Medical/Surgical Unit Team Nursing
An innovative nursing care model of medical/surgical unit team nursing seems to be one of the most reasonable and useful, to my mind. Banner Estrella Medical Center could implement this model for its activities considering the results it may have. Medical/surgical unit team nursing is a nursing team delivery model that incorporates licensed practical nurses (LPNs) into care delivery in order to better leverage registered nurse (RN) time and decrease the need for RNs. The model relies on each member of the care team working to the fullest of her or his training and licensure. The considered innovation fits the chosen medical establishment perfectly. The vision of the Center and its non-profit mission “is to improve health care conditions and develop the science and the standard of health for care delivery, which the hospital should follow (Our nonprofit mission, n. d.). Thus, implementing medical unit team nursing can greatly improve the quality of health care as the nurses will have more time to devote to each patient individually and the registered nurses will be strictly controlled in their activities. This model will help to optimize the Center’s quality and cost of health care and wisely distribute the duties among nurses.
Development Team for Medical/Surgical Unit Team Nursing Model
A team for a medical unit will consist of LPNs and RNs. Depending on the HR organization of Banner Estrella Medical Center, a team will have from two to four nurses. As it was mentioned earlier, LPNs will control RNs and this improved management trade will lead to decreasing the number of RNs. Moreover, higher rates of special surgical certification on surgical units mean lower rates of central-line associated bloodstream infection after operations. This fact shows how the educational level of nurses is important. Of course, nursing teams would be formed by surgeons with the help of physicians. Local executive officers can be very helpful in providing the nursing team with all necessary materials, including technological means, and controlling the implementation of the model. The nurses on board will directly implement the model as they will become the main participants of it. Having several nurses in a team, for example, one main nurse and an assisting nurse definitely have its own pluses. Two nurses, working together, can be very useful in dealing with emotional and psychological problems of a patient. He/she will most likely listen to two nurses, educating him/her, then to one only. Some nurses are more experienced than others, therefore younger nurses may turn to them for some help. Nurses working in a team should have developed communicative and problem-solving skills, as they will always discuss their decisions with their colleagues.
There is one simple physical fact that has to be considered when implementing the given model. A team of nurses needs bigger nicely-aired accommodation, as nurses work in a toxic environment. Therefore, developing a medical unit team nursing model needs a well-thought plan of how nurses will be grouped and which factors will contribute to their optimized teamwork.
Incorporation of Medical/Surgical Unit Team Nursing into Banner Estrella Medical Center
I would advise to incorporate and adapt the considered model for Banner Estrella Medical Center gradually. The Center offers a wide range of surgical procedures. It means that the medical institution has many surgeons and nurses (Our nonprofit mission, n. d.). It would be helpful to keep in mind the number of nurses and surgeons and form a team for each surgeon (physician). The next step would be considering the qualification of the nurses. Each team should have an LPN to be a leader. Inviting a psychologist to assist in interviewing the nurses to learn more about their abilities to work in a team and to solve conflict situations could be of great help. Thus, training for nurses and educational programs that will allow them to get higher qualifications can be useful tools for this model’s implementation. In addition, incorporating technological and computer means will give nurses a chance to exchange information when needed. The opinions of surgeons and anesthesiologists about nurses being their good or bad assistants will influence the decision of how effective the model is. In consequences, short regular reunions to discuss what has been reached while innovating the hospital system need to be held on a regular basis. Thus, incorporating a nursing team into a surgical unit at Banner Estrella Medical Center is a task to be performed by developing well-elaborated stages with the assistance of interdisciplinary professionals.
Evaluation of Medical/Surgical Unit Team Nursing: Outcome Measurement
There is a hope to observe some possible outcomes and give a positive evaluation of the considered model in the nearest future. Medical/surgical unit team nursing may result in a decreasing number of medical errors. It may also lead to increasing the quality of health care in terms of pain assessment. Patients will have a chance to be treated by different nurses and even choose the one they like more. The results of the innovation will be measured by different means. The statistical data of quick and successful operations, as well as keeping track of the reasons of why something goes wrong during certain medical procedures and operations will help to evaluate a nursing team. The only probable problem in connection with the model could be the unclear distribution of duties among nurses. It can happen so that a hospital may have more LPNs than RNs and it will be difficult to unite them in teams and to assign the leaders. However, it is hoped that a high professional level of nurses, as well as their problem-solving skills, will provide normal functioning in teams assisting each other.
