Introduction
The need to promote change is included in the range of responsibilities of any nurse. However, in an environment that requires quick thinking and immediate response to the patient’s needs, the role of a Nurse Administrator (NA) becomes increasingly significant. By definition, STEMI patients require immediate cardiac catheterization. The reduction of the door-to-balloon time, in its turn, is defined as the time that passes from the moment of delivering the patient to the emergency department to the point where a catheter guidewire is introduced to the patient’s cardiovascular system (Lehme & Rosenthal, 2014). Therefore, it is crucial that an NA should promote change in the designated environment and take the necessary steps to address the patient’s needs within a comparatively short amount of time.
Changes: As a New Graduate
When entering the environment of the cardiac emergency room, in which STEMI patients have to be provided with the assistance that they need, a graduate NA must consider promoting change by improving the current system of the needs assessment carried out to identify the demands of the target population. Additionally, the evaluation of the capacities of the specified nursing setting has to be conducted so that the NA should be aware of the tools at their disposal. The given step is crucial in facilitating high-quality assistance to the target patients and involves asking close-ended questions regarding the capacities of the hospital. As soon as the identification of the technological opportunities, the rates of compliance with the existing rules for meeting the needs of STEMI patients, etc. is conducted, a graduate NA will be capable of promoting change in the designated environment. While the evaluation itself does not imply the immediate improvement of the services provided, it still helps outline the problems that the target setting has and informs of the way, in which the existing framework can be updated.
Changes After 2 Years of Experience
Even two years later, an NA will also have to conduct regular assessments of the service quality, thus, locating the emergent issues and managing them adequately. Furthermore, a consistent evaluation of the time spent on the provision of services related to myocardial infarction is essential (Arthur, 2014).
After 5 Years of Experience
As soon as the NA gains five years of experience working in the designated setting, it will be possible to address the time issue by reconsidering some of the details regarding the schedule. The importance of evaluating the efficacy of STEMI management is not to be underrated. It is essential that the hospital diagnostics should be up to the existing standards. Specifically, one must maintain the 12-lead ECG process impeccable so that the analysis of the issue should be flawless (Yeager, Burchum, & Rosenthal, 2015). In addition, the assessment of the cardiac biomarkers should be provided (Urden, Stacy, & Lough, 2013). By considering the quality rates of the services in question, an NA is likely to identify the paradigm of the further development of the facility.
After 10 Years of Experience
Similarly, after ten years of managing the department, an NA will have to carry out regular assessments based on the same set of questions regarding the capacities of the facility. Given the pace of technological development and the current research of the tools for improving the qualities of the nursing services, the assessment suggested above has to be updated consistently every five years. Thus, an adequate evaluation of the current state of the nursing services can be provided (Anderson, 2016).
Particularly, the use of open-ended questions as opposed to close-ended ones needs to be considered as the tool for retrieving the data in a manner as efficient as possible. On the one hand, the use of close-ended questions when designing the questionnaire will contribute to getting rather homogenous answers that can be categorized and quantified easily so that the data could be processed faster. On the other hand, the use of close-ended questions restricts the amount of data to be retrieved to a comparatively small number of options, which is essential when addressing the issue of STEMI (Lehme & Rosenthal, 2014).
Therefore, it is recommended that a combination of both types of questions should be incorporated into the survey. Moreover, ten years from starting the administrative practice, an NA must increase the number of questions, embracing every single domain of the operations related to the needs of the STEMI patients (Aitken, Marshall, & Chaboyer, 2016).
Conclusion
The significance of an NA’s assistance in case of addressing the needs of a STEMI patient is obvious. By providing the corresponding services to the target audience, an NA promotes a significant drop in the door-to-balloon time process, thus, leading to a significant increase in the patient’s chances for recovering within a shorter amount of time and taking the procedure itself comparatively well. In other words, the number of risks that a STEMI patient faces in the course of the process, including the aggravation of the health condition, can be reduced significantly. By cutting the time spent on the procedure, an NA creates an environment, in which a STEMI patient is likely to recover at a much faster pace.
Reference List
Aitken, A., Marshall, L., & Chaboyer, W. (2016). ACCCN’s critical care nursing. Atlanta, GA: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Anderson, K. M. (2016). The Advanced Practice Nurse cardiovascular clinician. New York City, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Arthur, J. (2014). Lean Six Sigma for hospitals: Simple Steps to fast, affordable, and flawless healthcare. New York City, NY: McGraw Hill Professional.
Lehme, L. A. & Rosenthal, L. (2014). Pharmacology for nursing care. Atlanta, GA: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Urden, L. D., Stacy, K. M., & Lough, M. E. (2013). Critical care nursing: Diagnosis and management. Atlanta, GA: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Yeager, J. J., Burchum, J., & Rosenthal, L. (2015). Study guide for pharmacology for nursing care. Atlanta, GA: Elsevier Health Sciences.