Leading and Managing in Nursing Notes

The risk manager informs the nurse manager of an orthopedic unit that her unit has had an increase in incident reports related to patients falling during the 11-7 shift. The nurse manager knows that the best way to resolve the problem is to: a. use creativity. b. obtain support from the 7-3 shift. c. use institutional research. d. identify the problem. → ANS: D → Identification of a problem is the first step in problem solving and occurs before any other step. The most common cau...

The nurse manager schedules evaluations of staff members using a newly developed performance appraisal tool. The development of a performance appraisal tool should include: a. organizational mission, philosophy, and position requirements. b. a generalized overview of the duties of a position. c. a skills checklist and accreditation requirements. d. an ordinal scale that ranks all employees. → ANS: A → Performance appraisal tools and processes should reflect the organizational mission...

The director of nursing has been observing staff interactions in a 20-bed coronary care unit. Based on her observations, which of the following staff members is an obvious leader? a. The unit secretary who knows everyone's business b. The chief nursing officer who is in charge and is responsible for nursing services c. The chief cardiologist who admits the largest number of patients and brings in more revenue than any other physician d. The staff nurse who persuades other staff member...

A group of staff nurses is dissatisfied with the new ideas presented by the newly hired nurse manager. The staff wants to keep their old procedures, and they resist the changes. Conflict arises from: a. group decision-making options. b. perceptions of incompatibility. c. increases in group cohesiveness. d. debates, negotiations, and compromises. → ANS: B → Conflict involves disagreement in values or beliefs within oneself or between people that causes harm or has the potential to...

When goals/outcomes are somewhat unclear in early preparation for a complex change, the manager and the change management team develop several acceptable goals/outcomes. This change in management approach is termed: a. Unfreezing. b. Nonlinear. c. Cybernetic. d. Linear. → ANS: B → While Lewin's theory was designed to describe planned or first-order changes, many scholars think the theory is too simplistic to address how unplanned or second-order change occurs. In complex sit...

As the clinical director of 24 employees, you have been asked to explain to staff members why they are not getting a raise this year, even though they have been working short-handed for many months and patient satisfaction scores have never been higher. Because you believe yourself to be a transformational leader, you will approach this problem by: a. telling the assistant clinical director and asking her to share the bad news with the other staff members. b. posting a note on the bull...

In an effort to control costs and maximize revenues, the Rehabilitation Unit at Cross Hospital reduced the number of its managers and increased the number of units for which each manager was responsible. Within a year, the number of adverse events on the units had doubled. How do the increase in adverse events relate to decreased managers? a. The overload of staff nurse duties b. Resistance to change by staff c. A change in reporting system for everyone d. Fewer clinical leaders facili...

The manager in the coronary care unit believes that the most important ethical considerations in performance evaluations are that they include the employee's good qualities and that they give positive direction for professional growth. This belief is an example of: a. Justice. b. Fidelity. c. Beneficence. d. Nonmaleficence. → ANS: D → Nonmaleficence refers to "doing no harm." For a nurse manager following this principle, performance evaluation should emphasize an employe...

Role theory has its underpinnings in management theory. Management theories influence managers' leadership styles. Which of the following styles would a nurse manager be mostlikely to follow when redesigning the staffing schedule? a. Humanistic b. Authoritarian c. Flexibility d. Participative → ANS: D → Participative style of leadership allows for the input by the participants involved to have input to the decision process. This assists in making change easier and is one way ...

A nurse manager of a 20-bed medical unit finds that 80% of the patients are older adults. She is asked to assess and adapt the unit to better meet the unique needs of the older adult patient. Using complexity principles, what would be the best approach to take for implementation of this change? → b. Engage involved staff at all levels in the decision-making process. 2. A unit manager of a 25-bed medical/surgical area receives a phone call from a nurse who has called in sick five time...