Inter-Professional Collaborative Practice in Healthcare

Ms. Clark, a registered nurse, arrives at work at 6:30 AM so she has plenty of time to make out her assignment and decide who will be working with her before the report begins. As she walks onto the unit, she hears the night charge nurse speaking on the telephone in a rather loud and firm voice. Based on this conversation, it is clear that the charge nurse does not believe that the unit is adequately staffed to meet the patient care needs. The charge nurse, Ms. Viola, turns to Ms. Clark and says, “Your assistant called in sick and we are trying to get a CNA (certified nursing assistant) from another unit as a replacement; however, that may not happen until after the shift begins. As usual, we are trying to get someone from our sister unit, so whoever comes will be late. Sorry, that’s how it is today.”

Ms. Clark has worked on this unit for approximately 6 months and is anxious about working with someone she never met before and for whom she has not observed provide patient care.

Ms. Clark, using various flowcharts, quickly assesses the patients’ immediate care needs and determines what questions to ask during report. She circles tasks or activities that normally can be completed by a CNA and that must be done before 8 AM—the earliest she might anticipate getting some assistance. Ms. Clark is overwhelmed with her responsibilities and what she needs to keep track of and hasn’t even learned the status of the patients since she last worked with them.

1. What could the day charge nurse do to assist Ms. Clark?

2. What should Ms. Clark do as soon as the replacement CNA arrives on the unit?

3. Is Ms. Clark making appropriate use of her time by arriving early?

4. Identify a  core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice to support your decisions with a cited rationale.