Ellen is a novice nurse on your unit. Even though she has come to you highly recommended, as her supervisor, you have noticed some knowledge and skill deficiencies

Question

These deficiencies have been noticed by her peers as well, who cover for her because she is new and they like her. Which of the following is likely to be the greatest asset to Ellen in improving her performance? a. Ignore Ellen's errors until she has more experience.
b. Instruct staff to avoid working with Ellen until she learns to how do things herself.
c. Ask Ellen to complete a self-assessment, using a standard skills checklist.
d. Encourage staff to report every behavior of Ellen's that is different from theirs.

Answer 1

D
When other employees are engaged in enabling behavior by covering for the mistakes of one of their peers, the nurse leader may be surprised to discover that the employee does not know or cannot do what is expected of him or her. The nurse leader must remind employees that part of professional responsibility is to maintain quality care and thus they are obligated to report in-stances of clinical incompetence, even when it means reporting a co-worker. Ignoring violations of a safety rule or poor practice is unprofessional and cannot be tolerated. The employee may be asked to do a self-assessment of the listed skills or competencies and then have performance of the skills validated by a peer or co-worker. This is a very effective method for the leader to assess the skill level of employees and to determine whether additional education and training may be necessary.