Deck 13: Staffing and Scheduling

Question 1

An adequate number of nursing staff has a positive effect on:

A)Acuteness of care
B)Length of patient stay
C)Family safety
D)Number of staffed beds

Answer 1

Length of patient stay

Question 2

Because of a called-in absence,a nurse manager has to find a replacement for the uncovered position on the shift.Which of the following is an option?

A)Substituting a person of one classification for another,such as a licensed practical nurse (LPN)for a registered nurse (RN)
B)Implementing variable staffing
C)Instituting 12-hour shifts for all staff
D)Drawing from the retirement pool for the replacement

Answer 2

Substituting a person of one classification for another,such as a licensed practical nurse (LPN)for a registered nurse (RN)

Question 3

Centralized scheduling has many advantages,including which of the following?

A)Managers have authority.
B)Some managerial time is freed up for other activities.
C)Staffing is less complicated.
D)Employees can receive individualized treatment.

Answer 3

Some managerial time is freed up for other activities.

Question 4

Most differentiated nursing practice models take into account the competency,education,and skill level of nurses.Which model responded to the nursing shortage by recommending that ancillary staff,such as emergency medical technicians and former military corpsmen,be used as nurse extenders?

A)Pew Health Professions Commission model
B)Manthey's Primary Practice Partners model
C)Integrated Competencies of Nurses model
D)Education differentiated practice model

Question 5

A nurse manager had a few negative experiences when the nurse manager hired travel nurses.Because these travel nurses were coming from different parts of the United States,the nurse manager decided to check which of the following databases to see whether adverse actions had been taken against the nurses?

A)Jungian Database
B)National Practitioner Data Bank
C)United States Protection Data Bank
D)United States Integrity Data Bank

Question 6

Functions to support quality patient care should be considered by both the organization and the nurse manager of the unit when staffing levels are determined.Which of the following is a staffing principle that relates to nurses rather than to the organization?

A)Organizational policy should reflect the valuing of employees.
B)Patient needs should determine the required clinical competencies.
C)Documented competencies for staff should be maintained.
D)Policies should recognize the needs of both patients and staff.

Question 7

Which type of staffing has been found to save money by decreasing turnover,sick leave,unpaid absences,float hours,and overtime?

A)Functional nursing
B)Team nursing
C)Primary nursing
D)Modular nursing

Question 8

Leaders and managers play different roles in staffing;therefore,one of the functions of the nurse manager with regard to staffing is:

A)Communicating the need for a staff mix
B)Examining the unit standard of productivity
C)Matching staff to patient needs
D)Considering the impact of extraneous factors on staffing

Question 9

Some organizations have used a number of flexible staffing options to make it easier to recruit and retain nurses.Which of the following is an example of a flexible option?

A)8-hour shifts
B)Cross-training
C)Variable staffing
D)Weekend staffing

Question 10

With advances in technology,the creation of a computer-based and network-based community infrastructure has become increasingly important.Which classification system was developed for community health nursing?

A)International classification of nursing practice
B)North American Nursing Diagnosis Association system
C)Nursing Interventions Classification
D)Omaha classification system

Question 11

Between 2010 and 2020,over 40% of the registered nurse workforce will be over 50 years of age and is expected to retire or withdraw from the workforce.The Institute of Medicine has recommended that organizations retain these nurses by:

A)Implementing 12-hour shifts
B)Assigning older nurses to critical care settings
C)Implementing ergonomic principles in the design of the unit
D)Increasing patient-nurse ratio

Question 12

Because of rising health care costs,many hospitals are developing disease management programs.An interdisciplinary approach is used in staffing these programs.This represents what type of staffing system?

A)Case method
B)Team nursing
C)Case management
D)Primary nursing

Question 13

Organizations are creatively attempting to hire nurses,yet a nursing shortage has become an obstacle.All of the following factors contribute to the nursing shortage except:

A)Diversity training
B)Facility restructuring
C)Nurse-to-nurse hostility
D)Budget cuts

Question 14

When nurse managers are given authority and assume responsibility,they can staff their own units through decentralized scheduling.What is one effect of decentralized scheduling?

A)There is no individualized treatment.
B)Cost containment is facilitated.
C)Cost containment is more difficult.
D)Staffing is easier.

Question 15

Some institutions have initiated variable staffing patterns as a response to the nursing shortage.Which of the following staffing patterns lowers the cost per patient-day?

A)10-hour shifts
B)12-hour shifts
C)8-hour shifts
D)Baylor plan/weekend option

Question 16

Clinical outcomes can be used to assess the adequacy of staffing.Which of the following indicates a need for better staffing?

A)Family falls
B)Short length of stay
C)Adverse drug reactions
D)Patient satisfaction

Question 17

Various scheduling and staffing methods have advantages and disadvantages for personnel.When new graduates enter the workforce,they are more likely to be given undesirable work schedules if what type of scheduling system is used?

A)Self-scheduling
B)Rotating work shifts
C)Permanent shifts
D)Block,or cyclical,scheduling

Question 18

The nurse manager used variable staffing for a 25-bed postoperative unit at full capacity.On the unit,there were four patients who had undergone total knee replacement and four who had undergone total hip replacement who required blood transfusions.What kind of variable staffing mix would the nurse manager most likely use?

A)All-registered nurse (RN)staffing
B)One RN,two licensed practical nurses (LPNs),and four unlicensed personnel
C)One RN,one LPN,and five unlicensed personnel
D)One RN,four LPNs,and two unlicensed personnel

Question 19

When figuring time standards for nursing care,the nurse manager needs to consider both direct and indirect care.An example of indirect care is:

A)Giving medications
B)Documenting care
C)Feeding the patient
D)Giving treatments

Question 20

The Joint Commission calls on hospitals to use which strategy to help address the nursing shortage?

A)Increase patient-nurse ratio
B)Increase mandatory overtime hours
C)Provide management training
D)Provide informal orientation

Question 21

Some hospitals use a variety of strategies to delay the need for downsizing.One strategy is to:

A)Initiate a new service,such as a geriatric service
B)Increase overtime to increase productivity
C)Increase the use of temporary help
D)Increase hiring

Question 22

During the 2000s,a paradigm shift occurred in the Magnet Recognition Program.Which of the following was not a part of this shift?

A)The appraisal process moved toward evidence-based practice.
B)Technology moved toward a lower level.
C)Management moved toward a performance management model.
D)The hospital model moved toward a professional business model.

Question 23

Hospitals use hours per patient-day as an indicator to measure productivity.Productivity is reported as outputs divided by inputs.Outputs may be measured by:

A)Clinical outcomes
B)Nurse-sensitive indicators
C)Average daily census
D)Number of staff members working

Question 24

Budget cuts,declining inpatient activity,and changing patient care patterns have caused some institutions to carry out "rightsizing." The rightsizing process focuses on:

A)Units with occupancy rates below 10%
B)Units in which productivity goals have been exceeded
C)Units in which revenues exceed costs
D)Units in which fixed staffing levels have increased by a small percentage of the full-time equivalents (FTEs)

Question 25

The magnet program grew out of several research studies that identified 14 characteristics of magnetism.These features became the conceptual framework for the magnet program.Which of the following is a characteristic of a magnet institution?

A)A flat,decentralized organizational structure
B)A bureaucratic,hierarchical organizational structure
C)Partnerships with schools of nursing
D)Rigid staffing schedules