6 Tips When Dialing the Doctor

Here are 6 tips to keep in mind prior to calling the doctor. Always remember to be well prepared by keeping your words concise, having the right tools and being in a quiet area.



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~Rachel RN

Locker Essentials for the Nurse

Here are must have items every nurse should always keep in her locker.

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~Rachel RN

How to Check for Cervical Position

This basic video explains how to check for cervical position on a laboring patient for a beginner obstetric nurse.

Watch this video and please comment below with any questions.




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~Rachel RN

How to Check for Cervical Effacement

This basic video explains how to check for cervical effacement in a laboring patient for the beginner obstetric nurse.

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~Rachel RN

How to Check Cervical Dilation + Vaginal Exam

This basic video is to show how to check cervical dilation through a vaginal exam on a laboring patient for the beginner obstetric nurse.

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~Rachel RN

Delegation Skills for the Novice to the Expert Nurse

Today I’ll be talking about Delegation as a nurse and this information helps in other professions and situations where delegation is needed. Some of the information I’ll be talking about comes from an article titled Developing Delegation skills by Alice Weydt RN MS found from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol152010/No2May2010/Delegation-Skills.html.

I’ll be going over the following 1) What is delegation 2) Pros and Cons of Delegation 3) Helpful tips to becoming a better delegator.

What does delegation mean? Delegation is a complex process in professional practice requiring sophisticated clinical judgement and final accountability for patients’ care.  

According to the ANA Code of Ethics, The RN uses critical thinking and professional judgment when following The Five Rights of Delegation: 1. Right task 2. Right circumstances 3. Right person 4. Right directions and communication 5. Right supervision and evaluation.

Pros/Cons to delegation can be numerous here are just a few:

Pros: Delegation is important because this allows the nurse to be more effective and saves on time for other nursing tasks. Effective delegation allows the rest of the unit to run more efficiently.

Cons: Delegation can have its challenges if the tasks are assigned to the wrong person the outcome can be unsafe for the patient. Sometimes delegation is difficult depending on the relationship between the nurse, LPN or CNA.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Here are some helpful Tips with Delegation

Don’t take bad attitudes personally.

Help out when you can if you have time.

Being polite, respectful, friendly and considerate go a long way and make sure to say “thank you” often.

Include CNAs and LPNs as part of the team.

Try to develop working relationships with the CNAs and LPNs.

Keep in mind that CNAs and LPNs both have just as difficult of a workload as you do, it isn’t possible for one person to get everything done. Create a team approach mindset which allows for a better culture on the unit.

Be the nurse the CNA and LPN WANTS to help, by being willing to help out when you can. Do not be the nurse that just sits at the desk on their phone or gabs too much. Delegation does not give you the right to be lazy.

Delegation skills can also be developed using simulation drills to create practice scenarios reflecting daily practice.

Conclusion

In conclusion delegation has to be practiced before it can be perfected.

Delegation is a complex professional skill requiring sophisticated clinical judgement and being accountable for patients’ care.

Remember to always keep in mind the state nurse practice act to maximize patient care resources.

Staff relationships can influence the delegation potential and process.

When RNs do not effectively delegate to others, quality of care can be lessened and valuable resources can be mismanaged.

Having clarity about what can be delegated helps to define quality professional practice not only for nurses but also for other team members, patients, and families.

Let me know how you’re dealing with delegation as a new nurse or seasoned nurse.

Thank you for watching and I’ll see you next time. 

Work Place Conflict and Violence; Strategies on Awareness & De-escalation

The following techniques and strategies can be found from the following document: “Workplace violence can happen anywhere especially predominant in behavioral health, emergency medicine, nursing homes, long term care and home care.” (Patient and Visitor Violence; What Do We Know? What Can We Do? By Jonathan Rossen, The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing).

Troubles addressing the problem of workplace violence is the assumption that it’s normal or part of the job, and that it’s unpredictable making is nearly impossible to prevent. I’m going to help other nurses including yourselves become more aware of your surroundings regarding possible violent situations and strategies allowing for the safest most peaceful outcomes possible.

According to Ian Miller with thenursepath.com the most effective de-escalators have been found to have the following skills. Honesty, Confidence, Non-judgemental, A permissive non-authoritarian manner and Ability to empathize.

The following 7 strategies will help in de-escalating workplace violence for everyone involved.

1)     Call for help:

a.      Never attempt de-escalation of a patient alone.

b.      Having that 3^rd person available to “take over” if/when needed will be beneficial.

2)     Switch ON your skills:

a.      Take a deep breath and try to remain calm.

b.      Assess your physical environment, remove people not directly involved in the de-escalation situation.

c.      Physical objects: Are the physical objects that could turn into potential weapons such as pens, medical equipment or furniture.

d.      Physical space: Be aware of the layout of the room. Always have a clear pathway to the exit of the room.

3)     Body Skills:

a.      While managing an agitated patient remember to physically step back.

b.      Never attempt to single-handedly block or restrain the patient.

                                                    i.     Assume a relaxed, open stance

                                                   ii.     Keep your hands open, visible and unclenched.

                                                  iii.     Face your body at an angle, this appears less confrontational.

                                                  iv.     Relax your face, make frequent eye contact but do NOT stare.

4)     Verbal Skills:

a.      There should only be one primary person communicating with the person being de-escalated.

b.      Be authentic, concise (no rambling), simple, repeat as necessary and be prepared to listen twice as much as you talk.

                                                    i.     Begin by introducing yourself, ask what the patient prefers to be called when addressing them.

                                                   ii.     Your voice should be clear with a soft tone.

                                                  iii.     When requesting information from the patient you may need to repeat yourself several times allowing for the information to be processed by the patient.

                                                  iv.     Encourage the patient to communicate their wants and feelings.

                                                   v.     Allow them to vent their anger.

                                                  vi.     Usage of humor may be helpful, but be careful the patient may think you’re coming off condescending or belittling to them.

5)     Listening skills:

a.      It’s important to understand what the patient is truly saying without putting your own interpretation or agendas into the mix.

b.      Even if the patient is delusional, everyone has their own sense of truth.

6)     Set clear careful boundaries:

a.      Setting clear and defined boundaries should happen early on in the situation but not used as a threat or show of power.

b.      The most important boundary to set is that of physical violence being unacceptable.

c.      Present each boundary with care, repeat as necessary respecting the other person’s dignity.

d.      Aggression sometimes happens as a response to feelings of lost dignity, disrespect and being frightened.

7)     RED ZONE:

a.      If the situation continues to escalate consider your options:

                                                    i.     Give the person options other than violence. Suggest offering the person something you can realistically deliver on that may help them calm down.

b.      If all of the above options fail, withdraw from any further attempts of de-escalation.

                                                    i.     At this point communication move from discussing the person’s feelings or actively listening to more of an authoritative approach.

                                                   ii.     The focus is now on ensuring everyone’s safety.

                                                  iii.     Escorting a team of individuals like police or security to help remove or place the person in a safer environment may be necessary.

                                                  iv.     Moving to the authoritative approach should be anticipated by staff. For example, reminding everyone that if things don’t work out peacefully this is the next step.

Ultimately this is a very stressful situation for everyone involved. This can be the cause of nursing burn out for some nurses, questioning whether they want to continue bedside nursing.

Make sure you sit down for a debriefing on the events that happened and be prepared to vent to a co-worker and get off your chest what happened to you so you don’t bottle up the experience which can be very stressful. Sometimes replaying and saying out loud what just happened to you can be very therapeutic. Allow others to acknowledge your feelings and discuss how you handled the situation. It’s okay to cry.

Do your best to leave work and these situations at work, so you can come home and not take it out on your family.

Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you next time.