Case study
Case study
A nurse with an excellent reputation maintained her clinical competence by reading not only nursing journals but also any publications related to her primary area of nursing. After being hired by a large hospital three years ago, she received frequent promotions to become head nurse for the obstetrics (OB) ward. One of the floor nurses came to her recently and asked to talk privately. This nurse told the head nurse that one of the prominent OB doctors was noted to “smell of alcohol” at three recent deliveries and asked what she should do. She stated that she did not want any trouble but was concerned about the issue, even though there had been no discernible difficulties related to patient care. The head nurse thanked the floor nurse for the information and told her she would take care of the matter. That evening the physician in question was making rounds and the head nurse asked to speak to him. The nurse told him of the rumor of his drinking, which caused him to become angry and demand to know who had started the rumor. The head nurse refused to name the source of her information and told the physician that she had to report this incident to the hospital administration. The physician informed her that he was a member of the hospital’s board of directors, and he would see to it that the head nurse was fired if this rumor resulted in any further fallout. He also expected that the person who reported him would be punished in some manner. He then left.
-Your answers should be comprehensive and fully supported. Cite references as appropriate.
-How should this issue be resolved?
