How Does Policy Influence Your Decision
As per the hospital’s policy, emergency care can only be provided to patients that need immediate medical attention or intervention and in situations where a transfer to county facilities is not possible. From the situation, it seems a baseline physical examination has not been carried out, and one cannot entirely base a patient’s condition based on experiences. It would be prudent first to ensure that the patient is not in need of immediate medical attention despite the fact that the patient has been binge drinking. It would be important first to sit down with her and make her understand the situation why policy has to be followed. Ordering a baseline physical examination would be significant in ensuring that the patient is not in need of immediate medical attention, and this would allow for transfer to the county facility in case the condition is not that serious. Furthermore, a different physician would be used for the test since the earlier one seems to be angry and may not be in the right frame of mind while conducting the test. It is important to ensure the daughter understands that, in case, the father is not in a serious medical condition you would have to follow hospital policy and order a transfer.
If there were no limitations on resource allocations
No limitations on resource allocations may make the decision easier to some extent but not entirely. One has to deal with the frustrated physician in this situation. There may be challenges of availability of physicians or even only one physician may be available at the time. If the physician indicates that, he cannot perform a physical examination on the patient, then a situation of neglect may arise, and patients may think that they are being discriminated. The problem needs to be addressed from a multidimensional perspective.
As a nurse leader, the aim is to advocate for policies and decisions that will help the patient. Despite issues of rising medical costs, a nurse has an obligation to the patient. Such a process helps a nurse to develop values and act more strongly towards addressing the needs of the patient no matter the situation. Patient safety and provision of quality care become important and such instances are addressed by ensuring that the patient does not need urgent medical attention.
How will you meet the new budget restrictions?
Since most of the cuts must come from the personnel budgets, it is important to understand that tough decisions and alternatives have to be made that will affect some of the employees. Already the initial step in trying to have a common understanding of what will happen ahead has already taken place and employees are not voluntarily going to leave their jobs. Thus, an analysis or job evaluation may be significant in making a decision on what to do next. Firstly, from a personal opinion a reduction in my salary can be helpful as a first step in ensuring that some savings are achieved. Secondly, a sufficient reduction in the number of the patient population may be critical. However, since the goal of the hospital is to help treat individuals, a reduction of the patient population will be done based on the level of seriousness of the condition of a patient.
In making a decision on which employees to retain and which ones to let go, it will be prudent to evaluate their importance based on the level of necessity patients needs them. Based on Mrs. Potter experience letting her go completely may be disastrous to the organization. As such, an option of changing her contract to work part-time and reducing her salary would help in addressing the situation. Already based on her situation, she will be able to support herself and plus having her part-time job may be critical in assisting the staff to maneuver through the different challenges that she may have experienced in her long career. Mrs. Long would have to be let go as her only motivation for doing her work is for her personal needs. Her job description would have to be distributed to the other staff. Furthermore, it is important for the agency to maintain licensed staff being at a higher percentage that will cut on costs (Marquis and Huston, 2015). Additionally all other staff members would have to take mandatory pay cuts, which would be dependent on a person's family and personal obligations.
Such a decision to retain all other employees may provide the least disruption to the operation of the agency. The challenge the employees will have to deal with is the extra workload. Group decision making can be involved in this situation in the initial stages, if the group comes up with ways of addressing the fiscal problem, then it becomes easier for the agency to implement and function. However, sometimes group decisions may not develop a solution to a problem, which then leaves the project director with the sole responsibility of making decisions to ensure the functioning of the agency.
It is important to consider value judgment in making fiscal decisions since, ignoring them may have consequences on patient safety. According to Marquis and Huston (2015), cost containment emanating from budget restrictions should not put the patient’s life at risk. Thus, value judgment becomes important.
10-Year Career Plan
In the next ten years, it is crucial that I ensure balancing of my work life and personal life. As a nurse, I plan to ensure that I get proper training and experience the nursing field through different opportunities and internships. To get to where I am at the moment I have scarified a lot in terms of time and energy and for the next ten years will have to sacrifice even more since, responsibilities such as families will arise. Developing goals will ensure that I do not sway from attaining the desires of by nursing profession and ensure that any change that happens is geared towards fostering my nursing career.
Goal 1
I plan on finishing and graduating my bachelor’s degree to ensure that I get the minimum qualifications to jumpstart my career. It is crucial getting clinical experience in the initial years as a graduate nurse. Inside the first two years after graduation, I need to have secured a job or an internship where I can gain the relevant clinical experience. A good starting point will be to be a nurse’s aide.
Goal 2
Working in the different medical departments will be significant to understand how the different areas of nursing are related. It will be important to ensure I gain sufficient knowledge of how the different departments of specialty such as orthopedics or oncology operate and what they entail. Exposure to the different departments will aid me in deciding what areas I will specialize. I will seek to become a registered nurse. This will entail ensuring that I work in an organization that provides registered nurses residencies. This will provide an opportunity for guidance and what challenges to expect in the future, through the structured curricula it provides (Turner, 2007).
Goal 3
Through the course of the nursing job, I will enroll for evening classes for a master’s degree. Additionally, in the course of my job and during free time I will enroll to do short certification courses in different skill sets that may be beneficial in the nursing jobs. Increasing knowledge may be beneficial in ensuring I get sufficient pay rise as I progress in my career. I hope to achieve my masters after the first five years of working.
Goal 4
At least after I have managed to complete my master’s degree, I will be hoping to start a family. Reducing additional studying will provide me time to handle my young family and provide support to my aging parents.
Goal 5
I will seek to become a member in several professional nursing organizations. Depending on the area or state where I will be working, it will be important to register with the regulatory and professional nursing bodies. This will provide me with opportunities to attend conferences that may provide valuable education and progress in the nursing field on different procedures and policies.
Goal 6
Strategy
I will seek the assistance and support of my family as I journey through my career. It will not be easy as constraints such as fiancés and supporting and caring for my family will be experienced. Developing a healthy life-work balance will be important to ensure that I achieve my goals. As such, my partner and I will aid in each other in terms of finances and taking care of our family obligations so that they do not clash with our careers. This will mean that when one individual will be doing their studies, one will be focused on taking care of the family responsibilities and when they finish one will take over the responsibilities the other person goes back to school.
References
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2015). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application.
Turner, S. O. (2007). The nursing career planning guide. Sudbury, Mass. ; Toronto: Jones and Bartlett.
