Deck 12: Workforce Advocacy and the Nursing Shortage

Question 1

An acute care facility values job satisfaction among its registered nurses and pay for membership dues in the state nurses association. Which element identified by The Nursing Organizations Alliance is supported by this support?

A) A collaborative practice culture
B) Communication-rich culture
C) Shared decision-making at all levels
D) Encouragement of professional practice and continued growth and development

Answer 1

Encouragement of professional practice and continued growth and development

Question 2

Which situation would be considered a workforce advocacy issue that is reportable to the state nurses association or the Center for American Nurses if it is not resolved at the local level?

A) Nurses prefer to wear navy blue scrubs, but the institution requires burgundy scrubs, which interferes with autonomy.
B) The cafeteria often serves fried vegetables rather than healthier baked vegetables, causing the potential for hyperlipidemia.
C) The hospital pharmacy does not fill employee prescriptions upon receiving them; instead, they fill employee prescriptions after all inpatient prescriptions have been filled.
D) The key needed to change the sharps container is locked in the supervisor's office after 3 PM on weekdays and all day on weekends, which prevents changing of the container when needed and places nurses at risk for needlesticks.

Answer 2

The key needed to change the sharps container is locked in the supervisor's office after 3 PM on weekdays and all day on weekends, which prevents changing of the container when needed and places nurses at risk for needlesticks.

Question 3

A nurse is concerned about safe staffing levels at a facility and observes that several units have no RN coverage but instead have RNs who float among several units. In determining whether this staffing concern should be reported to an outside agency, the nurse understands that, with whistle blowing:

A) reporting unsafe staffing levels to The Joint Commission provides protection from the employer.
B) keeping copies of documented inappropriate staffing patterns in the nurse's personal file is illegal.
C) when observing inappropriate staffing, the nurse should record her personal thoughts concerning the outcomes.
D) one should seek guidance from a trusted individual who can provide an objective point of view.

Answer 3

one should seek guidance from a trusted individual who can provide an objective point of view.

Question 4

Studies conducted to determine enrollment trends in nursing schools have found that in the last years:

A) a greater number of individuals chose nursing as a career but could not meet entrance requirements.
B) more young women chose to enter the profession of nursing.
C) fewer career opportunities exist in the profession of nursing and fewer opportunities are projected to exist for women.
D) men have dominated the profession, and women feel that they have experienced discrimination.

Question 5

According to the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act (2000):

A) employers ask nurses in managerial positions to evaluate safe needle devices.
B) registered nurses who sustain a needle stick are required to pass a test before resuming medication administration.
C) each state must determine the type of safe needle devices to be used.
D) employers are required to document how and where a sharps injury occurred, including the brand of device that was involved.

Question 6

Nurses entering the workforce at a large urban hospital soon began volunteering for excessive overtime. A focus group found that upon graduation, many of these nurses purchased expensive cars and furniture. They lacked skills in managing their checkbook and were often unable to pay recurring bills; this finding would be relevant to which component of the Workforce Advocacy Ecosystem Model?

A) Staffing
B) Workflow design
C) Organizational factors
D) Personal and social factors

Question 7

When an RN is asked to accept an assignment that he or she may not be qualified to perform, the nurse should:

A) accept the assignment as appropriate if assigned by a legitimate power.
B) be primarily concerned with the number of patients being assigned.
C) ask how other nurses have handled the assignment in the past.
D) determine whether he or she is familiar with the types of patients being assigned.

Question 8

A new graduate nurse is applying for the exciting first position and states, "I am only applying to Magnet hospitals because those work environments:

A) attract physicians who are the best health care providers to improve quality of care."
B) require all registered nurses to be certified in the area of practice."
C) not only attract but also retain professional nurses."
D) discourage nurses from advancing their current level of education and I don't want to return to school for many years."

Question 9

Qualified nursing school applicants have continued to be turned away, limiting enrollment due to a shortage of faculty, which is attributed to several factors, including:

A) nursing faculty are subject to high levels of burnout and job dissatisfaction.
B) only the number of faculty in Associate Degree programs remain stable.
C) the mean age of nursing faculty continues to decrease and older faculty mentors have left the profession.
D) increasing job competition from higher paying clinical sites, especially in today's economic turndown.

Question 10

Hospitals surveyed nurses who terminated their employment to determine why they chose to leave. One of the most common reasons for leaving was:

A) decreased pay for alternative shifts.
B) that the nurse/patient ratio prevents safe care.
C) that most facilities are choosing an all-RN staff, which decreases opportunities for advancement.
D) that agency and foreign nurses are favored by administration over full-time nursing staff.

Question 11

A newly hired nurse is asked to serve on a committee formed to recruit and retain nurses. At the committee meeting, the nurse learns that:

A) older nurses are being encouraged to retire so that younger, more efficient nurses can practice.
B) Magnet hospitals are able to attract nurses with sign-on bonuses and flexible work hours but fail to retain nurses because insufficient autonomy over professional practice is provided.
C) multitasking is seldom desired by the younger generation of nurses.
D) many younger workers are less concerned with longevity and are willing to change institutions to achieve professional advancement and flexible work hours.

Question 12

The key to organizational success for health care facilities is:

A) hiring younger, more energetic nurses.
B) offering incentives such as sign-on bonuses.
C) hiring highly qualified advanced practice nurses.
D) retaining professional nurses.

Question 13

One workplace issue-the nursing shortage-is caused by several complex issues, including:

A) movement of nurses into acute care settings.
B) the use of unlicensed assistive personnel to replace RNs.
C) a mass of baby boomers who have chosen nursing as a career.
D) an aging nursing workforce.

Question 14

A nurse is concerned about a trend in the hospital to regularly "float" nurses to different areas of the hospital based on staff shortage regardless of recent experience in caring for the population on the unit. When deciding to accept a staffing assignment in this situation, the nurse considers a "safe harbor." What is meant by "safe harbor"?

A) In an emergency situation, nurses may move patients to one location designated to be areas safe from natural disasters or acts of terrorism.
B) Nurses work in teams to care for patients who have no communicable disease and do not pose a safety issue due to infection.
C) Horizontal violence is not tolerated and nurses report any form of violence to administration.
D) It is written a notice about recurrent staffing issues that allows nurses to continue to care for patients placed in their care but protects their nurse's license while an investigation is conducted.

Question 15

A nurse is concerned because novice nurses are having their orientation period shortened and are being placed in charge nurse positions. The nurse has documented unsafe care and decisions by these novice nurses. To be protected from retaliation by the employer, this nurse must "blow the whistle" by:

A) holding a public forum in the agency cafeteria to discuss concerns.
B) reporting concerns to state and/or national agencies regulating the agency.
C) calling co-workers outside the workplace to informally discuss wrongdoing.
D) contacting The Joint Commission to report unsafe conditions.

Question 16

The occupational health and safety nurse would like to develop programs designed to decrease mortality and morbidity among the workforce. When considering factors related to mortality among health care workers, the nurse should focus efforts on prevention of:

A) suicide.
B) homicide.
C) blood-borne disease.
D) ergonomic hazards.

Question 17

The priority intervention to improve work-related quality of life for nurses is to:

A) provide safe harbors for unjust or unsafe work assignments.
B) improve nurse physician communications.
C) require professional development courses for bedside nurses.
D) determine strategies to improve vertical working relationships between staff nurses and nursing administration.

Question 18

The Institute of Medicine Report (2011):

A) recommended that only physicians have the legal privilege to prescribe medications.
B) called for increasing the number of baccalaureate-prepared nurses in the workforce to 80% by 2020.
C) called for a minimum staffing ratio be in place in no later than 10 years.
D) called for nurse technicians to provide care during the nursing shortage.

Question 19

Managers at an acute care facility value the contributions of their aging nursing workforce and make recommendations to accommodate for an aging nursing workforce. They institute for which changes? (Select all that apply.)

A) Supplies such as dressing change and Foley catheter kits are placed on the nursing unit.
B) Teamwork and development of new roles such as admission nurse are encouraged.
C) Day care centers for sick children are put into place to prevent the stress of having to find alternative day care.
D) Assistive devices for lifting as recommended by ANA's Handle with Care are made available.
E) A work-design consultant is hired to redesign the nursing unit to reduce wasted motion.

Question 20

When reading about nursing as a career, a student is interested in learning about violence in the profession. Which statement accurately reflects violence in health care and the profession of nursing?

A) Nursing is the most trusted profession and therefore violence is rare.
B) Health care workers have the highest rates of nonfatal assault injuries in the workplace.
C) Physical violence between peers constitutes lateral violence; however, verbal assault is not recognized as violence.
D) Professional organizations have recognized a need to evaluate all nurses for the risk of committing acts of violence.

Question 21

Nurses who are expected to work overtime as dictated by their employer are being subjected to a ___________ hazard in the workplace.

Question 22

A nurse is interviewing for a job and recently read the American Nurses Association's (ANA) recommendation for questions to ask regarding before accepting employment. Which questions should the nurse ask?

A) Do you have flexible scheduling?
B) What are the expectations for advancement?
C) How long do staff nurses stay before resigning?
D) What is the mission of the parent organization?
E) Does the organization have a means for staff nurses to have an active role in decision making by participation and accountability for the outcomes of practice decisions.