Fundamentals of Nursing Q 75
The charge nurse on the medical-surgical floor assigns vital signs to the nursing assistive personnel (NAP) and medication administration to the licensed vocational nurse (LVN). Which nursing model of care is this floor following?
A. Team nursing
B. Case method nursing
C. Functional nursing
D. Primary nursing
Correct Answer: C. Functional nursing
This medical-surgical floor is following the functional nursing model of care, in which care is partitioned and assigned to a staff member with the appropriate skills. For example, the NAP is assigned vital signs, and the LVN is assigned medication administration. Functional nursing is task-oriented in scope. Instead of one nurse performing many functions, several nurses are given one or two assignments. For example, there is a medicine nurse whose sole responsibility is administering medications.
Option A: With team nursing, an RN or LVN is paired with a NAP. The pair is then assigned to render care for a group of patients. Team nursing is a system that distributes the care of a patient amongst a team that is all working together to provide for this person. This team consists of up to 4 to 6 members that has a team leader who gives jobs and instructions to the group.
Option B: In case method nursing, one nurse cares for one patient during her entire shift. Private duty nursing is an example of this care model. The case method is a participatory, discussion-based way of learning where students gain skills in critical thinking, communication, and group dynamics. It is a type of problem-based learning.
Option D: When the primary nursing model is utilized, one nurse manages care for a group of patients 24 hours a day, even though others provide care during part of the day. A method of providing nursing services to inpatients whereby one nurse plans the care of specific patients for a period of 24 hours. The primary nurse provides direct care to those patients when working and is responsible for directing and supervising their care in collaboration with other health care team members.