FINAL EXAM
Question 1
A nurse who has an obvious physical disability applies for a
staff nurse position. Which question, asked by the nurse recruiter, is legal?
"How long have you been disabled?"
"How does your disability affect your life?"
"Are you able to fulfill the requirements of this
job?"
"Has your condition stabilized, or do you foresee it
getting worse with time?"
Question 2
What is the basic purpose of the state board of nursing?
To ensure that all practicing nurses are competent
To restrict nursing practice through regulations
To ensure that all schools of nursing seek national
accreditation
To establish a means of protecting the public at large
Question 3
A nurse brings suit against the hospital after being
terminated for excessive absenteeism. Who is the defendant in this lawsuit?
The nurse bringing the suit
The nurse's attorney
The hospital
The hospital's attorney
Question 4
Which of the following principles underlies the actions of
all health care providers and assures that those actions will meet or exceed
standards of care?
Veracity
Maleficence
Beneficence
Autonomy
Question 5
What is the nurse's legal duty with regard to implementing a
physician's order?
The nurse should follow the order unless the nurse believes
some other course of action would be better.
The nurse should follow the order unless the nurse has
reason to believe that the patient could come to harm if the order is followed.
The nurse should review each order with the physician and
then follow the order.
The nurse should question every order with the physician,
since physicians are only human.
Question 6
Which patient incident should be addressed because it is the
primary cause of action in lawsuits against long-term care facilities?
Inadequate resident nutrition
Resident falls
Medication errors
Abuse of residents
Question 7
Ethical theories that derive norms and rules from the duties
human beings owe to each other fall under the broad classification of:
Teleological theories.
Deontological theories.
Utilitarian theories.
Situational ethics.
Question 8
Which of the following actions is a requirement of the
standard of care when it comes to technology and equipment in nursing practice?
Select and properly use equipment within health care
settings.
Clean and repair equipment so that it can be readily used.
Modify equipment or improvise as needed in clinical
settings.
Notify the FDA is equipment is not working properly.
Question 9
Students do not need to be licensed to practice nursing
actions because:
They practice on their instructors' licenses.
They practice as an exception to the licensure requirement.
They have a lower standard of care than do licensed nurses.
Clinical contracts preclude the need for licenses.
Question 10
A nurse's neighbor routinely calls and asks for advice
regarding health issues. What should the nurse do about these calls?
Tell the neighbor that the nurse is not legally able to give
health advice outside the work environment.
Be certain that any advice given reflects both nursing and
community standards.
Charge the neighbor a flat fee of $25 for each call.
Tell the neighbor that nurses are not educationally prepared
to give health advice.
Question 11
When one delegates tasks to another, accountability for that
task:
Is transferred to the person performing the task.
Is retained by the person who transfers the task.
Is held jointly by the person transferring the task and the
person performing the task.
Can be imputed to either the person performing the task or
the person transferring performance of the task.
Question 12
When giving health-related advice, the nurse can avoid
liability if the advice reflects:
A solid medical diagnosis.
Nursing and community standards.
A quick assessment and treatment recommendations.
There is no way to avoid liability when giving advice.
Question 13
The overall goal of American antitrust laws is to:
Prevent competition while creating efficient markets.
Promote competition while creating efficient markets.
Promote competition without affecting market practices.
Prevent competition without affecting market practices.
Question 14
The single most critical factor in determining whether a
particular nurse acted with reasonable care in a given situation is:
The number of years the nurse has practiced as a
professional.
The experience the nurse has in a particular clinical
setting.
The ability of the nurse to perform according to his or her
job description.
How the nurse's conduct compared to the conduct of other
nurses with similar backgrounds and experience.
Question 15
Persons who are qualified under the Americans with
Disabilities Act include:
Persons who have gender identity disorders and sexual
behavior disorders.
Persons who are bisexual and homosexual.
Persons who are currently using illegal drugs.
Persons who are recovering or rehabilitated alcoholics.
Question 16
When the nurse manager transfers full responsibility for the
performance of a task without transferring the accountability for the ultimate
outcome, the task has been:
Regulated.
Supervised
Delegated.
Retained.
Question 17
Consent, once validly given by a competent adult patient:
May not be revoked.
May be revoked only in writing if the original consent was
written.
May be revoked at any time prior to the procedure or
treatment being implemented.
May be revoked only if a second procedure supersedes the
first procedure.
Question 18
Nurses in which health care settings are required to comply
with the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990?
Solely in formal institutional settings, such as hospitals.
In all health care settings except home health care
settings.
In all health care settings, including home health care
settings, if federal funds are received.
In home health care settings only if they have a validly
executed advanced directive when care is first rendered.
Question 19
A nurse is caring for a 45-year-old patient who reveals that
recent injuries are a result of domestic violence. The patient begs the nurse
not to "tell anyone." What action, taken by the nurse, is correct?
Tell the patient that the law requires reporting this
incident.
Promise the patient the information will not be shared.
Talk with the patient about the reason for secrecy.
Report the revelation to the charge nurse immediately.
Question 20
The number of states that now have elder abuse laws is:
40
45
48
50
Question 21
Which of the following best describes the term
"Telehealth"?
Transmission of information from one site to another.
Delivery of health care through a telecommunications system.
Transmission of sounds and images between two or more sites.
Combination of robotics and virtual reality to allow
treatment modalities in distant sites.
Question 22
Apparent consent occurs when the patient:
Voluntarily signs a consent form for an invasive procedure.
Orally agrees to have an invasive procedure performed.
Allows a family member to sign the informed consent form for
him or her.
Shows by his or her conduct that he or she agrees to the
treatment.
Question 23
In passing the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,
Congress attempted to combine the two legal concepts of:
Disability and the right to work.
Disability and equality.
Disability and autonomy.
Disability and fairness.
Question 24
A nurse, while under a general employment contract with a
hospital, is subject to the right to direct and control the details of his or
her work by a second entity. Such a nurse would be said to be acting as a (an):
Dual servant.
Borrowed servant.
Independent contractor.
Agent of the principal.
Question 25
Internal sources for determining standards of care include:
Hospital policy and procedure manuals.
Professional journals and nursing texts.
Previous and relevant court cases.
State standards of care as defined by the state board of
nursing.
Question 26
The defendant in a lawsuit is the party:
Bringing the lawsuit against another.
Who was injured by the nurse or health care provider.
Who is answering a complaint brought against him or her.
Who is the health care institution in the case.
Question 27
One of the most important state legislative acts in the area
of community health nursing is the:
State nurse practice act.
State Medicaid law.
State family consent doctrine.
State reporting statute.
Question 28
Which advanced nurse practitioner role is authorized by
nurse practice acts, medical practice acts, and allied health laws?
Nurse anesthetist
Nurse midwife
Family nurse practitioner
Clinical nurse specialist
Question 29
Since unlicensed personnel are not licensed by the state in
their own right, they may perform delegated tasks because:
They practice on the license of the professional delegating
the task.
They are sanctioned by the American Hospital Association as
an exception to the requirement for licensure.
They work under the auspices and licensure of the
institution, not the professional nurse.
They are sanctioned by the state nurse practice act as an
exception to the requirement for licensure.
Question 30
When nurses assist patients to understand their own value
system and make choices consistent with those values, the approach to advocacy
is said to be the:
Rights protection model.
Autonomy model.
Values-based decision model.
Patient advocate model.
Question 31
The main purpose of documentation is to:
Communicate the patient's condition to all members of the
health care team.
Record patient information for future research studies.
Verify dates of patients' admissions to health care
institutions.
Ensure that all charges are validly documented and assessed
to the patient for collection from third-party payers.
Question 32
What is the most significant professional qualification
necessary for a nurse who practices as a school nurse?
The nurse's ability to work closely with school officials.
The nurse's ability to properly counsel students about
medical concerns.
The nurse's ability to exercise independent judgment in
emergency situations.
The nurse's ability to effectively teach students about
their health and wellness.
Question 33
The functions of risk management include all of the
following except:
Defining situations that place the entity at some financial
risk.
Intervening in and investigating potential risks that exist
in the health care setting.
Identifying opportunities for improving patient care.
Identifying opportunities and funding for patient research.
Question 34
The legal guide to the practice of registered nursing is:
ANA Code of Ethics.
Nightingale Pledge.
State Nurse Practice Act.
Nurse's Bill of Rights.
Question 35
When a nurse manager assists an employee in deciding about
the employee's future career and possible options available to him or her, the
manager is most likely following the ethical principle of:
Justice
Fidelity
Autonomy
Paternalism
Question 36
The standard of care under Good Samaritan laws is usually
the:
Standard of the reasonably prudent patient.
Emergency care standard.
Disaster care standard.
Standard of the prudent hospital-based staff nurse.
Question 37
The court found a nurse manager liable for failure to warn.
Which option reflects a failure to warn scenario?
The nurse manager did not adequately supervise a newly hired
nurse who had not practiced nursing in five years.
The nurse manager did not tell a potential employer that a
former employee was asked to resign for incompetence.
The nurse manager did not advise a newly hired nurse that
continuing education was an annual requirement for promotion.
The nurse manager did not notify the physician regarding
worsening of a patient's respiratory status.
Question 38
One of the earliest needs for the EMTALA was seen as the
need to prevent:
Patients being turned away from clinics because of inability
to pay for services.
Health maintenance organizations from making a profit by
providing substandard care.
Patients being turned away from emergency centers based on
inability to pay for services.
Illegal aliens from receiving free services in the United
States.
Question 39
Which group or person has authority to write statutory law
such as nurse practice acts?
State legislatures
State boards of nursing
State governors
State nursing associations
Question 40
The doctrine of personal liability is a rule that:
Protects nurses against liability for malpractice.
Holds everyone responsible for his or her own negligent
conduct.
Makes some persons responsible for the actions of others.
Ensures that no one has liability in certain legal actions.
Question 41
The statute of limitations for a lawsuit:
Defines events that will not be allowed to be discussed at
trial.
Defines the period of time in which a lawsuit may be filed.
Is suspended for minors in all states until they become 18
years of age.
Limits the number of plaintiffs and defendants in any given
lawsuit.
Question 42
By passing the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act,
Congress:
Established the right of all Americans to have health
insurance.
Established the right of access to medical care, regardless
of ability to pay.
Established the right of access to medical care, dependent
upon the ability to pay.
Set into motion a socialized medical plan for all Americans.
Question 43
Delegation has been a concept used in nursing:
Since the 1990s.
Since the early 1970s.
Since the mid-1950s.
Throughout all of nursing's history.
Question 44
A confused patient frequently calls out for "help"
throughout the shift. When nursing staff respond to the call, the patient is
unable to explain what is needed. What action should be taken by the nurse?
Continue to respond and attempt to reorient the patient.
Move the call bell out of the patient's reach to deter
erroneous calls.
Restrain the patient in soft wrist restraints until the
physician can be reached.
Chemically restrain the patient with a mild sedative so
he/she will sleep.
Question 45
A nurse has decided to obtain individual professional
liability insurance. In general, which type of insurance is best for most
nurses?
Claims-made
Certificate-based
Occurrence-based
Employer-sponsored
Question 46
A patient on the medical/surgical unit became confused and
dangerous to himself and others in the setting, restraints were applied, and
the patient was confined to bed. The nurse's best defense for applying the
restraints would be:
Consent.
Self-defense.
Necessity.
Privilege.
Question 47
The standard of care of the nursing student is:
Greater than that of the RN.
Less than that of the RN.
The same as that of the RN.
Not comparable to the standard of the RN.
Question 48
A school nurse negligently administered an overdose of
medication to a student, causing the student to suffer a severe reaction that
necessitated hospitalization. Should a lawsuit result from this case, the nurse
would be held to what standard?
The reasonably prudent school nurse
The reasonably prudent pediatric nurse
The reasonably prudent general duty hospital nurse
The reasonably prudent advanced nurse practitioner
Question 49
Discrimination against which group of persons necessitated
the Americans with Disabilities Act?
The increasing population of older Americans
Those returning from war with orthopedic injuries
The increasing numbers of people injured in motor vehicle
accidents
Those living with HIV/AIDS
Question 50
External sources for determining standards of care include:
Hospital policy and procedure manuals.
Professional journals and nursing texts.
The individual nurse's experience and education.
The individual nurse's job description.
