Decision making is a process of choosing a course of action in case of doubt. Problem solving is a part of decision making and deals with analyzing a difficulty. Unlike problem solving, decision making does not necessarily eliminate the root problem (Marquis & Huston, 2017). Critical thinking is a mental process of analyzing and evaluating information to reach conclusion. It is more complex than decision making or problem solving and includes intuition, insight, and other cognitive components.
The tool chosen for the purpose of hiring new personnel is the Decision Grid. As the purpose of the task is to use objective criteria, it must all be presented before the decision is made. The simplest way of presenting objective information is comparing all of the potential RNs with identical criteria. Those with the most favorable indicators will then be hired. The criteria used will be: academic performance, the characteristic from school, the previous work experience as a nurse, the distance between the nursing department and the RN’s home, and whether the student has personal transport.
For helping the new employees to orient and socialize, two models will be used. The Nursing Process model will be used for all personnel, while the Intuitive Decision-Making model will only be used for the experienced staff. Nursing Process is used because it is known for its feedback capabilities, and feedback is necessary considering that it was skipped during hiring in favor of objective criteria (Marquis & Huston, 2017). Intuitive Decision-Making Models must not be used by the new RNs as they lack experience, but the experienced nurses may demonstrate by example what the new hirelings will be capable of later. The Tools used for this task are Decision Trees and Consequence Tables. As there is no need for direct comparison, it is more important to demonstrate tools which will show actions and their consequences and will therefore help the new hires on the fly.
There are many problems which are commonly encountered by nurses on their workplaces. For example, qualified nurses have to overwork, making them tired and prone to mistakes. Why do qualified nurses have to overwork and become tired? Because new personnel tend to make medication errors caused by small details such as drugs having similar names or poor documentation work. Why do they make these mistakes, however small they may seem? Because nursing stations often lack qualified personnel. Why do they lack qualified personnel among their employees? Because there is a low retention rate in the profession. Why is there a low retention rate in the profession? Because the profession needs more dedicated nurses who will remain in the profession. Why is there a need for more dedicated professional nurses? Because more vacancies in nursing schools are needed, along with new marketing strategies, which will increase revenue and will, consequently, attract more talent. As for mistakes with similar drugs, they can be remedied by creating an internal coding system which is used in distributing drugs, and by encouraging nurses to consult with each other.
A different problem is that patients in hospitals tend to suffer infections, first contracting them there. Why do they tend to suffer infections despite being in a hospital? Because nurses spread the infections in hospitals, visiting multiple patients per day on a regular basis. Why do nurses spread infections when it is their duty to provide healthcare? Because they lack sufficient sterile equipment which would stop them from contacting infected patients. Why do they lack sterile equipment even though it is necessary to protect patients? Because hospitals are underfunded and cannot afford sterile equipment which can protect from every infection. Thus, it may be generally concluded that nurses need more thorough and available education, and to receive better funding.
Reference
Marquis, B. L. & Huston, C. J. (2017). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and Application (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.