While in a clinical rotation my junior year, I was assignedthe dreaded Jack Camp (I still remember his name). He was a middle-aged single man receiving care for a com-pound fracture of his left lower extremity being treated with an external fixator. He had a bad case of diabetes, and aneven worse sweet tooth. Before I even met him, the nurseson the floor were saying things like “good luck,” whichmade this junior nursing student extra paranoid (althoughI was grateful for the warning). The patient was known for voicing loud complaints about his room, the food, andthe hospital routine. He also was using his call light veryfrequently. The nurses called him names and discussedtheir dislike of him in the nurses’ station, which was in thecenter of the unit.As the day progressed, I found out that all this patientwanted was some attention, because he was used torunning things in his business. I actually found himentertaining. How do you think you would respond in a similar situation?Why? What does this tell you about yourself and about theadequacy of your skills for professional practice? Whatknowledge, skills, and attitudes do you need to develop tocontinuously improve quality and safety in a situation likethe one experienced by this student nurse?Patient-Centered Care: How could the nursing studentinitiate improved communication between Mr. Camp andthe nurses working on his unit? Did her handling of thissituation facilitate her ability to advocate for patients insimilar situations? Would it be helpful to elicit Mr. Camp’spreferences and expressed needs and ensure that they areincluded as part of the plan of care?Teamwork and Collaboration/Quality Improvement:How do you think the nursing staff would have reactedhad the nursing student approached them regarding theircomments about Mr. Camp? Can you think of other ways to respond? Describe a plan the nursing student could useto go about changing the staff’s behavior. Which type ofleadership style might have been most effective with thisgroup?Safety/Evidence-Based Practice: Is there anything morethe nursing student could have done to contribute to a safepatient care environment, confront her fears, and promote apositive outcome in this situation? What evidence in nursing literature provides guidance for the leadership qualities nec-essary to enlist support and cooperation with the nursing staff in this environment?Informatics: What information should be included in thepatient handoff at the close of the student nurse’s shift?Can you identify the essential information that must beavailable in Mr. Camp’s electronic record to support safepatient care, coordination of care, and communicationwith staff?
While in a clinical rotation my junior year, I was assigned
the dreaded Jack Camp (I still remember his name). He
was a middle-aged single man receiving care for a com-
pound fracture of his left lower extremity being treated with
an external fixator. He had a bad case of diabetes, and an
even worse sweet tooth. Before I even met him, the nurses
on the floor were saying things like “good luck,” which
made this junior nursing student extra paranoid (although
I was grateful for the warning). The patient was known
for voicing loud complaints about his room, the food, and
the hospital routine. He also was using his call light very
frequently. The nurses called him names and discussed
their dislike of him in the nurses’ station, which was in the
center of the unit.
As the day progressed, I found out that all this patient
wanted was some attention, because he was used to
running things in his business. I actually found him
entertaining.
How do you think you would respond in a similar situation?
Why? What does this tell you about yourself and about the
adequacy of your skills for professional practice? What
knowledge, skills, and attitudes do you need to develop to
continuously improve quality and safety in a situation like
the one experienced by this student nurse?
Patient-Centered Care: How could the nursing student
initiate improved communication between Mr. Camp and
the nurses working on his unit? Did her handling of this
situation facilitate her ability to advocate for patients in
similar situations? Would it be helpful to elicit Mr. Camp’s
preferences and expressed needs and ensure that they are
included as part of the plan of care?
Teamwork and Collaboration/Quality Improvement:
How do you think the nursing staff would have reacted
had the nursing student approached them regarding their
comments about Mr. Camp? Can you think of other ways
to respond? Describe a plan the nursing student could use
to go about changing the staff’s behavior. Which type of
leadership style might have been most effective with this
group?
Safety/Evidence-Based Practice: Is there anything more
the nursing student could have done to contribute to a safe
patient care environment, confront her fears, and promote a
positive outcome in this situation? What evidence in nursing
literature provides guidance for the leadership qualities nec-
essary to enlist support and cooperation with the nursing
staff in this environment?
Informatics: What information should be included in the
patient handoff at the close of the student nurse’s shift?
Can you identify the essential information that must be
available in Mr. Camp’s electronic record to support safe
patient care, coordination of care, and communication
with staff?
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