Charge Nurse in a large Urban Emergency Department (ED)

You are the Charge Nurse in a large Urban Emergency Department (ED). You nursing staff include:

RN with 12 years of Trauma ED experience
New RN with 6 months ED experience
RN from the Medical Surgical floor with 8 years of experience
The following patients are in the ED, which patient will you give to each of the nurses and why?

A 76-year-old client who was involved in a motor vehicle accident and has hematuria.
A 38-year-old client with kidney stones complaining of severe pain.
A 24-year-old diabetic client with an acute urinary tract infection who will require discharge teaching.
An 80-year-old client that has not had a bowel movement for 4 days.

Full Answer Section

Sample Answer

   

As the Charge Nurse in a large Urban Emergency Department (ED), I would assign the following patients to the following nurses:

  • 76-year-old client involved in a motor vehicle accident with hematuria: RN with 12 years of Trauma ED experience
  • 38-year-old client with kidney stones complaining of severe pain: New RN with 6 months ED experience
  • 24-year-old diabetic client with an acute urinary tract infection who will require discharge teaching: RN from the Medical Surgical floor with 8 years of experience