ATI Virtual Case Study 3.0: Patient Advocacy
Overview
This discussion requires you to access the ATI Testing website. To access ATI, use the ATI Testing link in the Canvas Navigation Menu or select this ATI TestingLinks to an external site. link to access your login page.
Instructions
Once logged in, go to My ATI, select the “Learn” tab to access Video Case Studies RN 3.0. Select the “Patient-Centered Care: Patient Advocacy” case study and watch the video Begin Case (1:07).
DO NOT respond to the questions following the video case study. Instead, write 200–250 words responding to the discussion prompts provided. Then, respond to at least two of your peers’ posts. Here is the caption of the video
Nurse Manager: Good morning, Jen.
Jen: Good morning
Nurse Manager: Before you get started taking report, I need you to get over to pediatric intensive care. They are in crisis mode due to several emergency admissions overnight. They don’t have enough staff, and we have one more nurse than usual.
Jen: But I don’t even have any pediatric experience, let alone critical care. I wouldn’t know where to begin.
Nurse Manager: Just stay there for the day and do the best you can to help out. We cannot justify our extra nurses when they are really struggling.
Narrator: Nurses serve as client advocates in a wide array of situations and with a variety of client populations. Nurses often advocate for clients regarding end-of-life decisions, access to health care, confidentiality, and treatment decisions. But nurses must also advocate for clients from a managerial standpoint, and here is a prime example of that. The manager responding to a staffing crisis, selects an easy option to help equalize staffing on two units. But is it a safe one?
Discussion Prompts
- Identify one question the nurse should ask herself before accepting this assignment? Include your rationale. DO NOT post a question already discussed by your peers.
- Why do you think it is important for a nurse to advocate for a client, even if it means challenging another interprofessional team member?
- How do you think client advocacy relates to professionalism, ethics, and quality? Explain.
Overview PART 2
Practicing nursing through simulated experience is an important part of nurse education. This activity allows you to practice the essential skills needed through a simulation.
This virtual learning experience occurs in a client care area between Rachel, a nursing student, and Helen, Rachel’s clinical preceptor. Rachel is starting her first IV on an actual client, Mr. Flores. Rachel is very focused on doing the procedure correctly; she doesn’t want to forget anything, so she’s moving slowly and carefully. Helen is growing impatient and frustrated with Rachel’s pace and starts checking her watch, tapping her foot, and rolling her eyes.
In response, Rachel is becoming uncomfortable and self-conscious. She’s worried that she is doing something wrong, and she’s beginning to lose confidence. As the procedure progresses, Helen displays negative body language; Rachel becomes more insecure, and Mr. Flores is visibly nervous watching the nonverbal communication. Something appears to be bothering Helen. Rachel decides to address the situation to understand better what happened during Mr. Flores’s IV procedure and to ask Helen for feedback so she can learn from the experience.
NARRATOR: As you progress in nursing school, you’ll have clinical experience in a variety of health care settings. That means you’ll get to work with real clients and experienced nurses- and it also means you’ll come face-to-face with real-life stressors and challenges. There are plenty of different challenges we might face in a day, from providing complex care to encountering unexpected problems and emotional moments. On top of that, we often see clients at their most vulnerable times. When faced with stressful situations, clients and colleagues don’t communicate in the most respectful and caring ways. A critical role in nursing is being able to handle those moments gracefully, and not let them get in the way of caring for clients. Two techniques that can help you respond to uncivil situations are neutral observations and “I” statements. These techniques help us defuse tension and avoid people defensive. Clinical experiences are a great chance to practice these skills.
Example scenario in clinical practice. Rachel is a nursing school student and Helen is her preceptor. They’re starting an IV on Mr. Flores. This is Rachel first IV start on a real client, and she’s being careful not to forget anything. And maybe she isn’t moving as fast as she could be. Then Helen checks her watch, and Rachel becomes self-conscious. Is she doing something wrong? She tries to go faster but gets a little mixed up. This isn’t a fun moment for anyone. Helen looks frustrated, Rachel is losing confidence and fumbling with the IV, and Mr. Flores is visibly nervous. Rachel finishes starting the IV, but Helen doesn’t say what was bothering her. That’s a problem. Rachel is going to do a lot more IVs in the future and needs to know if she was doing something wrong so she can learn and become more confident. Rachel decides to ask Helen to have a quick chat. You will assume the role of Rachel, and the goals for this conversation are to understand what happened in the moment with Mr. Flores and ask Helen for clear feedback so you can learn. Use Neutral Observations and “I” Statements to raise the topic and get your ideas across.
Reflective Questions
Create a Microsoft Word document and respond to the following questions:
- What was it like to be part of this experience?
- What would you do again? What would you do differently?
- How might you apply what you have learned in your clinical practice?
