Need help ! What is this paper asking for ?

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

I have to write a management paper. Which I don't mind because I love to write and can't wait to share my expericence as a team leader. However, there are some questions we have to address and I'm not sure what its asking for. Here they are:

1) Explain which method of the delivery of nursing care is used in your clinical agency ?

2) Identify the memebers of yur team in terms of their roles each team member played. Include two non-functional roles.

Please, pretty please help. These are just two question I have to answer out of eleven. Daytonite if you are out there please help. Thanks everyone in advance !

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

1) explain which method of the delivery of nursing care is used in your clinical agency ?

there is pretty much primary nursing being done these days. one nurse is assigned to a patient and takes care of all that patient's needs.

2) identify the memebers of yur team in terms of their roles each team member played. include two non-functional roles.

rn

, lpn, nursing assistant (or other title), unit secretary (clerk), housekeeper, patient transport,

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

Thanks for your help. What does she mean my non-functional roles ? I'm still not clear on that part. Will housekeeper, and transport count as non-functional roles ?

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

in team leading as we practiced years ago, everyone on the nursing "team" had a nursing function, or role, to perform. these were assigned by the team leader who was designated as the team leader and we all knew who that was. the nurses aides were assigned to do all the vital signs, pass the food trays, transport patients and do go-fer types of things. one lpn was assigned to nothing but give the oral medications for all the patients on the unit. one rn was assigned to do nothing but attend to all the ivs and iv medications for all the patients on the unit. other lpns and rns would be assigned to perform direct patient care based on the acuity and needs of the patients (procedures that might be needed by the patients were taken into consideration). the different jobs that needed to be done were broken down and then assigned out and arranged around the nursing unit's needs.

today, the approach is different with the focus being on the patients that are then assigned out and the work arranged around the patient's needs.

non-functional roles would be those jobs that keep the unit running but do not directly impact patient care. so, yes, housekeeping, answering the phones, greeting visitors at the desk, emptying the garbage, transferring non-acute patients, go-fering of paperwork and equipment, getting the food trays back and forth to the kitchen, stocking supplies, and getting clean and dirty linens on and off the unit would count as non-functional roles. at any time there are all kinds of people moving about a nursing unit with legitimate business who are not doing anything related to direct nursing care.

see http://www.brooksidepress.org/products/nursing_fundamentals_ii/lesson_7_section_1.htm

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

Thanks ! Now I fully understand what to write ! Thanks again. I'm going to go get started on my paper right now !

[cursedandblessed]

would the rt, ot and pt, dietician & wound care nurse be part of the team too, daytonite?

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

would the rt, ot and pt, dietician & wound care nurse be part of the team too, daytonite?

no, not unless they are always members of the nursing team of the unit. the nursing team of the unit is trying to get routine tasks done for the unit and they are always working together. rt, ot, pt, dietician and wound care nurse are based out of separate departments and are doing specified tasks with patients based on doctors orders for individualized patients. they only have one function and are never flexible in what they do (in relation to the nursing unit). their focus is to treat the patient and they never have any loyalty to the nursing team of the unit.