Deck 9: Power, Politics, and Influence

Question 1

A nurse is participating in a baccalaureate course.For the class, she has to attend the legislative session regarding the new role of medication assistants.Why is it important for nurses to be involved in shaping public policy?

A)Involvement will enable nurses to take over the healthcare system at some point in the future.
B)Other healthcare professions are less concerned about the essential needs of clients.
C)Such activities are important career builders for nurses who seek top-level executive positions.
D)They are closest to the front line of health care and see how it affects clients and families.

Answer 1

They are closest to the front line of health care and see how it affects clients and families.

Question 2

Sondra, a new graduate, recently began a position as a registered nurse in a rural hospital, where she is the youngest and newest staff member.Although she has limited experience, she has a strong knowledge base, is confident, and was considered to have strong entry-level skills on graduation.Sondra meets with her former instructor and confides that she is very frustrated that others do not seem to accept her leadership.What might you suggest that would help Sondra to understand what is happening in terms of power and influence?

A)As a new graduate, it is unlikely that she has acquired the experience and knowledge of other staff, including aides and practical nurses.
B)Rural settings tend to be closed systems and therefore are, not welcoming of those who are not from their community.
C)Morale on her unit can be improved by engaging in shared decision making.
D)Identify the informal leaders on her unit and how they affect care decisions.

Answer 2

Identify the informal leaders on her unit and how they affect care decisions.

Question 3

Two nurses approach their manager about a conflict regarding the next month's schedule.The nurses are talking loudly and at the same time.The manager most effectively uses communication skills to resolve the conflict by:

A)taking both nurses aside, separately and then together, and charging them with resolving the problem without her direct intervention.
B)listening to each nurse speak to the other without interruption and asking clarifying questions to help them resolve the issue themselves.
C)separating the nurses, instructing each to decide how the problem can be resolved, and meeting with them the next day.
D)calling an emergency scheduling committee meeting and asking volunteers to resolve the conflict between the two nurses.

Answer 3

listening to each nurse speak to the other without interruption and asking clarifying questions to help them resolve the issue themselves.

Question 4

The institution where you are a nurse manager has resisted the adoption of a new document management software, citing cost as a concern.You meet with other nurse managers who are in favor of the software and prepare a proposal to take to the senior executive with the goal of persuading the executive to adopt the software.This is an example of:

A)collaboration.
B)a coalition.
C)networking.
D)policy building.

Question 5

One day, at coffee, your co-worker suggests that you and she sit with unit members of the hospital research committee.She suggests that this would be an excellent way to get to know people who share her interest in research.Her actions are an example of:

A)mentorship.
B)politics.
C)networking.
D)empowerment.

Question 6

A nurse belongs to several professional organizations, serving on a state-level committee of one group and on two task forces at work.The nurse is committed to a range of health issues and knows the state senator from the nurse's district, as well as the name of the representative in Washington, DC.This nurse exemplifies which level of political activism in nursing?

A)Gladiator
B)Buy-in
C)Self-interest
D)Political astuteness

Question 7

A manager relies on his director (immediate supervisor) for advice about enrolling in graduate school to prepare for a career as a nurse executive.The director may exercise what kinds of power in the relationship with the manager in this advisory situation?

A)Expert, coercive, and referent
B)Reward, connection, and information
C)Referent, expert, and information
D)Reward, referent, and information

Question 8

Lucy, head nurse on the surgical unit, works with her staff to find ways in which they can work together with other disciplines to provide more effective care for patients on the unit.Lucy likely knows her power is:

A)limited, thereby necessitating involvement of others in implementing ideas.
B)restricted, which necessitates finding alternative means to achieve strong patient outcomes.
C)directed primarily toward those who are subordinate to her.
D)of unlimited capacity when shared with others.

Question 9

During orientation of new nurse managers, the chief nursing officer stresses strategies that help nurse managers to achieve a powerful image.What behaviors best contribute to a powerful image for the nurse manager?

A)Greeting patients, families, and colleagues with a handshake and a smile; listening carefully when problems arise
B)For men, no facial hair, always wearing a suit and tie; for women, always wearing a suit and high-heeled shoes
C)Maintaining a soft voice during times of conflict; making unbroken eye contact during interactions
D)Smiling all the time; always wearing a suit, carrying a briefcase, and, if a woman, wearing no jewelry

Question 10

A staff nurse asks the nurse manager for a few days off for personal reasons.The nurse manager turns in the request to the human resources office with a note indicating that the staff nurse has demonstrated excellent working skills and is a valued employee.The nurse manager has used the influence of her position to help this staff member.Influence is the process of:

A)using power.
B)empowering others.
C)understanding power.
D)moving past apathy.

Question 11

What has the literature on oppression in nursing demonstrated?

A)Verified the presence of behaviors associated with oppression within nursing.
B)Suggested that oppression leads to bullying but has little or no effect on patient outcomes.
C)Failed to establish that oppression is present in nursing groups.
D)Indicated that nurses use oppression negatively.

Question 12

A nurse manager is experiencing poor staff morale on her unit.While participating in a baccalaureate course, the nurse manager had learned that one of the reasons nurses lack power today is related to the past.In the early decades of the profession, nurses lacked power because:

A)nurses freely chose to defer to physicians and administrators with more education.
B)women lacked legal, social, and political power because of legal and cultural barriers.
C)the first nursing licensure laws prohibited nurses from making most decisions.
D)nurses astutely recognized the risks of grabbing too much power too soon.

Question 13

A nurse manager must implement a 2% budget cut on the nursing unit.What approach would the manager use to most effectively empower the staff of the unit?

A)Discuss the guidelines for the budget cuts with the staff, making the decisions with those who participate.
B)Inform the staff of the budget cuts in a series of small group meetings and accept their ideas in writing only.
C)Provide the staff with handouts about the budget cuts and let them make recommendations in writing.
D)Hold a series of mandatory meetings on the budget cuts, asking staff for ideas on the cuts.

Question 14

Nurses who engage in infighting, seek physician support against nursing colleagues, and avoid political advocacy through membership in nursing organizations:

A)refuse to believe that they are acting like members of groups that suffer socioeconomic oppression.
B)do not understand how their failure to exercise power can limit the power of the whole profession.
C)purposefully choose to exercise their power in the workplace through indirect means.
D)suffer from learned helplessness as a result of abuse by powerful nurse executives.

Question 15

During a unit meeting, you notice that Vivian listens attentively when Mary is speaking and offers support and advice when Mary presents ideas to the group.You are surprised because Vivian has often confided that she does not like Mary.Vivian's behavior is best described as:

A)insincere.
B)networking.
C)politically sophisticated.
D)collegial.

Question 16

Politics is identified in what areas?

A)Confined to legislatures
B)Seen in dysfunctional workplaces
C)Found in all social organizations
D)A representation of self-interest

Question 17

The work group on Nursing Unit 23 is marked by apathy toward the ward's patients, high absenteeism, open conflict among team members, and high turnover of personnel, including managers.The underlying behavior in this situation may be characterized as:

A)powerlessness.
B)anger.
C)apathy.
D)oppression.

Question 18

A nurse manager recognizes the need to expand her professional network as she begins a job search for a middle-management position.What action is least likely to expand her job-searching network?

A)Reviewing her address book or card file for names and phone numbers of former colleagues who are now in middle-management positions
B)Making an appointment to meet with a former instructor from her graduate program in nursing administration
C)Making a long overdue return call to a former colleague who is now a chief nurse executive
D)Attending a state-level conferences for nurse managers and executives and volunteering to help with professional organizations' informal luncheons and receptions

Question 19

What interaction is MOST consistent with the idea of networking?

A)Meet with the same colleagues daily to have coffee and share concerns about the workplace and stories about colleagues.
B)Join an online workplace forum to gain ideas about how to handle workplace conflict.
C)Suggest that you and a new team member meet after work for coffee to review unit guidelines.
D)Join a nurse executive interest group to meet other executives for support and for sharing ideas of expertise.

Question 20

Your colleague Mary, a recent graduate, announces that she intends to leave nursing in 3 to 4 months to pursue a position in marketing.While at your agency, she plans to give patients excellent care and to learn as much as she can, because "Who knows? Nursing is a great job with a great pay and I may return someday." Mary's statements most accurately exemplify which orientation to the concept of nursing? Nursing as a(n):

A)profession.
B)occupation.
C)flexible discipline.
D)career with off and on ramps.

Question 21

Amy has worked in the dialysis unit on staff for about 12 years.She is frequently consulted by other nursing staff regarding protocols and policies on the unit.What type of power is Amy using?

A)Position power
B)Expert power
C)Personal power
D)Competency power

Question 22

As a new manager in the ED, you meet with each of the staff to ask about their priorities and what they think is going well in the department or what is of concern to them.Almost all of the staff express frustration and distress at being treated rudely or disrespectfully by patients, staff from other departments, and physicians and complain that they feel that nurses in the ED are not valued.With the staff, you brainstorm to raise the profile of nurses.Which of the following strategies would be most effective? (Select all that apply.)

A)Requesting increased compensation
B)Speaking positively about one's work
C)Dressing and grooming in a clean and neat manner
D)Using titles (e.g., Mr., Mrs., Ms.) and last names
E)Submitting a written complaint to senior administration regarding rude behaviors
F)Developing a code of conduct for the ED staff.

Question 23

Despite repeated invitations by his colleagues to become involved in regional and state nursing practice committees, Tom refuses.His reason is that "nursing committees rarely get anything worthwhile done because of politics and conflicts." According to the text, Tom's view of involvement:

A)is rare in nursing today.
B)reflects a fear of power.
C)reflects the essential process of power.
D)reflects empowerment and capacity to make his own decisions.

Question 24

A unit manager watches a new RN graduate interacting with a patient.When the RN comes out of the room, the unit manager says, "I don't know what they taught you in your nursing program, but if I see you do that again, I will write you up." This example demonstrates:

A)coercive use of power.
B)appropriate application of control.
C)use of informatory power.
D)use of power to provide coaching.

Question 25

What is the best example of skilled negotiation?

A)Linda, the manager on pediatrics, takes a proposal to her supervisor, outlining the benefits of a walk-in preoperative area for children.
B)Kim, RN, asks for leave to pursue a semester of full-time study in her graduate program.She proposes to accept less popular rotations during peak vacation time, in return.
C)George, the head nurse in ER, asks for additional staff for his department and points out the benefits of being able to keep patients for longer periods.
D)Jerry speaks with his supervisor about his supervisor's concerns related to bedside reporting before presenting a proposal to change this process.