The Role of a Baccalaureate-Prepared Nurse in Supervising Clinical Staff Nurses Summary of the Nursing Practice Scenario

As a registered nurse (RN) in the medical-surgical ward of a local teaching hospital, I am bestowed with the task of overseeing three nurses. One day, after giving the nurses their patient assignments and completing the shift report, a new nurse who had just completed orientation and training a week before approaches me and says he has encountered a patient with a diagnosis he is unfamiliar with and thus lacks the confidence to continue the assessment and treatment. Knowing the importance of using the best evidence to improve patient outcomes, my role as a supervisor is to help the nurse locate research and reliable material that may be used to deliver the best care for the patient.

Communication and Collaborative Strategies

Healthcare values communication and collaboration as essential cornerstones of the industry. People go from amateurs to connoisseurs in the healthcare industry, just as they do in any other subject. The trip is worthwhile, even if it is a long road, especially in health, to become an expert. As a supervisor of nurses in the medical-surgical ward, one of my responsibilities is to assist them in identifying areas of weakness and developing suitable ways to improve them.

A nurse encounters a 57-year-old male patient on the ward who has a longstanding history of smoking and now has dyspnea, chronic productive cough, and physical examination reveals increased bilateral resonance on percussion, diminished breath sounds, and crackles at the lung bases on auscultation. The nurse suspects the patient has a chronic respiratory condition but is unclear whether it is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or another diagnosis.

I would dedicate time to teaching the nurse about taking a comprehensive patient history and doing a physical examination on individuals suspected of having respiratory diseases. The education would take the form of a bedside tutorial in which the nurse would be able to ask the patient pertinent questions and execute the different procedures for a focused respiratory exam. Regardless of the healthcare hierarchy, everyone is regarded as a colleague, whether junior or senior (Parkinson, 2018), and so talking with the nurse most respectfully sustains the relationship as well as professionalism. 

I would also educate the nurse on credible medical and nursing databases where relevant information may be found. This training will take place in the hospital’s computer lab, which gives free access to medical research databases. The many reputable databases, what sources to look for, and tactics, such as key phrases, to access the articles will be among the instructional subjects. To establish a collaborative atmosphere, treating lower-ranking professionals with the decency and respect they deserve, recognizing where they have done well, and continuing medical education are all effective strategies.