Jill, age 28, is an attractive, intelligent, and technically competent

registered nurse who has worked for 5 years in a medical-surgical unit of a small hospital. Her professional colleagues like andMarketing Research and Data Analysis respect her, and she habitually attempts to deliver compassionate care to her patients. Recently, she left her job and began working in the busy surgical intensive care unit (ICU) at a local county hospital. Jill changed jobs because she wanted to gain more varied nursing experience. She was very excited and enthusiastic about her new job, but shortly after Jill began working in the ICU, she began to question her career decision. Jill described the more experienced ICU nurses as being “sarcastic and rude”, “destructive gossipers”, “bullies” and “intentional withholders of important information and assistance” any time she asks them for help in learning ICU patient care and procedures. Jill stated, “The ICU nurses seem to be testing my resolve to stick it out” and “they want me to fail” at learning how to work in the ICU. Many of the surgeons who regularly have patients in the ICU are very demanding and act impatiently toward the ICU nursing staff. Jill stated she feels intimidated by both the ICU nursing staff and the physicians. One physician chastised her for asking what he called “a stupid question.” There is an air of unhappiness among all the nurses throughout the hospital. Jill said working at this hospital is like no other situation she has been involved with since becoming a nurse.ÂÂ
1) What do you believe are the underlying causes of the ICU nurses’ treatment of Jill? Do you believe it is likely that Jill’s treatment has anything to do with her personal characteristics? Please explain
2) What could Jill do to try to improve her situation?
3) How will the mistreatment of Jill affect her delivery of care to her patients?ÂÂ
4) Do you believe the air of unhappiness among all the nursing staff members at the hospital might be directly or indirectly affecting their treatment of Jill? Could other nurses with similar bullying techniques be affecting hospital-wide patient care? Provide rationale for your answer.
5) If Jill wants to make positive changes at the hospital, what can she do?
6) Which competencies of an ethical nurse will Jill demonstrate when she proposes her plan to hospital administrators for making positive changes? Provide rationale for your answers.