Question 1

An important aspect of managing the costs on a unit is to plan accurately for staffing needs.Nurse managers use staffing plans to:
A)assign staff on the unit on a daily basis.
B)ensure that days off are planned for the staff.
C)outline the number of individuals by classification on a per-shift basis.
D)predict the numbers and classifications of float staff needed to augment regular staff.

Accepted Answer

A nurse manager needs to manage financial resources by developing staffing plans.Staffing plans plan for minimum number of professional nurses required on a unit at a given time or to the amount of minimum staffing in an extended-care facility or prison, based on regulatory guidelines.

Question 2

The difference between staffing and scheduling is that staffing:
A)puts the right person in the right position.
B)puts the right person in the right time and place.
C)refers to the number of nursing hours per patient per day.
D)looks after interpretation of benefits and compensation.

Accepted Answer

Nursing staffing involves planning for hiring and deploying qualified human resources to meet the needs of a group of patients.Scheduling, on the other hand, is a function of implementing the staffing plan by assigning unit personnel to work specific hours and days of the week.

Question 3

A nurse manager must also consider a number of internal variables that will affect staffing patterns.An internal variable to be considered is:
A)organizational staffing policies.
B)state licensing standards.
C)American Nurses Association.
D)consumer expectations.

Accepted Answer

State licensing standards outline what a nurse can do.Internal policies determine what a nurse may do in a particular setting as well as the amount of flexibility that is allowed to manage times of high and low volumes, as well as changes in acuity.Organizational policies can put the nurse manager in a situation where patient safety cannot be maintained or financial obligations met.

Question 4

Scheduling is a function of implementing the staffing plan by assigning unit personnel to work specific hours and specific days of the week.To retain nursing staff, the nurse manager must incorporate into the schedule plan:
A)all weekends off.
B)all holidays off.
C)a variety of scheduling options.
D)rotating shifts.

Accepted Answer

Creating a flexible schedule with a variety of scheduling options that leads to work schedule stability for each employee is one mechanism likely to retain staff, which is within the control of nurse managers.

Question 5

A busy neurologic ICU and step-down unit most likely would use which patient-classification system?
A)Factor evaluation
B)Prototype evaluation
C)Hybrid system
D)AHRQ system

Accepted Answer

A factor evaluation system is considered more objective than a prototype evaluation system.It gives each task, thought process, and patient care activity a time or rating.Some patient types with a single healthcare focus, such as maternal deliveries or outpatient surgical patients, would be appropriately classified with a prototype system.Patients with more complex care needs and a less predictable disease course, such as those with pneumonia or stroke, are more appropriately evaluated with a factor system.

Question 6

A nurse manager must consider a number of external variables when preparing the personnel budget and projecting the unit's staffing needs.An external variable to be considered is:
A)organizational staffing policies.
B)staffing models.
C)changes in services that will be offered.
D)department of Health licensing standards.

Accepted Answer

Licensing regulations of the state can determine staffing models.Staffing regulations can dictate the number of professional nurses required on a unit at any given time.

Question 7

In evaluating weekend mortality rates, the head nurse on the cardiac unit is surprised to find that they are higher than on weekdays.In exploring the reasons for this apparent anomaly, the head nurse focuses on:
A)availability of diagnostic personnel.
B)availability of physicians.
C)communication with on-call providers.
D)acuity level of patients.

Accepted Answer

Studies to date of off-peak hours (weekends and nights) are limited, but those that have been done indicate increased mortality during weekends and nights, when staff work with fewer and often less experienced staff and when there may be strained communication among on-call healthcare providers.

Question 8

As the unit manager, you post the staffing plan and compliance reports.This initiative is aimed at:
A)maintaining unit morale.
B)complying with national requirements.
C)demonstrating patient outcomes.
D)inviting staff participation in decision making.

Accepted Answer

Hospitals are responsible for monitoring the extent to which actual staffing matches the staffing plans, making revisions as necessary.The Joint Commission accreditation reviews staffing plans against any obvious staffing deficiencies and patient care concerns.Posting of the staffing plan is required in some states so that staff may view it.Adequate staffing, as demonstrated through a staffing plan, and compliance reports contribute to staff morale.

Question 9

In a job interview for a staff position, which of the following indicates your knowledge of patient safety?
A)"Will I be able to get overtime hours on your unit?"
B)"If there is an opportunity to work extra shifts, I would really like that."
C)"Is there a strategy in place to reduce the number of overtime hours on the unit?"
D)"I see no reason why I wouldn't be able to work overtime."

Accepted Answer

Overtime, whether voluntary or mandatory, to fill staff vacancies is seen as a risk to both patients and nurses because it is more likely to lead to compromised decision making and technical skills because of fatigue.

Question 10

The number of adverse events such as falls and pressure ulcers on the unit is increasing.An ideal staffing plan to address this issue would include which of the following? Increasing the:
A)total number of staff on the unit.
B)staff and RN hours per patient.
C)total number of staff and implementing 12-hour shifts.
D)number of RNs and number of RNs with experience on the unit.

Accepted Answer

A number of studies have identified that adverse events such as falls and pressure ulcers can be reduced by increasing the number of RNs on a unit (relative to other personnel) and utilizing experienced RNs.Overtime and 12-hour shifts are linked to greater incidence of errors.

Question 11

To maintain patient safety, studies suggest that scheduling should avoid:
A)rotating shifts.
B)weekends.
C)8-hour shifts.
D)mandatory overtime.

Accepted Answer

Rotating shifts and overtime past 12 hours (mandatory or not) are being shown to increase nurse error and jeopardize patient safety.

Question 12

A particular classification system assigns revenue according to the functional capacity of patients and the progression of patients during their stay in rehabilitation units.More independent patient activities, such as prompted voiding, require higher staff utilization than dependent activities but do not result in increased staff resources.This is an example of:
A)bureaucracy.
B)concern related to the validity of classification systems.
C)inadequate reliability of classification systems.
D)inappropriate subjectivity in making judgments about staffing.

Accepted Answer

Validity of categories and implications for staffing levels are in question in this situation because staffing levels are not reflective of the levels of activity required for patient care.

Question 13

In the past year, you have noticed an increase in patient falls on your unit.In reading studies related to staffing and patient outcomes, you realize that you will need to plan for:
A)higher patient care hours.
B)safer facilities.
C)institution of a patient-classification system.
D)an increased number of RN positions.

Accepted Answer

Lower fall rates are shown to be related to higher total nursing hours and a higher percentage of nursing hours supplied by RNs.

Question 14

A nurse manager uses many sources of data when planning the unit's workload for the year.Which of the following data must be considered in the planning?
A)Hours of operation of the unit
B)Trends in acuity on the unit
C)Maximum work stretch for each employee
D)Weekend requirements

Accepted Answer

Acuity levels are determined through classification systems, which determine the nursing resources required.

Question 15

A strategy to increase RN staff retention at Valley Hospital includes:
A)better compensation and benefits.
B)clearer position descriptions.
C)lay-offs of nursing assistants.
D)adequate staffing to meet acuity levels.

Accepted Answer

Over the past decade, a significant amount of research has been done in the United States to evaluate links among nursing staffing, workloads, skills mix, and patient outcomes.An analysis of this research demonstrates that ensuring adequate staffing levels has been shown, among other things, to improve nurse retention and job satisfaction.

Question 16

Staff members on your unit raise concern that there is rising acuity on the unit and lack of responsiveness in addressing these needs through appropriate staffing.They point to increased incidences of adverse and sentinel events on the unit.To address this concern, your hospital organization would do best to:
A)implement a patient-classification system immediately.
B)participate in databases that compare the outcomes and staffing levels versus those of similar institutions.
C)provide increased numbers of staff to the unit.
D)ignore such concerns because acuity is variable.

Accepted Answer

Staff morale suffers both when acuity models indicate a gap between staffing and acuity and when there is no model but perceived acuity that is not being addressed.A truer approach is to monitor patient outcomes and participate in national databases that measure staffing levels through comparison with like institutions.

Question 17

A nurse staffing plan takes into account:
A)specific nurse-to-patient ratios per shift.
B)participation of nurses in projecting staffing needs.
C)compensation and benefits for each level of staff.
D)the occupancy load of a unit.

Accepted Answer

Nurse staffing plans employ nursing judgment and flexibility that is based on acuity, nurse experience, and unit configuration rather than set nurse-to-patient ratios.The American Nurses Association has opted to support the nurse staffing committee as the approach to ensure safe staffing.In 2013, national legislation was introduced that requires all acute care hospitals to establish a committee made up of 55% direct care RNs.

Question 18

A factor evaluation system:
A)utilizes financial data to determine number of staff-to-patient ratios.
B)utilizes DRGs to determine acuity on a unit.
C)combines interventions and time required for interventions to determine levels of care required.
D)combines financial resources and nursing interventions to determine patient contact hours.

Accepted Answer

A factor evaluation system considers tasks, thought processes, and patient care activities and gives them a time or rating.These are then used to determine the number of patient care hours required.

Question 19

A small rural hospital has been designated as a critical access hospital.It has 40 beds and an average occupancy of 34 beds.To prepare the staffing, the chief nursing officer computes the occupancy as being:
A)90%.
B)85%.
C)75%.
D)60%.

Accepted Answer

A way to assess a unit's activity level is to calculate the percentage of occupancy.Formula: daily patient census (rounded) divided by the number of beds in the unit
The occupancy level is calculated as 34/40, or 85%.

Question 20

To prepare staffing schedules, a nurse manager needs to calculate paid non-productive time.When calculating paid non-productive time, the nurse manager considers:
A)work time, educational time, and holiday time.
B)paid hours minus worked hours.
C)vacation time, holiday time, and sick time.
D)paid hours minus meeting time.

Accepted Answer

Non-productive hours are hours of benefit time and include vacation, holiday, and personal or sick time.

Quiz 13: Staffing and Scheduling

An important aspect of managing the costs on a unit is to plan accurately for staffing needs.Nurse managers use staffing plans to:

The difference between staffing and scheduling is that staffing:

A nurse manager must also consider a number of internal variables that will affect staffing patterns.An internal variable to be considered is:

Scheduling is a function of implementing the staffing plan by assigning unit personnel to work specific hours and specific days of the week.To retain nursing staff, the nurse manager must incorporate into the schedule plan:

A busy neurologic ICU and step-down unit most likely would use which patient-classification system?

A nurse manager must consider a number of external variables when preparing the personnel budget and projecting the unit's staffing needs.An external variable to be considered is:

In evaluating weekend mortality rates, the head nurse on the cardiac unit is surprised to find that they are higher than on weekdays.In exploring the reasons for this apparent anomaly, the head nurse focuses on:

As the unit manager, you post the staffing plan and compliance reports.This initiative is aimed at:

In a job interview for a staff position, which of the following indicates your knowledge of patient safety?

The number of adverse events such as falls and pressure ulcers on the unit is increasing.An ideal staffing plan to address this issue would include which of the following? Increasing the:

To maintain patient safety, studies suggest that scheduling should avoid:

In the past year, you have noticed an increase in patient falls on your unit.In reading studies related to staffing and patient outcomes, you realize that you will need to plan for:

A nurse manager uses many sources of data when planning the unit's workload for the year.Which of the following data must be considered in the planning?

A strategy to increase RN staff retention at Valley Hospital includes:

A nurse staffing plan takes into account:

A factor evaluation system:

A small rural hospital has been designated as a critical access hospital.It has 40 beds and an average occupancy of 34 beds.To prepare the staffing, the chief nursing officer computes the occupancy as being:

To prepare staffing schedules, a nurse manager needs to calculate paid non-productive time.When calculating paid non-productive time, the nurse manager considers: