Deck 5: Communication and Interpersonal Skills

Question 1

A co-worker appears to be the dominant force in any interaction.Her behavioral style is:

A)aggressive.
B)assertive.
C)negative assertion.
D)elitism.

Answer 1

aggressive.

Question 2

In the middle of a busy afternoon,the HUC is confronted by an angry telephone caller.The best thing the HUC can do is:

A)put the caller on hold to cool off.
B)ignore the anger in what the caller is saying.
C)acknowledge the caller's anger by saying,"I hear your frustration."
D)allow the caller to be verbally abusive.

Answer 2

acknowledge the caller's anger by saying,"I hear your frustration."

Question 3

Which of the following is TRUE of culturally sensitive care?

A)Patients on a therapeutic diet may eat cultured yogurt prepared with or without acidophilus.
B)Caregivers are compelled to study each patient's culture prior to caring for them.
C)Age,gender,race,socioeconomic status,and religion are factors to be considered in delivery of appropriate care.
D)The health unit coordinator (HUC)need not be mindful of making assumptions regarding the patient's race and ethnicity because he or she does not provide direct patient care.

Answer 3

Age,gender,race,socioeconomic status,and religion are factors to be considered in delivery of appropriate care.

Question 4

In Maslow's hierarchy of needs,the need that involves developing a personality to its full potential in the desire to become what one is capable of becoming is:

A)self-esteem.
B)self-actualization.
C)love and belonging.
D)physiologic.

Question 5

A counselor has arranged a time to meet with nursing personnel to talk about dealing with Mr.Fulton,a long-time patient.One of the nurses turns to the HUC and says,"Why are you going to this meeting? You're just a unit clerk." An appropriate assertive response would be:

A)"You are so mean! I have the right to go to this meeting too."
B)"Who do you think you are? Nurses aren't the only people with feelings."
C)"You're right,I'm just an HUC.I don't need to go to the meeting."
D)"I am very fond of Mr Fulton and feel I could benefit by attending this meeting.I'm sorry you feel as you do."

Question 6

Physiologic needs include:

A)shelter.
B)clothing.
C)security about job.
D)freedom from pain.

Question 7

A hospital employee who files several applications to other hospitals during rumored times of lay-offs is said to be exercising which of Maslow's needs?

A)Self-actualization
B)Safety and security needs
C)Physiologic needs
D)Belonging and love needs

Question 8

The nurse manager told the HUC during an annual evaluation that her work was not acceptable.Which of the following assertive techniques would assist the HUC in getting specifics regarding the criticism?

A)Negative assertion
B)Negative inquiry
C)Broken record
D)Decoding

Question 9

An assertiveness skill that allows you to defuse criticism by agreeing with your critic but still remaining the judge of your own behavior is called:

A)broken record.
B)fogging.
C)negative assertion.
D)negative inquiry.

Question 10

Repeating instructions back to a person in one's own words is a communication technique called:

A)specific rather than general feedback.
B)denying the sender's feelings.
C)constructive rather than destructive feedback.
D)paraphrasing.

Question 11

One guideline that can be followed to improve listening skills is:

A)using selective listening.
B)not watching the speaker while he or she is talking.
C)listening to what is being said,not only to how it is being said.
D)prejudging comments as the speaker is talking.

Question 12

Admitting a mistake without feeling guilty or worthless is an assertiveness skill called:

A)negative assertion.
B)negative inquiry.
C)ethnocentrism.
D)fogging.

Question 13

Safety and security needs include:

A)oxygen.
B)physical activity.
C)self-respect.
D)shelter.

Question 14

Which percentage of communication is visual?

A)7%
B)38%
C)55%
D)10%

Question 15

Four components of the communication process are sender,message,receiver,and feedback.The sender must make certain decisions to ensure that a message appropriately reaches the receiver.Which of the following two processes would be involved if a message were incorrectly received from the sender?

A)Communication conflict
B)Encoding and decoding
C)Paraphrasing
D)Stereotyping

Question 16

Which of the following statements would be considered assertive?

A)"If it's OK with you,I'd like to go to lunch."
B)"I'm going to lunch now and will return in 30 minutes."
C)"It looks quiet on the floor now,so is it ok if I take my lunch?"
D)"I'm getting hungry and am going to lunch.I don't care how busy it is."

Question 17

The HUC is scheduled to work three weekends in the next month's schedule.Which of the following responses would be aggressive?

A)"I just saw the schedule and noticed that I am scheduled to work three weekends.I did have plans,but I will change them."
B)"The schedule that was just posted shows that I am scheduled to work three weekends next month.Could this be changed?"
C)"You made a big mistake on the new schedule.I am not working three weekends next month."
D)"I just saw the new schedule.Is there an error? I am scheduled for three weekends."

Question 18

In which percent of communication are actual words used?

A)55%
B)7%
C)38%
D)10%

Question 19

Which of the following statements demonstrates aggressive behavior?

A)"If you don't mind,may I borrow a pack of surgical consent forms?"
B)"If you have some extra consent forms,may we borrow them for the 5th floor?"
C)"I'm taking this pack of consent forms;you never paid us back from last week."
D)"My manager asked me to see if you might return the pack of consents you borrowed."

Question 20

A patient who speaks very little English is admitted to the nursing unit.One effective guideline for speaking with someone who does not speak English well would be to:

A)use slang or jargon to eliminate confusion.
B)ignore the patient's body language;different cultures use different types of body language.
C)avoid asking for feedback or additional information,because this may complicate the communication.
D)speak directly to the person,even if an interpreter is present.

Question 21

A behavioral style of I'm OK,you are not OK is:

A)aggressive.
B)non-assertive.
C)self-denying.
D)assertive.

Question 22

A student/new employee should notify the nursing unit,the preceptor,and the instructor or nurse manager if he or she is going to be tardy or absent:

A)one half hour prior to start of shift.
B)2 hours prior to start of shift.
C)1 hour prior to start of shift.
D)20 minutes prior to shift.

Question 23

The term decoding refers to:

A)the sender who decides the words and method that should be used to send a message.
B)a miscommunication.
C)a method used to communicate secretly.
D)the receiver interpreting the verbal and nonverbal symbols of a received message.

Question 24

The receiver smiles after hearing a message from the sender.The smile is a component of communication called:

A)tact.
B)decoding.
C)feedback.
D)encoding.

Question 25

The following is an example of symbolic nonverbal communication:

A)hand gestures.
B)body art.
C)eye contact.
D)posture.

Question 26

Failure to show respect for a foreign patient's request for a special diet during a religious holiday is a breach of which responsibility?

A)Primary care
B)Culturally sensitive care
C)Accountability
D)Tort reform

Question 27

An elderly patient is upset because her family has not been in to see her for 2 days.What need is she expressing?

A)Esteem
B)Love and belonging
C)Physiologic
D)Self-actualization

Question 28

When one is speaking to someone who does not speak English well,it is best to:

A)talk loudly and slowly.
B)don't even try to speak to the person,it will only cause more confusion.
C)talk distinctly and slowly.
D)try using an accent that resembles the person's language.

Question 29

One of the five areas in which communication and interpersonal skills are used in the health care setting is:

A)making more friends.
B)promoting the hospital.
C)increasing the chances of a favorable evaluation.
D)developing trust.

Question 30

A doctor calls the nursing unit with orders for a patient who is to be admitted.The doctor tells the nurse that the patient is a "VIP" and should be treated as such.The doctor's statement is demonstrating:

A)ethnocentrism.
B)elitism.
C)stereotyping.
D)ageism.

Question 31

Which of the following adjectives best describes an assertive person?

A)Overbearing
B)Respectful
C)Withdrawn
D)Very timid

Question 32

A student sitting in class looking at the instructor as if listening to the lecture while thinking of what she is going to do after the class is over demonstrates what level of listening?

A)Ignoring
B)Empathetic
C)Selective listening
D)Pretend listening

Question 33

To assume that one's race is superior to that of others is referred to as:

A)stereotyping.
B)ethnocentrism.
C)assertiveness.
D)negative assertion.

Question 34

An important guideline for a preceptor to follow when training a student or a new employee is to:

A)obtain and share a list of objectives (provided by the hospital or by the school),so all are clear on what is to be accomplished by the end of the clinical experience.
B)find out how the student or new employee was trained and follow the same process.
C)allow the student or employee to watch but not do anything that could cause an error.
D)use this opportunity to allow the student or new employee to gain experience and clean and organize drawers in the nursing station.

Question 35

The implementation of EMR requires the HUC to:

A)have advanced communication skills.
B)be a medical transcriptionist.
C)have a bachelor's degree.
D)be cross trained as a certified nursing assistant (CNA).

Question 36

The unit manager is a registered nurse (RN)who makes every attempt to see things from another's point of view.This behavioral trait is known as:

A)sympathy.
B)accountability.
C)empathy.
D)respectfulness.

Question 37

Which of the following best describes what it means to listen with empathy?

A)Being sympathetic
B)Listening without responding
C)Listening and responding with both heart and mind to understand
D)Showing emotion

Question 38

An example of symbolic communication is:

A)hair.
B)posture.
C)hand gestures.
D)eye contact.