You are the Charge Nurse in a large Urban Emergency Department (ED). Your nursing staff includes: RN with 12 years of Trauma ED experience New RN with 6 months of ED experience RN from the Medical Surgical floor with 8 years of experience The following patients are in the ED; which patient will you give to each of the nurses and why? A 76-year-old client was involved in a motor vehicle accident and had hematuria. A 38-year-old client with kidney stones complaining of severe pain. A 24-year-old diabetic client with an acute urinary tract infection will require discharge teaching. An 80-year-old client has not had a bowel movement for 4 days. Please make an initial post by midweek and respond to at least two other students’ posts with substantial details demonstrating an understanding of the concepts and critical thinking. Remember that your posts must exhibit appropriate writing mechanics, including proper language, cordiality, and proper grammar and punctuation. If you refer to any o

Understanding Clinical Judgment in Nursing- Integrating Evidence, Theory, and Practice for Quality Care

Clinical judgment is the process of integrating evidence-based practice, critical thought, knowledge, the nursing process, skills, and attitudes to apply the theory learned into practice (Song et al., 2021). The overall aim is to promote safe and quality care to all. During the assigning of duties to nursing practitioners, several factors need to be considered. As the nurse in charge, I must consider whether this is the right individual to carry out the assigned task within the prevailing circumstances (Owens, 2018). Communication, supervision, and evaluation are also key considerations.

To the 76-year-old patient involved in a motor vehicle accident, I would assign the registered nurse with 12 years of trauma ED experience. This patient presents with hematuria and requires specialized care from an expert. Assigning the nurse with 12 years of experience means that they have the skills, knowledge, and experience to provide the highest quality care to this patient. I would assign the 24-year-old diabetic patient to a new registered nurse with six months’ experience. The patient is stable with only an acute urinary tract infection and requires to be educated before being discharged. The RN with six months’ experience is well-equipped to deal with this patient.

I would assign the other two patients with kidney stones and the other with no bowel movement for four days to the RN from the medical-surgical floor with eight years of experience. The two cases may require surgery and follow-up, and this RN is better suited and has both the skill set and experience within that field. This nurse is better suited to provide the best care and deal with any arising complications, ensuring safety and quality of care.

References

Owens, R. A. (2018). Transition Experiences of New Rural Nurse Practitioners. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 14(8), 605–612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2018.05.009

Song, C. E., Park, H., Lee, M., & Stevens, K. R. (2021). Integrating EBP into an undergraduate research methodology course using the Star Model of Knowledge Transformation: A mixed-method study. Nurse Education Today, 105, 105021. https://doi.org/10.1016/