Chapter 11: Creating and Managing a Sustainable Workforce

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. A panel of nurses, both staff and management, has been asked to participate on an interview committee for a nursing position that has become available on a medical-surgical unit. Which option would take priority in helping to focus the committee on the task at hand?

1. Determining the amount of time that will be assigned for each applicant

2. Developing an understanding of the job description

3. Determining how many years each applicant has been in the nursing profession

4. Understanding the experience of each applicant

ANS:

2. A nurse who has been working at a health-care facility for 5 years on a medical-surgical unit is thinking of applying for a transfer to the oncology unit. Which statement by the nurse manager of the oncology unit would indicate that a healthy work environment is not supported?

1. Desire for advancement

2. Increase in compensation

3. Limited mentoring opportunities

4. Recognition by management

ANS:

3. Emerging trends in labor statistics data have reported that nurses are continuing to work as they age. What would nurse managers and leaders suspect based on this information?

1. The majority of older nurses will never retire.

2. There is no need to modify the work environment for older nurses.

3. Utilizing flexibility in scheduling will support older nurses.

4. Older nurses will be less effective as mentors.

ANS:

4. A medical-surgical unit has added three new RNs to their night shift. Based on Benner’s novice to expert model and observations from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), what would the nurse manager expect to see from these new graduate nurses as they begin their orientation on the nursing unit?

1. Competent care based on observations correlated with didactic information

2. Proficiency in all demonstrated clinical skills

3. Performance at a novice and/or advanced beginner level

4. Formulation of actions without regard to assessment findings

ANS:

5. Which option would reflect best practice when a nurse manager is preparing to do a performance appraisal for an annual review of a staff nurse?

1. Provide anecdotal notes immediately before meeting with the staff nurse so that the recollections are easy to retrieve.

2. Arrange to meet with the staff nurse in the middle of his or her scheduled shift.

3. Limit feedback provided so as to expedite the task, as most evaluations tend to make individuals uncomfortable.

4. Discuss plans for professional growth.

ANS:

6. A nurse has submitted a self-appraisal to the nurse manager. Upon reviewing the self-appraisal, the nurse manager decides to have a further conversation with the nurse employee if the manager observes which of the following?

1. Accomplishments for the past year

2. No mention of identified weaknesses

3. Feedback from colleagues

4. Revision of goals based on personal assessment

ANS:

7. A nursing instructor is preparing to use 360-degree feedback to help a group of nursing students gain feedback from their recent clinical experience on a medical-surgical unit. How does 360-degree feedback differ from a traditional peer review process?

1. The peer review process is constructive, whereas 360-degree feedback is destructive.

2. The 360-degree feedback is used primarily for managers, whereas peer review is aimed at staff or student-level nurses.

3. The 360-degree feedback is usually presented anonymously based on a collection of input, whereas the peer review process represents a more structured approach.

4. Traditional peer review is based on a collected summary from participants, whereas 360-degree feedback is based on individual feedback.

ANS:

8. A nurse manager is going to develop a corrective action plan for a nursing staff member. What is the primary focus of a corrective action plan?

1. To initiate the termination process for an employee

2. To identify destructive behavior and actions

3. To identify the underlying reason

4. To provide constructive feedback

ANS:

9. The nurse manager has established and implemented a corrective action plan for a staff nurse. The nurse manager has now contacted human resources with regard to this employee to start termination. Which type of violation has occurred based on this information?

1. First

2. Second

3. Third

4. Fourth

ANS:

MULTIPLE RESPONSE

10. In a corrective action plan, which violations would warrant contacting the human resources department? Select all that apply.

1. First

2. Second

3. Third

4. Fourth

ANS:

11. Nursing managers have asked nursing staff to participate in a discussion relative to maintaining a quality workforce within the nursing unit and health-care facility. What methods would help to support this goal? Select all that apply.

1. Formalize operations so that nursing staff, in order to perform their work, must be dependent on nursing management.

2. Set excellence as a consistent goal for both nursing staff and nurse managers.

3. Set up a series of expectations among stakeholders with limited accountability.

4. Arrange for job positions where nurses and managers can use their expertise as the basis for selection.

5. Encourage open communication between management and staff.

ANS:

12. Which statements, if observed by nursing faculty during a mock interview by nursing students, would require the nursing faculty member to intervene? Select all that apply.

1. “Where do you practice your religious beliefs?”

2. “Do you have any medical diseases that you haven’t disclosed?”

3. “Are you planning to have more children?”

4. “Can you work on weekends?”

5. “Can you tell me how old you are?”

ANS: