Author Question: The nurse manager is evaluating the staffing patterns for the unit over the last 3 months. Which of ... (Read 96 times)

arivle123 · **on:** Jul 8, 2018

The nurse manager is evaluating the staffing patterns for the unit over the last 3 months. Which of the following statements by the nurse manager is the best description of the way the nurse manager should approach staffing?

1. The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is the most knowledgeable regarding hospital staffing needs, and they should be consulted regarding unit staffing activities.
2. The American Association of Nurses can be consulted to help the nurse manager determine a staffing plan for the unit.
3. The health care organization's administrators dictate the staffing plan that is to be used throughout the organization.
4. The nurse manager must use the principles set forth by the American Association of Nurses and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations to help determine staffing on the unit, but must take into account the specific client population on the unit.

Question 2

The nurse manager examines data to assist in determining the correct staffing plan for the night shift. Which of the following information will be useful? Select all that apply.

1. The unit's client occupancy rate has been between 97 and 100 over the last 2 months.
2. The average client length of stay has been 3.4 days.
3. Over the last 2 months, 2432 of the clients have required a Foley catheter to be inserted.
4. One month ago, the unit started accepting postoperative laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgical clients.
5. During the last 2 months, 76 of the clients have required a dressing change.

Question 3

Due to time constraints, the nurse manager has not adequately monitored for quality improvement following the recent organization-wide change to a new patient-controlled analgesic pump.

Which of the following responses by the staff nurses can be expected?
1. The change to the new PCA pumps is really going well.
2. I can't get anyone to tell me how to clear the pump without going through five different steps. It seems to take forever.
3. It sounds like the change is costing the organization a lot less money to rent the pumps.
4. The nurse manager said that the new pumps are saving the nurses an average of 7 minutes throughout their day.

lou · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 8, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Answer: 4

Rationale: The nurse manager should use the principles set forth by the American Association of Nurses and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations to help determine staffing on the unit. The principles can be examined to help the nurse manager determine an appropriate mix of staff to schedule for work on the unit. The nurse manager should use experience and knowledge of client populations on the unit over time to determine staffing needs. The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the American Association of Nurses have developed the guidelines to help the nurse manager staff the unit. These organizations are not typically consulted to help determine specific unit staffing patterns.

Answer to Question 2

I appreciate you answering this question. This is a great community

Answer to Question 3

Answer: 2

Rationale: Change must be evaluated to determine its importance. Evaluating change can help the organization understand whether the change efforts are worthwhile, are cost-effective, and benefit the organization. The staff nurses involved in the change should be knowledgeable about how well the change is going overall. Problems should be pinpointed early, and corrective action should be quickly provided. Staff members should continue to struggle with problems. The staff members should understand how the change is effecting the organization financially. The staff members should be educated about how the change might be saving them time, and to understand the benefits related to the change. These questions can be answered only by evaluating the change. Relevant data should be analyzed carefully and in a timely manner. When evaluation of change is given a low priority, the answers to these questions will be vague and will lack meaning.