Misc Terms & Practice Questions

Integrative decision making

-Focus on the means of solving a problem, not the ends. -Constructive. -Focus is to solve the problem. -Defeat the problem, not each other.

Role conflict

-Two competing roles. -Conflict between nurses personal and professional roles. -Individual role conflict.

The problem of overrating staff performance is called ___________

leniency error

Halo error

manager assigns ratings based on overall impression. some staff rated above average across dimensions, others rated average, others rated below average on all dimensions

Leniency error

managers overrate staffs performance. problems

The final stages of the conflict process are

suppression and resolution

Performance evaluation

-Address different performance dimensions. -State specific criteria to be evaluated. Include the individual's goals for the year based on the previous years evaluation

Good evaluation practices

-Do evaluations everyday. no surprises. -Coach, encourage, counsel, correct. -If not doing well start to document. -Keep good records of behavior. -Keep good records of counseling.

Benefits of performance evaluations

-Enhance employee motivation, commitment and productivity. -Satisfaction of the basic human need for recognition. -Identification of employee development opportunities.

Performance evaluation

-Ensures that employees are being utilized effectively. -Explains what is expected of the employees.

Purpose of performance evaluation

Measure actual performance against expected performance. provided an opportunity for open communication about performance expectations and feedback.

In dealing with a conflict on a unit, the nurse manager decides to ask one of the staff nurses, who is not moving toward resolution, to transfer to another unit. What tactic has the manager implemented?

Suppression

An employee has received an annual appraisal that indicates may areas where performance needs to be improved. How should the manager conclude this interview?

a. "I have confidence that you can address these issues and that your next review will be much improved."

A high-volume, noisy emergency room in an urban area with a high incidence of assault victims will affect staff in which ways? (Select all that apply.)

a. A pessimistic sense about the world b. Phobias c. Inability to separate intense work situations from personal situations e. Feelings of extreme overload

A manager is prioritizing several issues. Which issue should be considered urgent and important?

a. A staff nurse reports a pattern of malfunctioning IV pumps on the unit during the current shift, resulting in overdosing of medications.

Effective strategies to become more resilient include: (Select all that apply.)

a. Becoming more self-aware. b. Managing time effectively. e. Exercising and avoiding high-fat foods.

A group of physicians are in conflict with the nursing staff of a unit over when AM vital signs are recorded. To resolve the conflict, what type of technique might be used that respects the professionalism of both parties?

a. Collaboration

A manager identifies that he is spending more time than desired on completing paperwork that is repetitive. Which of the following would not be an appropriate way to address this issue?

a. Delegating staff evaluations to the staff nurse on the unit with the most experience

A nurse manager completes an interruption log and identifies two staff members who take up an excessive amount of time with drop-in issues that are not urgent. What are some methods to address this behavior and manage time more efficiently? (Select all that apply.)

a. Designate scheduled drop-in time slots. b. Turn the desk chair so that it faces away from the hall. c. Discuss with staff using e-mail for nonurgent issues to facilitate better use of time. e. When the staff members drop in, stand and remain standing during the conversation.

Which of the following is an important facet of note taking?

a. Forces the manager to deal with the problem

A manager decides that setting goals will assist her in better utilizing her time. Which of the following are true regarding goal setting in the manager role?

a. Goals need to be measurable, realistic, and achievable to be effective.

A manager has been given a deadline to complete an assignment by the end of the day. It will take every minute left of the afternoon to complete. Which interventions illustrate assertiveness to minimize interruptions and meet the deadline? (Select all that apply.)

a. Placing a "Do Not Disturb for the Afternoon" sign on the office door c. Turning off e-mail notification d. Allowing voicemail to answer all incoming calls e. Delegating a discharge planning issue for a client to one of the staff nurses

After her evaluation, a staff nurse exclaims: "I'm not sure if my manager knows much about my performance, really. He only had three specific examples to give me, two good performance examples and one to work on and they all happened in the last month. I don't feel like he can see the whole picture." What kind of performance appraisal rating does this statement exemplify?

a. Recency error

The staff nurse would realize he is experiencing burnout when: (Select all that apply.)

a. Staff questions the nurse's clinical judgment. d. The nurse is sleeping longer hours, sometimes coming in late to work. e. The nurse is drinking alcohol more frequently to relax.

A manager has a budget request deadline today at 3:00. He stops his work to answer the phone, check e-mails as they arrive, and speak with staff who stop by his office. As a result, he misses the deadline. What best describes the cause of missing the deadline?

a. Time wasters

If a task is delegated to someone, they need to be granted the ___________ to complete the task.

authority

Which statement by a newly promoted nurse manager would the supervisor interpret as indicating a need for further education regarding stress?

b. "I am working to eliminate stress from this unit."

The staff nurse says, "I can't take working in the emergency department anymore. I am so sick of seeing people hurt and dying." How would the nurse manager best interpret this statement?

b. As compassion fatigue

A new nurse on a pediatric unit works nights and has minimal time to spend with her children. A colleague observes that the nurse speaks abruptly with parents and is easily annoyed when clients cry or are demanding. The nurse realizes she is becoming increasingly distressed. Which action should the nurse take?

b. Ask the nurse manager for a schedule with an equal number of day and night shifts.

What is a positive benefit of conflict within an organization?

b. Conflict helps people recognize differences and motivates them toward improved performance.

A staff nurse is neat, punctual, and friendly but often makes poor nursing judgments. The nurse is given a positive appraisal rating by the manager. This is an example of which appraisal problem?

b. Halo error

The staff of a medical-surgical unit is in disagreement over holiday scheduling. The nurse manager knows that this is what type of conflict?

b. Intragroup conflict

A nurse manager has left the facility, and one of the remaining managers is given that assignment in addition to his current load. He is told that the open position will not be filled. This is an example of which of the following?

b. Job enlargement

The process by which registered nurses assess and judge the performance of peers against some predetermined standard is called:

b. Peer review.

A staff nurse submits a 6-week notice of resignation. The nurse manager prepares a request to immediately post the position and begin interviews. This action is best described as which of the following?

b. Proactive management

Which procedure should the manager follow when recording a critical incident?

b. Record the event as soon as possible.

Which issue would be considered urgent and important?

b. Replacing two staff who were injured while caring for a violent client

A nurse has been promoted to charge nurse. This role has changed his relationship with coworker friends, and now he feels tense and isolated. He decides to delegate more time-consuming tasks to non-friend staff, who then complain to the manager about perceived unfairness. What should the charge nurse do?

b. Talk with his friends individually to let them know he will be assigning tasks to all staff in a more equitable manner

The time period to give as notice for an appraisal is:

b. Two days before the interview.

The nurse manager has two employees engaged in a longstanding conflict that is affecting the group's productivity and cohesiveness. She decides to meet with the employees in private, discuss the conflict openly, and attempt to resolve it using knowledge and reasoning. Which conflict management strategy is she employing?

c. Confrontation

A resident on night call refuses to answer pages from the staff nurse on the night shift and complains that she calls too often with minor problems. The nurse feels offended and reacts with frequent, middle-of-the-night phone calls to "get back" at him. The behavior displayed by the resident and the nurse is an example of what kind of conflict?

c. Disruptive conflict

There are many ways to ensure that your appraisal system is nondiscriminatory. Which of the following is one way to ensure this?

c. Giving the appraisal once per year

A nurse manager is interested in solving a serious conflict among the nursing staff. He uses a strategy that involves allowing the group to explore a variety of options and come to a consensus on a solution. What strategy for conflict resolution has the manager used?

c. Integrative decision-making

A babysitter calls the staff nurse to let him know that she will not be able to take care of his children on the day the nurse is scheduled to work. The nurse is presenting important material at a committee meeting that day. What type of conflict is the staff nurse experiencing?

c. Role conflict

Conflict

consequence of real or perceived differences in mutually exclusive goals, ideas, feelings or actions

The nurse manager talks with a new nurse once per week to determine how the nurse is adjusting to the new role. The manager asks if the nurse feels able to provide good care to clients and is becoming familiar with the electronic health record. This manager is demonstrating:

d. An effort to understand if the nurse is coping with the demands of the job.

Which behavior would be an early warning sign that the nurse is not handling job stress in a healthy way?

d. When the nurse awakens in the morning, he does not feel rested.

Emotional intelligence

emotional intelligence is a person's ability to recognize our own feelings, and those of others, understand out emotions and those of others, and to act appropriately using these emotions. To motivate oneself and others, and manage out emotions and emotions or others.

Recency error

evaluator recalls performance and tends to forget more distant events. performance rating reflects what staff demonstrated lately rather than over entire evaluation period. problems.