Test Bank for Fundamentals Of Nursing 9th Edition by Potter
Chapter 01: Nursing Today
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which nurse most likely kept records on sanitation techniques and the effects on health?
a. Florence Nightingale
b. Mary Nutting
c. Clara Barton
d. Lillian Wald
ANS: A
Nightingale was the first practicing nurse epidemiologist. Her statistical analyses connected poor
sanitation with cholera and dysentery. Mary Nutting, Clara Barton, and Lillian Wald came after
Nightingale, each contributing to the nursing profession in her own way. Mary Nutting was
instrumental in moving nursing education into universities. Clara Barton founded the American
Red Cross. Lillian Wald helped open the Henry Street Settlement.
2. The nurse prescribes strategies and alternatives to attain expected outcome. Which standard of
nursing practice is the nurse following?
a. Assessment
b. Diagnosis
c. Planning
d. Implementation
ANS: C
In planning, the registered nurse develops a plan that prescribes strategies and alternatives to
attain expected outcomes. During assessment, the registered nurse collects comprehensive data
pertinent to the patient’s health and/or the situation. In diagnosis, the registered nurse analyzes
the assessment data to determine the diagnoses or issues. During implementation, the registered
nurse implements (carries out) the identified plan.
Prime yourself for your Tests – Study Questions
3. An experienced medical-surgical nurse chooses to work in obstetrics. Which level of
proficiency is the nurse upon initial transition to the obstetrical floor?
a. Novice
b. Proficient
c. Competent
d. Advanced beginner
ANS: A
A beginning nursing student or any nurse entering a situation in which there is no previous level
of experience (e.g., an experienced operating room nurse chooses to now practice in home
health) is an example of a novice nurse. A proficient nurse perceives a patient’s clinical situation
as a whole, is able to assess an entire situation, and can readily transfer knowledge gained from
multiple previous experiences to a situation. A competent nurse understands the organization and
specific care required by the type of patients (e.g., surgical, oncology, or orthopedic patients).
This nurse is a competent practitioner who is able to anticipate nursing care and establish longrange goals. A nurse who has had some level of experience with the situation is an advanced
beginner. This experience may only be observational in nature, but the nurse is able to identify
meaningful aspects or principles of nursing care.
4. A nurse assesses a patient’s fluid status and decides that the patient needs to drink more fluids.
The nurse then encourages the patient to drink more fluids. Which concept is the nurse
demonstrating?
a. Licensure
b. Autonomy
c. Certification
d. Accountability
ANS: B
Autonomy is an essential element of professional nursing that involves the initiation of
independent nursing interventions without medical orders. To obtain licensure in the United
States, the RN candidate must pass the NCLEX-RN®. Beyond the NCLEX-RN®, the nurse may
choose to work toward certification in a specific area of nursing practice. Accountability means
that you are responsible, professionally and legally, for the type and quality of nursing care
provided.
5. A nurse prepares the budget and policies for an intensive care unit. Which role is the nurse
implementing?
a. Educator
b. Manager
c. Advocate
d. Caregiver
ANS: B
A manager coordinates the activities of members of the nursing staff in delivering nursing care
and has personnel, policy, and budgetary responsibility for a specific nursing unit or facility. As
an educator, you explain concepts and facts about health, describe the reason for routine care
activities, demonstrate procedures such as self-care activities, reinforce learning or patient
behavior, and evaluate the patient’s progress in learning. As a patient advocate, you protect your
patient’s human and legal rights and provide assistance in asserting these rights if the need arises.
As a caregiver, you help patients maintain and regain health, manage disease and symptoms, and
attain a maximal level function and independence through the healing process.
6. The nurse has been working in the clinical setting for several years as an advanced practice
nurse. However, the nurse has a strong desire to pursue research and theory development. To
fulfill this desire, which program should the nurse attend?
a. Doctor of Nursing Science degree (DNSc)
b. Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD)
c. Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (DNP)
d. Doctor in the Science of Nursing degree (DSN)
ANS: B
Some doctoral programs prepare nurses for more rigorous research and theory development and
award the research-oriented Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in nursing. Professional doctoral
programs in nursing (DSN or DNSc) prepare graduates to apply research findings to clinical
nursing. The DNP is a practice doctorate that prepares advanced practice nurses such as nurse
practitioners.
Prime yourself for your Tests – Study Questions
7. A nurse attends a workshop on current nursing issues provided by the American Nurses
Association. Which type of education did the nurse receive?
a. Graduate education
b. Inservice education
c. Continuing education
d. Registered nurse education
ANS: C
Continuing education involves formal, organized educational programs offered by universities,
hospitals, state nurses associations, professional nursing organizations, and educational and
health care institutions. After obtaining a baccalaureate degree in nursing, you can pursue
graduate education leading to a master’s or doctoral degree in any number of graduate fields,
including nursing. Inservice education programs are instruction or training provided by a health
care facility or institution. Registered nurse education is the education preparation for an
individual intending to be an RN.
8. A nurse identifies gaps between local and best practices. Which Quality and Safety Education
for Nurses (QSEN) competency is the nurse demonstrating?
a. Safety
b. Patient-centered care
c. Quality improvement
d. Teamwork and collaboration
ANS: C
Quality improvement identifies gaps between local and best practices. Safety minimizes risk of
harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
Patient-centered care recognizes the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner
in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences,
values, and needs. Teamwork and collaboration allows effective functioning within nursing and
interprofessional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision
making.
Prime yourself for your Tests – Study Questions
9. A nurse has compassion fatigue. What is the nurse experiencing?
a. Lateral violence and intrapersonal conflict
b. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress
c. Short-term grief and single stressor
d. Physical and mental exhaustion
ANS: B
Compassion fatigue is a term used to describe a state of burnout and secondary traumatic stress.
Compassion fatigue may contribute to what is described as lateral violence (nurse-nurse
interactions, not intrapersonal). Frequent, intense, or prolonged exposure to grief and loss places
nurses at risk for developing compassion fatigue. Stressors, not a single stressor, contribute to
compassion fatigue. Physical and mental exhaustion describes burnout only.
10. A patient is scheduled for surgery. When getting ready to obtain the informed consent, the
patient tells the nurse, “I have no idea what is going to happen. I couldn’t ask any questions.”
The nurse does not allow the patient to sign the permit and notifies the health care provider of the
situation. Which role is the nurse displaying?
a. Manager
b. Patient educator
c. Patient advocate
d. Clinical nurse specialist
ANS: C
As a patient advocate, the nurse protects the patient’s human and legal rights, including the right
of the patient to understand procedures before signing permits. Although nurses can be
educators, it is the responsibility of the surgeon to provide education for the patient in
preparation for surgery, and it is the nurse’s responsibility to notify the health care provider if the
patient is not properly educated. Managers coordinate the activities of members of the nursing
staff in delivering nursing care, and clinical nurse specialists are experts in a specialized area of
nursing practice in a variety of settings.
