Deck 17: Strategic Planning and Goal Setting

Question 1

The reasons that nursing administrators sometimes do not plan in a systematic manner include

A) lack of understanding of the planning process.
B) lack of knowledge regarding the internal and external operations of the organization.
C) not enough hours in the day for both day-to-day operations and planning.
D) delegation of the task to subordinates.

Answer 1

lack of understanding of the planning process.

Question 2

Planning is a process designed to achieve goals in dynamic,competitive environments.What is the first step that you,as a new manager,will undertake to develop a strategic plan of action for a program about congestive heart failure?

A) Search the environment to determine changes that may affect the organization.
B) Appraise the organization's strengths and weaknesses.
C) Identify the major opportunities for and threats to the organization.
D) Identify and evaluate the various strategies available to the organization.

Answer 2

Search the environment to determine changes that may affect the organization.

Question 3

Of the following types of environmental assessments,which is an example of a patient trend assessment?

A) Economic forces and the escalating rates of health care costs
B) Input about current and future services
C) The numbers and types of health care providers
D) Availability of rehabilitative and home health care services

Answer 3

Input about current and future services

Question 4

In establishing the strategic plan for effective use of evidence to guide nursing practice at Pacific Hospital,the nursing unit managers take the next step,which is the implementation.Implementation would probably involve

A) revisiting the mission statement and objectives.
B) reevaluating external and internal factors affecting evidence-informed practice.
C) preparing a budget to support implementation.
D) developing unit-based objectives related to the plan.

Question 5

Through its strategic planning processes,the strategic planning team at Pacific Hospital learns that nursing staff members are uncomfortable with utilizing evidence-informed practice,and that they perceive that only limited resources are available to support translation of evidence into their usual practice.Because this issue has been identified,the team determines that a plan of action is required to address the issue.Who should be involved in determining this plan?

A) Nursing unit managers
B) Staff nurses
C) All staff
D) Administration

Question 6

The chief nursing officer has to write a strategic plan.The most difficult stage in the strategic planning process is

A) assessment of the external and internal environment.
B) review of mission statement, goals, and objectives.
C) identification of strategies.
D) implementation of strategies.

Question 7

Construction of properly worded and written objectives most often begin with which word?

A) "Illustrate"
B) "Demonstrate"
C) "To"
D) "Develop"

Question 8

Which of the following represents a well-written objective?

A) "To reduce hospital-acquired infections and to implement procedures to reduce infections"
B) "To increase staff satisfaction and to decrease burnout"
C) "To increase the health of the community"
D) "To implement evidence-informed practice on nursing units, according to adoption of evidence-informed processes, by June 1, 2016"

Question 9

To conduct assessment of the internal environment,the strategic planning team for Pacific Hospital

A) invites community members and staff of the hospital to an evening focus group session.
B) discusses what it sees as the primary threats and opportunities in demographic shifts affecting the hospital.
C) invites all levels of staff to focus groups on the effectiveness of the hospital environment, including information systems and staffing.
D) asks the board to provide a summary of major opportunities for the future.

Question 10

As a nursing leadership student,you have had the opportunity to develop a palliative care manual that will be used by the palliative care network (PCN)in your region for teaching health care providers.The PCN has requested that you provide a prioritized strategic plan of action for the manual on a province-/territory-wide basis.What is the first priority?

A) Motivate the target market.
B) Research the target market.
C) Communicate benefits to the target group.
D) Package the product.

Question 11

The process of developing,negotiating,and formalizing the targets of an organization is

A) objective development.
B) goal setting.
C) philosophy creation.
D) strategic planning.

Question 12

As a unit manager,you can promote goal commitment by

A) using behaviour modification strategies.
B) putting rewards in place at the unit level for compliance.
C) providing detailed instructions to employees as to how to implement activities to achieve the goals.
D) including goal attainment in the performance evaluation of each staff nurse.

Question 13

Which of the following reflects a characteristic of an organizational environmental assessment?

A) It relates only to administration.
B) It is an informal evaluation of relationships.
C) It does not include the organizational climate.
D) It involves comparison of data against benchmarks.

Question 14

Pacific Hospital's strategic planning team develops a process to include staff in development of the mission statement.Which of the following statements would indicate that staff members have been able to develop an effective mission statement?

A) "Pacific Hospital will increase its sustainability by increasing revenue streams within the next three years. Revenue streams are important to our hospital and are a driving force in our sustainability in the face of insurer and government funding changes."
B) "Pacific Hospital has a desire to relate to its community to enable appropriate identification of programming needs by July 2016."
C) "Pacific Hospital will provide family-centred care to the community of Pacific Rim. It is committed to delivering a full spectrum of services that foster collaborative partnerships among clients, families, and the hospital, and it utilizes evidence-informed practice to guide planning and interventions.
D) To provide health promotion programs for school-aged children.

Question 15

The strategic planning process shares many similarities with which of the following?

A) The mission statement
B) The nursing process
C) The goal-setting process
D) The writing of objectives

Question 16

Northwestern Hospital has decided to implement peer review.As a clinical leader in the emergency department,you have overall responsibility for ensuring that this is in place by next month.The most important step in this process is to

A) provide an educational session for staff on peer review.
B) revise the mission statement, objectives, and performance standards.
C) develop objectives and performance standards with employees.
D) implement objectives and performance standards.

Question 17

The clinic nurse understands that the advantages of planning include

A) assisting staff in critical thinking and improving decisions.
B) orienting people to react instead of act.
C) forcing managers to be financially efficient and effective.
D) focusing on activities, not results.

Question 18

A community-based pain management program is being planned for your region.As a coordinator of a home care agency,you have been requested to develop a conceptual framework,mission statement,philosophy,and objectives for the program.In what order will you pursue this endeavour?

A) Objectives, philosophy, and mission statement
B) Philosophy, objectives, and mission statement
C) Philosophy, mission statement, and objectives
D) Mission statement, philosophy, and objectives

Question 19

In assessing the internal environment,the strategic planning team at Pacific Hospital discovers that 90% of staff members have no idea what the current mission statement means.This is probably related to

A) the level of abstraction inherent in mission statements.
B) development of the statement by the administration team with no other staff involvement.
C) outdated goals and objectives contained in the mission statement.
D) failure to provide action statements within the mission statement.

Question 20

From your observation of planning activities in the organization,you have noticed that planning and decision making occur at various levels of the organization.The nurse manager has overall responsibility for which of the following?

A) Sending out postcards
B) Organizing a telephone follow-up
C) Monitoring ongoing activities and projects
D) Listing the patient population

Question 21

The executive team at Hospital XYZ develops a polished strategic plan that includes a mission statement,goals,objectives,and a business plan for various initiatives in the plan.The executive team ensured that the plan was communicated internally and externally.After 2 years,no significant progress has been made toward any of the goals.What has been omitted in the plan?

A) Consumer input planning
B) Clear communication
C) Integrated financial planning
D) Consideration of customer input

Question 22

After a year,staff members at Pacific Hospital are frustrated,and the implementation of evidence-informed practice has gone poorly.In responding to this situation,the strategic planning team at Pacific Hospital

A) recommends that the mission, objectives, and goals of the hospital be reassessed.
B) revises the goal statements in the strategic plan.
C) consults an external team on preparation of materials on evidence-informed practice.
D) holds focus groups with staff to determine what kinds of issues, challenges, and obstacles have occurred in implementation.

Question 23

A clinic nurse developed objectives for a diabetic education program.Well-written objectives should be which of the following?

A)Reasonable
B)Understandable and specific
C)People oriented
D)Manager oriented
E)Means oriented
F)Measurable

Question 24

The nurse manager is conducting an organizational "SWOT" analysis.When the final step is completed,which of the following would the nurse manager be assessing?

A) Time
B) Threats
C) Technology
D) Team relationships

Question 25

Which of the following represents an effective goal statement?

A) "Involve patients and families in planning health care."
B) "To revise clinical guidelines for incontinence care from evidence within 6 months."
C) "Patients and families are partners first in care planning."
D) "To acquire $4 million in additional funding within 12 months to support clinical education programs for dementia."