Nursing Elites

1. What is the primary focus of strategic planning in healthcare organizations?

• A. Financial performance
• B. Staff satisfaction
• C. Patient care quality
• D. Regulatory compliance

Correct answer: C

Rationale: In healthcare organizations, the primary focus of strategic planning is to enhance patient care quality. While financial performance, staff satisfaction, and regulatory compliance are essential aspects in healthcare management, they are secondary to the overarching goal of providing high-quality care to patients. Financial performance ensures sustainability, staff satisfaction impacts productivity and retention, and regulatory compliance maintains legal standards. However, without a core focus on improving patient care quality, the strategic planning efforts may not align with the primary mission of healthcare organizations.

2. The healthcare provider is developing a critical pathway for congestive heart failure (CHF). Which components are essential to include? (Select all that apply.)

• A. Expected length of stay
• B. Assigned healthcare team
• C. Patient outcomes
• D. Medical history

Correct answer: C

Rationale: In developing a critical pathway for congestive heart failure (CHF), it is essential to include patient outcomes. Patient outcomes help guide the care plan and ensure that interventions are effective. The expected length of stay is crucial to plan for resources but is not directly related to the critical pathway components. While the assigned healthcare team is important for care delivery, it is not a standard component of a critical pathway. Medical history is valuable for understanding the patient's background but is not a core component of a critical pathway.

3. Which of the following is a common characteristic of a high-performing healthcare team?

• A. Effective communication
• B. Shared leadership
• C. Collaborative decision making
• D. Hierarchical structure

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Collaborative decision making is a key characteristic of a high-performing healthcare team because it involves team members working together to make decisions that lead to the best outcomes for patients. Effective communication is important in any team, but collaborative decision making goes beyond communication by involving team members in the decision-making process. Shared leadership is also crucial for a high-performing team, as it promotes equality and empowerment among team members. On the other hand, a hierarchical structure can hinder effective communication and teamwork by creating barriers between team members and limiting input from all team members, which is counterproductive to achieving optimal healthcare outcomes.

4. After her evaluation, a staff nurse exclaims: 'I'm not sure if my manager knows much about my performance, really. He only had three specific examples to give me, two good performance examples and one to work on, and they all happened in the last month. I don't feel like he can see the whole picture.' What kind of performance appraisal rating does this statement exemplify?

• A. Recency error
• B. Leniency error
• C. Halo error
• D. Absolute judgment

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The statement exemplifies a recency error. Recency error occurs when a manager assesses an employee's performance primarily based on recent events, rather than considering the entire evaluation period. In this case, the staff nurse feels that her manager focused only on recent examples, leading to an incomplete assessment of her overall performance. Choice B, Leniency error, refers to a rater consistently giving high ratings to all employees regardless of performance, which is not evident in this scenario. Choice C, Halo error, involves allowing one positive attribute of an individual to overshadow other characteristics during appraisal, which is not the case here. Absolute judgment, Choice D, is when a rater evaluates an employee without reference to any specific criteria, which is not reflected in the staff nurse's feedback.

5. A nurse is considering employment at a long-term care facility that has a functional nursing delivery system. Knowing this, the nurse could expect that:

• A. Each RN would coordinate care for a group of clients.
• B. One RN would pass meds for all clients on a unit.
• C. Each RN would deliver total care to an assigned group of clients.
• D. One RN, one LPN, and one unlicensed assistive personnel would share responsibility for a group of clients.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: In a functional nursing delivery system, tasks are divided among the staff based on their roles. One of these roles is medication administration, where one RN may pass medications for all clients on a unit. Option A is incorrect because coordinating care for a group of clients is more aligned with team nursing. Option C is incorrect as it describes total care nursing, not functional nursing. Option D is incorrect as it reflects team nursing with a mix of different roles sharing responsibility.

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