Table of Contents
Learning Exercise 1.1 – Applying Scientific Models to Decision-Making
Problem
As a registered nurse with 3-years’ experience and a young family, I am experiencing a problem related to family-work balance. At this juncture, I should either take up more nursing responsibilities or decline the additional nursing responsibilities as to create more time for my family.
What I will do
I will accept the position of the charge nurse and convince my spouse that we should hire the services of a child care provider. Child care providers, commonly called ‘nannies’ supplement effectively the child caring duties of working parents. In particular, hiring the services of professional nannies with extensive training in child development give working parents the peace of mind while away from home (Dawn, Diane, Leanne & Thompson, 2013). Therefore, my spouse and I will hire a professional nanny as soon as the second baby comes. Consequently, my spouse will have adequate time to attend to her expanding attorney practice while I can continue with my full-time role as a charge nurse.
How I approached the Problem-solving
I used the managerial decision-making model to arrive at the decision to hire a professional nanny. The managerial decision-making model seemed more appropriate than other decision-making models because of my imminent appointment to the position of a charge nurse. As a charge nurse, I will be tasked with making a myriad of decisions involving my workplace commitments (Etheridge, 2007). My workplace commitments will depend on social aspects including my parental responsibilities, my duties as a partner in marriage, and my commitment to stakeholders in the nursing profession, particularly the patients. Therefore, I approached the problem primarily from the perspective of a manager.
The Managerial Decision-Making Model
The managerial decision-making model is a rational and systematic problem-solving tool that starts with the determination of objectives, followed the by identification of options, comparison and evaluation of the identified options, selection of the best option, and the eventual implementation and evaluation of the selected action plan (Dawn et al, 2013). The procedural nature of the managerial decision-making model ensures that all alternative courses of actions are aligned to the primary objectives of the problem-solving process. Therefore, the managerial decision-making model ensured that my primary goals as a charge nurse and also as a parent were safeguarded throughout the problem-solving process.
Alternatives and Objectives
The alternatives synthesized during the problem-solving process included declining the offer regarding the position of a charge nurse, refusing to share child rearing duties with my spouse, and the hiring of a nanny to supplement our child rearing duties. The objectives of the managerial decision-making process included learning to take up additional responsibilities as a nurse, and ensuring that my children receive adequate caring. Therefore, the option to hire a professional nanny was selected because it aligned with the primary objectives of child caring and commitment to additional nursing responsibilities.
Personal Values
The decision to hire a professional nanny thus allowing my spouse and me to focus on our respective professions was based on the personal values of fairness and accountability (Dawn et al, 2013). In my capacity as a parent, I uphold the value of equality in parental duties. Therefore, it would be unfair if I dissuaded my spouse from attending to her attorney practice while I progressed in my capacity as a registered nurse. Regarding the value of accountability, nurses form an integral part of the national healthcare system, and nurses are accountable to multiple parties including the patients, supervisors, and the society in general (Etheridge, 2007). Therefore, it seed unaccountable on my part to prioritize my parental duties over my duties as a nurse.
- Dawn, D., Diane, D., Leanne, A & Thompson, C. (2013). An agenda for clinical decision making and judgment in nursing research and education, International Journal of Nursing Studies, 50(12), 1720-1726
- Etheridge, S. (2007). Learning to think like a nurse: Stories from new nurse graduates. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 38(1), 24-30