Chris Starr (RN, BSN, CEN), the charge nurse in a very busy Emergency Department, was exhausted at the end of a 12-hour shift. Sixty-six patients had been triaged, assessed, cared for, counseled, educated, admitted, transferred, and/or discharged. One patient died. Some of the nursing responsibilities/ behaviors carried out by Chris on this shift included the following:
- Took/gave shift report every 4 hours.
b. Assigned staff to patient care responsibilities.
c. Assigned staff to non-nursing responsibilities such as ordering supplies, room checks, and testing emergency equipment.
d. Oriented two new medical students to department protocols and expectations.
e. Requested assistance from the shift supervisor to obtain ICU beds for two critical patients.
f. Called the children’s protective agency to request emergency placement for three abandoned children brought in by the police.
g. Yelled over the phone at a newspaper reporter who insisted on obtaining details of a recent accident.
h. Assisted a staff nurse to support very distressed family members whose older adult parent had just died.
i. Talked to the coroner for 10 minutes by phone.
j. Cared for four patients whose nurse left for a dinner break.
k. Assisted three staff members who were restraining an out-of-control, intoxicated patient.
l. Intervened between a staff nurse and a physician who disagreed about a patient care issue.
m. Promised to talk privately to an angry unit secretary later in the shift if time allows.
n. Gathered all staff together at 11 PM to thank them for their hard work and good care.
Visualize this nurse, and write your description of this nurse. What does Chris look like? How does Chris speak to people? What values does Chris embody? What influential person in your life does Chris remind you of?