Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management, 5th Edition

194 unit 3 | Professional Issues

employees and patients. The IOM and JCAHO
patient safety initiatives will continue to affect the
way nurses do business. Workplace issues related to
nursing and positive patient outcomes will contin-
ue to be discussed.
A social environment that promotes professional
growth and creativity and a physical environment
that offers comfort and maximum work efficiency
should be considered in improving the quality of

work life. Cultural awareness, respect for the diver-

sity of others, and increased contact between

groups should be the goals of the workforce for the

next century.

Many waking hours are spent in the workplace.

It can offer a climate of companionship, profession-

al growth, and excitement. Everyone is responsible

for promoting a safe, healthy work environment for

each other.

Study Questions

1.Why is it important for nurses to understand the major federal laws and agencies responsible to

protect the individual in the workplace?

2.What actions can nurses take if they believe that OSHA guidelines are not being followed in the

workplace?

3.What are nurses’ responsibilities in dealing with the following workplace issues: transmission of

blood-borne pathogens,violence, sexual harassment, and impaired coworkers?

4.What information do you need to obtain from your employer related to terrorism and other disasters?

5.What will you look for in the work environment that will support positive patient outcomes?

6.Discuss experiences you have had in your clinical rotations. Were the environments supportive or

nonsupportive social environments? What recommendations would you make for improvement?

7.Review the ten areas of concern for Nursing’s Agenda for the Future.Identify what contributions you

will make now and in the future to support this agenda.

Case Study to Promote Critical Reasoning

You have been hired as a new RN on a busy pediatric unit in a large metropolitan hospital. The

hospital provides services for a culturally diverse population, including African-American, Asian,

and Hispanic people. Family members often attempt alternative healing practices specific to their

culture and bring special foods from home to entice a sick child to eat. One of the more

experienced nurses said to you, “We need to discourage these people from fooling with all this

hocus pocus. We are trying to get their sick kid well in the time allowed under their managed care

plans, and all this medicine-man stuff is only keeping the kid sick longer. Besides, all this stuff

stinks up the rooms and brings in bugs.” You have observed how important these healing rituals

and foods are to the patients and families and believe that both the families and the children have

benefited from this nontraditional approach to healing.

1. What are your feelings about nontraditional healing methods?
   2.How should you respond to the experienced nurse?
   3.How can you be a patient advocate without alienating your coworkers?
   4.What could you do to assist your coworkers in becoming more culturally sensitive to their patients
   and families?


2. How can health-care facilities incorporate both Western and nontraditional medicine? Should they
   do this? Why or why not?