Legal & Professional Issues of Mental Health Nursing Assessment. Particular emphasis in your report is to be placed on the legal and professional nursing
practice roles and responsibilities.
Task Description: Essay (2500 words)
The aim of this assignment is to identify and examine the role of the Registered Nurse (RN Rice) in the
case study below. You are to identify all the key events that occurred throughout the patient’s
admission. Particular emphasis in your report is to be placed on the legal and professional nursing
practice roles and responsibilities.
Mr Rory Symes is a 64 year-old man who underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a large metropolitan
hospital on the morning of 21 May 2015. Mr Symes was transferred to the Extended Day Only Unit (EDOU)
at 1430 hours following the procedure. Mr Symes was to stay in the EDOU overnight with discharge
planned for the following morning (22 May 2015).
A Medical Officer (MO) assessed Mr Symes at 1630 hours on 21 May due the patient reporting abdominal
pain and distension. Mr Symes’ distended abdomen and pain levels were documented in the patient’s
medical record by the MO and a phone call was made to report this information to the surgeon who
performed the procedure. Analgesia was prescribed (10mg morphine subcutaneously) at 1715 hours to be
given PRN 6 hourly in response to the patient’s reports of pain.
Ms Celia Rice was the RN working on the 12-bed EDOU with another RN on 21 May. RN Rice had been
registered as a nurse for five years. As per hospital policy, RN Rice and the other RN were the only
two staff members rostered to the unit on night-shift that commenced at 2245 hours.
The EDOU was at capacity on the night of 21 May. Two of the other male patients admitted to the unit
were distressed; one was continuously vomiting post-appendectomy and the other was experiencing urinary
retention following a Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP).
There was also a female patient admitted to the unit who was very upset at being placed in a room with
male patients due to her religious beliefs. This patient, who had very limited English language skills,
was continually wailing and expressing anger over the fact that hospital management had not resolved
this issue as promised to the patient and her husband on the afternoon shift.
At 0210 hours on 22 May 2015, RN Rice documented the following in Mr Symes’ health record:
‘Temp 38.9, P 126, Resp Rate 16 and BP 110/72 (approx)’
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