Leadership Module Questions
A nurse manager is conducting a meeting with staff. What factors may significantly influence how communication is received and perceived during the meeting?
-the level of the manager -gender differences -stress levels
A new graduate RN has beed assisgned to a RN preceptor w/a hx of being tough, uncivil, and intimidating to new nurses. During the first day, the grad nurse has a harsh exchange with the RN, what type of conflict is this?
INTERpersonal conflict -between two or more people w/differing values, goals, and beliefs
Fiscal planning requires?
knowledge, experience, & forecasting
Smoothing is best defined as?
looking toward something that the parties in conflict are in agreement about; great tool to diffuse high emotion & make all parties realize they all want the same thing
A new nurse leader asks for strategies to improve communication skills since there has been a large turnover of nursing staff. What is a good suggestion?
"Be congruent in your verbal and nonverbal communication"
Using the SBAR, when the nurse is giving background info, what should it include?
-admitting diagnosis -current meds -past medical history
A nurse manager wants to determine how well the team is doing to meet goal of increased pt satisfcation. What action should the manager take after determining best practices?
-capture when the team is and is not using best practices and the outcomes
What is considered to be a part of internal climate of communication?
-feelings -stress -values
A nurse manager wants to increase effectiveness of communication. What action would improve it?
-make the message clear & concise -have the staff member state understanding of the message -stay positive when sending the message -use common terminology
A nurse exhibits LEADERSHIP traits associated with the role of nurse leader. What activities demonstrated by the nurse would demonstrate these traits?
-mentoring two new managers -providing feedback about job performance -providing a motivational speech at orientation -establishing goals for coming year -advocating for an employee
Which aspects of creating a successful interprofessional team are addressed by SBAR?
-offering a recommended plan of action or next steps -communicating effectively & efficiently -maintaining a shared vision -ensuring role clarity
What factors are considered when determining the appropriateness of implementing care via the interprofessional team?
-skill of the attending staff -facility's yearly budget -acuity level of the patient population -complexity of the required patient care
Which data is needed to calculate the NCH/PPP?
-staff on duty for 24 hrs -work hours for each staff member on duty -patient census as of midnight on day two
What organization develops the standards of the nursing profession so that the quality of practice can be measured?
ANA
The nurse manager has been experiencing shift conflicts. As the staff can have different opinions on conflicts, what is the best first step to take to resolving conflict?
Assessing what factors are affecting the judgment of the people involved in the conflict.
When you explain what the nurse believes the issue is, which stage of SBAR would the nurse be demonstrating?
Assessment
A nurse manager must make an important decision regarding a staff member's continued employment on the unit. In order to avoid the pitfalls involved in decision-making, what should the nurse manager do?
Choose a decision-making style that will best fit the situation.
A nurse manager is considering how to gain more staff involvement in meeting budgetary goals? What is best?
Communicate budgetary planning goals to staff -the more they understand, the more likely it'll be obtained
A nurse leader is considering using transformational leadership. What information would the nurse leader need to keep in mind?
Empowerment of both the leader and follower occurs. -With transformational leadership, focus of power rests with both parties.
A nurse leader is trying to bring about change on the unit. Which intervention is associated with the nurse leader role?
INSPIRING staff to maintain high standards
The members of a nursing staff claim that the lab is not reporting pt's critical values fast enough, the lad claims that it is. The nursing managers & lab dept director are sent to conflict resolution to come to a solution that will be in the best interest of pt continuity. Which type of conflict exists?
INTERgroup conflict -occurs between two or more persons, groups, depts, or organizations.
Which budgeting approach can foster overspending?
Incremental
A nurse RN wants to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of budgetary expenditures. Which budgeting approach would be the best to use in this situation?
Performance -it links funding to results.
A nurse leader works at a facility that has TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) as the backbone of its organizational goals & objectives for quality control. Which activity reflects how the leader can practice TQM on their unit?
Promote teamwork rather than individual accomplishments.
An older pt had a hip replacement w/an indwelling catheter inserted. The pt developed symptoms of a UTI postop, & the nurse placing the catheter was reeducated by the nurse leader to avoid reoccurrence. Which quality approach did the nurse leader use?
Quality assurance techniques -Nurse leader reacted and reviewed proper procedure, which is in keeping with quality assurance
What does total quality management focus on?
That quality can always be better. It is a never-ending process, & everything & everyone in the organization are subject to continuous improvement efforts. Philosophy of TQM emphasizes that quality is more important than profits, but better quality will result in increased profit margins & a financially healthier organization.
A patient had a negative outcome r/t med error, the nurse follows the policy for sentinel events. What organization monitors adherence to this type of policy for accreditation?
The Joint Commission
A nurse mnger believes that the nursing unit is experiencing too little conflict. What signs within the organization would indicate that this is true?
The organization has become static
The manager of several depts brings the team together to inform them that they will all be cross training to other units to increase productivity. What form of leadership does this manager demonstrate?
Transactional -This leader is concerned with the day-to-day operations of the unit & focuses on tasks & getting work done. Also on vision & empowering others.
The ultimate end product of the decision-making process is?
a chosen course of action
A nurse manager is considering the use of CRITICAL PATHWAYS for a nursing unit. Which statement regarding critical pathways is most accurate?
can be used to monitor QUALITY OF CARE
An older adult patient fell out of bed 2 days after a hip replacement and had to return to surgery. What process should be done in order to prevent future negative outcomes such as this?
critical event analysis -helps identify the process of error & to make sure it does not reoccur
What would be an appropriate decision-making model to find a cost-efficient solution?
decision grid -visual models that allow comparison of "apples to apples". By listing alternatives options as well as diff criteria, a decision grid leaves a clear comparison of alternatives.
A nurse educator in a college setting has developed leadership skills as a result of attaining further education & sharing positive change within the dept. What transformational leadership characteristic is this nurse educator demonstrating?
empowering others
SWOT is usually reserve for what type of planning?
strategic, like determining whether it is feasible to add another on-call team in periop services
What suggestions by the nurse manager may assist the staff RN in improving problem solving skills?
systematize data collection, override bias, slow down thinking
A charge nurse is delegating to a LPN. What would be considered IMPROPER DELEGATION for the charge nurse to delegate?
the employee is given highly detailed exact instructions to complete the task -Goal is to challenge employees to learn new skills. If an employee has the skills required to complete a task, provide them with authority & resources necessary to carry it independently to strengthen their experience.
A nurse makes a decision using intuitive judgment regarding patient's rapid change in condition. What action should the nurse take after the decision?
use evidence-based data to validate the decision
A nurse leader is introducing a new glucometer protocol to the staff. What method of communication would be best to make staff aware of change?
written communication
A nurse has a difficult decision to make regarding patient care/ What should the RN do to influence a positive outcome?
gather data & input from a variety of sources, slow down the thinking process, understand the repercussions of each option, & identify a number of different options
