Exam 9: Care and Safety Standards, Competence, and Nurse Accountability

An RN realizes that she inadvertently gave a patient who was NPO for surgery his otherwise normally scheduled PO medications. Which action would she take if she were exhibiting professional accountability?

An operating room nurse has returned from a conference on the impact of never events. Recognition of which of the following would lead her to believe that a never event could occur?

An RN has been working on a cardiac unit for 1 year and has settled comfortably into an efficient, safe, and organized routine for each shift. However, whenever an urgent issue arises, the nurse feels uncomfortable. It is most likely that this nurse is functioning at which skill level?

Often, when patients are unhappy or behaving negatively, it is the result of which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

The medical team determines that a patient needs to be transferred to another facility to continue receiving the most appropriate and beneficial care. The transfer process has been slow and difficult, and the nurse is struggling to care for the transferring patient along with her other assigned patients. What is the best action the nurse can take to improve her situation?

A patient on a medical-surgical floor is unhappy with the care he is receiving from his physician and wants to speak to someone about it. Who should his nurse consult first?

On administering a medication, the RN realizes that she gave the incorrect amount. After assessing the patient, which action would not be appropriate for the nurse to take?

A nurse has just realized that her license is due to expire in 5 months. The nurse knows that she is responsible for maintenance of her license in order to continue practicing as a nurse. What would be the best action for her to take?

A new graduate has been working as an RN for 6 months and is no longer working with a preceptor. However, she still frequently checks with an experienced nurse to validate that she is following the rules and the policies she is still learning. The new graduate in this scenario exhibits the actions of what theoretical level of skill?

While passing noon meds, an RN notes that one of her patients did not receive his 0600 dose of antibiotic during the prior shift. She calls the prior nurse to try to determine whether the medication was given or not, then fills out an occurrence or care aberrance report, and follows through as institutional policy indicates. What is the best explanation for why the RN who found the error took action?

Which action would indicate that the RN is practicing at the proficient level?

A nurse manager wants to assess quality of care over the last 6 months for her unit. How could the nurse manager best accomplish this?

The nurse is working on a busy cardiac floor. While preparing medications, the nurse is interrupted by a co-worker, who has a question about another patient. After administering the medication, the nurse realizes that she gave the medication to the wrong patient. Which action by the nurse would indicate accountability?

A nurse manager is reviewing an incident report submitted by the previous day's charge nurse. The incident report indicates that the wrong IV antibiotic was given to a patient. What is the best way for the nurse manager to address this incident with the nurse involved so that it may be prevented in the future?

There are a number of characteristics that will help a novice nurse find success in a mentoring relationship. Which action represents one of these positive characteristics?

In a situation involving a medication error, the hospital policy is to use root-cause analysis to evaluate the situation fully. In the root-cause analysis process, which action would take place?

An RN has been practicing for 12 years in pediatrics. Peers often seek out this nurse to help them with complex problems. This experienced nurse is assigned the patients with the highest acuity, and the nurse accepts these assignments with confidence. This nurse is likely practicing at which skill level?

A nurse has just received training on the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Project. What should the nurse do to show that she understands the importance of the project?