Temporary Reassignment, Scope of Practice, and Patients Rights in Nursing

Patient reassignment is the temporary change in the employee's assignment in the sense that he or she holds a position that has a higher salary or responsibility for a short period. The duties conducted by the nurse at this point are higher than the one that he or she held earlier. Although this change is for a short period, it can change some of the things in an employee especially in the acquisition of competencies in regards to the whole process of nursing.

Temporary reassignment ensures that one is able to enjoy working in different departments in a hospital setting. Working in different department allows the employees to enjoy a different environment from the one that they are used to in their environment. On the same note, temporary reassignment is important as it helps in filling the gaps found in the hospital in case a member of a certain department has gone on leave or he or she is absent. This allows all the departments to keep running despite some of the employees having a problem. On the same note, temporary reassignment is important as it allows the nurses to acquire the necessary skills needed to be able to become more competent as a registered. For example, there are some skills that the nurses have but have not been able to practice them to become competent in these skills. Temporary assignment means that the company will be able to have competent employees who are able to deal with most of the issues that might arise in any department. Similarly, the temporary assignment is important in that it ensures that employees are able to interact with one another in the hospital. This enhances some elements of teamwork among them in the workplace because they are able to work in different environments. Job satisfaction is another advantage that comes with temporary reassignment (Morris, 2008).

Temporary reassignment is a unique venture that employers should provide the employee with when opportunities occur. In nursing practice, temporary reassignment ensures that nurses are able to acquire competencies in other departments other than the one where the nurse operates. In most cases, these departments are the ones where the nurse has never worked again. It is a way of providing training to nurses in different departments to ensure that they are able to work in different environments and handle a large number of problems. Normally, temporary reassignment is associated pressure of the nurse to perform in a new environment. Although it is usually for a short period, it provides the nurse to develop skills to deal with various challenges that might occur in the hospital setting. My work experiences change because I am able to work with different people who have diverse views and personalities. This makes me better in terms of being able to meet the needs of the modern workplace where employees and patients are more diverse and require different approaches in different situations (Morris, 2008).

The use of temporary reassignment will mean that I have to seek skills and competencies to work in different departments. This means that I have to ensure that I keep improving my education through training every now and then to make sure that I am able to ensure that in case I am reassigned, I can be able to work in such an environment. For example, working in the surgery section of the hospital requires me to undergo training on how I can handle the issues that might arise in the department because the challenges could be different (Morris, 2008).

The scope of practice includes the range of roles held by a nurse, the functions and responsibilities and the decision-making capacity performed by the professional. This takes into consideration the education, the training, and development of the nurse, the authorization that the nurse has to undertake the scope of practice as well as the competence that the nurse has to perform. Notably, the scope of practice is determined by the education of the person, his or her knowledge, the experience that he or she has and the skills possessed. Nurses must be allowed to practice only to the extent that they feel competent enough to deliver the best results or work in the best interests of the patient. Similarly, it calls for nurses to self-assess and articulate themselves based on the results and ensure that they analyze the issues that pertain to their work. Nurses must ensure that they only work within the scope of practice, which means that they have to check on the legislative, and the professional association guidelines. The nurse should avoid taking up roles outside their scope as this may lead to challenges beyond the scope of the nurse (Blais, 2015).

The issue of the scope of practice is a major issue that affects the nursing profession. Nurses must ensure that they only operate within their scope. They are not allowed to handle anything that they do not understand and in case such an issue occurs, it is the role of the nurses to ask for clarification or to pass the mandate to the relevant department in the hospital. Nurses may be sued for neglect or failure to do the right thing if they take up roles beyond their scope. Consequently, nurses have to reevaluate themselves based on the role they play in the hospital. The impact on my work experience comes in terms of making sure that I only handle the cases that I am sure I can deal with. Based on my understanding of the scope of practice, it is my duty to make sure that I ask for guidance in case I am not sure of what is to be done in certain situations. Moreover, it is my duty to work with other nurses to ensure that everything that we do is in the best interests of the patients and increases their chances of recovering from the diseases.

The knowledge on the scope of practice is important and has a bearing on my practice in future. For example, I have realized that the only way to be able to work in the full scope of practice is by expanding my skills and ensuring that I am able to get the skills needed to work in my environment. It is my duty to keep upgrading my education and knowledge on nursing as this will ensure that I am competent enough to deal with all the issues that face me as a nurse as well as those that face my patients. For example, upgrading my education means that I can be able to work in various departments in the hospital as I have the necessary skills.

This is the right of the patient to make decisions in a medical care, the right to those the procedures that should be done on them, the right to formulate advance directives and access to information. It is the duty of the nurse to ensure that the patients are provided with the right access to care without discrimination based on sex, race or religion. Moreover, the nurse is supposed to ensure that he or she gets an informed consent from the patients during care. This prevents doing a procedure that the patient does not want. One may be sued in a court of law when such as case occurs. Besides, many patients value the confidentiality of information regarding their health. Patient rights are protected by law and it is the mandate of the nurse to ensure that they are upheld at all times. Observing these rights ensures that the nurses feel respected and appreciated, which raises their self-esteem a factor that contributes immensely towards the recovery process of the employees. Respect and dignity should be upheld at all time, which means that the nurse has to provide the patient with information at all times. This promotes their self-worth and in the process ensures that the patient will feel at ease when in the hospital. In most cases, patients expect that all communications and records related to his or her health will be treated as confidential and the nurse will only pass the information under the consent of the patient (Buka, 2014).

The concept of patient rights is one of the major issues that a nurse has to face on daily basis. It is important to ensure that he or she understands the rights that the patient is entitled to under the law. With my nurse role, I have to ensure that I get an informed consent from the patient whenever I plan a procedure. It the right of the patient to make decisions regarding his or her care at all times unless it has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that the patient is not in the right capacity to make the right decisions when the nurse can engage the next of kin. In my practice, I have to ensure that I am aware of the rights of the patients such as the right to information, consent, and respect at all times. Nursing as a profession is affected in the sense that nurses have to adhere to a certain code of ethics where any attempt to go out of it has dire consequences such as one losing his or her license or having a lawsuit in a court of law.