Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

Nurses should always think critically about assignments so they can communicate what makes them uncomfortable about a particular assignment. If nurses do not have the knowledge or experience required for particular patient assignments, then modification of the assignments is in order to ensure patient safety.

Question 2

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:

Accepted Answer

The whistle-blower is not protected until concerns are reported to the state or national regulatory agency.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

An unexpected number of young people entered the nursing workforce from 2002 to 2009, causing faster growth in the supply than anticipated.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

Research validates that an aging population and an aging nursing workforce are significant contributors to the nursing shortage issue.

Question 5

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?

Accepted Answer

A safe work environment is imperative for the safety of both nurses and patients. Correcting this work environment issue promotes job satisfaction and good patient outcomes.

Question 6

The key to organizational success for health care facilities is:

Accepted Answer

Past nursing shortages have proved that retention of professional nurses is the key to any organization's success. Nurses want to work in an environment that supports decision making and effective nurse-physician relationships. The ability of an organization to retain nurses primarily depends on the creation of an environment that is conducive to professional autonomy.

Question 7

The Institute of Medicine report (2011):

Accepted Answer

The IOM report (2011) addresses the evolving complexities of the current health care system and a need for 80% of the nursing workforce to be baccalaureate prepared by 2020.

Question 8

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:

Accepted Answer

The emerging workforce, ages 18 to 35 years, has compensation expectations that differ from those of previous generations. This younger generation prefers to work in an outcomes-based environment, where pay is based on achievement or merit, not on longevity.

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

A number of studies in the late 1990s focused on the work environment as a significant contributor to the difficulties involved in recruiting and retaining RNs. One of the primary factors for the increasing nurse turnover rate was identified as workload and staffing patterns. A more recent study by Aiken (2002) reported higher rates of patient complications and increased death rates when fewer nurses are assigned per patient.

Question 10

An acute care facility values job satisfaction among its registered nurses.by implementing a shared governance model. Which element is a fundamental characteristic of this model?

Accepted Answer

The importance of shared governance is that such models provide an organizational framework for nurses in direct care to become committed to nursing practice within their organizations. The implementation of such models allows nurses to have an active role in decision making by providing maximal participation and accountability for the outcomes of those decisions.

Question 11

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:

Accepted Answer

One of the many guidelines regarding whistle-blowing specifies that one should seek counsel from a trusted individual outside the situation to gain an objective perspective.

Question 12

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)

Accepted Answer

Placing supplies in a decentralized area prevents the fatigue that would be caused by the need to retrieve items from a distant location. Nurses are integral to quality and their contributions should be noticed. Ill-designed units contribute to fatigue and inability of aging nurses to perform efficiently. Mentoring is one way to acknowledge skills of the aging workforce.

Question 13

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?

Accepted Answer

Nurses in all settings must proactively advocate for interventions that ensure personal safety and a safe work environment.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

Magnet hospitals have been identified as both attracting and retaining professional nurses. Magnet hospital nurses have higher levels of autonomy, greater control over the practice setting, and better relationships with physicians.

Question 15

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:

Accepted Answer

A summary of research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (2014) found that health care workers have almost five times the risk of experiencing a violence-related workplace injury requiring time off from work than individuals in the overall workforce.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

RNs ranked their relationships with administration and management the lowest in the workplace.

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, passed at the federal level, requires the use of safer needle devices to protect from sharps injuries; the law requires employers to maintain a sharps injury log that contains, at a minimum, the brand of device involved in the incident, the department or work area where the exposure incident occurred, and an explanation of how the incident occurred.

Question 18

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:

Accepted Answer

Academic institutions, especially those faced with budget cuts, generally cannot compete with nonacademic employers. Faculty salaries continue to be a major contributor to the nursing shortage.

Question 19

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"?

Accepted Answer

Safe harbor does not mean a nurse can refuse an assignment unless it would violate the nurse practice act, but it does provide an avenue for nurses to report unsafe staffing by filing a written report that is investigated by administration.

Question 20

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?

Accepted Answer

Personal and social factors include stress, job satisfaction, and professionalism and financial literacy.

Quiz 13: Workforce Advocacy for a Professional Nursing Practice Environment