Deck 20: Confronting the Nursing Shortage

Question 1

In 2008, the average age of the registered nurse (RN) population was _____ years.

A) 26
B) 36
C) 46
D) 56

Answer 1

46

Question 2

Marcy, the medical surgical unit manager, has promised her staff a pizza party if they reduce their patient fall rates by 10%. This is an example of what type of leadership?

A) Democratic
B) Laissez faire
C) Transactional
D) Transformational

Answer 2

Transactional

Question 3

The ability to continue the employment of qualified individuals, that is, nurses and/or other health care providers/associates who might otherwise leave the organization is called:

A) transfer.
B) selection.
C) turnover.
D) retention.

Answer 3

retention.

Question 4

A mechanism for giving feedback related to progress to employees-new and experienced-is called:

A) coaching.
B) mentoring.
C) counseling.
D) performance evaluation.

Question 5

The strongest predictor of nurses' identification with the organization is:

A) culture.
B) compensation.
C) patient satisfaction.
D) professional autonomy.

Question 6

The manager's leadership style was found to be a significant predictor of nurses' job satisfaction (Duffield et al., 2007; Weberg, 2010) and retention of nurses. Weberg's study showed significant increases in satisfaction and well-being with decreasing burnout and overall stress in staff nurses when which of the following leadership styles was used?

A) Democratic
B) Laissez faire
C) Authoritarian
D) Transformational

Question 7

According to McHugh et al. (2008), a major barrier to the recruitment of IENs has been related to:

A) limited visas.
B) language barriers.
C) cultural differences.
D) the inability of IENs to pass state board exams.

Question 8

Factors that affect supply include nursing education factors, work environment factors, and _____ factors.

A) demographic
B) geographic
C) socioeconomic
D) psychological

Question 9

To determine the presence of a nursing shortage, experts generally use indicators such as (select all that apply):

A) retention.
B) vacancy rates.
C) staffing levels.
D) nursing salary.
E) employer reports.
F) forecasting models.
G) organizational budgets.

Question 10

Nursing jobs need to be developed that increase nurses' professional:

A) autonomy.
B) behavior.
C) culture.
D) salaries.

Question 11

The total number of nurses who left a unit in 1 year divided by the total number of nurses employed on that unit is the _____ rate.

A) actualized
B) employable
C) turnover
D) vacancy

Question 12

The replacement of nonretained staff and the hiring of staff to fill newly created and/or expanded positions is called:

A) selection.
B) retention.
C) recruitment.
D) human resources.

Question 13

A situation in which the demand for employment of nurses (how many nurses employers would like to employ) exceeds the available supply of nurses willing to be employed at a given salary is known as a nursing:

A) abundance.
B) deficit.
C) shortage.
D) surplus.

Question 14

The term for the number of people who report directly to a single manager and encompass the functions of planning, organizing, and leading is the:

A) line of authority.
B) hierarchical ladder.
C) span of control.
D) staffing list.

Question 15

The future projected demand for nurses is related to the aging population and the increase in:

A) acute illnesses.
B) chronic illnesses.
C) medication costs.
D) primary prevention.

Question 16

The United States recruits more internationally educated nurses (IENs) than any other country. As of March 2008, the largest group of IENs in the United States is from:

A) India.
B) Canada.
C) Great Britain.
D) the Philippines.

Question 17

Nurses begin to phase into retirement beginning at age _____ years.

A) 50
B) 55
C) 60
D) 65

Question 18

The newest approach to orienting is referred to as:

A) selecting.
B) onboarding.
C) submersion.
D) precepting.

Question 19

Transformational leadership includes a number of traits, such as charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and:

A) defined goals.
B) group dynamics.
C) individualized consideration.
D) organizational structure.

Question 20

A shortcoming that needs to be addressed related to the advertising of open nursing positions is:

A) inadequate use of Internet advertising.
B) insufficient funds allotted for advertising.
C) lack of follow-up with potential candidates.
D) short supply of advertising space in nursing journals.

Question 21

Using the targeted interview ensures that all candidates are interviewed based on the same criteria. The targeted selection process is built on (select all that apply):

A) organizational values.
B) analysis of work per job.
C) development of interview skills.
D) clear identification of competencies for key positions.
E) compliance with equal opportunity employer guidelines.

Question 22

Authentic respect for others requiring time, presence, engagement, and intention to seek common ground is called _____.

Question 23

One of the findings of a study by Aiken and colleagues (2002) was that nurses with the highest nurse-to-patient ratios (fewer nurses for the number of patients) were more likely to describe feelings of (select all that apply):

A) grief.
B) anger.
C) burnout.
D) job dissatisfaction.
E) emotional exhaustion.

Question 24

Staff development has been identified in the literature as an important factor in job satisfaction. The areas of professional staff development defined in the Magnet studies include:

A) orientation.
B) formal education.
C) in-service education.
D) career development.
E) continuing education.

Question 25

Inappropriate or illegal questions that should be avoided during the interview include which of the following examples (select all that apply)?

A) What are your goals for the future?
B) Do you plan on having any more children?
C) How do you feel about taking call on weekends?
D) How does your husband feel about you working?
E) Will going to church interfere with Sunday shifts?

Question 26

Initiatives recommended by Auerbach and colleagues (2007) for addressing the shortage include (select all that apply):

A) ensuring competitive salaries for older RNs.
B) clarifying how the use of foreign nurses will be addressed.
C) providing incentives for hospitals to continue efforts to recruit new graduate RNs.
D) strategies for engaging high school and college graduates to select nursing as a career.
E) faculty being recruited, developed, and paid an equivalent salary to their hospital RN counterparts.

Question 27

_____ is the process in which the application is reviewed before determining whether the nurse meets the pre-established criteria for the position.

Question 28

The nursing shortage cycles over the past few decades have been primarily driven by factors including which of the following (select all that apply)?

A) Aging of current nurses and inability of hospitals to meet nursing salary demands
B) Younger nurses in the workforce and their preference for nontraditional nursing jobs
C) Significant changes in the health care delivery system as the nation moves into health care reform
D) Aging of the American population and struggles to expand capacity to meet demand for care
E) Lower numbers of students entering nursing as a career and a shift in need for both bachelor's- and master's/doctorate-prepared nurses

Question 29

In the context of a nurse shortage, recruitment is a major human resources strategy. List the nine major processes or phases of recruitment in the appropriate order.

A) Selecting
B) Orienting
C) Screening
D) Advertising
E) Interviewing
F) Position posting
G) Staff development.
H) Counseling/coaching
I) Performance evaluation

Question 30

The impact of the recessionary decade on the nursing workforce included (select all that apply):

A) nursing schools increasing their capacities.
B) more young people enrolling in nursing programs.
C) RNs delaying retirement or returning to work from retirement.
D) licensed RNs working in nontraditional nursing jobs returning to traditional nursing.
E) increasing the supply of nurses by motivating part-time RNs to work more hours or full-time.

Question 31

Stacy has been asked by the corporate financial officer to report on the current organizational costs for nurse turnover. To determine the cost of nurse turnover, Stacy should review (select all that apply):

A) vacancy costs.
B) accident rates.
C) competitor wages.
D) advertising expenses.
E) orientation and training.