Unit 2

The nurse in charge of a nursing unit in a long-term care facility is concerned because staff members openly verbalize racial comments about clients on the unit. What should the nurse do to appropriately manage this concern? Ignore the racial comments. 2. Discourage the racial comments. 3. Leave articles about racial prejudice in the nurse's lounge. 4. Report the racial comments to the grievance committee.

2. Discourage the racial comments. Rationale: Prejudice reduction is a method of managing or discouraging racial comments made by others. When racial comments are discouraged, fewer comments will be made. Ignoring the racial comments is an inappropriate option because the concern will not be addressed. Leaving articles about racial prejudice in the nurse's lounge indirectly addresses the issue. In addition, the nurse cannot ensure that the staff will read the articles. Likewise, reporting the racial comments to the grievance committee does not directly address the issue. The best approach that the nurse could take would be to directly discuss the concern with the staff members. This action is not identified in the options. Therefore, from the options presented, option 4 would most appropriately manage this concern.

The nurse overhears a client ask the health care provider if the results of a biopsy indicated cancer. The health care provider tells the client that the results have not returned, when in fact, the health care provider is aware that the results of the biopsy indicated the presence of malignancy. The nurse is upset that the health care provider has not shared the results with the client and tells another nurse that the health care provider has lied to the client and that this health care provider probably lies to all of the clients. Which legal tort has the nurse violated by this statement? Libel 2. Slander 3. Assault 4. Negligence

2. Slander Rationale: Defamation takes place when something untrue is said (slander) or written (libel) about a person resulting in injury to that person's good name and reputation. An assault occurs when a person puts another person in fear of a harmful or an offensive contact. Negligence involves the actions of professionals that fall below the standard of care for a specific professional group. Although the health care provider may be aware of the biopsy results, the health care provider decides when it is best to share such a diagnosis with the client.

When caring for clients, the nurse knows that which ethical philosophies focus on understanding relationships and the use of personal narratives? Select all that apply. Deontology 2. Utilitarianism 3. Ethics of care 4. Feminist ethics 5. Consensus in bioethics

3. Ethics of care 4. Feminist ethics Rationale: The ethics of care and feminist ethics both promote a philosophy that focuses on understanding relationships, especially personal narratives. Deontology defines actions as right or wrong based on their "right-making characteristics," which include fidelity to promises, truthfulness, and justice. Utilitarianism is a system of ethics that a value is determined by its usefulness. Consensus in bioethics is unrelated to the information in the question.

After weeks of witnessing a man's deterioration and subsequent death from liver failure, his family disagrees about performing an autopsy. Which criterion does the nurse use to determine if the autopsy can proceed? Specifics in the client's will 2. Decision by the client's sister 3. Ruling from medical examiner 4. Determination by the client's son

Determination by the client's son Rationale: The nurse works with the client's son to determine if an autopsy can be performed (option 4) because the only powers that supersede an offspring's decision are the client's written statement, a durable power of attorney, or a surviving spouse. In order, a parent, brother, or sister can make the decision if the client has no children. A client's will involves bequeathing property and does not contain information about medical care (option 1). The client's sibling is consulted after an offspring (option 2). The client's death is unlikely to be a medical examiner's case or a suspicious death, so a medical examiner's ruling is not indicated.

A nurse working in a long-term care facility is assigned to care for four clients on the hospice unit. In planning client rounds, which client should the nurse collect data on first? A client who was complaining of severe back pain on the previous shift 2. A client who is being moved to a different room and will need assistance packing 3. A client who is bed bound and needs to be turned and repositioned every 2 hours 4. A client who needs assistance dressing before transport to the dining room for breakfast

A client who was complaining of severe back pain on the previous shift Rationale: The nurse is working on a hospice unit, which means that the nurse is caring for the terminally ill client. The client who is terminally ill needs to be comforted, and the nurse must maintain a satisfactory lifestyle through the phase of dying. Although all of these clients need the nurse's attention, the client who needs to be seen first would be the client who was in severe pain on the previous shift. The nurse should evaluate this client to see if further pain medication is needed. Alleviating suffering is a priority nursing responsibility. Because pain is often an element of suffering, promoting optimal pain relief is a primary goal.