Case Study: More Than Cleaning Products, It’s My Job
Mr. Simpson is a very dynamic young licensed practical nurse (LPN) at a large hospital. Frequently, when there is a spill of food or biological fluids, he takes it upon himself to clean it up. It is not uncommon for him to go to the housekeeping closet and get a bottle of cleaner to use for this purpose. This bothered the environmental services staff because they frequently found their cleaning supplies misplaced. They were also concerned that Mr. Simpson may be using the wrong products to clean the spills.
The head of environmental services decides to talk to Mr. Simpson’s supervisor, Ms. Dean, about the matter. It was not clear Mr. Simpson was following the correct procedures to clean the spills. The head of environmental services reminded Ms. Dean that there are specific cleaners and procedures for each type of spill and that these procedures are available in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) manual on the unit. Ms. Dean replied that for small spills of harmless substances it makes sense for the nursing staff to attend to a spill so that it does not become a hazard. The head of environmental services suggests that she and Ms. Dean develop a review class for the nursing staff regarding the institutional policies and procedures for cleaning spills.
Discussion Questions
- What are the issues around Roles/Responsibilities in this case?
- Which Sub-competencies in Roles/Responsibilities were used in this case study? Which ones were not used, but still would have applied to the case study?
- Was the main issue in Roles/Responsibilities resolved? If so, how?
- Issues around Roles/Responsibilities in this case: a. Role Overlap: Mr. Simpson, a licensed practical nurse (LPN), was taking on responsibilities that traditionally fall under the purview of the environmental services staff, such as cleaning up spills. This led to role overlap and confusion. b. Procedural Compliance: There was a lack of clarity and compliance with institutional policies and procedures for cleaning spills. This raised concerns about whether the correct procedures and cleaning products were being used.
- Sub-competencies in Roles/Responsibilities used in this case study: a. Communication: The head of environmental services communicated their concerns to Mr. Simpson’s supervisor, Ms. Dean. Additionally, the suggestion to develop a review class for nursing staff demonstrates the use of communication to address the issue. b. Teamwork: Collaboration between the head of environmental services and Ms. Dean was necessary to address the problem effectively. c. Policy Adherence: The importance of following institutional policies and procedures, as outlined in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) manual, is highlighted in this case. d. Conflict Resolution: The head of environmental services and Ms. Dean need to address the conflict and potential role overlap to find a resolution. e. Training and Education: The suggestion to develop a review class for nursing staff indicates the need for education and training regarding institutional policies and procedures.
Sub-competencies that were not used but could have applied to the case study: a. Delegation: Ms. Dean could have delegated the responsibility of cleaning up spills to the appropriate personnel, such as environmental services staff, rather than allowing Mr. Simpson to take on this task. b. Supervision: Ms. Dean could have provided better supervision and guidance to ensure that LPNs like Mr. Simpson were following correct procedures and using the right products. c. Role Clarification: The hospital could have done a better job clarifying the roles and responsibilities of different staff members to avoid role overlap and confusion.
- Resolution of the main issue in Roles/Responsibilities: The main issue of role overlap and the incorrect use of cleaning products was not fully resolved in the given case study. However, the head of environmental services and Ms. Dean took a step towards resolving the issue by suggesting the development of a review class for nursing staff. This class would aim to educate nursing staff on institutional policies and procedures for cleaning spills, which could help prevent future role overlap and ensure compliance with correct procedures. The effectiveness of this resolution would depend on the implementation and adherence to the proposed training. Further steps, such as role clarification and supervision, might be needed to fully address the issue and prevent it from recurring.