As a newly licensed RN, caring for Chris and Pat, use the nursing process and your newly acquired
critical thinking skills to identify the most relevant and important information in this situation.
Highlight your key areas of concern.
I want to examine Chris's issue first before turning my attention to Pat. In order to identify how I may
best help him, I'd like to ask leading questions, as Taylor and colleagues assert (2019). Why is he so
eager to go home? I'd like to know. What does he mean when he says that his "sweetheart" needs him,
though? How dependent is she on him? I have all the data I need to assess Chris's susceptibility to
delayed wound healing as a result of taking on too much too soon.
As a nurse, if I observed Chris struggling to stand and walk, I would reassure him that taking painkillers
will make him feel better and be more mobile. I would like to inform him about the benefits of using
even non-narcotic painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs to help him. Chris needs to understand the
whole nature of his procedure, so I'll go over what was done and how long the doctor anticipates it will
take him to recover.
So that Chris won't have to worry as much about returning home to his "sweetheart," I'd like to ask Pat
and Chris if they have any family members who would be ready to help them out while Chris is
recovering from surgery. If no family is close by, I would ask the social worker about any services like
home health care and meals on wheels that would be able to help them.
Pat will find it challenging to take care of herself because she has hand tremors and obvious short-term
memory loss. If they could make arrangements for Pat to get care at home, Chris would have one less
item to stress over and push himself toward. He can recover more rapidly if he can rest well knowing Pat
is getting care at home. The body's capacity to heal wounds properly is significantly impacted by stress,
which also slows down wound healing (Christian et al., 2006).
As an LPN/LVN, describe the next steps you would take to communicate your concerns for Chris and
Pat. Then put yourself in the role of the RN. Describe how you would proceed in taking care of Chris
and Pat Pender.
LPNs and LVNs have a drastically different function than registered nurses when it comes to delivering
care for patients (RNs). The fact that RNs have completed a higher degree of school and training is one
of the most obvious differences between RNs and LPNs/LVNs. Registered nurses (RNs) have extra duties
related to patient care. In addition to other members of the healthcare team, these duties also include
assessing patients, creating care plans, and managing licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed
vocational nurses (LVNs). Moreover, RNs frequently have more decision-making power than LPNs and
LVNs do.
Registered nurses (RNs) would be in charge of a number of duties when it comes to providing care for
Chris and Pat Pender, including assessing the patients' ailments, creating treatment plans, and managing
licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and other members of the healthcare team. Licensed Practical Nurses
and Licensed Vocational Nurses (LPNs and LVNs), on the other hand, would be in charge of tasks
including giving direct patient care, dispensing medication, and gathering information.
