtime would be subjecting them to the possibility of fatigues, which could hinder them in delivering their nursing care duties (Butts, & Rich, 2014). In this case, the main issue is to avoid patient abandonment and malpractices that could arise from utilizing the three nurses who are new and relatively inexperienced. Therefore, the Orthopedics Unit is required to work within its budget and staffing guidelines. How you came to that decision
In ethical management, registered nurses’ primary goal is to promote health safety for clients. In this case, the hospital has clear guideline on how registered nurses are staffed in the Orthopedics Unit and even with approval, going beyond these guidelines could lead to nursing malpractices. The American Nurses Association (ANA) provides that nurses have the right to refute any assignment or tasks that put the patient or themselves in any risk (Butts, & Rich, 2014). The elimination of mandatory overtime for nurses helps in ensuring that they perform their duties while they both physical and mental well-being. Overtime is not a suitable solution to understaffing because it could lead to reduced patient satisfaction, nurses’ fatigues, chronic illnesses of nurses, and healthcare litigations among others. The proper way to go around this case is to ask the night shift nurses to pay attention to the high-risk patients and not to request for voluntary or mandatory overtime of nurses. Additionally, the registered nurses could delegate tasks to the less qualified ones. It is essential to note that the ANA code of ethics requires nurses to protect rights, health, and safety of patients (Westrick, & Dempski, 2009). The employers have the obligation to ensure adequacy of staff nurses and they should not extend shifts to deal with this problem. Was the outcome a surprise to you?
No, the outcome did not surprise me because I knew that nurses’ well-being is important. It is only logical to find other ways to cope with the issues of understaffing and not using overtime as a solution. What did you learn about yourself from doing these case studies?
I learnt that I have the ability to employ nursing principle learnt in the course and that I am ethical. Additionally, I learn that I am very sympathetic but nothing can stop me from making an ethical decision.
Overall score
After completing the game, I obtained and overall A grade for this case study.Decision
This case relates to the issue of theft, fraud, and forgery, which are unethical practices in the nursing profession (Butts, & Rich, 2014). When nurses know or suspect on incidents where their colleagues such as Joanne Flynn are abusing or misusing med, the right this would be to report them to the immediate supervisor. It is not within the scope of nurses to investigate cases of unlawful possession of controlled substances. Hence, the correct action would be to report the matter to the disciplinary committee or relevant bodies for further investigation.
How you came to that decision
Nurses are required in their professional standards and coded not to use any unlawful means to obtain controlled substance. The abuse of controlled substances such as morphine may hinder a nurse from effectively performing their duties. As a nursing leader, the main duty is to keep both the patients and staff safe. Hence, reporting cases of substance use by nurses to the board and other relevant authorities is compulsory to ensure the protection of patients (Westrick, & Dempski, 2009). The fact that there is overwhelming evidence of controlled substance abuse should call for further investigation. However, silence could result in protection of the suspected nurse and this could lead them to continue using it. Therefore, reporting him or her would be the most ethical decision or action to take against such nurses. Was the outcome a surprise to you?
No. This is because all along nurses have been taught about how handling controlled substances such as morphine. The nurse is using the morphine for their personal activities. As such, they are engaging in theft and fraudulent practices in their job, which is unethical (Westrick, & Dempski, 2009). If another nurse or a manager knows of such cases and they do not report them, they would become accomplices to unethical behavior and promoting ill practices. Therefore, it is only sensible to report such colleagues even if this would mean that they would lose their job. What did you learn about yourself from doing these case studies?
References
Butts, J., & Rich, K. (2014). Nursing Ethics. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers
Westrick, S., & Dempski, K. (2009). Essentials of Nursing Law and Ethics. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning
