Priority setting is an integral nursing skill that promotes delivery of timely, safe, and effective care. According to Suhonen et al. (2018), prioritization is an important when dealing with multiple patients. Based on the simulation, there are three reasons that one can deduce on the value of prioritizing. First, a nurse is able to identify the existing relationship between a patient’s problems and is able to develop and effective and safe plan that result in a desirable long-term outcomes. Second, it enlightens that a delay might have severe implications on a patient’s health. Finally, it elucidates that a nurse cannot give the same attention to minor and major problems, if they truly need to achieve a positive overall outcome. The simulation enables a nurse to acknowledge and accept that patients have diverse needs, and that some may require more attention than others, pointing to the importance of care prioritization.
The simulation also presents the usual occurrence in the health setting where a nurse is tasked with the role of taking care of multiple patients, from six to ten, and some have serious illnesses. In this case, accepting these assignments implies that a nurse should be aware of how to proceed in taking care of the multifaceted demands of the patients, including assessments, administration of medication, delegation of tasks and duties to the nursing team, family communication, taking healthcare provider calls, and facilitation of diagnostic testing. The simulation removes one from the comfort zone and tests the ability to acclimate an unfamiliar or different setting. Importantly, it tests one’s ability to apply clinical judgment and reasoning. Furthermore, it focuses on helping me as a nurse to converge my skills in making safe decisions when dealing with multiple patients. However, as Kavanagh and Szweda (2017) inform, challenges in making appropriate decisions and judgment shows knowledge deficit, which can be dangerous especially in the event of pressing clinical conditions. Hence, it is crucial for a nurse to assimilate all relevant knowledge regarding how to deal with diverse conditions.
Importantly, the simulation focuses on the nursing process, which is built on prioritization of care and clinical judgment. As a nurse, understanding the nursing process, which includes assessment, analysis, planning and implementation, and evaluation, acts as the foundation for delivering outstanding patient care. According to Jessee (2019), irrespective of whether a nurse is a novice or expert, one should focus on making these processes predominantly intuitive. In the event of an unfamiliar situation, a structured approach, such as SBAR utilized in the simulation, should be utilized to determine the risk factors contributing to the declining health of a patient, and the possible interventions that a nurse can harness to minimize chances of adverse outcomes.
Notably, Jessee (2019) notes that failing to take note of a patient’s key data, recognizing certain symptoms, or even a flawed interpretation of findings due to a deficient in foundational knowledge can have adverse effects. Furthermore, a nurse may only realize the implications when it is too late. When a nurse fails to recognize their failures to act responsibly, it can result in mortality or morbidity, which is avoidable. Hence, the simulation tries to instill the knowledge of a seasoned nurse, enabling one to act intuitively and deductively by borrowing from the depth of experience and knowledge, which allows one to prioritize patient care properly.
