1.Joanne Burns began her career in the cardiac-thoracic intensive care unit (ICU) as a new graduate. Joanne has demonstrated her competency over the last three years and is respected by moreexperienced professional nurses. She was recently promoted to evening charge nurse. Joanne feels relatively secure with the responsibilities of the position. She knows she still has a great deal to learn and is open to suggestions. She hopes her transition to the charge-nurse role will be smooth. During her first shift as ICU charge nurse, Joanne assigns an experienced nurse, who is mentoring a new graduate, to two fresh postoperative patients. Everything proceeds smoothly until one patient’s blood pressure drops and bleeding is suspected. The new graduate is overwhelmed and becomes disorganized and anxious as she works with her preceptor. Joanne cares for the other patient while the preceptor and new graduate care for the patient in crisis, who eventually returns to the operating room. Following the episode, Joanne, who had not gone to dinner or had a break, overhears the evening house supervisor say, “I am just not sure about Joanne. She didn’t delegate the care of the other patient to another nurse, and she didn’t seem to be able to help the new graduate who was shaken and disorganized.” Joanne feels that the assessment of her performance was unfair, but she does not say anything.
• What would help Joanne be more organized as evening charge nurse in the future?
