Reading Skills for Healthcare Workers

Lunch at the Springwell Assisted Living Facility was a tuna sandwich and a small Asian salad with cabbage, carrots, sesame seeds, and bean sprouts. After lunch, a nursing assistant named Ann was helping the residents back to their rooms when she noticed a commotion in one corner of the dining room. Ann rushed over to see what was going on and saw that one of the residents, Mrs. Price, had fallen from her chair to the floor and was lying there.

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Mrs. Price obviously didn’t notice that there were peanuts sprinkled on her friend Clara’s salad when Mrs. Price tried a bite of it. Now Mrs. Price’s allergy to peanuts had caused her body to go into shock. When someone goes into shock, the body’s circulatory system doesn’t carry enough blood to the organs and tissues to function normally. Ann saw that Mrs. Price’s skin had turned pale gray, and she didn’t respond to Ann talking to her. Mrs. Price was not aware of her surroundings, and she was having trouble breathing. Ann told her co-worker Gail that Mrs. Price was in shock and to get a nurse immediately.

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Ann knew that Mrs. Price carried a syringe with epinephrine in a case attached to her belt. She grabbed the syringe and injected the epinephrine from it into Mrs. Price’s leg. Ann covered Mrs. Price with a blanket while she waited for the medication to take effect, knowing it works quickly to counteract an allergic reaction. Slowly, Mrs. Price became aware of her surroundings. Ann assured her that the epinephrine worked, and together they waited for the nurse to come and assess the situation. Later, she talked with her supervisor about the incident. Ann promised to reinforce diet education with Mrs. Price and remind her not to share meals with other residents.