Deck 21: Staffing and Scheduling

Question 1

A forecasted workload and a recommended care standard determine the:

A) staffing pattern.
B) skill mix of the unit.
C) nurse-to-patient ratios.
D) staffing management plan.

Answer 1

staffing pattern.

Question 2

The core concept of the synergy model for patient care is based on the nurse-patient relationship and acknowledges:

A) frontline charge nurses make informed patient care assignment decisions.
B) organizing and delivering nursing care achieves desired patient outcomes.
C) the needs or characteristics of the patients and families drive the competencies of the nurse.
D) the clinical nurse leader champions innovations that improve patient outcomes, ensures quality care, and reduces health care costs.

Answer 2

the needs or characteristics of the patients and families drive the competencies of the nurse.

Question 3

The nursing manager of a general medical-surgical unit in a large hospital has gathered data reflecting the average length of time that it takes to provide nursing care to broad categories of client groups with typical characteristics. The system that the nursing manager has used to classify patients has been criticized for its reliability, validity, and:

A) comparability across settings.
B) medical elements.
C) stereotyping of patients.
D) subjective basis.

Answer 3

comparability across settings.

Question 4

The provision of efficient nursing services to clients, wherever delivered, depends on the:

A) appropriate nursing diagnoses.
B) current wage scale.
C) number of nurse leaders.
D) right skill mix.

Question 5

The nursing manager of a general medical-surgical unit in a large hospital has gathered data reflecting the average length of time that it takes to provide nursing care to broad categories of client groups with typical characteristics. The nursing manager will most likely use the patient classification data he collected to:

A) avoid management layoffs.
B) change professional nursing roles.
C) obtain staffing reimbursement.
D) staff his nursing unit appropriately.

Question 6

The staffing method used when units are staffed below maximum workload conditions and staff is then supplemented when needed is called:

A) fixed staffing.
B) variable staffing.
C) strategic staffing.
D) staffing by acuity.

Question 7

Relationship-based care (RBC) is a common model used in care delivery. Person (2004) articulated that _____ is/are central to the RBC model.

A) continuity of care
B) case management
C) coordination of care
D) the needs or characteristics of the patients

Question 8

A common element among nursing care delivery models is the:

A) ratio of nurses to patients.
B) manager is the frontline leader.
C) value of the nurse and patient/family relationship.
D) needs of the patients drive the competency of the nurse.

Question 9

Staffing management is one of the most critical activities for nurse leaders at every level of the health care organization today because it affects:

A) delegation and supervision.
B) unit leadership productivity.
C) organizational outcomes.
D) professional development and quality control.

Question 10

Evaluation of the effect of nurse staffing on quality patient, financial, and organizational outcomes is known as:

A) patient acuity.
B) staffing effectiveness.
C) nurse-to-patient ratio.
D) nursing workload.

Question 11

A(n) ______ provides logic and order to complex processes for administrators and scientists to consider.

A) staffing plan
B) organizational chart
C) conceptual framework
D) nursing care delivery model

Question 12

An RN is relocating and is seeking employment at a hospital that focuses on patient safety. Which staffing issues have a negative impact on patient safety (select all that apply)?

A) Eight-hour shifts
B) Twelve-hour shifts
C) Mandatory overtime
D) Student nurses on the unit
E) Unplanned overtime

Question 13

Key to effective staffing are protocols and processes for daily staffing decision support that are aligned with a budget-sensitive variable staffing plan. In a decentralized model, the responsibility of daily staffing allocation belongs to the:

A) float pool.
B) staffing office.
C) department manager.
D) chief nursing officer.

Question 14

The process of providing and measuring the correct full-time equivalent (FTE), or complement, to adequately staff a given area is known as:

A) scheduling.
B) position control.
C) forecasted workload.
D) demand management.

Question 15

An approach for decreasing nursing RN skill mix was implemented in a "one size fits all" approach across organizations in the 1990s. These changes in skill mix led to:

A) decreases in RN workload.
B) increased nursing satisfaction.
C) decreased patient satisfaction.
D) decreased patient safety concerns.

Question 16

Examples of nursing care delivery models include (select all that apply):

A) team nursing.
B) quality nursing.
C) primary nursing.
D) private duty nursing.
E) patient-focused care.

Question 17

Assigning individual personnel to work specific hours, days, or shifts and in a specific unit or area over a specified period of time is known as:

A) scheduling.
B) staffing effectiveness.
C) nursing direct care hours.
D) human resources staffing strategy.

Question 18

The workload standard commonly used in nursing when calculating staffing patterns is:

A) patient days.
B) patient acuity system.
C) average length of stay.
D) nursing care hours per patient day.

Question 19

The hospital units most likely to employ a decentralized staffing model include (select all that apply):

A) the telemetry unit.
B) labor and delivery.
C) the medical-surgical unit.
D) the emergency department.
E) the neonatal critical care unit.

Question 20

The Joint Commission's (TJC's) staffing regulation states:

A) staffing ratios are recommended in perinatal and critical care areas.
B) nurse managers may determine the nurse-to-patient ratio as long as the patient's needs are being met.
C) hospitals must also provide the right number of competent staff members to meet the patients' needs.
D) hospitals may limit the number of admissions to ensure there are an adequate number of staff members to meet patient needs.

Question 21

The proportion of direct care RNs to total direct care nursing staff, expressed as a percentage of RNs to total nursing staff, is called _____.

Question 22

Betty is calculating the total patient days on her unit. Her average daily census is 35 and her average length of stay is 2.4 days. The total patient days on Betty's unit is _____ days.

Question 23

The amount of work performed by a unit is referred to as its _____.

Question 24

When the needs and characteristics of the patient clinical unit, or system, are matched with a nurse's competencies, _____ results.

Question 25

Community Hospital is having a transient nursing shortage due to a high number of sick calls. The staffing office utilizes the staffing pool to obtain the required number of nurses. The staffing pool may include what types of nurses (select all that apply)?

A) Travel nurses
B) Foreign nurses
C) Registry nurses
D) Per diem nurses
E) Full-time nurses