Only one nurse was scheduled to care for 12 postsurgical patients with a nursing assistant. The nurse is concerned for the safety of the patients and the nursing license. What is the most appropriate first step in this situation?
a. Contacting the nursing supervisor and documenting the action
b. Refusing to care for the patients without appropriate help and leaving
c. Contacting the State Board of Nursing and documenting the action
d. Contacting the hospital administrator on call to complain and documenting the action
A
If a nurse is assigned to care for more patients than is reasonable for safe care, he or she should notify the nursing supervisor. If the nurse is required to accept the assignment, he or she must document this information in writing and provide the document to nursing administrators. Although documentation does not relieve a nurse of responsibility if patients suffer harm because of inattention, it shows that the nurse attempted to act appropriately. Refusing to care for the patients without appropriate help and leaving could be regarded as abandonment. Complaining to the administrator is not the first step, nor is calling the Board of Nursing.
You might also like to view...
When palpating the posterior chest, the clinician notes increased tactile fremitus over the left lower lobe. This can be indicative of:
A. Pneumonia B. Emphysema C. Pneumothorax D. Asthma
Which statement indicates the student nurse's understanding of a situational relationship?
a. "A situational relationship occurs only one time.". b. "A situation relationship is established by the organization.". c. "In a situational relationship, both mentee and mentor mutually accept it.". d. "A situational relationship is structured to ensure situational success.".
When asked to define the purpose of diagnostic reasoning, the best nursing response is:
1. "Diagnostic reasoning is the foundation of the second step of the nursing process; Nursing Diagnosis." 2. "The diagnostic reasoning process flows from the assessment process and includes decision-making steps." 3. "Diagnostic reasoning includes data clustering, identifying client needs and for-mulating the diagnosis or problem." 4. "Diagnostic reasoning involves using the assessment collected on a specific client to logically arrive at an appropriate nursing diagnosis."
When seeking knowledge, which of the following would a nurse typically do first?
A) Search for appropriate evidence B) Critically analyze the literature C) Question a practice D) Apply the search findings