Question 1

A nurse demonstrates assertive behavior by doing which of the following?
A) When making an error, the nurse over explains and over apologizes and is unaware of the right to make a mistake.
B) When asked by the charge nurse to accept an admission, the busy nurse hesitantly responds by saying, "Well, I guess I could."
C) When the nurse is very busy and needs help with an assignment, the nurse says nothing and refrains from expressing the need for help.
D) A patient complains of pain when ambulating and asks not to walk. The nurse respects the patient's feelings and medicates the patient as ordered for pain while supporting the need to carry out the physician's order

Accepted Answer

Assertiveness is a current name for honesty; it is a way to live the truth from one's innermost being and to express this truth in thought, word, and deed. Respecting the patient's feelings but supporting the need to carry out the physician's order is an example of assertive behavior. Nonassertive (passive), fear-based behavior is an emotionally dishonest, self-defeating type of behavior. Nonassertive nurses attempt to look the other way, avoid conflict, and take what seems to be the easiest way out; they are never full participants on the nursing team. Nonassertive individuals do not express feelings, needs, and ideas when their rights are infringed on, deliberately or accidentally. The remaining options are all examples of nonassertive behavior.

Question 2

When a nurse is the target for unwanted behavior that she perceives as sexually harassing, she should first
A) resign from the job.
B) assertively tell the person that the behavior is unwanted.
C) report the behavior to the nursing supervisor.
D) report the behavior to the union representative.

Accepted Answer

The initial action should be to tell the individual that the behavior is unwanted and offensive. Use assertive verbal and nonverbal communication. Resigning from the job should be unnecessary. Reporting the behavior to the nursing supervisor and/or union representative should not be the first action but might be necessary if assertive communication does not stop the behavior.

Question 3

A nurse demonstrates nonassertive behavior by doing which of the following?
A) When a patient asks about the nurse's personal life, the nurse responds to the patient's questions out of fear of not being liked by the patient.
B) When a patient asks about the nurse's personal life, the nurse says that the information is personal and chooses not to discuss it.
C) When a nurse feels the team leader has been unfair, the nurse approaches the team leader and asks to speak privately at a time that is convenient for the person.
D) When pressured by staff members to help with their assignments, the nurse, who is too busy to help, refuses without feeling guilty but leaves the door open to help at a future date.

Accepted Answer

Nonassertive (passive), fear-based behavior is an emotionally dishonest, self-defeating type of behavior. Nonassertive nurses attempt to look the other way, avoid conflict, and take what seems to be the easiest way out; they are never full participants on the nursing team. Nonassertive individuals do not express feelings, needs, and ideas when their rights are infringed upon, deliberately or accidentally. Responding to the patient's questions out of fear of not being liked is an example of nonassertive behavior. Assertiveness is a current name for honesty; it is a way to live the truth from one's innermost being and to express this truth in thought, word, and deed. The remaining options are examples of assertive behavior.

Question 4

A nurse demonstrates assertive behavior by doing which of the following?
A) Assuming a patient would like to skip the bath when the patient's spouse comes to visit
B) Being unable to continue suctioning a patient because she is concerned the patient will not like her for doing it
C) Experiencing a feeling of devastation when the patient questions her ability to insert an intravenous catheter
D) Requesting to speak with the physician privately when she feels that the physician has ordered an inappropriate treatment

Accepted Answer

Assertiveness is a current name for honesty; it is a way to live the truth from one's innermost being and to express this truth in thought, word, and deed. Requesting to speak with the physician privately is an example of assertive behavior. Nonassertive (passive), fear-based behavior is an emotionally dishonest, self-defeating type of behavior. Nonassertive nurses attempt to look the other way, avoid conflict, and take what seems to be the easiest way out; they are never full participants on the nursing team. Nonassertive individuals do not express feelings, needs, and ideas when their rights are infringed upon, deliberately or accidentally. The remaining options are all examples of nonassertive behavior.

Question 5

Which statement shows a personal commitment to work on the goal of devoting more time to coursework for the LPN/LVN program?
A) "My friends have to stop asking me to do time-consuming favors for them."
B) "My family needs to take on more responsibility for household tasks so I have more time to study."
C) "The charge nurse should stop asking me to work overtime and instead ask other CNAs."
D) "I will say 'no' when people ask me to do things that take time away from my studies."

Accepted Answer

This "I" statement shows that the individual can assume responsibility for implementing a goal. The other options are all statements indicating what others should do.

Question 6

The student nurse has a goal to become a more assertive person. To achieve this, the student nurse must be willing to
A) keep a daily journal.
B) be disliked by others.
C) put down other people.
D) take a positive stand.

Accepted Answer

Assertiveness is characterized by taking a positive stand in a persistent way. Keeping a daily journal is not a requirement of assertiveness. Assertiveness should not result in incurring the dislike of others. Putting down others is aggressive, not assertive.

Question 7

A nurse demonstrates assertive behavior by doing which of the following?
A) When the physician yells at the nurse in front of the patient, the nurse is angry but refrains from speaking about it.
B) The nurse plans on seeking new employment out of fear of approaching the supervisor to tell his or her side of what happened.
C) When working with a patient who has had the call light on repeatedly, the nurse tells the patient, "Do not put your call light on again."
D) When unexpected visitors arrive to visit the patient during breakfast, the nurse asks whether the patient would prefer to eat now or visit.

Accepted Answer

Assertiveness is a current name for honesty; it is a way to live the truth from one's innermost being and to express this truth in thought, word, and deed. Giving the patient the choice between breakfast and visitors is an example of assertive behavior. Nonassertive (passive), fear-based behavior is an emotionally dishonest, self-defeating type of behavior. Nonassertive nurses attempt to look the other way, avoid conflict, and take what seems to be the easiest way out; they are never full participants on the nursing team. Nonassertive individuals do not express feelings, needs, and ideas when their rights are infringed upon, deliberately or accidentally. The nurse refraining from talking about being angry after a physician yells and the nurse planning on seeking new employment out of fear are examples of nonassertive behavior. Telling the patient not to put the call light on again is an example of aggressive behavior in which the rights of others are violated.

Question 8

A nurse demonstrates assertive behavior by doing which of the following?
A) Limiting contact with a patient who is dying, because it causes the nurse to feel depressed
B) Routinely telling patients who have questions about their medications to ask the physician
C) When asked about something unfamiliar, admitting to not knowing but agreeing to find out
D) Telling another nurse how ridiculous a doctor is for ordering hourly vital sign assessments

Accepted Answer

Assertiveness is a current name for honesty; it is a way to live the truth from one's innermost being and to express this truth in thought, word, and deed. Admitting to not knowing and agreeing to find out the answer is an example of assertive behavior. Nonassertive (passive), fear-based behavior is an emotionally dishonest, self-defeating type of behavior. Nonassertive nurses attempt to look the other way, avoid conflict, and take what seems to be the easiest way out; they are never full participants on the nursing team. Nonassertive individuals do not express feelings, needs, and ideas when their rights are infringed upon, deliberately or accidentally. The remaining options are all examples of nonassertive behavior.

Question 9

What are the expected outcomes of using assertive communication in the nursing workplace? (Select all that apply.)
A) It enmeshes the person and the issue.
B) It promotes positive relationships.
C) It is clear and unequivocal.
D) It respects the rights of oneself and others.
E) It is focused on the personal needs of the nurse.
F) It guarantees the user will get his or her way.

Accepted Answer

These statements about assertive communication outcomes are correct. Assertive communication in the nursing workplace does not enmesh the person and the issue; assertiveness separates the person and the issue. Assertive communication allows the nurse to focus on the patient's needs rather than being inner focused. Assertive communication does not guarantee that the user will get his or her own way; instead, it guarantees that the user will feel in control of emotions and responses.

Question 10

The instructor tells a nursing student to hurry with the assignment in order to help a classmate who is behind with work. The student has promised a patient she'd return in 15 minutes to polish the patient's nails. Which response would be considered assertive?
A) "Why me? I'm still busy with my own patients. Ask one of the others who are standing around at the nurses' station."
B) "I suppose I can, if you insist."
C) "I've promised one of my patients that I'll come back to polish her nails. I'd like to be able to keep that promise. Can you possibly ask someone else?"
D) "I'll be glad to help." Then go and apologize to the patient, saying the instructor won't let you polish her nails.

Accepted Answer

Telling the instructor of the promise and asking him or her to find someone else is an honest, positive response that protects one's own rights but does not infringe on the rights of others. Asking "Why me?" and stating, "I'm still busy with my own patients. Ask one of the others who are standing around at the nurses' station" is aggressive. The statement "I suppose I can, if you insist" is passive. Stating "I'll be glad to help" and then apologizing to the patient saying the instructor won't let you polish her nails is dishonest.

Question 11

A nurse demonstrates assertive behavior by doing which of the following?
A) When a patient asks the nurse to stop and feed the patient's cats on the way home, the nurse frowns but agrees to do so.
B) The nurse feels the team leader's assignment is unfair, so the nurse drops hints to coworkers about feelings of unfairness.
C) When the patient asks about the nurse's personal life, the nurse answers the questions out of fear of not being liked for not answering.
D) When working with a patient who is critical of the nurse, the nurse sits down with the patient and listens attentively to the patient's concerns.

Accepted Answer

Assertiveness is a current name for honesty; it is a way to live the truth from one's innermost being and to express this truth in thought, word, and deed. Sitting with the patient and listening attentively is an example of assertive behavior. Nonassertive (passive), fear-based behavior is an emotionally dishonest, self-defeating type of behavior. Nonassertive nurses attempt to look the other way, avoid conflict, and take what seems to be the easiest way out; they are never full participants on the nursing team. Nonassertive individuals do not express feelings, needs, and ideas when their rights are infringed upon, deliberately or accidentally. The remaining options are all examples of nonassertive behavior.

Question 12

When a nurse tells a peer, "You have to watch out for the charge nurse. Sometimes she's OK, but sometimes she's just plain unreasonable. The best thing to do is to tell her off the first time she gets on your back about something. Keep me posted and I'll try to help you." An assertive reply would be
A) "Thanks for the warning. I'll be careful."
B) "You take care of yourself, and I'll watch out for myself."
C) "I think it would be best for me to work on my relationship independently."
D) "It seems to me that you're playing a manipulative game and giving out poor advice."

Accepted Answer

This response deals directly with the nurse who is labeling the charge nurse and attempting to divide and conquer. It makes it clear that the nurse is capable of making assessments and planning actions.

Question 13

The intervention that is most effective at reducing patient violence against nurses is
A) teaching nurses to communicate respect for patients and confidence in themselves.
B) requiring nurses to work in groups rather than alone.
C) having security personnel stationed on all units.
D) assigning only male nurses to care for psychiatric or chemical dependency patients.

Accepted Answer

Violence prevention includes both respect for patients and self-confidence in nurses. Nurses who are passive and tentative are more likely to be victims of violence. Patients who feel they are not respected are more likely to use violence as a way of getting their needs met. Requiring nurses to work in groups rather than alone would not be possible. Having security personnel stationed on all units would not entirely eliminate violence; many patients would not be aware of the presence of security officers on the unit, whereas others impaired by medication or illness would not factor in the presence of security personnel. Assigning only male nurses to care for psychiatric or chemically dependent patients is neither practical nor desirable.

Question 14

Which nonverbal behavior is most congruent with a nurse's assertive verbal statement?
A) Firm voice, erect posture, direct eye contact
B) Soft voice, shoulders relaxed, eyes down
C) Loud voice, back stiff, eyes glaring
D) Smile while speaking, touch person's arm, eyes lowered

Accepted Answer

Use of a firm voice with erect posture and direct eye contact describes nonverbal behavior that is congruent with assertive verbalization. Using a soft voice with shoulders relaxed and eyes down is passive submissive. Smiling while speaking and touching the person's arm with lowered eyes is passive submissive. Use of a loud voice, back stiff, and eyes glaring is consistent with aggressive behavior.

Question 15

Which statements about manipulation would be useful to the nurse who interacts with both patients and peers? (Select all that apply.)
A) Manipulation usually disregards the feelings and needs of others.
B) Manipulation exploits the weaknesses of others.
C) A divide-and-conquer strategy is often used by those who manipulate.
D) Firm limit setting rarely protects against manipulation.
E) Manipulation often results in individuals being treated as objects.
F) Manipulation should be permitted if it is consistent with the nurse's needs.

Accepted Answer

Manipulation usually disregards the feelings and needs of others; manipulation exploits the weaknesses of others; a divide-and-conquer strategy is often used by those who manipulate; and manipulation often results in individuals being treated as objects-these are all true statements that would help the nurse put manipulative behavior into perspective. The statement indicating that firm limit setting rarely protects against manipulation is incorrect. Firm limit setting is one of the better strategies for handling manipulative behavior. Permitting manipulation if it is consistent with the nurse's needs is not an appropriate basis for interactions with either patients or peers.

Question 16

A staff nurse enters the room in which you're giving care to a patient in traction. She calls you aside and states, "I've watched you all morning. You don't seem to know how to do anything right. Look at you now! You're bathing the patient and it's almost time for lunch." An assertive approach would be to say
A) "You're right. I am still bathing the patient. She was in pain earlier. I waited until her narcotic made her more comfortable."
B) "I'm sorry you think I give poor care. I'm still pretty new, and I'm trying hard to learn."
C) "I've watched you, too. You've criticized every student. Is this some game you play?"
D) "I hope you won't report this to my instructor."

Accepted Answer

Saying "You're right. I am still bathing the patient. She was in pain earlier. I waited until her narcotic made her more comfortable" assertively tells the staff nurse that the student has used critical thinking in arriving at a course of action. The statement "I'm sorry you think I give poor care. I'm still pretty new, and I'm trying hard to learn" is passive. Stating "I've watched you, too. You've criticized every student. Is this some game you play?" is aggressive. Stating "I hope you won't report this to my instructor" is passive.

Question 17

Which behavior should be considered an early sign that a coworker may have the potential for violence?
A) Verbalization of a wish to harm someone
B) A suicidal threat
C) Destruction of agency property
D) Lack of cooperation with supervisors

Accepted Answer

Lack of cooperation is an early covert sign of the potential for violent acting out. The other behaviors are seen later.

Question 18

A newly graduated LPN/LVN who is orienting to the unit tells a peer, "You should have seen that new associate degree RN trying to take care of three patients! She was so disorganized that it made me glad I'm an LPN/LVN." The LPN/LVN is demonstrating
A) manipulation.
B) assertiveness.
C) projection.
D) passiveness.

Accepted Answer

Projection is a coping mechanism that allows the individual to unconsciously attribute his or her own weaknesses to others. Manipulation is an indirect way of dealing with issues that may be positive or negative. Assertiveness is another name for "honesty"; that is, it is a way to live the truth from your innermost being and to express this truth in thought, word, and deed. Passiveness (or being nonassertive) is a fear-based, emotionally dishonest, self-defeating type of behavior. Nonassertive nurses attempt to look the other way, avoid conflict, and take what seems to be the easiest way out; they are never full participants on the health care team.

Question 19

A student nurse is assigned to care for a patient who is known to be angry. During the caregiving process, the patient hits the student nurse. The action the student nurse should initially take is
A) indicate that he does not like being hit and continue to provide care to the patient.
B) leave the patient in a safe situation and immediately report the event to the instructor.
C) immediately leave the room and call the patient's physician for an order to medicate the patient.
D) go to the telephone and call the local police to report the incident.

Accepted Answer

Leaving the patient in a safe situation and immediately reporting the event to the instructor should be the initial action of the student nurse, who needs both the support and guidance of the instructor. Indicating that he does not like being hit and continuing to provide care is dangerous. Immediately leaving the room and calling the physician for a medication order is inappropriate. Calling the local police to report the incident would not be the initial action.

Question 20

A nursing student's mother states, "I need you to watch your younger siblings while I play bingo." The nursing student had planned to prepare for a unit examination. An assertive approach would be to say
A) "What you're asking isn't fair. I have an examination to study for. You never win at bingo anyway."
B) "OK. If your bingo means more to you than my passing a big exam, I'll watch the kids."
C) "I'll make a deal with you. I'll watch the kids if you'll cook my favorite meal tomorrow night."
D) "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to babysit. I have an examination tomorrow. I need the time tonight to study."

Accepted Answer

Telling the mother, "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to babysit. I have an examination tomorrow. I need the time tonight to study" is honest and protects the nursing student's rights. Stating "What you're asking isn't fair. I have an examination to study for. You never win at bingo anyway" is aggressive. The statement "OK. If your bingo means more to you than my passing a big exam, I'll watch the kids" is passive aggressive. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll watch the kids if you'll cook my favorite meal tomorrow night" is manipulative.

Quiz 9: Assertiveness: Your Responsibility

A nurse demonstrates assertive behavior by doing which of the following?

When a nurse is the target for unwanted behavior that she perceives as sexually harassing, she should first

A nurse demonstrates nonassertive behavior by doing which of the following?

A nurse demonstrates assertive behavior by doing which of the following?

Which statement shows a personal commitment to work on the goal of devoting more time to coursework for the LPN/LVN program?

The student nurse has a goal to become a more assertive person. To achieve this, the student nurse must be willing to

A nurse demonstrates assertive behavior by doing which of the following?

A nurse demonstrates assertive behavior by doing which of the following?

What are the expected outcomes of using assertive communication in the nursing workplace? (Select all that apply.)

The instructor tells a nursing student to hurry with the assignment in order to help a classmate who is behind with work. The student has promised a patient she'd return in 15 minutes to polish the patient's nails. Which response would be considered assertive?

A nurse demonstrates assertive behavior by doing which of the following?

The intervention that is most effective at reducing patient violence against nurses is

Which nonverbal behavior is most congruent with a nurse's assertive verbal statement?

Which statements about manipulation would be useful to the nurse who interacts with both patients and peers? (Select all that apply.)

Which behavior should be considered an early sign that a coworker may have the potential for violence?

A newly graduated LPN/LVN who is orienting to the unit tells a peer, "You should have seen that new associate degree RN trying to take care of three patients! She was so disorganized that it made me glad I'm an LPN/LVN." The LPN/LVN is demonstrating

A student nurse is assigned to care for a patient who is known to be angry. During the caregiving process, the patient hits the student nurse. The action the student nurse should initially take is

A nursing student's mother states, "I need you to watch your younger siblings while I play bingo." The nursing student had planned to prepare for a unit examination. An assertive approach would be to say