Nursing Issues in Practicum Site

Nursing Issues in Practicum Site

Introduction

The significant advancements integrated in nursing care in the 21st century have taken it beyond the walls of a traditional hospital or nursing home setting to the forefront of a new horizon. A similar progression in the nursing arena to come up with effective solutions to the common issues prevalent in nursing settings is the integration of evidence based practice in nursing strategies. Evidence based practice (EDP) is basically a pragmatic and research oriented approach towards health care and nursing. The most comprehensive definition of EDP is given by Scott & McSherry as “an ongoing process by which evidence, nursing theory and the practitioners' clinical expertise are critically evaluated and considered, in conjunction with patient involvement, to provide delivery of optimum nursing care for the individual (Clark, 2008)

Description of Issue

The Community Based Warrior Transition Unit (CBWTU) in Sacramento, California is responsible for providing healthcare to soldiers residing at their home in the western states of Oregon, Washington, California, and Nevada (Stand To, 2009). CBWTU provides nursing care to around two hundred and fifty wounded or ill Soldiers through Nurse Case Management where each nurse case manager takes care of approximately 20 Soldiers located in specific region (Stand To, 2009).

The fundamentals of the CBWTU are to provide adequate care to soldiers who are wounded, ill or injured both on and off the battlefield. The placement of suffering soldiers in any Warrior Transition Unit (WTU) is decided on the basis of the criteria that serious physical conditions need at least six months of multifaceted medical management and rehabilitative care(Stand To, 2009). During the treatment at WTU, every soldier intends to recover fast to navigate back to his work in force or to become an army veteran.

In the WTUs, an interdisciplinary team comprising on a caring triad of nurse case manager, squad leader and primary care manager and also some other medical and non-medical practitioners who direct the soldier through a Comprehensive Transition Plan (CTP). The triumphant transition of affected soldiers depends upon the outcomes of a Medical Evaluation Board (MEB). The soldier is provided a complete assessment of all relative medical circumstances in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. After the execution of medical evaluation, MEB determines compatibility of the physical fitness of soldiers with the fitness standards of army.

The major issues embedded in the operational nursing endeavors of CBWTU are ...