Case Study – Effective Delegation
Assume you are the team leader for a team composed of six staff members. On your team, you have two seasoned registered nurses, one registered nurse who is floating to your floor from another medical unit, one certified nurse aide, and one new graduate registered nurse who has been on your unit for 3 weeks. You have assigned six of the unstable patients to the two seasoned nurses. One of the patients is scheduled for colon resection this morning. One patient, who is a post–right lobe thoracotomy, is scheduled for discharge and will need discharge teaching. One diabetic patient is postoperative day 1 from appendectomy, continues to be nauseated, and is on a patient-controlled analgesic. The remaining patients are currently stable and require minimal assistance.;
Instructions:
Read the Case Study above, and then answer the following questions:
What patient should you assign to the float nurse?
Which patient or patients should you assign to the new graduate nurse?
Why did you make these assignments?
What tasks could you delegate to the certified nurse aide?
Think back to when you were a new graduate. Did you find it difficult to delegate certain tasks? To whom did you turn for support?
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Effective Delegation in Healthcare
Introduction
Delegation is a crucial skill for effective team management in healthcare settings. In this case study, as the team leader, I have to make appropriate assignments for different patients based on their needs and the skills of my team members. This essay will discuss the patient assignments, rationale behind the decisions, and the tasks that can be delegated to a certified nurse aide. It will also reflect on the challenges faced by new graduate nurses in delegating tasks and the importance of seeking support.
Patient Assignments
Float Nurse Assignment: The patient who should be assigned to the float nurse is the post–right lobe thoracotomy patient scheduled for discharge and requiring discharge teaching. This assignment is suitable for the float nurse because they are experienced and familiar with various medical units. They can effectively provide discharge teaching and ensure a smooth transition for the patient.
New Graduate Nurse Assignments: The new graduate nurse should be assigned patients who are stable and require minimal assistance. In this case study, the remaining stable patients are ideal for the new graduate nurse. These patients do not have complex medical conditions or immediate postoperative needs, which allows the new graduate nurse to gain confidence and develop their skills through providing basic care.
Rationale for Assignments
The assignments were made based on the principle of matching patient needs with the skills and expertise of team members. The seasoned nurses were assigned to the unstable patients who require close monitoring and specialized care due to their experience and competence. The float nurse was assigned a patient who needed discharge teaching as they have experience in different units and can handle such responsibilities effectively. The new graduate nurse was assigned stable patients to provide an opportunity for learning and skill development under less demanding circumstances.
Delegation to Certified Nurse Aide
Tasks that can be delegated to the certified nurse aide include:
Assisting with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, grooming, and toileting.
Monitoring vital signs and reporting abnormalities to the nurse.
Assisting with ambulation and transfers.
Assisting with feeding patients who require assistance.
Performing basic wound care under the nurse’s supervision.
Delegating these tasks to a certified nurse aide allows them to contribute to patient care and support the nursing team, while freeing up registered nurses to focus on more complex and specialized aspects of patient care.
Challenges Faced by New Graduate Nurses in Delegating Tasks
As a new graduate nurse, delegating tasks can be challenging due to limited experience and confidence. It may be difficult to determine which tasks can be delegated safely and effectively. Additionally, there may be concerns about how tasks will be performed by others and potential risks associated with delegation.
Seeking Support
New graduate nurses should seek support from experienced nurses or mentors when facing challenges in delegating tasks. These individuals can provide guidance, share their expertise, and help new graduates develop the necessary skills and confidence to delegate effectively. Seeking support ensures that patient care remains safe and enhances professional growth.
Conclusion
Effective delegation in healthcare is essential for optimizing patient care, utilizing team members’ skills efficiently, and fostering professional growth. Assigning appropriate patients based on their needs and team members’ expertise is a critical aspect of effective delegation. Delegating tasks to certified nurse aides allows them to contribute to patient care while enabling registered nurses to focus on more complex aspects of nursing practice. New graduate nurses should seek support from experienced colleagues to overcome challenges in delegating tasks and ensure safe patient care. By practicing effective delegation, healthcare teams can enhance efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and promote professional development.
