Author Question: A nurse manager to the OB unit is having issues with a staff nurse who is rude to clients. In the ... (Read 89 times)

rayancarla1 · **on:** Jul 8, 2018

A nurse manager to the OB unit is having issues with a staff nurse who is rude to clients. In the past year the OB staff have complained to the manager regarding this staff nurses rudeness to clients.

Other departments have also filed similar complaints. The manager pulls the staff nurses employee file and finds last years appraisal as exceptional. What course of action should the manager take with this nurse? 1. Terminate the staff nurse immediately.
2. Notify nursing administration of the issues and complaints.
3. Instruct the OB staff nurses to maintain a log of the nurses behavior.
4. Document the issues, confer with the staff nurse, and provide a plan of action.

Question 2

A nurse manager must place a telephone call to a colleague who always wants to chat socially for several minutes. The manager does not have time for a social call. What is the best time for the manager to make this call?

1. At 9:00 a.m. after physician rounds are complete
2. A few minutes before the colleague usually goes to lunch
3. In the middle of the afternoon
4. First thing in the morning, just after shift report

chreslie · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 8, 2018

Answer to Question 1

4
Explanation: 1. Documenting the issues, one-on-one conference with the nurse, and providing a specific plan
of action with a specific time frame is the best course of action. The nurse may decide to give
notice of termination, reflect and change the behavior, or allow the manager time to see if the
issues in the plan of action have been met or terminate the nurse. Terminating the staff nurse
immediately could cause legal implications since previous appraisals do not support the
allegation of rude or unprofessional behavior. The manager may want to notify administration
and human resources but it is ultimately the managers responsibility to address the issues.
Instructing the other staff nurses to keep a log of issues is unprofessional.

Answer to Question 2

2
Rationale 1: 9:00 a.m. is not the best time to make this call.
Rationale 2: A call just before lunch is likely to be limited as the person who receives the call wants to leave the office.
Rationale 3: In the middle of the afternoon, people are often looking for distractions from their work. If the nurse does not have time for a social chat, the middle of the afternoon is not a good time to call.
Rationale 4: If this call is made first thing in the morning, the colleague is unlikely to have begun a project and may wish to delay starting the workday by chatting. If the colleague does not keep shift hours, he or she may not be at work that early.
Global Rationale: