Case Scenario It's morning shift at City Hospital's Ward 3 South. There was a busy shift the day before where many staff did not get their dinner breaks until late. Some of the staff are working again today and have commented to Henry, the Associate Nursing Unit Manager (ANUM), about how challenging the shift was. Two first-year nursing students, Kevin and Daisy, are in the second week of Two student nurses at the nursing station, researching information. their first clinical placement on Henry's ward at City Hospital. The students are are sitting at the nurse’s station, not really sure if they should be doing anything. Henry sees Kevin and Daisy at the desk. Thinking that they are not doing anything, Henry questions them. The students inform Henry that Kate, their buddy nurse is helping another nurse with a patient, and has told them to read some hospital policies until she gets back. Henry knows that the ward is busy this morning and thinks that the students could be doing something more to help out. He says to Kevin and Daisy "You two have been on the ward for quite a few shifts now and have been doing a good job, but I would like it if you showed a little more initiative. Are the vital signs on your patients up to date?” Kevin and Daisy realise that Henry is right, the 10am vital signs have not been done. Henry tells the students that "the patients have been very stable and are supposed to be going home in the next few days so it won't take you long to do their observations and go to tea on time". At the start of their placement, Henry had explained to Kevin and Daisy that taking their breaks at the allocated time is very important for the smooth running of the ward. He said that “Everyone works hard and going to breaks on time makes sure everyone gets a well-earned rest and a chance eat some food, otherwise the shifts become too demanding and staff become unhappy”. As the senior nurses on the shift, it is important to Henry that the shift runs smoothly. Henry considers a well-run shift is a direct reflection of his management and leadership skills. (continues on the next page). Taking vital signs Two student nurses in the ward near their patient. They are looking at his obs chart. The students have recorded vital signs for three of their patients, and arechecking on the last patient - Mr Gerry Smith, a 66 year old male who was admitted two days ago with chest pain for investigation. Mr Smith is sitting in a chair beside his bed and the students obtain his vital signs and record them accurately on his observation chart (click here to view Mr Smith's obs chart). Mr Smith mentions to the students that he is not feeling very well today. When the students turn to respond to their patient, they notice that he does not look very well, but see that the vital signs they have recorded are all within acceptable parameters. Making a decision The students discuss Mr Smith’s situation with each other but are not sureNursing students taking patient's vital signs. The students look confused. about what to do next. Daisy says that “His vital signs are all normal so there is really nothing that we need to do". Kevin turns to Mr Smith and says that “Your vital signs are all normal Gerry, do you think it’s just that you don’t feel well because you have been unwell and had to come into hospital? How about we go to tea and check on you when we get back in 20 minutes. We don’t want to bet into trouble with Henry for being late for our break". Mr Smith tells the students that "it’s probably nothing, don’t worry about it, I don’t want to get you into trouble". Kevin and Daisy ask Gerry if he is sure about that and he says he is, so they go off to tea, happy that they are on good time. Previous ackground Both Daisy and Kevin have recently completed NUR1113, and are aware of various theories of leadership and how they relate to a nurse’s role and responsibilities, but they've seen that it can be difficult applying theory to practice! Student Report After considering the scenario, write a brief (1100 word) report, analysing the students' interaction with Mr Smith, including: The main factors affecting the decisions Daisy and Kevin need to make after taking Mr Smith's vital signs; What advice you would give to Daisy and Kevin in this situation; The justification for that advice, with reference to various leadership theories discussed in NUR1113 and their relationships to the factors noted in part 1). Finally, based on your explanation, identify three strategies Daisy and Kevin can use to help them improve their abilities to perform effectively as a leader during placement and their careers. Your report should be written in the third person (i.e. 'Kevin and Daisy should....' rather than 'We would suggest that Kevin and Daisy...') , and informed by the resources on the next page, as well as other credible sources that you locate yourself from the academic literature. Remember that if you need advice about finding, reading or citing sources, you can visit a library drop-in session: http://www.monash.edu/library/skills/resources/programs/drop-in ng references are provided below to assist you with beginning your student report/CAP. Please note, however, that you are expected to find and include additional references in your report. Australian College of Nursing. (2015). Nurse Leadership: A white paper by ACN 2015. Retrieved from: