HSC

• Role and Responsibilities of UOC

  Work under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN) within the boundaries of a plan of care<|>Responsible for their actions and accountable to the RN for all assigned functions
• Key Duties of UOC

  • Support Nursing Team: Assist in delivering nursing care in an acute care environment as directed by the RN
  • Direct Patient Care: Direct care activities to patients according to the nursing care plan and under RN supervision
  • Assist with Interventions: Help RNs and Enrolled Nurses (EN) with patient care interventions as directed
  • Health Information: Contribute to collecting and maintaining accurate healthcare documentation
  • Effective Communication: Communicate effectively with patients and healthcare team members following appropriate protocols
• Accountabilities of Supervising RN/EN

  • Supervision: This can be direct or indirect depending on patient care needs and student competency
  • Responsibility: The RN is responsible for assigning patient care activities to students ensuring their safety and competency
  • Competency Assessment: RN must assess the student's competencies and the patient's needs when allocating care activities
  • Guidance: RN or EN supervising a student must guide and assist the student in achieving clinical placement objectives
• Nursing Care Plan


  Legal Document: Records all pertinent nursing-client interactions, including assessment, issue identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation
• Importance of Workplace Health and Safety (WHS)

  • WHS involves legislation, policies, procedures, and activities aimed at protecting the health, safety, and welfare of all workers
  • Every worker has the right to a healthy and safe work environment
• Implications of Workplace Injury

  • Human: Physical and psychological impact on the injured worker
  • Social: Effect on family, friends, and community
  • Economic: Costs related to medical expenses and loss of income
  • Organizational: Impact on workplace productivity and morale
• Key WHS Bodies and Authorities

  • WorkCover NSW: Manages workers' compensation and promotes workplace safety
  • Safe Work Australia: Develops national policies to improve work health and safety
  • Local Councils, Unions, and Professional Associations: Support safe work practices and workers' rights
• Internal and External Sources of Workplace WHS Information

  • Policies, procedures, safety audits, training sessions, and external regulations
• Acting Within Scope of Responsibility

  • Initiative: Taking proactive steps to address safety issues
  • Problem-Solving: Identifying and resolving safety concerns
  • Decision-Making: Making informed choices regarding health and safety
• Hazard


  Potential source of harm
• Risk


  Probability and consequences of harm occurring
• Risk Management Process


  1. Establish Context: Understand the workplace and stakeholders

  2. Identify Hazards: Recognize potential hazards through inspections, consultations, and records

  3. Assess Risk: Evaluate the probability and impact of identified hazards

  4. Control Risk: Implement controls following the hierarchy of controls (eliminate, substitute, isolate, engineering, administrative)

  5. Review and Monitor: Continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of risk controls
• WHS Rights, Duties, and Responsibilities

  • PCBU (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking): Ensure a safe work environment, safe systems, and safe use of equipment and substances
  • Officer: Make decisions affecting business safety, ensure PCBU meets safety obligations through due diligence
  • Workers: Take care of their health and safety, ensure their actions do not harm others, comply with instructions for safety compliance
• Developing Safe Work Practices (SWP)


  Identify tasks needing procedures, prioritize based on frequency and risk, review existing policies, and determine necessary competencies
• Safety Data Sheet (SDS)


  Provides information on handling chemicals safely
• Incident Reporting


  Use an Incident Information Management System (IIMS+) for hazard reporting
• R.A.C.E. Protocol for Fire and Smoke

  1. R: Remove people in immediate danger

  2. A: Alert switchboard and nearby staff

  3. C: Confine fire and smoke

  4. E: Extinguish the fire if trained and safe to do so
• Evacuation Stages


  1. Immediate Danger Area: Evacuate and close doors/windows

  2. Safe Area: Move through fire/smoke doors if necessary

  3. Complete Evacuation: Directed to the assembly area by the manager or fire service
• Travelling to school I noticed a crack in the footpath, causing the risk of tripping and seriously injuring yourself
• Drivers weren't using their blinkers to indicate turns, causing the risk of someone crossing at the wrong time or causing an accident where people get hurt
• At my workplace, I identified a hazard in our break room, as the power outlet was broken and the socket was open with cords attached that had wires. (Potential fire hazard + safety issue for workers)
• We can integrate the WHS policy in school and at work by completing training whilst using certain equipment, we can also wear PPE to ensure that there is less risk of injury or accidents. Another way can be to have close monitoring when using potentially dangerous equipment
• Potential causes of stress in the workplace

  • Verbal Abuse from people
  • High expectations
• Strategies to Reduce or Manage Verbal Abuse Stress

  To prevent verbal use, we can calmly ask the person to stop and attempt to defuse the situation. If that cannot happen, we can take a step back and ask for help from a superior, who will come calm the situation and if need be, bring security
• Strategies to Reduce or Manage High Expectations Stress

  If I am struggling with meeting up with high expectations, I can take a step back mentally and remind myself what I'm working for and the reason why to take deep breaths and maintain calmness. And if I still feel like I can't handle it I can head to the NUM, or any superior and voice my issues, and they'll be able to help create a better work environment. To stay on track I can implement strategies to get everything done easily, like creating a to-do list based on priority
• Manual handling equipment available in the workplace

  • Wheelchairs
  • Trolleys
  • Beds
• Conducting a safety check and managing infection control procedures when using a wheelchair

  To conduct a safety check on a wheelchair I will first check the moving parts are free of entanglements, pushing back and forth to see if the range of motion is up to standard, inspecting the joints if they are dry, ruse and dust-free. Also, make sure the breaks work, and the seat is intact, suitable, and comfortable for patients to sit on. We can also make sure to check it's been maintained regularly, maybe if there's a label showing when it was last checked, to prevent it from breaking on you. To manage the infection control procedure, after each patient, we can use a damp cloth to clean off any visible dirt, make sure to get in between the hand rests, cushions, breaks and push handles and finally spray with disinfectant. To clean we follow the order from "clean" to "dirty" and "high" to "low". Using a neutral detergent
• Who I could report to if I felt I could not manage work stress

  • Nursing unit manager
  • Co-workers
  • Staff Wellbeing Unit
• Monitoring levels of fatigue


  I could monitor my levels of fatigue by monitoring my alertness through several signs like dizziness, headaches, tiredness, sore or aching muscles, slower reflexes and responses, moodiness, impaired decision-making, and problems with concentrating. Being burnt out can include: It's harder to engage in activities, and you are constantly exhausted and feeling very tired or an increased sense of hopelessness
• Addressing fatigue


  To address these I can ensure not work over 12 hours, eat regularly to maintain my energy, eat healthily, take breaks and/or naps, maintain hydration and do some physical exercise
• In the healthcare industry, ensuring a safe environment for clients, families, visitors, and healthcare workers (HCWs) is paramount. Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are crucial to minimize or prevent the transmission of microorganisms
• Roles and Responsibilities for Infection Prevention and Control

  • Microorganisms can be introduced from external sources
  • Cross-infection can occur between clients
  • Immunocompromised individuals are at higher risk and may require isolation
  • Compliance with employer guidelines to avoid risks
• Essential IPC measures


  • Hand hygiene
  • Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Safe disposal of sharps
  • Routine cleaning of the environment
  • Reprocessing of shared equipment
  • Respiratory hygiene
  • Aseptic techniques
  • Safe handling of waste and linen
• Bacteria


  Found everywhere, some are beneficial (normal flora), while others cause diseases like tetanus, pneumonia, and tuberculosis
• Fungi


  Eukaryotic organisms that cannot produce their own food, cause diseases in immunocompromised individuals (e.g., Aspergillus, Candida), can also cause minor infections like athlete's foot
• Viruses


  Sub-microscopic particles require a host for replication, cause serious diseases like AIDS, influenza, and chickenpox, vaccination is the primary preventive measure
• Colonization


  Presence of microorganisms without symptoms
• Infection


  Invasion and multiplication of pathogens causing symptoms like fever and swelling
• Opportunistic Infections


  Occur when dormant microorganisms activate due to a weakened immune system
• Antibiotic Resistance


  Bacteria like MRSA and VRE have developed resistance to common antibiotics, posing significant challenges in treatment