Deck 13: Principles of Leadership and Management

Question 1

A nurse terminates employment without giving the facility the required 2-week notice. One month later, the nurse manager receives a call from the personnel director at a different hospital requesting a reference for this nurse. How can the nurse manager best respond to this request?

A)"The nurse was irresponsible and did not give a 2-week notice."
B)"The nurse worked here for several months before leaving abruptly."
C)"You will be lucky to hire a nurse of his or her caliber."
D)"The nurse worked here from November 1, 1993 to April 9, 2002."

Answer 1

"The nurse worked here from November 1, 1993 to April 9, 2002."

Question 2

What is the primary drawback to using the trait theory of management in developing management skills?

A)It does not take into account how the person responds in specific situations.
B)A person has to have all the traits in order to be an effective manager.
C)Only persons with many years of experience can master the required traits.
D)It is not reflective of the traits that are required for management.

Answer 2

It does not take into account how the person responds in specific situations.

Question 3

Identify the element that would be considered a needs motivator or satisfier in Herzberg's motivation hygiene theory.

A)Career advancement
B)Job security
C)Salary
D)Status in the organization

Answer 3

Career advancement

Question 4

During a staff meeting, an elderly physician is very negative and disagrees with any proposals for change, directing belittling statements at the unit manager, such as, "No wonder this hospital is such a mess. You generation-X nurses have no commitment to working hard!" How can the unit manager most appropriately deal with this situation?

A)Ask the physician to leave the meeting before proceeding.
B)Reply to the physician with equally belittling remarks.
C)Allow the physician to express his or her opinions and then ask for input from others at the meeting.
D)Walk out of the room and report the physician to the hospital's chief of medicine.

Question 5

Select the statement by a unit manager to the vice president for nursing during a budget meeting that would be most effective in decreasing the staffing ratio on her unit from one nurse for every nine clients to one nurse for every seven clients. "This proposed change will ____."

A)have a positive effect on the usage of institutional resources
B)better meet current national standards of practice
C)help with the recruitment of new nurses to the facility
D)improve the quality of care for the clients on the unit

Question 6

A newly appointed nurse manager observes that the unit she is supervising functions in a manner that suggests the previous manager used a laissez-faire approach to supervision. Select the practice that indicates that more direction is required in the leadership style.

A)The experienced nurses work through lunch breaks.
B)Most tasks are being performed by new graduates.
C)Nurses from the float pool are assigned to the low-acuity clients.
D)Staff members are resistant to proposed changes.

Question 7

A hospital administrator has decided to turn an underused medical surgical unit into a rehabilitation unit. What will be necessary to implement this strategic decision?

A)Allocate extra money for the staff to work overtime.
B)Follow existing policies and procedures used in the rest of the facility.
C)Perform a needs assessment and evaluate the data.
D)Develop long-term goals and identify key individuals.

Question 8

A leader with a low relationship/low task orientation presents a leadership style that is most similar to which leadership approach?

A)Democratic
B)Laissez-faire
C)Authoritarian
D)Benevolent

Question 9

Identify a typical response for a manager who uses the laissez-faire approach to leadership when faced with a difficult decision.

A)Consult with the coworkers on the best way to resolve the problem.
B)Make the tough decision by himself or herself and accept the responsibility.
C)Appeal to a higher authority to make the decision.
D)Postpone making the decision in the hopes that it will resolve itself.

Question 10

The hospital administration has just notified all the unit managers that the care delivery model is to be changed from team nursing to modular nursing because of budget restraints. Identify the action by the unit managers that is essential to the successful implementation of the modular nursing care model.

A)Hire nurses who are self-directed and concerned with consistency of care.
B)Obtain the cooperation and input from the respiratory therapy, radiology, dietary, and laboratory departments and other support services.
C)Develop total quality management (TQM) studies to determine risk areas.
D)Initiate a training program for ancillary health workers, such as nurse aides and orderlies.

Question 11

After her first week working on a busy medical/surgical unit, a new charge nurse notes that the individual nurses are highly competent but seem to be unable to function productively as a team. Select the action by the charge nurse that would best facilitate team building among the staff.

A)Provide an opportunity for the nurses to express their feelings and emotions.
B)Hire more staff members to reduce stress and fatigue from understaffing.
C)Allow the staff more input into important policy decision-making.
D)Give the staff members more time to adjust to the change in charge nurses.

Question 12

What is the first action the nurse manager should take when changing a procedure for the distribution of cardiac telemetry units when there are more clients than units available?

A)Review the current standards of care.
B)Rewrite applicable policies and procedures.
C)Designate the most critical clients as the ones to receive the units first.
D)Poll the physicians who commonly use telemetry for their opinions.

Question 13

A manager who always achieves the tasks given to him or her, uses verbal putdowns and poor performance evaluations to motivate employees, and expects all orders to be carried out without question is using which style of leadership?

A)High relationship/low task
B)Low relationship/low task
C)Low relationship/high task
D)High relationship/high task

Question 14

Which objective best indicates that a vice president for nursing services has a good understanding of methods to decrease staff turnover rate?

A)Postdischarge questionnaires will show increased levels of client satisfaction.
B)During the next 6 months, attrition rates will be the national average.
C)During the next 3 months, retention rates will increase by 10%.
D)Nurses will feel more control over their work environment.

Question 15

Select an important principle that guides managers who use the democratic leadership style of management.

A)The leader performs the same tasks as the rest of the members of the group.
B)Each member of the group respects all the other members as unique and valuable.
C)The members of the group must carry out decisions of the leader without question.
D)The leader must be methodical and able to sift through complicated information.

Question 16

The nurses on the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift have been complaining to the head nurse that the nurses on the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift have not been doing the ordered client daily weights, and the physicians are very upset when they make their early morning rounds. Identify the initial action the head nurse should take to resolve this conflict.

A) Post a stern memo that reminds the night shift nurses to do the daily weights.
B) Review the daily weight flow sheet.
C) Change the time for daily weights to the late morning.
D) Hold a meeting with the physicians to discuss their attitudes.

Question 17

The oxygen saturation for a client with acute infective bronchitis drops to 84%, and the client develops severe dyspnea. There is a standing order for a handheld nebulizer (HHN) treatment PRN (as needed) for shortness of breath. The respiratory therapy department is designated to give all respiratory treatments in the facility. When the nurse calls the respiratory therapist, he states that he has several more treatments to give but he should be there in 10 or 15 minutes. Select the action by the nurse that would be most appropriate at this time.

A)Increase the flow rate of the client's oxygen until the respiratory therapist can arrive.
B)Call the respiratory therapist back and insist that he come NOW.
C)Give the HHN treatment himself or herself.
D)Give the client a prescribed PRN sedative to reduce anxiety.

Question 18

A proposed change in the management structure of the nursing unit is explained during a staff meeting, and several nurses express antagonistic comments about the proposed changes to the nurse manager. Identify the best response by the nurse manager.

A)We need to look at all aspects of the proposal even though some of you may not think it is wise.
B)I will not continue with the presentation until the room is quiet.
C)If you cannot hold your comments until the end of the presentation, please leave now.
D)There seems to be some disagreement with the proposal.Let's discuss the good and bad points.

Question 19

A unit manager is preparing the time schedule for the summer holiday season. Approximately one half of the staff has requested 1 to 2 weeks' vacation. Granting all the requested time will lead to severe staffing shortages. What is the nurse manager's primary consideration in developing this schedule?

A)Nurses' satisfaction and work performance
B)Establishing good communication with staff members to reduce resentment
C)Granting requests by seniority and performance evaluations
D)Client safety needs

Question 20

A leader who is paternalistic and attempts to include the group's feelings and concerns in making a final decision about how to accomplish a task is best identified as using which approach?

A)Benevolent authoritarian
B)Democratic
C)Laissez-faire
D)Dictatorial authoritarian

Question 21

Based on a task-oriented philosophy, ____________________ requires each person to perform a specific job that is narrowly defined according to the needs of the unit.

Question 22

Select all items from the list below that are characteristics of effective managers.
a.Optimistic
b.Insensitive to negative comments
c.Identifies restraining forces
d.Distrusts everyone
e.Goal directed