Question 1: Observing a nurse manager
Having observed the nurse manager for one hour on two occasions, it was apparent that the nurse manager was a transactional leader. This could be seen from how the nurse manager related with junior nurses; the nurse manager was the one giving orders around while the junior nurses have to follow the orders. On several occasions, the nurse manager was seen complimenting some junior nurse for their good work. Despite the nurse manager exhibiting transactional leadership, the relationship between this nurse and the junior nurses seemed to be positive since for more than once, the nurse manager could be seen chatting and laughing with the junior staff. However, one could not able to tell immediately whether the power is centralized or shared. Question 2: Elements of malpractice
As Iyer (2001) contends, nursing management involves the supervision of people offering direct healthcare to patients. The nurse manager is involved with delegating works to other nursing stuff and also making sure the delegated duties are completed proficiently. This is implies that failure to delegate or making sure that the delegated work is finished proficiently constitutes a malpractice on the part of the nurse manager. In most cases, nurse mangers do not directly tend to patients except during emergencies (Iyer, 2001; Yoder-Wise, 2011). As noted earlier, the nursing manager could be seen chatting and laughing with some junior nurses. With in mind that the nurses were probably assigned responsibilities, involving the nurses in conversations that are not related to work constituted a malpractice. Pointedly, the nurse manger was involved in a malpractice.
Question 3: Outdate Policy
As a nurse manager for a 35 bed Med-Surg Unit, an understanding of the Age Decimation's Act of 1967 will be utile in helping me avoid unnecessary law suits as a result of hiring people on the basis of their ages. Besides, it is a common practice for leaders to segregate or classify employees in ways that potentially deprives them of the opportunities in their employment on the basis of their ages for instance declaring that nurses over the age of 35 cannot be slated for night shifts. The Americans with Disabilities Act is almost similar to the Age Decimation's Act of 1967 only that, unlike the Age Discrimination Act of 1967 in which discrimination is based on one’s age, discrimination in the Americans with Disabilities Act is based on disability for instance not hiring nurse with any form of disability. Knowledge of the act is overly important to me as a nurse manager and will help me avoid discriminatory acts relating to disability. On the other hand, having knowledge of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is overly important in helping know with how to deal with a case of an employee who request for a 12-workweeks unpaid leave to take care of a sick spouse, to deliver a child or due to any reason listed in the act. This act is helpful is served to emphasize that employees taking FMLA leave should be allowed to resume work in the same capacity that he or she held before taking the leave. Question 5: Terri Schiavo Case (1990), The ethical issues in Terri Schiavo Case mainly revolved around the removal of the tube (and leaving Terri to die) and pondering what Terri Schiavo between living (and continue to live on the tube) and dying. Again, it was a bit that death in Terri Schiavo’s case was eminent, which implied that the tube was just an instrument that was being used put death to her waiting for quite some time. In the same light, the legal issues in this case revolved around the application of law to apply Terri Schiavo’s (or her next of kin) death wish or wish to live. Unfortunately, it could not be easily ascertained whether Terri was in favor of death or life. If I was the nurse in this case, I would deal with the moral and ethical issues by mainly arguing in favor of life. On the same note, my responsibility to Terri’s family and to myself would be to keep Terri alive through any available means. However, to Terry, I would be specially bound to uphold her wishes also long they do not put me into any legal jeopardy.
References
Iyer, P. W., & Aiken, T. D. (2001). Nursing malpractice. Tucson, AZ: Lawyers & Judges Pub. Co.
Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2011). Leading and managing in nursing. St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier Mosby.
