CairnsICU

I am a RN in Australia in an Intensive Care unit. I understand how to structure it as to how to have the paper formatted, but I mean, as whether i should start with a definition of both leadership and management, then discuss the differences, then why they are two seperate things... ETCI have been at my new job for a whole 6 months and there is a lot of politics and jealousy so nobody has been any help, apart from one nurse who just happened to have read an article that asked the same question as the assignment title. Other than that- zip. :)

I am currently in the process of completing my Masters in Critical Care Nursing. One of my mandatory subjects is Leadership and Management (uurrgghhhh) my current assignment is titled: "Management is about the how, where as leadership defines what and why a task is accomplished. Discuss". it has to be 3000 words and I am just stumped as to how to even what I should put in it, how to structure it.. Everything. Any ideas? Give me some intrinsic illness to study any day....

Ironically I was admitted for the same thing last week. I had a lactate of 5.3 that was worrying since I was not intubated and my sao2 was down to 86%. I was coughing non stop for just under 4 hrs from additional viral bronchospasm. My pco2 was 62. My lactate was still high after 5 hrs and actually went up to 5.6. Salbutamol can be toxic after surprisingly small amounts of administration. (I had had a total of 16 puffs and 3 news in 17hrs which can also increase lactate. it was considered not to be salbutamol induced lactic acidosis... But from the extreme muscle use I had used during the 4hrs of continual muscle coughing. in summary- high lactate can also be atributed to salbutamol toxicity or by very high muscle use during the extreme coughing and use of excessory muscles in trying to breathe for extended periods.

The interview question was "You are working with a nurse who just graduated from university. She comes to you and says that the policy and best practice guidelines are incorrect. What do you do?". I answered these points from what I remember: - ask her why the policy was wrong - I looked exactly at policy to see if the new nurse interpreted it wrong - ask her where she got her information from - I would ask the diabetes educator what their thoughts are on the nurses statement are. - ask the endocrine specialist their view - speak with the new nurses preceptor - speak with the nurse manager - speak with the research dept and also speak with a board member for policies to see if they think it warrants further review. the interviewer was not impressed with my answer and told me that exactly, like there was something obvious I missed. I asked other nurses I have known for 20+ years and they are as perplexed as I am as to why The nurse manager thinks I answered it wrong.

I was asked an interview question that my new manager wants me to elaborate about before I start as an ICU RN. qstn: "You have a newly graduated RN who comes to you with a problem about the best practice guidelines for diabetes management, what do you do?" i answered- I would refresh myself as to what the current best practice guidelines, policies and procedures are. i would also ask the nurse why she thinks the best practice guidelines were wrong and to ask for her rationale. I would then approach a senior nurse, the diabetes department, doctors and diabetes educator as to their opinion on the students statement about the best practice guidelines. I would also research some current research articles, endocrine specialists. I was then asked "what if the new nurse was right?" I then replied that I would then approach the research department and the board of research to see if a new study could be commenced to check the merit of the students opinion. The he interviewer is not impressed at my current answer and I am perplexed, anybody have any ideas as to how I should answer this correctly? Thanks!!