R.T. is a 45-year-old woman and new NP. She has just joined a new primary-care practice and is working with three physicians—two men and one woman. She does not take calls or go into the hospital. She sees mainly the patients with urgent problems in the office and collaborates and consults with her physician colleagues. She is finding the pace of the office and the demands of the patients somewhat overwhelming. She misses her nurse colleagues in critical care, in a hospital, and on a unit where she had been employed for more than 10 years. She finds herself exhausted from the constant medical decision-making she must do every day and goes home at night questioning her judgment and brooding over the drugs she has prescribed.
How can R.T. “care for self”? What Circle of Caring can be provided for her?
R.T. can “care for self” using several strategies. She can begin by eating healthy foods and finding new ways to relax. She can allocate some time to see her friends and colleagues in critical care. She can also design a powerful work-life balance model to support her needs. On top of that, a proper Circe of Caring will be needed by the nurse. The first approach is hiring another nurse practitioner (NP). The management should go further to offer flexible working schedules. Provision of breaks and counseling services can improve the NP’s well-being (Schadewaldt, McInnes, Hiller, & Gardner, 2016). The institution should promote the idea of work-life balance. The use of electronic records will minimize the chances of prescribing the wrong medicines.
What would you suggest as strategies to assist R.T.?
Several suggestions can be presented to assist the nurse. The first piece of advice is to find better ways to relax such as exercising. She can go ahead to lead a healthy life. She can achieve this goal by eating healthy materials and getting adequate sleep (MacLellan, Levett-Jones, & Higgins, 2016). She should also interact with most of her friends. This kind of collaboration will reduce the level of burnout and tackle the problem.
What health promotion strategies are important for R.T. at this point in time?
The current situation indicates that R.T. has been overwhelmed by her duties and responsibilities. A powerful health promotion model will be needed at this point in time. The first strategy should focus on the work-life balance. This approach will make it easier for R.T. to strike a balance between personal goals and work. The NP should go a step further to connect with herself (MacLellan et al., 2016). This approach will make it easier for him to readjust her activities and action plans. Journal entries will make it easier for the NP to identify specific attributes that can promote her health. R.T. can go further to increase her happiness, engage in exercises, and interact with others.
What does the literature say on NP role adjustment?
Role adjustment focuses on the manner in which practitioners are willing to acquire new skills and behaviors depending on their responsibilities. Literature indicates that “effective role adjustment for NPs results in increased autonomy in work” (MacLellan et al., 2016, p. 4). The NPS also acquire new knowledge and skills. They find it easier to deal with emerging challenges in the workplace. NPS who fail to adjust tends to have increased fear of doing something wrong or making inappropriate diagnoses (Schadewaldt et al., 2016). Role adjustment theory supports the use of powerful training strategies to prepare the targeted nurses. Supervision and empowerment are meaningful approaches that can support the role adjustment process.
What strategies can you glean from those readings to use in implementing a plan of care for R.T.?
A powerful role adjustment strategy will be needed to support the NP’s needs. The best approach to implement a care plan for R.T. is through training. The process will equip her with the right ideas and support the self-care plan (MacLellan et al., 2016). The practitioner can be guided to prescribe drugs and diagnose conditions correctly. A supervisor will guide her throughout the process. Useful tips such as eating healthy food materials, exercising regularly, and collaborating with other nurses will produce positive results.
The information gained from the readings can guide me to come up with a powerful plan of care. The first idea is implementing a work-life balance (Schadewaldt et al., 2016). I will allocate more time for exercises, engage in physical activities, and eat healthy foods. I will read widely in order to adjust accordingly to every new role. I will interact with more people and use journal entries to monitor my progress.
References
MacLellan, L., Levett-Jones, T., & Higgins, I. (2016). The enemy within: Power and politics in the transition to nurse practitioner. NursingPlus Open, 2(1), 1-7. Web.
Schadewaldt, V., McInnes, E., Hiller, J., & Gardner, A. (2016). Experiences of nurse practitioners and medical practitioners working in collaborative practice models in primary healthcare in Australia: A multiple case study using mixed methods. BMC Family Practice, 17(99), 1-18. Web.