Deck 15: Nursing Management and the Nurse-Managers

Question 1

Mandatory overtime raises ethical issues about patient and nurse safety. How does voluntary overtime affect these issues?

A) It is also outlawed in states controlling mandatory overtime.
B) Nurses working overtime shifts are given smaller patient loads to protect safety.
C) There is no effect since the nurse has chosen to work overtime.
D) It requires nurse managers to be vigilant concerning safety.

Answer 1

It requires nurse managers to be vigilant concerning safety.

Question 2

The court found a nurse manager liable for failure to warn. Which option reflects a failure to warn scenario?

A) The nurse manager did not advise a newly hired nurse that continuing education was an annual requirement for promotion.
B) The nurse manager did not notify the physician regarding worsening of a patient's respiratory status.
C) The nurse manager did not tell a potential employer that a former employee was asked to resign for incompetence.
D) The nurse manager did not adequately supervise a newly hired nurse who had not practiced nursing in five years.

Answer 2

The nurse manager did not tell a potential employer that a former employee was asked to resign for incompetence.

Question 3

In which situations has legal termination of a contract occurred?

A) The nurse contracts with another nurse to work out the contract.
B) The hospital refuses to pay the nurse for shifts worked.
C) The facility does not renew a contract that has ended.
D) The nurse repeatedly violates hospital policy and procedure outlined in the contract.
E) The hospital releases a nurse from the contract so that the family can relocate.

Answer 3

The facility does not renew a contract that has ended.
The hospital releases a nurse from the contract so that the family can relocate.

Question 4

Changes have been made to the employee handbook. What must occur in order for these changes to constitute a contract?

A) The handbook must have been distributed to all employees of the facility.
B) The handbook must be written clearly.
C) The employee must attend an inservice session about the new handbook.
D) The employee must continue to work after the manual takes effect.
E) The employee must sign a document indicating the handbook has been received.

Question 5

Which person would be the best choice for a mediator in a contract dispute between a nurse and a hospital?

A) A nurse who works on a similar unit in the hospital
B) A consultant from outside the hospital
C) A retired nurse who worked at the hospital five years ago
D) A hospital administrator from an area different from nursing

Question 6

Which situations are exceptions to the statute of frauds principle?

A) A verbal contract for a teenager to receive $25 to mow a neighbor's lawn
B) An oral agreement to purchase a new car by making payments over the next 48 months.
C) A "handshake" agreement to sell a one-acre parcel of land
D) An agreement that the hospital will continue to provide oncology services if the current oncology specialty group breaks their contract.
E) A verbal agreement for a nurse to work in a physician's office indefinitely

Question 7

The unit policy is that the nurse with the least seniority is required to float to understaffed units. Is this the best policy?

A) Yes, the most senior people should be required to manage their home unit.
B) No, this policy is against most corporate philosophy.
C) No, generally the most capable and efficient person should be floated.
D) Yes, having choice in these matters is a benefit of longevity in the facility.

Question 8

The nurse takes a position working in a clinic and receives a sign-on bonus. After having worked for one month the nurse charges that she never signed a contract with the clinic and therefore can leave for a different, higher-paying job without returning the bonus. What is true about this situation?

A) Since there was no signed paper, the contract does not exist.
B) Cashing the bonus check indicates acceptance of the contract.
C) The contract was accepted when the nurse showed up for work.
D) Acceptance of the terms of a contract must be in writing.

Question 9

A group of nurses are concerned about the chronic understaffing and mandatory overtime requirements of their state's hospitals. How could this group best help solve this issue?

A) Advise nurses to go home after their assigned shift instead of working overtime.
B) Talk to state legislatures about establishing staffing ratios.
C) Lobby for legislation supporting safe staffing measures.
D) Develop policies whereby nurse managers are the only ones required to work overtime.

Question 10

The contract between a nurse and a hospital delineates the nurse's salary, benefits package, and when the job will begin. The contract does not state that the nurse must provide quality care. How would the hospital attorney describe this expectation if the nurse brings suit for wrongful discharge?

A) Expressed terms
B) Implied provisions
C) Silent terms
D) Inherent provisions

Question 11

Which situation reflects consideration in contract law?

A) The nurse agrees to work for specific wages.
B) Assertion that the nurse is legally able to enter into a contract
C) The description of the type of work expected by the facility wishing to employ the nurse
D) The nurse agrees to work at an immunization clinic from October through December.

Question 12

A work dispute has gone to arbitration. The nurses involved in the dispute are unhappy with the decision made by the arbitrator. Is the arbitrator's decision binding?

A) The decision is binding.
B) Only if the other party also does not agree with the decision
C) Unless both parties agreed in advance that the decision is not binding
D) These decisions are only suggestions meant to guide further discussion.
E) If the dispute involves collective bargaining the decision is binding.

Question 13

The hospital's risk management team has identified a hazard to patient safety through review of incident reports. What should be the team's next action?

A) Discipline staff who have been involved in previous incidents.
B) Eliminate the hazard before anyone else is harmed.
C) Identify and compensate any patient previously injured.
D) Gather and trend data on the occurrences.

Question 14

Which strategies should the nurse manager employ when asked to float staff from one area to another?

A) Consider the patient care delivery systems on each unit.
B) Float staff in alphabetical order of their last name.
C) Float nurses to areas with similar patient care requirements if possible.
D) Cross-train staff to various units.

Question 15

The news reports that a nurse "contracted over the telephone" to distribute narcotics. Under contract law is that a correct statement?

A) Yes, the contract agreement can be verbal or written.
B) Only if something of value, like money, is offered as compensation
C) If both parties understand the terms and meaning of the contract
D) No, contracts must fulfill a lawful purpose.