Question 1

A nurse manager asks the staff members,"What causes low morale?" This is an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Reverse brainstorming or negative brainstorming can reverse the problem or challenge it by asking what causes the problem instead of how to prevent it.

Question 2

A hospital planned to begin using a new computerized medication administration record.The hospital used an external consultant to act as a change agent and educate the staff.An advantage to using external consultants is that they:

Accepted Answer

External consultants have more diverse backgrounds,bring new ideas and a different perspective to the situation,and are independent of the power structure;consequently,they have more power.

Question 3

The staff nurse is assessing the need for further teaching for a preoperative surgical client.Based on the steps of critical thinking,what is the nurse's first priority?

Accepted Answer

All reasoning is an attempt to prevent or solve a problem,figure something out,or answer a question.

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of effective decision making?

Accepted Answer

After a decision has been made,it must be implemented.A decision that is not put into action is useless.

Question 5

An ad hoc committee was formed to collect data about the increase in absenteeism throughout the hospital.To ensure that this ad hoc committee functioned efficiently,the hospital limited the number of committee members to:

Accepted Answer

The size of a committee is important.Effective committee size may range from 5 to 15 persons.

Question 6

The nursing home staff members were brainstorming about ways to keep one of the residents from walking into other residents' rooms uninvited.After they failed to agree on a solution,the nurse manager instructed the staff members to take a break for lunch.The nursing manager was practicing what phase of creative decision making?

Accepted Answer

Repetition of the same thoughts with no new ideas or interpretations is a sign of fatigue and indicates that it is a good time to start the incubation period.Switching one's attention provides a necessary respite.

Question 7

Three charge nurses were assigned by the nurse manager to develop a method for keeping the crash cart stocked after each shift.What type of structure would best accomplish this assignment?

Accepted Answer

Ad hoc committees are generally most useful when appointed for a specific purpose.A committee appointed to collect data,analyze it,and make recommendations is an ad hoc committee.

Question 8

The hospital holds weekly meetings of a nurse manager council that discuss identified problem areas and makes recommendations to a central council or administration.This is a form of:

Accepted Answer

Although the ultimate responsibility for a decision is the top administrator's,that burden can be shared through the use of committees and shared governance councils.

Question 9

The nurse manager expected her staff to be able to log into evidence-based practice websites to update policies and procedures.This is an example of what element of reasoning?

Accepted Answer

Reasoning is only as sound as the evidence on which it is based.The evidence should be clear,relevant,accurate,adequate,fairly gathered and reported,and consistently applied.

Question 10

Traditionally,a hospital cuts back on registered nurse staffing for budgetary reasons.The hospital chief executive officer (CEO)wanted to decrease the operating budget by reducing the number of travel nurses being used on the units.The nurse managers protested this decision loudly because they feared a resulting shortage of staff.The hospital CEO used what type of decision-making model?

Accepted Answer

The bureaucratic model is based on the promises of historical norms and operating routines.This model values operational efficiency based on history and tradition.It does not recognize informal channels of communication and ignores political struggles for power.

Question 11

The nurse manager wants to ensure that consensus has been reached at the monthly staff meeting.Consensus occurs when the committee members agree that they can live with the decision even if it is not the decision they would prefer.One way for the nurse manager to help build consensus among the committee members is to:

Accepted Answer

To build consensus,the nurse manager (or chairperson)listens to all committee members,uses the ideas,and gets people onto the team by involving them in critical thinking,creative thinking,and realistic critiquing of ideas.

Question 12

In the decision-making process,the nurse identifies a problem by:

Accepted Answer

Managers identify the cause or causes of a problem by analyzing available information.Then they begin exploring possible solutions.

Question 13

A staff nurse was asked by the nurse manager to be the charge nurse because of the staff nurse's long history of effective decision making.The staff nurse attributed her effective decision making to:

Accepted Answer

Problem solving is a skill that can be learned,and because staff nurses can learn by observing their leaders,good decision making by the leader may do more than solve immediate problems.More important for the long term,it can foster good decision making by staff nurses.

Question 14

A staff nurse ridiculed another staff nurse's draft of the designs for new signs that were to be placed on the unit.The staff nurse who was ridiculing was demonstrating:

Accepted Answer

Negative attitudes,self-censorship,inflexibility,lack of confidence,misconceptions,lack of effort,habits,conformity,and reliance on authority all block creativity.

Question 15

After a brainstorming session on how to implement a new staffing policy,the nurse manager decided to have the staff rank the suggestions in order of most preferred solution after considering whether each suggestion is practical,cost effective,efficient,and effective.Next,the staff prioritized the list,eliminated items,and added others.This is a form of:

Accepted Answer

The checklist method is used to assemble items on a checklist,sort them,prioritize them,eliminate items,and add others.

Question 16

The nurse manager of the labor and delivery room sees the need to develop a new policy that allows members of the extended family into the delivery room.This policy change would have to be presented to the medical staff.What type of structure would the nurses use to develop the new policy?

Accepted Answer

Formal committees are part of the organizational structure and have specific duties and authority.Formal committees tend to be permanent.

Question 17

During a staff conference,the issue of mandatory in-service sessions was raised.The staff from the day shift wanted the in-service sessions to be held from 12:00 to 1:00 PM,so they could eat lunch together.Some of the newer staff members who worked nights remained silent.When it came time for the vote,the majority who worked days and evenings accepted the time for the in-service sessions.The night shift members did not promote this new schedule.This form of peer pressure is:

Accepted Answer

Groupthink seeks fast solutions with little critical thinking or input from group members.People may feel invulnerable,ignore negative feedback,stereotype differing views as misinformed,and use peer pressure to suppress doubters.People conform rather than challenge ideas,and poor decisions can result.

Question 18

A staff nurse witnessed a hospital staff member who was finishing up the night shift stuff her pockets with extra rolls of tape.The hospital has a policy about unauthorized removal of supplies from the unit.The staff nurse reported the incident to the nurse manager.Instead of reporting the hospital staff member to the house supervisor,the nurse manager counseled the staff member in the nurse manager's office.This is an example of what type of ethical position?

Accepted Answer

Rule ethics expects obedience to laws,rules,professional codes,and authority.

Question 19

The nurse manager put up a rotation schedule to ensure that the holidays would be covered.The manager scheduled a newly hired staff nurse for the same time slot as a nurse who had seniority.The nurse manager was demonstrating what ethical principle?

Accepted Answer

Justice means treating people equally and fairly.Equals should be treated equally,and unequals should be treated according to their differences.Allocation of holidays,vacation time,and days off to attend conferences should reflect performance as well as who is next on the list.

Question 20

The nurse manager at a nursing home wanted to use creative thinking to solve the problem of residents' borrowing each other's cigarettes without permission.First,the nurse manager called two licensed staff members into her office to discuss the problem.Next,she called in the nursing assistant to join the group.Finally,she called in the social worker to join the group.The nurse manager employed which technique to solve the problem?

Accepted Answer

The stepladder technique structures the entry of group members into the group to ensure that each member contributes to the decision-making process.

Quiz 3: Decision-Making Process and Tools