leadership week 1 and 2

21. "Stress-buffering" behaviors can be elicited to reduce stress. All of the following behavioral coping responses can be used by nurse managers to reduce and manage stress except: a. distancing oneself from work. b. using cognitive reframing to change irrational thoughts. c. refusing a request to sit on a committee to evaluate scheduling software. d. exercising regularly.

ANS: A Achieving balance between work and leisure is a useful strategy for stress reduction. Distancing, however, can be a sign of depersonalization that includes negative attitudes as well and is a characteristic of burnout.

18. As a nurse manager representative on a clinical information system selection team, you would be particularly concerned if the favored system: a. involves screen displays that are best configured for nonclinical users. b. requires an upgrade to servers in the facility. c. requires staff orientation and training during implementation of the software. d. minimizes the amount of data entry necessary.

ANS: A An ideal hospital information system should include as much instrumentation as possible to minimize data entry. As a clinical end user, you would expect orientation and training on how the screen display can be configured so as to suit the purposes and preferences of users in clinical areas.

17. The manager calls the staff together to assess a situation in which the family of a seriously ill patient is anxious and is absorbing a great deal of staff time in consultation, discussion, and questioning of treatment decisions. Staff members are becoming distanced from the family. After inviting the concerns of staff, the manager explains that the organization values patient-centered care and that evidence supports that acting as an advocate and a listener is helpful to families. The manager asks the staff for ideas and strategies that are effectively patient-centered in dealing with families in similar situations. What is the role of the nurse manager in this situation? a. Leadership b. Management c. Follower d. Visionary

ANS: A As a leader, the manager is providing and communicating vision and direction based on evidence and experience. The manager is engaging others in decision making that moves them toward the vision with a reasonable level of risk taking.

15. A family is keeping vigil at a critically ill patient's bedside. Distant family members call the unit continuously asking for updates and expressing concern. The nurse speaks with the distant family members and states she is referring them to the hospital social worker, whose role is to work with family in this situation. What role is the nurse assuming through this action? a. Manager b. Leader c. Follower d. Laissez-faire

ANS: A As a manager, you are concerned with managing and coordinating resources to achieve outcomes in accordance with established clinical processes. Referral to a social worker alleviates demand on staff time and is consistent with hospital procedures.

6. A Magnet® hospital surveys the staff about job satisfaction. This type of environment, in which nurses have authority and autonomy, is linked with: a. client satisfaction with the healthcare organization. b. organizations with a limited number of nurse managers. c. private, specialty organizations in urban areas. d. sophisticated academic health sciences universities.

ANS: A Autonomy and authority in decision making that is consistent with scope of practice are linked both to higher job satisfaction and to higher patient satisfaction with care. Job satisfaction is an important indicator of the quality of patient care.

10. You are in the process of designing a patient education program that will provide education and monitoring for patients with hypertension. To support your planning, you draw out and present patient data from: a. a clinical database. b. biomedical technologies. c. e-mail. d. Internet sources.

ANS: A Clinical databases are collections of elements organized and structured for the processing, organization, and presentation of data for interpretation as information, which, in this particular instance, includes outpatient data.

3. The Emergency Department staff decides to use a collective bargaining model for negotiation rather than a traditional trade union model. A traditional trade union model is characterized by: a. positional conflict. b. management support of labor's initiatives. c. a spirit of trust between management and labor. d. an ability to resolve complaints.

ANS: A Collective bargaining encompasses management support of labor's initiative, a spirit of trust between labor and management, and resolution of problems. It replaces the positional conflict that has been associated with traditional trade unions. Models such as the interest-based problem solving (IBPS) model seek to avoid positional conflicts such as those between labor and management that do not take into account the opposing party in any way.

16. Sources of occupational stress in nursing include all except which of the following? a. Authoritarian leadership b. Concern about moral wrongdoing by colleagues c. Multiple changes in a short time d. Rotating shifts

ANS: A Ethical distress, complexity compression, rotating shifts, high acuity levels, rotating shifts, and workload are all sources of work-related stress for nurses.

12. In a job interview for a nursing position, Marley can be assured that which of the following will occur? a. Both eustress and distress b. Only eustress c. Only distress d. Neither eustress nor distress

ANS: A Eustress is defined as stress that is pleasant in nature, and distress is defined as stress of an unpleasant nature. One can assume that every interview has both of these stresses.

2. The chief nursing officer at a local hospital seeking Magnet® status creates staff development classes about incorporating evidence-based practice in nursing. What best describes evidence-based practice? a. Applying best research evidence to care of patients b. Using research-based information to develop practice guidelines c. Conducting a randomized control trial to determine effectiveness of handwashing techniques d. Developing standards for practice

ANS: A Evidence-based medicine is derived from evidence-based medicine and involves integration of the best research evidence with clinical expertise and the patient's unique values and circumstances in making decisions about the care of individual patients. It is focused on searching for, appraising, and synthesizing the best evidence to address a specific clinical practice problem.

8. A charge nurse on a busy 40-bed medical/surgical unit is approached by a family member who begins to complain loudly about the quality of care his mother is receiving. His behavior is so disruptive that it is overheard by staff, physicians, and other visitors. The family member leaves the unit abruptly, and the nurse is left feeling frustrated. Which behavior by the charge nurse best illustrates refined leadership skills in an emotionally intelligent practitioner? a. Reflect to gain insight into how the situation could be handled differently in the future. b. Try to catch up with the angry family member to resolve the concern. c. Discuss the concern with the patient after the family member has left. d. Notify nursing administration of the situation.

ANS: A Goleman suggests that emotional intelligence involves insight and being able to step outside of the situation to envision the context of what is happening as well as being able to manage emotions such as frustration effectively.

4. The nurse manager wants to use evidence-based recommendations to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia. What is the critical first step to effectively gather evidence for guiding practice? a. Develop the clinical question. b. Identify the databases to be used. c. Appraise the evidence. d. Integrate available evidence with unit expertise.

ANS: A Identifying the question may be the most challenging part of the process. Once the clinical question has been identified, writing it down will help in moving on to the next step of gathering evidence.

5. The manager of a surgical area has a vision for the future that requires the addition of RN assistants or unlicensed persons to feed, bathe, and ambulate patients. The RNs on the staff have always practiced in a primary nursing-delivery system and are very resistant to this idea. What would be the best initial strategy for implementation of this change? a. Exploring the values and feelings of the RN group in relationship to this change b. Leaving the RNs alone for a time so they can think about the change before it is implemented c. Dropping the idea and trying for the change in a year or so when some of the present RNs have retired d. Hiring the assistants and allowing the RNs to see what good additions they are

ANS: A Influencing others requires emotional intelligence in domains such as empathy, handling relationships, deepening self-awareness in self and others, motivating others, and managing emotions. Motivating others recognizes that values are powerful forces that influence acceptance of change. Leaving the RNs alone for a period of time before implementation does not provide opportunity to explore different perspectives and values. Avoiding discussion until the team changes may not promote adoption of the change until there is opportunity to explore perspectives and values related to the change. Hiring of the assistants demonstrates lack of empathy for the perspectives of the RN staff.

19. When assessing the appropriateness of adopting Wireless COWs for a nursing unit, you need to consider the advantages, which include: a. mobility of the carts. b. small display screen. c. font size. d. speed of operation.

ANS: A Installing computers on mobile carts, also known as computers on wheels or COWs, may increase work efficiency and save time. However, if the cart is cumbersome to move around or if concern about infection risk is associated with moving the cart from one room to another, some organizations favor keeping one cart stationed in each patient care room or installing hardwired bedside computers.

21. Which of the following is a meta-analysis? a. Review of 35 studies on nurse work satisfaction to determine the significance of the aggregated research findings b. Review of multiple chart audits to determine which errors are being reduced through implementation of evidence-based guidelines c. RCT comparing the effectiveness of a local anesthetic in reducing the pain of venipuncture in young children d. Analysis of factors contributing to nurse burnout and dissatisfaction at emergency room sites

ANS: A Meta-analysis statistically combines the results of several similar studies to determine whether aggregate findings are significant.

9. Leaders in nursing must advocate for information and knowledge systems that support nursing practice. This is best accomplished by: a. participating in organizational information technology committees. b. submitting written requests for needed information systems. c. requesting budgetary funds needed for systems. d. sending staff nurses to conferences that discuss cutting-edge technologies.

ANS: A Nurse leaders and direct care nurses must be members of the selection team, participate actively, and have a voice in the selection decision. The information system must make sense to the people who use it and fit effectively with the processes for providing patient care.

12. In an ICU, you order new devices to measure heart rhythm and rate, respiratory rate, oxygen levels, and intracranial pressure. These devices involve: a. biomedical technology. b. telecommunications. c. retrieval of patient history information. d. Internet.

ANS: A Physiologic monitoring devices and patient surveillance systems involve biomedical technology.

23. To improve outcomes on the stroke recovery unit, the unit manager leads an evidence-based practice (EBP) project. The goal of this project is to: a. enable detection of variations in clinical outcomes from well-researched standards that are supported by confirmatory evidence. b. gain quick access to literature based on studies of patients and families who have experienced stroke. c. develop a list of articles that could be accessed to address clinical issues and problems with stroke patients. d. advance the development of staff who are able to conduct independent nursing research on stroke outcomes.

ANS: A Several "intelligent" clinical information systems are in place that collect good data and then translate nursing knowledge, such as well-researched standards, into reference materials at the point-of-care. In addition, computer applications assist nurses to take action and provide patient care based on the best evidence for practice.

2. The nurse manager of a unit has lost many staff members, and the unit is now staffed with a large number of agency and traveling nurses. She knows that the agency and traveling nurses are all contracted to stay on the unit for the next 3 months. One way to improve morale and decrease stress in the unit would be to: a. plan a social event and include the agency and traveling nurse staff members. b. plan unit-based social events for your remaining permanent staff members. c. request hospital-based "floating" nurses to substitute for the temporary staff. d. implement team nursing.

ANS: A Social support, in the form of positive work relationships, can be an important way to buffer the effects of a stressful work environment. Including all staff in the social event enables those who are not normally part of the team to experience this support and provides an opportunity for the staff as a whole to develop supportive relationships.

8. The staff development educator presents a series of programs on stress management to the nurse managers. Research has indicated that an individual's ability to deal with stress is moderated by psychological hardiness. Psychological hardiness is a composite of: a. commitment, control, and challenge. b. commitment, powerlessness, and passivity. c. commitment, control, and passivity. d. decreased isolation, challenge, and passivity.

ANS: A Some people have the capacity to accept changes in life with good humor and resilience, which, in turn, influences behavior that prevents illness. Hardiness involves the capacity to manage time and stress, to reframe situations positively, and to commit.

17. Mr. T. Jones and Mr. R. Smith are both going to become residents in Sunny Haven Lodge. Mr. Jones views it as an opportunity to socialize and meet new friends. Mr. Smith views this as abandonment by his family and is worried that the care will be inadequate. Each senior perceives the situation differently. This is a good example of stress that is: a. both a positive stressor and a negative stressor. b. occurring only because of age. c. positive in both cases. d. harmful in both cases.

ANS: A Some researchers have determined that stress is a person-environment process in which the person appraises the situation as taxing or not. Appraisal is an important concept that explains why two people react in different ways to the same situation. Stress can be viewed as positive (eustress) or negative (distress).

5. A hospice nurse has been feeling very stressed at work because of both the physical strain and the emotional drain of working with clients with AIDS. She tries to walk 1 to 2 miles three times a week and to talk regularly with her husband about her work-related feelings. One reasonable stress-management strategy would be to: a. start taking yoga lessons. b. make an appointment to meet with a psychiatrist. c. start jogging 5 to 6 miles every day. d. plan to go out for a drink with fellow nurses after work every day.

ANS: A Stress relief techniques include 30 minutes of exercise five times a week, as well as techniques such as yoga that relieve mental stress.

6. The nurse manager of an ICU wants to implement the revised policy and procedure on central line catheter care. What would be the most effective method of getting the staff nurses to incorporate a new evidence-based practice into their care? a. Conducting an interactive educational workshop b. Distributing educational materials on clinical units c. Sharing the results of a chart audit with staff d. Providing staff with a short DVD on the topic

ANS: A Suggestions for effective strategies that promote behavioral change in health professionals include active involvement strategies such as face-to-face information sessions in small groups and one-to-one interactions. Other approaches have mixed or few results.

5. Nursing labor-management partnerships: a. engage nurses at all levels in problem solving for better patient care. b. require unions and management to negotiate in good faith regarding hours of work and wages. c. have been shown to have negligible effects on nurse turnover and patient outcomes. d. have typically resulted in increased polarization of nurses and management, leading to formation of collective bargaining units.

ANS: A The development of a nursing labor-management partnership is an approach that can be used in most professional nursing environments. This process recognizes nurses as leaders on all levels and provides formal and informal mechanisms for professional nurses to work together to achieve shared goals through collaboration and shared decision making or decentralized decision making. A study of a nursing labor-management partnership suggested that nurse satisfaction was higher, turnover was lower, and more time was available for patient care.

24. A dispute arises between an RN and an LPN over a patient issue. The tension continues between the two and begins to affect other staff members, who are drawn into the conflict. Over time, the team becomes polarized toward either the RN or the LPN. How might this situation be prevented? a. Expediency in responding to the initial dispute, once it became apparent that it could not be resolved by the two parties themselves b. Asking other staff members what the real issues were in the dispute between the RN and the LPN c. Reassigning one of the parties to another unit when it became apparent that the two individuals could not resolve the dispute themselves d. Calling a staff meeting at the onset of the dispute to allow the team and the RN and LPN to discuss the initial dispute

ANS: A The initial step in conflict resolution should have involved an expedient response to the issues and putting a focus on the issues involved in the dispute between the LPN and RN through negotiation involving the two parties, before the dispute involved others.

15. The implementation of saline flushes for capped angiocatheters across all areas of practice in the facility is an example of: a. how multilevel and interprofessional application of a procedure can slow adoption of EBP. b. how competition among disciplines can lead to negative patient outcomes. c. the reluctance of hospital administrators to act on recommendations from EBP. d. how a safe, well-known practice outweighs the benefits of adopting a newer practice.

ANS: A The translation of research into practice operates at four levels: The individual healthcare professional, healthcare groups or teams, organizations, and the larger healthcare system or environment. The adoption of saline flushes illustrates the challenges of communicating EBP to other disciplines and organizations and of the involvement of different levels. This particular innovation needed endorsement by nurses, physicians, and pharmacists, as well as by administrators who needed evidence of lost savings to support adoption.

25. The unit is shifting from primary nursing to a team model in an effort to contain costs. Staff members are upset about the change and ask for a meeting to discuss the new model. After hearing their concerns related to reduction in professional autonomy, what is the initial response by the manager to address the concerns? a. Acknowledge the loss. b. Explain the reasons for change, emphasizing the need to reduce costs. c. Repeat the information several times, giving detailed budget overviews. d. Adjourn the meeting and provide explanation through e-mail.

ANS: A Visioning involves engaging with others to assess the current reality, specify the end point, and then strategize to reduce differences. This requires trusting relationships that acknowledge the differences in values and ideas. When done well, the nurse manager and the nurses within a unit experience creative tension that inspires working in concert to achieve desired goals.

1. A new graduate nurse wonders about the directions that her preceptor has given her regarding management of incontinent, confused patients. The new nurse brings the preceptor evidence-based information she located regarding incontinence interventions for confused patients and asks to talk about the guidance that given after the preceptor reviews the information in the article. What is the new nurse demonstrating in this situation? (Select all that apply.) a. Assertiveness b. Followership c. Management d. Insubordination

ANS: A, B This is an example of followership in which a staff nurse is demonstrating assertive behavior and presenting evidence that may influence the decision making of her nurse leader and manager.

1. As a nurse manager, you want to institute point-of-care devices on your unit. The rationale that you provide to support the point-of-care devices includes: (Select all that apply.) a. reduction in incidents of medication error. b. immediate documentation of care. c. comparison of patient data with previous data. d. immediate access to staffing schedules.

ANS: A, B, C Point-of-care devices that allow documentation of assessment, care, and teaching at the bedside reduce the gap in time between care and documentation, thereby reducing error, increasing accuracy, and improving communication of care. Medication devices and patient databases enable accurate clinical decision making.

1. High levels of work-related stress affect all but which of the following? (Select all that apply.) a. Job satisfaction b. Absenteeism and turnover c. Nurses' health d. Client welfare

ANS: A, B, C, D Many writers and researchers have found that these work-related areas are adversely affected by stress.

1. A nurse manager introduces prompted voiding into nursing practice on a unit, which is supported by clinical guidelines based on evidence-based practice. The nurses on the unit resist implementation, indicating that the bathroom facilities are too far away for efficient implementation of the guidelines, and that resources are too few to accomplish the initial voiding observations. For the nurse manager in this situation, it is important to have further discussion with the staff regarding: (Select all that apply.) a. compatibility of this intervention with the values of staff on the unit. b. advantages of prompted voiding over incontinence products and catheterizations. c. usefulness of prompted voiding with the particular population of patients on the unit. d. feasibility of the program with respect to unit design.

ANS: A, B, C, D Various theories related to the translation of evidence into practice point to strategies for success in introducing innovation and EBP on units, including determination of how well the innovation fits with the values of the staff; benefits of this practice or innovation over current practice; appropriateness of the innovation or practice for the target group for which the practice is intended; and the feasibility of the innovation from a variety of perspectives, including the physical design or layout of a unit.

23. During a staff meeting held to discuss developing a mission statement for the unit, the idea of placing patient needs first is discussed. What is considered when the suggestion by the manager is for the unit mission to be derived from the organization mission? a. Empowering b. A leadership tag c. A symbol d. A management task

ANS: B According to complexity theory, leadership tags, which are similar to values, reflect the patient-centered philosophies and values-driven characteristics that define an organization and give it personality.

11. You overhear a new graduate RN telling a nurse colleague that leadership and management belong to the unit manager, not to her. As a nursing colleague, what do you know to be true in regard to the statement? a. The statement is correct. Leadership is not the role of the staff nurse. b. The new graduate would benefit from further understanding of her role as a professional, whose influence may affect the decision making of patients, colleagues, and other professionals. c. The new graduate has been influenced by nurse leaders and managers who leave for other positions. d. The general perception is that nurse leaders and managers are not satisfied in their jobs.

ANS: B Care coordination that involves the intersection of individual, family, and community-based needs requires that nurses have self-confidence, knowledge of organizations and health systems, and an inner desire to lead and manage. There is often a view that leadership is isolated to those holding managerial positions, and that a direct care nurse is subject to following by adhering to the direction of others. Such views fail to acknowledge that to be a nurse requires each licensed individual to lead, manage, and follow when practicing at the point-of-care and beyond.

22. The education consultant at St. Joseph Hospital is giving a workshop on cognitive reframing. The consultant explains that cognitive reframing reduces stress by: a. aiding individuals in identifying positive stressors. b. helping people realize that negative thinking causes emotional distress. c. eliminating negative stressors. d. replacing positive self-statements with negative irrational beliefs.

ANS: B Cognitive reframing is a therapy that aids individuals in discovering that their irrational thoughts can be replaced with responses that are more rational. It enables individuals to gain a sense of control over the situation and can change "I'll never ..." to "I can ..." or "She always ..." to "Sometimes she ..." It is an approach that allows individuals to replace negative thoughts and statements with others that are more realistic and helpful.

3. As a nurse manager, you trial a new pain scale on your unit that is supported by numerous research studies. You compare the patient outcomes with the new scale against the existing scale. Feedback from staff suggests that the new scale is too difficult for patients who have limited language skills and who are already under duress to understand. The difficulty in implementing the new scale refers to testing: a. efficacy. b. effectiveness. c. practice failure. d. comparative error.

ANS: B Comparing the effectiveness of interventions can help to address the needs of clinicians in determining best practices for their patients. Comparative effectiveness research (CER) is the "generation and synthesis of evidence that compares the benefits and harms of alternative methods to prevent, diagnose, treat, and monitor a clinical condition or to improve the delivery of care" (Institute of Medicine, 2009, p. 29). Efficacy is testing an intervention or treatment in a traditional randomized clinical trial under carefully controlled conditions and is used to determine whether an intervention or treatment works, whereas effectiveness is testing whether the intervention or treatment works in the real world of practice.

20. As a leader on a rehab unit, the manager encourages all staff members to see themselves as having a role in decision making and quality care. The manager sees their role as involving particular responsibilities in decision making but not as a hierarchal role. What is this view of the role consistent with in this situation? a. Trait theories b. Complexity theory c. Situated theory d. Emotional intelligence

ANS: B Complexity theory involves envisioning each member of the team involved in decision making, management, and leadership, with the leader not seen in a hierarchal relationship to other team members.

A nurse manager of a 20-bed medical unit finds that 80% of the patients are older adults. She is asked to assess and adapt the unit to better meet the unique needs of the older adult patient. Using complexity principles, what would be the best approach to take for implementation of this change? a. Leverage the hierarchical management position to get unit staff involved in assessment and planning. b. Engage involved staff at all levels in the decision-making process. c. Focus the assessment on the unit and omit the hospital and community environment. d. Hire a geriatric specialist to oversee and control the project.

ANS: B Complexity theory suggests that systems interact and adapt and that decision making occurs throughout the systems, as opposed to being held in a hierarchy. In complexity theory, every voice counts, and therefore, all levels of staff would be involved in decision making.

7. At a newly built outpatient surgical center, an integrated information system has been purchased. The chief nursing officer creates a series of staff development classes to orient the staff to this new system. One of the advantages of an integrated information system is that client-care data from all sites can be stored in and retrieved from a: a. nursing information system. b. central data repository. c. nurse expert system. d. handheld device.

ANS: B Computer information systems manage large volumes of data, examine data patterns and trends, solve problems, and answer questions. In other words, computers can help translate data into information from both within and among organizations. Data from all patient encounters with the healthcare system are stored in a central data repository, where they are accessible to authorized users. Patient information in a centralized database is organized, legible, and easily retrievable from a variety of sources and reflects a variety of data.

4. A primary care clinic in a small urban center sees a high volume of cardiology patients. Patients who attend the clinic have smart cards that they use at hospitals, clinics, and Emergency Departments within that region of the state. A primary benefit of the smart card for these patients would be: a. rapid and accurate treatment in emergency situations. b. reduced wait times to see specialists. c. e-mail notification of test results. d. readily available information regarding medications.

ANS: B Credit card-like devices called smart cards store a limited number of pages of data on a computer chip and serve as a bridge between the clinician terminal and the central repository of the electronic health record (EHR), making patient information available to the caregiver quickly and cheaply at the point-of-service. Smart cards provide information to healthcare providers regarding the patient's demographic and contact information, allergies, immunizations, lab results, and past patient care encounters and are presented at the point-of-service.

16. Which of the following would be most effective in implementing the findings of a new clinical treatment for problems associated with bowel motility for the staff nurses? a. Lecture by a nurse practitioner b. Workshop for surgical nurses that involves discussion of case studies and application of evidence c. Discussion of the findings on the bulletin boards at the workstation d. Education of unit opinion leaders regarding the evidence presented in the studies

ANS: B Current research suggests that translation of research into practice is best facilitated through interactive learning such as workshops. Least effective strategies included didactic learning and distribution of learning materials.

3. As a nurse manager, the one activity you should not overlook is: a. posting the yearly rotation schedule. b. reviewing vacation requests. c. scheduling staffing for holidays 6 months in advance. d. anticipating staff sick days.

ANS: B Free time and vacation time are needed for individuals to recharge. If time for work is more than 60% of wake time, or when self-time is less than 10% of wake time, stress levels increase.

6. As the RN charge nurse on the night shift in a small long-term care facility, you've found that there is little turnover among your LPN and nursing assistant (NA) staff members, but they are not very motivated to go beyond their job descriptions in their work. Which of the following strategies might motivate the staff and lead to greater job satisfaction? a. Ask the director of nursing to offer higher wages and bonuses for extra work for the night LPNs and NAs. b. Allow the LPNs and NAs greater decision-making power within the scope of their positions in the institution. c. Hire additional staff so that there are more staff available for enhanced care, and individual workloads are lessened. d. Ask the director of nursing to increase job security for night staff by having them sign contracts that guarantee work.

ANS: B Hygiene factors such as salary, working conditions, and security are consistent with Herzberg's two-factor theory of motivation; meeting these needs avoids job dissatisfaction. Motivator factors such as recognition and satisfaction with work promote a satisfying and enriched work environment. Transformational leaders use motivator factors liberally to inspire work performance and increase job satisfaction.

1. A nurse manager was orienting new staff members to computerized charting. To understand computerized charting, staff members must understand informatics. The three core concepts in informatics are: a. hardware, software, and printers. b. data, information, and knowledge. c. decision making, data gathering, and reporting. d. wireless technology, voice recognition, and handheld devices.

ANS: B Informatics is the application of technology to all fields of nursing to facilitate and extend nurses' decision-making abilities and to support nurses in the use, storage, and linkage of clinical information to provide effective and efficient patient care.

7. The chief nursing officer listens to nurse managers verbalize their feelings of internal stress. One common source of internal stress seems to be: a. the death of a loved one. b. perfectionism. c. getting married. d. losing a job.

ANS: B Losing a job, the death of a loved one, and getting married are examples of external stress.

4. At a second negotiation session, the unit manager and staff nurse are unable to reach a resolution. What is the appropriate next step? a. Arrange another meeting in a week's time so as to allow a cooling-off period. b. Elevate the next negation session to the next manager, one level above. c. Insist that participants continue to talk until a resolution has been reached. d. Back the unit manager's actions and end the dispute.

ANS: B Part of leadership is understanding conflict resolution and ability to negotiate and manage for resolution of issues and concerns. This situation has failed a second negotiation session, elevation to a manager with additional training to facilitate conflict resolution is important at this point.

9. What is a strategy that can be used by a small community hospital with limited resources to develop an evidence-based nursing practice program? a. Hiring a nurse researcher b. Partnering with nurse researchers at a local university c. Subscribing to journals devoted to evidence-based nursing d. Including research competencies in managers' job descriptions

ANS: B Partnering with nurse researchers assists in providing nurse researcher expertise and leadership to organizations that do not have the size or the resources to hire nurse researchers.

9. The chief nursing officer understands that a nurse manager can exhibit stress that is related to trying to keep up with the number of electronic messages that arrive, as well as trying to remain accessible to staff. What is a strategy that would assist the manager to manage the information overload effectively? a. Ignore messages unless they are labeled as important. b. Determine who is most likely to send useful or important information or requests. c. Check e-mail messages once a day. d. Encourage face-to-face meetings rather than e-mail.

ANS: B Reduction of stress related to information overload requires the development of information-receiving and information-sending skills. Information-sending skills include determining most common sources of useful data, labeling files and folders to which e-mail messages can be directed, deletion of e-mails, and focusing on the most important pieces. Information-sending skills include keeping e-mail messages short (and calling if the message needs to be long) and considering the most appropriate medium for messages (telephone, fax, face-to-face).

14. An example of role stress occurs when: a. the director of the ICU and the manager of the surgical unit wish to hire the same new employee. b. two part-time staff members are hired to work in a unit, but the job expectations for them are not clear, and the head nurse expresses disappointment in their performance. c. the nurse manager for the ICU wants to advocate for more staff and finds it difficult to find data to substantiate his proposal. d. line managers believe that support staff use their technical knowledge to intrude on their authority.

ANS: B Role stress is an additional stressor for nurses. Viewed as the incongruence between perceived role expectations and achievement, role stress is particularly acute for new graduates. Failure to comply with expectations can lead to role conflict. Role conflict and role ambiguity are major sources of conflict for nurses.

20. A nurse manager is excited by the possible use of speech recognition (SR) systems for documentation of patient care, especially during crisis situations when staff members need to focus on performing rapid assessments and implementation of procedures. She learns, however, that SR systems would be impractical at this point. What would lead to this conclusion? a. SR systems are not available outside pilot projects. b. The type of speech required for voice recognition is unlikely to occur in a pressured situation. c. The hands-free function has not been perfected in SR technology. d. Wireless communications are prone to unreliability in transmission.

ANS: B Speech recognition systems rely on staccato-like speech, pauses between words, and programming for each user, any and all of which would be unlikely in a pressured crisis situation. SR is being used primarily for therapeutic purposes and in situations where data entry is stable.

5. A strategic goal for nursing in the facility developed by the chief nursing officer is to implement an evidence-based practice program. What is an appropriate strategy that can be used by a nurse manager who is beginning to implement an evidence-based practice program on the unit? a. Conducting a review of adverse events and incident reports b. Soliciting input from staff members c. Reviewing specialty organization guidelines d. Identifying patients with extended lengths of stay

ANS: B Stakeholders need to be involved early, and staff members need to be involved when initiatives involve direct patient care. Involvement assists in understanding issues and concerns, motivations, and unmet needs.

18. The manager of a unit is finding it difficult to work with a new graduate nurse. The new nurse has many ideas; however, his manner of presenting them irritates the manager. After reflection and discussion with others, the manager recognizes that she feels threatened by his behavior. She comes to understand that the new nurse is trying to establish his own role on the unit; is not trying to challenge her; and needs guidance, coaching, and affirmation. What is the nurse manager demonstrating in this situation? a. A positive self-concept b. Deepening self-awareness c. Leadership d. Acquiescence

ANS: B Stepping outside oneself to envision the situation while assuming ownership is a component of emotional intelligence. This is an example of self-awareness to identify the resolve to self-conflict in this situation.

10. Tara, the unit manager, is explain to her colleague her recent project, which involves seeking the most effective approaches to incontinence care, with the intention of adopting evidence-supported approaches on her dementia care unit. Her colleague suggests that translation of research into practice is: a. less important than knowledge-generating research, which is required to advance the nursing profession. b. a priority of all healthcare practitioners to improve patient care. c. characterized by lack of knowledge about how to use evidence to guide practice. d. so difficult that it is useless to begin the query in the first place.

ANS: B The National Institutes of Health identified translational research or getting research into the hands of practitioners to improve patient care, as a priority.

12. The clinical guidelines for management of incontinence developed by the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO): a. reflect practice that is fiscally directed and sound. b. articulate practice recommendations developed from synthesis and review of evidence. c. are intended to increase awareness of issues in incontinence management. d. reflect a compilation of information from a variety and range of sources related to incontinence.

ANS: B The evidence-based practice (EBP) movement has grown exponentially with scientific publications, establishment of collaboration centers, resources on the Web, and grants focused specifically on translating of research into practice. A number of evidence-based nursing centers have been established around the world. These centers have teams of researchers who critically appraise evidence and then disseminate protocols for the use of evidence in practice. In this example, clinical guidelines have been developed by a professional nursing organization on the basis of best possible evidence on incontinence management. Although issues may be raised in the recommendations, the purpose is to guide practice for the purposes of better patient care.

14. Chart audits have revealed significant omissions of data that could have legal and financial guideline ramifications. The unit manager meets with the staff to discuss audit findings and to find approaches that will address the gaps in charting and achieve desired goals. What is the manager demonstrating? a. Leadership b. Management c. Decision making d. Vision

ANS: B The process of guiding others to meet established goals, outcomes, and procedures is management. This can require collaborative decision making to determine how best to reach predetermined goals and follow established practices.

18. Jeff, an RN in his 30s, has lost a parent, just purchased a new home, and is laid off with 6 months' severance pay. At the same time, Jerry, an RN in his 50s, is financially secure and is asked to take early retirement with a buyout. How will the two men react to the emotional and physical influences and the sequence of stress? a. The younger man will feel more stress. b. The two men may or may not feel the same amount of stress. c. The older man will feel more stress. d. Neither man will experience any stress.

ANS: B The response to similar stressors does not always result in a similar experience of stress in individuals. Responses are mediated by the appraisal of the event as well as by factors such as gender, personality, lifestyle, and age.

4. The chief nursing officer utilizes the hospital's workplace advocacy to help the overwhelmed Emergency Department staff. Workplace Advocacy is designed to assist nurses by: a. creating professional practice climates in their institutions. b. equipping them to practice in a rapidly changing environment. c. negotiating employment contracts. d. representing them in labor-management disputes.

ANS: B Workplace advocacy encompasses a number of activities that enable nurses to control the practice of nursing and to address challenges that they face in the practice setting. These activities include career development, employment rights, employment opportunities, and the labor-management relationship. The aim of workplace advocacy is to proactively equip nurses to practice within a rapidly changing environment, rather than to negotiate contracts or provide representation in employment disputes.

11. You document your patient's vital signs into a bedside documentation device and are able to compare your patient's vital signs with patients who have similar diagnoses and similar medications, and who are of a similar age. You are accessing: a. e-mail. b. telecommunications. c. a database. d. technology.

ANS: C A database is a collection of data elements stored and organized together for the purposes of interpreting information such as vital signs.

21. A staff nurse has been recently promoted to unit manager. During the time on the unit, the nurse formed a strong social network among staff, has promoted the development of relationships between staff and workers in other areas of the organization, and has formed relationships that generate ideas from patient organizations and the local nursing education program. According to complexity theory, what principle is being engaged? a. Empowerment b. Systematic thinking c. Development of networks d. Bottom-up interactions

ANS: C According to complexity theory, social networks evolve around areas of common interest and are able to respond to problems in creative and novel ways.

19. At an organizational level, which of the following strategies would assist in ensuring that EBP is incorporated into nursing care? a. Formation of nursing-only implementation teams b. Restriction of evidence to RCTs c. Formation of a network of individuals doing research and/or interested in research utilization d. Avoidance of partnership with experienced researchers

ANS: C Collaboration, partnerships, and consideration of a variety of evidence appropriate to the clinical questions are important in ensuring translation of evidence into practice. Collaboration is considered particularly critical and can occur through practice-based networks.

7. The nurse manager wants to increase motivation by providing motivating factors for the nurse on the unit. What action would be appropriate to motivate the staff? a. Collaborate with the human resource/personnel department to develop on-site daycare services. b. Provide a hierarchical organizational structure. c. Implement a model of shared governance. d. Promote the development of a flexible benefits package.

ANS: C Complexity theory suggests that systems interact and adapt and that decision making occurs throughout systems, as opposed to being held in a hierarchy. In complexity theory, every voice counts, and therefore all levels of staff would be involved in decision making. This principle is the foundation of shared governance.

3. A grievance brought by a staff nurse against the unit manager requires mediation. At the first mediation session, the staff nurse repeatedly calls the unit manager's actions unfair, and the unit manager continues to reiterate the reasons for the actions. What would be the best course of action at this time? a. Send the two disputants away to reach their own resolution. b. Involve another staff nurse in the discussion for clarity issues. c. Ask each party to examine their own motives and issues in the conflict. d. Continue to listen as the parties repeat their thoughts and feelings about the conflict.

ANS: C For resolution of conflict, one should address the interests and involvement of participants in the conflict by examining the real issues of all parties.

2. The Emergency Department nurses' decision to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining is being driven by a desire to: a. establish the staffing pattern that will be used. b. determine the hours that one is willing to work. c. create a professional practice environment. d. protect against arbitrary discipline and termination.

ANS: C Historically, nurses were reluctant to unionize. However, concern with safety of care and quality of care, especially when tension is present in a work environment, makes unionization more desirable. US Supreme Court rulings have provided for RN-only units and protection to practice according to what the profession and licensure status require nurses to do.

16. A family is keeping vigil at a critically ill patient's bedside. The nurse approaches the unit manager with concern over the family dynamics for the patient concerned there are patient-family conflicts based on patient's wishes. The nurse suggests that the patient's provider may need to discuss the treatment plan with the family. The unit manager states he will arrange a discussion with the patient's provider and ask the nurse to support the provider's decisions. What is the role of the nurse in this situation? a. Leadership b. Management c. Follower d. Evidence-based

ANS: C In the followership role, you bring to the manager your concerns about concerns for patients and the outcomes and accept the direction given by the manager in response to your concerns.

8. To help staff nurses adjust to using research in practice, what strategy would the nurse manager use? a. Attendance at a regional research conference b. Formal classes in electronic search techniques c. Establishing a journal club d. Issuing reports on the adverse consequences of outdated practices

ANS: C Journal clubs provide opportunities for engagement in reading research and considering how it might be applied to clinical practice problems, which is considered very effective in behavioral change.

24. As a unit manager, you chair the unit meetings. For each meeting, you consider and establish the purpose of the meeting. Second, you prepare an agenda. Arrange the following steps in an order that would make the meetings productive and successful. 1. Distribute an agenda. 2. Distribute minutes. 3. Select team members. 4. Start on time. 5. Keep the meeting focused and directed toward accomplishing the set objectives. Select the correct order from the following options: a. 1, 2, 4, 5, 3 b. 4, 1, 2, 5, 3 c. 3, 1, 4, 5, 2 d. 3, 4, 2, 1, 5

ANS: C Planning, organizing, and keeping the group on task are critical in ensuring that meetings are productive and that time is managed well.

1. As a nurse manager, you observe a staff nurse who over the past few weeks has become withdrawn and has had several absences due to minor ailments. Your best action would be to: a. ask the nurse if she is okay during report. b. refer the nurse to the employee assistance program. c. ask the nurse to meet with you for a few minutes before she leaves for the day. d. write a note to the nurse advising her that her work attendance must improve.

ANS: C Stress can lead to emotional symptoms such as depression and a variety of ailments. Meeting with the nurse privately may assist in identifying stress and possible solutions.

11. Which of the following statements would best define stress? Stress is: a. the comfortable gap between how we like our life to be and how it actually is. b. everyday life, both the highs and the lows. c. a consequence or response to an event or stimulus that can be positive or negative. d. identical to distress.

ANS: C Stress is defined as a gap between how we would like our lives to be and how they actually are and as a consequence or response to an event or stimulus. It is not inherently bad (distress), and whether highs and lows are seen as distress or eustress is dependent on each individual's interpretation of the event.

6. A home health nurse has been assigned to cover a 300-square-mile area of remote Montana. Mrs. Baker has just been discharged home following bowel surgery and has a new colostomy. She will need daily contacts for at least 2 weeks and then regular weekly contact following that week. Because it is not possible to visit Mrs. Baker in person every day and see all of the other clients, the nurse gives her a laptop computer with net meeting software installed. Each morning, both dial in at an agreed-upon time and discuss her progress. The home health nurse assesses whether or not the client needs to be seen that day and is able to view the colostomy site. This type of technology is called: a. distance learning. b. knowledge software. c. telecommunications. d. biomedical technology.

ANS: C Telecommunications and systems technology facilitate clinical oversight of health care via telephone or cable lines, remote monitoring, information links, and the Internet. Patients sitting in front of the teleconferencing camera can be diagnosed, treated, monitored, and educated by nurses and physicians. EKGs and radiographs can be viewed and transmitted.

8. Nurses need to know how to operate a computer, compare data across time, and look for patterns in client responses to treatments. These are examples of: a. JCAHO standards. b. information systems. c. informatics competencies. d. requirements for nursing licensure.

ANS: C The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) project identified informatics competency as a necessary component of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for quality patient care. Nurses are anticipated to be able to use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making. Nurses must utilize hospital database management, decision support, and expert system programs to access information and analyze data from disparate sources for use in planning for patient care processes and systems.

8. While making rounds, a night supervisor finds a unit with a low census and too many staff members. The night supervisor is performing as a statutory supervisor when he or she: a. assigns nurses to care for specific clients. b. develops a protocol for unlicensed personnel. c. recommends transferring a nurse to another service. d. teaches a nurse to use a new piece of equipment.

ANS: C The night supervisor is acting in accordance with the National Labor Relations Act, which would enable the supervisor to assign nurses to care.

12. The charge nurse walks into Mr. Smith's room and finds him yelling at the LPN. He is obviously very upset. The charge nurse determines that he has not slept for three nights because of unrelieved pain levels. The LPN is very upset and calls Mr. Smith an "ugly, old man." The charge nurse acknowledges the LPN's feelings and concerns and then suggests that Mr. Smith's behavior was aggressive but was related to lack of sleep and to pain. The charge nurse asks, "Can you, together with Mr. Smith, determine triggers for the pain and effective approaches to controlling his pain?" This situation is an example of what? a. Lack of empathy and understanding for Miss Jones b. Concern with placating Mr. Smith c. Leadership behavior d. Management behavior

ANS: C The situation between Mr. Smith and Miss Jones is a complex situation involving unrelieved patient symptoms and aggressiveness toward a staff member. Providing engaged, collaborative guidance and decision making in a complex situation where there is no standardized solution reflects leadership.

11. After searching the literature, Tara, the unit manager develops a table that outlines the findings of studies on management of incontinence. She then examines the studies in terms of risk and whether the findings fit within her practice context and for her population of moderately to severely cognitively impaired patients. This is which phase of a research utilization model? a. Preparatory b. Validation c. Evaluation d. Application

ANS: C The third phase, comparative evaluation and decision making, involves making a decision about the applicability of the studies by synthesizing cumulative findings; evaluating the degree and nature of other criteria, such as risk, feasibility, and readiness of the finding; and making a recommendation about using the findings of the studies.

14. A 39-year-old patient awaits a kidney transplant. Because he must immediately arrange to get to the hospital when a donor kidney is available, it is important that he can be reached anywhere and at any time. To ensure that he receives the message, what type of technology is most effective? a. Internet b. Telecommunications c. Wireless pager d. CDS

ANS: C Wireless (WL) communication is an extension of an existing wired network environment and uses radio-based systems to transmit data signals through the air without any physical connections. Patients awaiting organ transplants are provided with WL pagers so that they can be notified if a donor is found.

20. After several months of heavy patient loads in the Emergency Department and inability to secure sufficient and experienced staff, the department is especially taxed by a train accident that brings in many seriously injured individuals. You observe that Rama ignores the requests of several of the injured, even when time is available to care for them and is rude to two older adult patients. You are concerned that Rama is evidencing which state? a. Hardiness b. Depression c. Role ambiguity d. Depersonalization

ANS: D A characteristic of burnout is depersonalization, a state characterized by distancing oneself from the work itself and developing negative attitudes toward work in general (Greenglass et al., 2001). Depersonalization is commonly described as a feeling of being outside one's body, feeling as if one is a machine or robot, an "unreal" feeling that one is in a dream or that one "is on automatic pilot." Generally, subjective symptoms of unreality make the nurse uneasy and anxious. Nurses pushed to do too much in too little time may distance themselves from patients as a means of dealing with emotional exhaustion.

22. According to the complexity theory, what would be the focus of measurement? a. Cost per hospital day b. Bed utilization c. Infection rates d. Staff morale and budgets

ANS: D According to complexity theory and the principle "Think systematically," one cannot ignore objective data or nonmeasurable data, as both inform decisions.

17. A rural-urban health consortium enables physicians in a rural remote setting to consult with specialists in care through electronic conferencing, which includes consultation using intranet radiology images. This system may be in which phase of electronic medical technology adoption, according to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)? a. 0 b. 1 c. 3 d. 6

ANS: D According to the HIMSS, this healthcare organization may be in phase 6, which includes the capacity to transmit all radiology images through intranet or another secure source. Level 1 refers to the installation of major ancillary clinical systems (such as radiology) and level 3 to the retrieval of radiology images from picture archives and communication systems.

22. A necessary, basic condition for successful integration of clinical information systems is: a. software. b. standard medical nomenclature. c. confirmatory evidence from nursing-led studies. d. strong interdisciplinary cultures.

ANS: D An integrated clinical information system draws on specific knowledge from many involved disciplines that interface at the patient. Successful integration of clinical information systems requires that the various disciplines work together collaboratively to transform the data into meaningful knowledge.

13. Marie is a long-term staff nurse on the rehab floor. Her unit manager has been eager to adopt evidence-based recommendations related to family-centered care on the unit. Marie's response has been that she rarely has time to provide care to patients, let alone families, and that there is no good reason to do anything different than what she is already doing. An approach that may gain Marie's support of the idea is to: a. invite Marie to review the studies for herself. b. suggest that she does not need to provide family-centered care. c. avoid discussion of the idea with her until she initiates it. d. secure the support of her closest colleagues on the unit.

ANS: D As a skeptic, Marie, who is a late majority adopter, needs pressure from colleagues to move her toward support of the recommendations. The translation of research into practice requires that nurse leaders and managers understand group dynamics, individual responses to innovation and change (such as the response of late majority adopters), and the culture of their healthcare organization.

1. The staff members in a local Emergency Department are experiencing stress and burnout as the result of excessive overtime. The staff decides to unionize to negotiate for better working conditions. The increase in unionization within health care may be attributed to the: a. movement from being "blue-collar workers" to being "knowledge workers." b. excess profits in health care. c. level of risk that exists for health care. d. number of people who are involved in health care.

ANS: D As technology replaces unskilled workers, fewer workers are available for trade-union organizing, which has led to declines in union memberships. Nurses represent a large pool of workers who may be available for union organizing in the face of the declining pool available elsewhere.

18. Within a multisite healthcare system, the most appropriate strategy for translation of research would be: a. widespread development of protocols using EBP at unit levels. b. dissemination of EBP and recommendations to individuals, units, and the organization. c. development of the skills of individual managers on how to build guidelines based on EBP. d. establishment of an interdisciplinary center to guide and lead the translation of research findings into practice.

ANS: D At a systems level, the most appropriate approach would be establishing a center that leads in, guides, and promotes EDP across and at various levels.

6. The nurse manager is implementing a shared governance model to help with communication and decision making. Although staff members like the concept, change is difficult. Staff nurses feel: a. more empowered. b. more communicative. c. less stressed. d. more powerless and devalued.

ANS: D Change can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and powerless, especially if complexity compression or rapid, intense changes have been involved.

24. As part of an information technology implementation team, you are implementing a clinical decision support system. Particular considerations for successful implementation of this project include: a. ensuring that the system is reliable. b. ensuring that patient information is reliable. c. developing unique identifiers for individuals. d. developing rules that support inferences.

ANS: D Clinical decision support systems provide support for novice nurses, in particular, as they enable entry of real-time data from patient situations and inferences that apply the logic that expert nurses would use. These inferences require rules to be developed for the system.

13. As the head nurse involved in leading determination of which patient surveillance systems to acquire for your unit, one of your aims is to avoid adverse events through the implementation of appropriate technology. This particular aim recognizes that: a. human error is significant in contributing to adverse events. b. documentation of patient data is often illegible and therefore, misinterpreted. c. data systems provide backup documentation with adverse events that staff cannot provide. d. physiologic monitoring systems enable detection of early changes before an adverse event occurs.

ANS: D Data about adverse events suggests that a majority of physiologic abnormalities are not detected early enough and may be present hours before the event actually occurs. Physiologic monitoring aids in early detection of changes.

20. Which of the following is most accurate regarding evidence-based practice? a. Evidence-based practice replaces continuous quality improvement. b. Evidence-based practice began with medicine and assists in determining which medical models can be applied in nursing practice. c. Effective and efficient care can already be demonstrated, which means that EBP will soon become redundant. d. EBP is generally recognized across disciplines and by policymakers as state-of-the-art clinical practice.

ANS: D EBP is recognized across nursing and other disciplines as reflective of state-of-the-art clinical practice, as it is based on best available evidence.

15. A staff nurse approaches the unit manager and indicates to her that because of her father's death in the previous month, she is now finding it very difficult to do her work effectively. This would be considered a(n) ________ stress. a. internal source b. familial c. burnout d. external

ANS: D External stress is outside and removed from the work setting, but it is considered work-related stress because of the impact it has on the worker.

10. The nurse manager has been asked to implement an evidence-based approach to teach ostomy patients self-management skills postoperatively. The program is to be implemented across the entire facility. What illustrates effective leadership in this situation? a. The training modules are left in the staff room for times when staff are available. b. The current approach is continued because it is also evidence-based and is more familiar to staff. c. You decide to implement the approach at a later date because of feedback from the RNs that the new approach takes too much time. d. An RN who is already familiar with the new approach of volunteers to take the lead in mentoring and teaching others how to implement it.

ANS: D Followership occurs when there is acquiescence to a peer who is leading in a setting where a team has gathered to ensure the best clinical decision making, and actions are taken to achieve clinical or organizational outcomes. Followership promotes good clinical decisions and use of clinical resources.

21. As a nurse manager, one challenge is to orient new staff to your agency's policies and procedures, as well as to provide training across various shifts. A cost-effective and effective learning strategy would be: a. development of new learning modules and software to support document retrieval. b. e-mail distribution to staff home e-mail addresses regarding important policies. c. preparation of DVDs that can be viewed on computers at the nursing station during "down times." d. linking policies and procedures to the network for access when required at the point-of-care.

ANS: D Knowledge technology consists of systems that generate or process knowledge and provide clinical decision support (CDS). The clinical knowledge embedded in computer applications can range from simple facts and relationships to best practices for managing patients with specific disease states, new medical knowledge from clinical research, and other types of information. The most accessible and cost-effective approach would be utilization of what is already available in the work environment, such as the systems that provide CDS.

7. In a nurse managers' meeting, strategies for ways to help retain staff are discussed. One strategy for assisting nurses in developing collective action skills is: a. accepting the practice of "going along to get along." b. attending as many workshops as practical. c. spending as much time as possible in clinical settings. d. taking the opportunity to work with a mentor.

ANS: D Mentoring facilitates development and adoption of positive interaction and other skills that facilitate good decision making. Optimism, trust, and decision making are important in collective action and shared decision making and contribute to job satisfaction and lower turnover in staff.

19. Social stressors are considered a major factor in the stress nurses experience in the healthcare system. Which of the following is not considered to be a social stressor? a. High amounts of stress in the nursing home environment b. Changes in the current healthcare system such as nursing strategies c. Disruptive behavior coming from physicians and other healthcare workers d. Stress triggers such as self-criticism and overanalyzing

ANS: D Personal stress triggers such as self-criticism are considered intrapersonal stressors; environmental factors such as change, work environment, and interactions with others are considered social stressors.

4. A nurse manager has decided that she must institute some personal time-management steps to survive work and home life. Her first step should be to: a. determine what takes up so much of her time and energy. b. organize her personal and work spaces. c. purchase a handheld personal digital assistant to help remind her of important meetings. d. determine her personal and professional goals.

ANS: D Personal time management refers, in part, to "the knowing of self." Self-awareness is a critical leadership skill, and being self-aware and setting goals helps managers determine how their time is best spent.

2. A unit manager of a 25-bed medical/surgical area receives a phone call from a nurse who has called in sick five times in the past month. He tells the manager that he very much wants to come to work when scheduled but must often care for his wife, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. According to Maslow's need hierarchy theory, what would be the best approach to satisfying the needs of this nurse, other staff, and patients? a. Line up agency nurses who can be called in to work on short notice. b. Place the nurse on unpaid leave for the remainder of his wife's treatment. c. Sympathize with the nurse's dilemma and let the charge nurse know that this nurse may be calling in frequently in the future. d. Work with the nurse, staffing office, and other nurses to arrange his scheduled days off around his wife's treatments.

ANS: D Placing the nurse on unpaid leave may threaten the nurse's capacity to meet physiologic needs and demotivate the nurse. Unsatisfactory coverage of shifts on short notice could affect patient care and threaten the needs of staff to feel competent. Arranging the schedule around the wife's needs meets the needs of the staff and of patients while satisfying the nurse's need for affiliation.

13. Which one of the following statements has been proven to be true? a. Recent research has found that women do not have a unique physiologic response to stress. b. Both men and women interpret the same stressor in the same manner without regard to past experiences. c. Stress influences the immune system in one complex manner. d. Stressors that are identical do not necessarily have similar effects on each individual.

ANS: D Stressors may be unique to certain environments, situations, and persons or groups, and individuals may respond to the same stressor in different ways.

5. The clinic nurse has just accessed a client's chart on the computer. The resident comes over and asks her to stay logged on because he needs to add a note to that client's chart. She should say: a. "No problem. Just log me off when you're done." b. "I'll put the note in for you. What do you want to say?" c. "Just make sure that you sign your note because it's under my password." d. "I'm sorry, but you will have to enter the information using your own password."

ANS: D System users must never share the passwords that allow them access to information in computerized clinical information systems. Each password uniquely identifies a user to the system by name and title, gives approval to carry out certain functions, and provides access to data appropriate to the user. All users must be aware of their responsibilities for the confidentiality and security of the data they gather and for the security of their passwords.

2. The nursing manager of a surgical unit has been asked by administration to evaluate client outcomes post cardiac catheterization. Using data about client outcomes post cardiac catheterization for the past 6 months in order to modify practice is an example of: a. information. b. cost-effective care. c. meeting standards. d. evidence-based practice.

ANS: D Technology enables evidence-based practice by collecting good clinical knowledge, translating nursing knowledge into reference materials that can be accessed at the point-of-care, and, potentially, assisting nurses to take action based on best evidence for practice.

9. The chief nursing officer has asked the staff development coordinator to facilitate the development of a clinical competency program for the facility. While making rounds on the units, the staff development coordinator overhears RN staff complaining that they feel it is insulting to be required to participate in a competency program. What behavior by the staff development coordinator is most appropriate in this situation? a. Disregard staff concerns and continue with development of the program. b. Inform the nurses that this program is a requirement for JCAHO accreditation. c. Schedule a meeting with the chief nurse executive to apprise her of the situation. d. Facilitate a meeting so nurses can articulate their values and concerns about a competency program.

ANS: D The manager role involves guiding others through a set of derived practices that are evidence-based and known to satisfy preestablished outcomes such as participation in a competency program. This involves engagement of staff through sharing of concerns and ideas. A close analysis of the IOM report and the summary of the PPACA suggests that no health reform can unfold without active nursing engagement. Each document emphasizes that nurses

13. After assessing an older adult patient in long-term care who has been slowly deteriorating for weeks, the nurse manager calls the family and asks them to come in, as the patient is dying. What is the most likely basis for the nurse manager's request? a. An established clinical pathway b. Confirmatory scientific evidence c. Unit protocol d. Experience

ANS: D The nurse manager is employing knowledge and experience in determining that the patient is dying, because the course of dying is not standardized and cannot be determined by clinical pathways.

1. The chief nursing officer at a local hospital seeking Magnet® status creates staff development classes concerning translation of research into practice (TRIP). What best describes TRIP? a. Conducting an integrative review of the literature b. Searching the literature for a systematic review c. Providing the results of research studies to practitioners d. Applying strategies that aid in adoption of research in practice

ANS: D The science of how research is adopted is known as translation science, the science of translating research into practice (TRIP). The primary aim of research utilization is to activate the change process to move research findings into practice to improve patient outcomes.

10. In helping nurse managers to manage their time, the chief nursing officer suggests that they: a. maintain a perfectionistic attitude. b. set up a complaint list. c. have good negotiation skills. d. have good information literacy skills.

ANS: D Time can be saved by using information technology effectively, as it assists with effective data retrieval and information gathering and with communication related to a variety of needs in the management setting.

23. Time management is very essential for the nurse manager. Which of the following is not a good time-management technique? a. Decide what not to do. b. Learn to say "No." c. Learn to delegate. d. Break down your workload into smaller, manageable tasks.

ANS: D To manage time successfully, it is important to break down your workload into smaller, manageable tasks. Developing PERT and Gantt charts will aid in dealing with larger, complex projects. Both charts can be used to outline how an individual will approach a large project.

19. As the head of a nursing program, you consistently invite the ideas of your team about innovations in teaching, community partnerships, and curriculum design and invite participation in decisions. Many of these ideas have been implemented successfully, and your staff members are keen to try on other ideas. What is the leadership you are employing? a. Situational b. Trait-based c. Contingency-based d. Transformational

ANS: D Transformational leadership involves attending to the needs and motives of followers, which results in creativity, improvement, and employee development.