Description
Review your state nurse practice act by visiting Find Your Nurse Practice ActLinks to an external site. and compare the specific scopes of practice for RNs, licensed practical nurses/licensed vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs), certified nurse assistants, certified medication aids, and unlicensed assistive personnel (UAPs).
Create a Microsoft Word document and respond to the following:
- How does a nurse leader and manager know that staffing levels are adequate?
- Compare and contrast various state regulations regarding minimum staffing levels.
- Provide at least one example of skills or tasks that are within the scope of practice for each of the following healthcare team members:
- RN
- LPN/LVN
- CNA
- CMA
- UAP
- Consider one of your clinical experiences throughout the nursing program. How well did the unit or clinical setting staff the unit? What was the typical nurse-to-patient ratio? What was the typical staff mix on the unit? Did the unit use LPN/LVN, CNAs/UAPs, or CMAs? If so, what were their responsibilities?
Part 2
Instructions
Using the scenario provided, respond to the critical thinking questions. Each response should be original (in your own words) and a minimum of 2–3 sentences in length.
Scenario
Miguel is the nurse leader and manager of a 36-bed medical-surgical unit. The care-delivery model used in his unit is team nursing. Each team comprises one RN, one licensed practical nurse (LPN), and one unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). The average patient load per team is six patients. Currently, the unit has five open positions on the day shift, and two are for LPNs. Miguel would like to change the requirements for those positions to hire RNs.
Critical Thinking Questions
- Will this affect the care delivery model?
- Could this change affect patient care?
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
1
Nurse Practice Act and Case Study, Miguel
Student’s Name:
Institutional Affiliation:
Course Name & Code:
Professor’s Name:
Due Date
2
Nurse Practice Act and Case Study, Miguel
PART I: Nursing Staffing, State Regulations, Scope of Practice, and Clinical Reflection
What strategies can a nurse leader and manager use to determine if staffing levels are
sufficient?
Staffing adequacy by a nurse leader and manager is as follows: They still often employ
patient acuity instruments that measure the level of nursing intervention required by the patient’s
disease state and treatment plans. These tools assist in establishing the right proportion in terms of
the number of nurses to attend to the patients. Also, overseeing the patient results and the patient
satisfaction questionnaires may indicate staffing sufficiency. Nurse leaders also look at workload
ratios like the number and hours of overtime worked, burnout, and turnover rates as signs of
understaffing. Finally, meeting regulatory requirements and accreditation that may prescribe
desirable staffing patterns is critical in staffing nursing to pre...