Title: Discussion 5
Course: HCP 0796 Patient Care Technician > Section: Module 4

Relationships, Team works, and Communication Skills

Please read Chapter 3 before beginning this discussion.

1. You've been on call the last two weekends which means that you were unable to plan anything as you may be called into work at any time around the clock. It is Friday afternoon and it is your weekend to be off. Just before your shift ends, a coworker asks if there is any way that you could take her on call status this weekend. She explains to you that her brother has been in a terrible car accident and is in critical condition. The incident occured down in Miami which is at least an eight hour drive one way. The brother has full custody of his two small children and someone needs to take care of them. You ask her if there is any other family that could waych the children and she explains to you that both of their parents are deceased and they have no other siblings. You don't have any plans yourself, but you have already taken call two weekends in a row. How are you going to handle this situation and why?

2. A team has been formed to design a new plan of care for lung transplant patients on the unit where you work. The goal of the team is to streamline the process of moving patients from surgery, to a patient care unit such as your floor, to discharge, and follow-up after they have returned home. Team members include registered nurses, patient care technicians, respiratory therapists, surgical technicians, and home care aides. You have been assigned to this team but every time a meeting takes place, nothing gets accomplished. There are multiple personalities that clash, people disagree on how to get started on rebuilding the plan, and no one listens to each other. How are you going to handle this situation in your role as a PCT?

3. You really enjoy your job on the medical-surgical unit at the hospital and take a great deal of pride in your patient care. However, lately there is one coworker that has really been annoying you. He has been taking extended break times and seems to just disappear whenever there is work to be done. This morning he kept a patient waiting for 20 minutes while he made several personal calls on his cell phone. When you remind him he has a patient waiting, he says, "Mind your own business! I'll get to him when I'm ready!" You find yourself taking care of his patients as well as your own due to your strong work ethic and respect for the patients. By the end of your shift, you are physically and mentally exhausted from the extra patient load. How are you going to handle this situation?

4. You hear, through the grapevine, that a coworker has been spreading gossip about you at work. The gossip has been not only about your personal life but about the way you perform your job duties as well. Some of the rumors are very serious in nature and could be regarded as patient abuse on your behalf. The rumors about your personal life relate to your children and the situation you are facing with their father. The personal gossip does have some truth to it however. You are so angry that, as soon as she walks into the room, you are anxious to tell her just what you think of her behavior. How are you going to handle this situation and what are the potential reprocussions of your actions?

5. A hospitalized patient on your unit has a medical condition that you suffered yourself six months ago. The patient isn't aware of this however. While providing the patient a full bed bath, he asks if you have any idea what he can expect from his treatment plan. How are you going to handle this situation and why?