Introduction
Generally, providers encounter different health conditions in healthcare settings that require varied attention. Therefore it becomes a challenge to prioritize the services to the patients in dire need. In order to create an effective environment where charge nurses have the ability to determine how to categorize the health needs of sick individuals, most hospitals have adopted the use of the simulation technique. The process entails using a virtual system that directly replicates the actual healthcare facility and its various departmental components that practitioners deal with most of the time. The practice plays a significant role in enabling nurse managers to make relevant decisions on how the resources are to be allocated to meet the demands of patients in the units. The research paper is based on the experience and feelings developed by engaging in virtual simulation in the emergency department in Sentinel Hospital as a charge nurse responsible for prioritization of patient care depending on their needs. Lastly, the work will cover three experiences based on the use of digital experiments.
Virtual Simulation in the Emergency Department
In a healthcare setting, there are various ways by which the needs of patients can be prioritized to meet their needs. Being a charge nurse comes with an array of responsibilities ranging from managing other providers to overseeing the activities undertaken within the given department. The innovation of the digital care program by the organization provides an effective learning system where professionals aspiring to become good care providers can gather the relevant skills necessary to offer optimal care delivery. The platform created an environment where a practitioner can categorize sick individuals based on their critical situations (Cho et al., 2020). It facilitated the ability to make the clinical judgement, prioritize and make decisions.
In order to finalize the assignment, I took the responsibility of a charge nurse in the emergency department to facilitate the prioritization of care services to patients suffering acute health conditions. The digital activity enabled me to act as the leader of other providers, and during the period, I encountered a number of challenges. For instance, managing practitioners in the unit were complex, following diversity in beliefs and preferred communication methods. Similarly, some of the providers were sacred of handling critical cases resulting in urgent decision making, such as calling other professionals to manage the situations. Furthermore, there was a continuous conflict in healthcare innovation since most of the patients demanded immediate attention from the nurses. The aspect created massive pressure on the care providers leading to exhaustion. Taking charge as a frontline nurse requires leadership competencies to ensure proper delegation of duties to other professionals.
Three Experienced I Had
The digital activity exposed me to different experienced that are useful in promoting effective prioritization of patient care. First, I learned how to properly evaluate the needs of each of the sick individuals in the facility to determine what care service is appropriate based on several factors. For instance, I considered vital signs and symptoms shown by the patient, where by cases that indicate severe situations prompted immediate attention. Similarly, I utilized the medical history of the sick individual to determine the past treatment and other related complaints about the condition. Furthermore, I used observation as an approach to identify the status of the patient in the facility. Upon completing examining the situation of each patient, I decided to transfer them to various sections of the department following their health needs. To make the practical choice, I analyze possible outcomes based on clinical judgement.
Following the needs of patients and the scarcity of resources such as care providers in the organization, it is essential to allocate the professionals accordingly to meet the demands of sick individuals. The process encompasses evaluating the services each department will provide to the patient hence allocating the necessary materials and personnel required (Harder et al., 2019). Similarly, the online simulation allowed me to develop the ability to coordinate resource allocation within the two sections of the emergency department. In order to understand the kind of resources available in each unit, I engaged care providers to provide the details of requirements in the sections. Applying proper communication skills made it possible to gather the information effectively. The technique made it easier to decide on directing patients to either of the emergency units.
Lastly, I was able to involve in providing compassionate care services that meet the needs of patients. During the digital simulation process, I had an inner feeling related to my desire to deliver empathetic care to sick individuals. I had confidence when handling the patients, making it easier to meet their health requirements. Furthermore, I established a strong rapport with the patients and other providers, which resulted in a conducive working environment necessary for quality care delivery.
Conclusion
Engaging in digital simulation activity is a vital method of developing practical nursing experience amongst practitioners. The approach allows providers to be able to make a proper clinical judgement and prioritize the needs of patients for effective care delivery. The innovation provides a massive opportunity to replicate the actual healthcare condition, making professionals develop relevant experiences and feelings needed to improve the decision-making approach when faced with critical situations in the facility. Therefore, it creates a perfect system for learning the prioritization of care services to meet the needs of each patient.
References
Cho, S. H., Lee, J. Y., You, S. J., Song, K. J., & Hong, K. J. (2020). Nurse staffing, nurses prioritization, missed care, quality of nursing care, and nurse outcomes.International Journal of Nursing Practice, 26(1).
Harder, N., Stevenson, M., & Turner, S. (2019). Using simulation design characteristics in a non-manikin learning activity to teach prioritization skills to undergraduate nursing students. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 36, 18-21.