Question 1

A nurse registers for a DSM-IV-TR update workshop.This is an example of adherence to the standard of professional performance that refers to:
A) education.
B) ethical standards.
C) resource utilization.
D) performance appraisal.

Accepted Answer

The standard about education reads as follows: "The psychiatric-mental health nurse acquires and maintains current knowledge in nursing practice." Nursing conditions include intellectual curiosity,desire for professional growth,and access to new information.

Question 2

To obtain the clearest clinical information about a patient,a nurse who used several secondary sources,including the patient's spouse and the report of the admitting psychiatrist,will seek validation from:
A) the patient.
B) psychiatric nursing textbooks.
C) the patient's extended family.
D) the use of psychiatric behavioral rating scales.

Accepted Answer

Patients should be regarded as a source of validation.

Question 3

A nurse teaching a patient about the effects and side effects of the prescribed medication bases the plan on the knowledge that learning is more effective when:
A) patients are actively included in the process.
B) topics are introduced only when the patient expresses an interest.
C) nurses establish realistic goals for learning on behalf of the patient.
D) patients have responsibility for directing the teaching-learning process.

Accepted Answer

Learning is more effective when patients participate in the learning experience.By including patients as active participants,the nurse helps restore their sense of control over their life and over their responsibility for their own actions.

Question 4

A staff nurse is told at orientation that the department has a clinical advancement program in place.On what criterion is advancement usually based?
A) Desire for professional growth
B) Acceptance of peer feedback
C) Advanced application of nursing skills
D) Attainment of an advanced degree in nursing

Accepted Answer

Clinical advancement programs allow the nurse to be promoted and economically rewarded for providing direct patient care.Such programs identify levels of professional development in nursing based on increased critical thinking and advanced application of nursing skills.

Question 5

Which action best demonstrates a nurse displaying accountability?
A) Volunteering to serve on a hospital committee
B) Notifying the nurse manager when a medication error occurs
C) Planning patient care strategies for a newly admitted adult patient
D) Coordinating a patient-centered conference for the health care team

Accepted Answer

Accountability is best demonstrated by taking responsibility for one's own actions.

Question 6

What is the major difference between supervision and therapy?
A) Therapy is more intensive; supervision is less structured in its focus.
B) Supervision extends to all aspects of life, whereas therapy is limited to problem areas.
C) Supervision teaches psychotherapeutic skills, whereas therapy changes personal coping patterns.
D) Therapy uses transference, whereas supervision focuses on only personal limitations.

Accepted Answer

Despite its intensity,supervision is not therapy; its purposes are different.Supervision aims to teach psychotherapeutic skills,whereas therapy seeks to alter a person's characteristic patterns of coping.

Question 7

A nurse is working with a patient with depression.To best help the patient translate insight into action,a major nursing challenge will be to:
A) promote self-care activities.
B) consult appropriate resources.
C) build adequate incentives to change.
D) identify ineffective behavior patterns.

Accepted Answer

Building adequate incentives to change is critical to translating insight into action.The nurse should help the patient see the consequences of each action and help the patient understand that old patterns do more harm than good.The patient will not learn new patterns until the motivation to acquire them is greater than the motivation to retain the old ones.

Question 8

Nursing interventions that have the greatest validity are those that:
A) are used by nurse clinicians.
B) are prescribed by physicians.
C) have been investigated by nurse researchers.
D) are based on evidence of the efficacy of the intended treatment.

Accepted Answer

Nursing interventions that have proven successful by research methods (evidence-based psychiatric nursing) should be the ones chosen for use by clinicians.

Question 9

A nurse interviewed a reluctant patient who answered questions with minimal responses and rarely made eye contact.When documenting baseline data collected in the interview,the nurse should include:
A) interview content only.
B) a description of the process of the interview.
C) both the content and the process of the interview.
D) both factual data about the patient and the nurse's emotional reaction.

Accepted Answer

It is important to document both baseline content and process.In addition to the verbal content of the interview,the patient's nonverbal messages and the nurse's reactions to the patient give important clues to the patient's state.

Question 10

Nursing behaviors associated with the implementation phase of the nursing process are concerned with:
A) regular, in-depth self-analysis.
B) participating in quality improvement activities.
C) carrying out interventions and generating alternatives.
D) comparing patient responses and expected outcomes.

Accepted Answer

Nursing behaviors relating to the implementation phase of the nursing process include considering available resources,implementing nursing activities,generating alternatives,and coordinating care with other team members.

Question 11

According to the nursing standard related to research,a novice psychiatric-mental health nurse with an associate's degree can be expected to:
A) engage with other staff in the research process.
B) use research findings to improve clinical practice.
C) plan small, independent, data-gathering research projects.
D) collaborate in proposal development and data collection and analysis.

Accepted Answer

At the beginning level a staff nurse who has no advanced degrees can be expected to use research findings in practice,with supervision.

Question 12

Which goal should be given the highest priority?
A) Reduction of anxiety
B) Alleviation of depression
C) Enhancement of self-esteem
D) Protection from self-destructive impulses

Accepted Answer

Patient safety is always of paramount concern.After safety for the patient has been established,other goals of treatment can be effectively addressed.

Question 13

A new psychiatric staff nurse is asked to be a member of the Quality Improvement (QI) Committee.The nurse should be motivated to agree to do this because:
A) QI participation is a requirement stated in the nurse's job description.
B) evaluation of quality of care is a standard of professional performance.
C) salary increments depend on performance variables like committee work.
D) QI is an activity mandated by the accrediting agency, The Joint Commission.

Accepted Answer

Professional performance standards state the following: "The psychiatric-mental health nurse systematically evaluates the quality of care and effectiveness of psychiatric-mental health practice."

Question 14

A patient is admitted with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder,manic phase,and displays extreme hyperactivity,agitation,talkativeness,and emotional lability.Which is the highest priority nursing diagnosis?
A) Risk for injury related to extreme hyperactivity
B) Disturbed thought processes related to manic state
C) Impaired social interaction related to excessive verbalization
D) Impaired sensory perception related to biochemical alterations

Accepted Answer

This nursing diagnosis deals with patient safety,a primary concern for the psychiatric nurse caring for a patient exhibiting symptoms of mania.

Question 15

If physicians wish to understand the nursing equivalent of the medical DSM-IV-TR,they should seek an understanding of the:
A) nursing diagnoses.
B) nursing process.
C) behavioral rating scales.
D) computerized medical records.

Accepted Answer

A medical diagnosis is the health problem or disease state of the patient.Nursing diagnoses identify patterns of response to actual or potential psychiatric illnesses and mental health problems.Nursing diagnoses proceed from inductive and deductive reasoning,logical decision making,knowledge of normal parameters,and sociocultural sensitivity.

Question 16

A psychiatric nurse clinician is heard calling nurse educators "the experts" and frequently refers to nurse administrators and researchers as "those who know it all." This nurse can be assessed as having a problem with:
A) ethics.
B) education.
C) collegiality.
D) resource use.

Accepted Answer

Collegiality means regarding other nurses as partners in caregiving who are valued and respected for their unique contributions regardless of educational,experiential,or specialty background.It suggests that nurses view themselves as members of a profession and that nurses trust,remain loyal to,and demonstrate commitment to other nurses.

Question 17

Which is a well-written short-term goal for a socially withdrawn patient who tells a nurse of a wish to reduce social isolation? By day 2,the patient will:
A) express desire to go shopping.
B) participate in one unit activity.
C) become more independent.
D) be more outgoing.

Accepted Answer

Short-term goal statements should be specific,measurable,attainable,current,adequate,and mutually accepted.The correct option includes a timeframe as well as meeting the existing criteria for a short-term goal."More outgoing" and "more independent" are not measurable.Expressing a desire to go shopping is a statement rather than an action.

Question 18

While gathering a baseline history about a patient,a nurse is told by a team social worker that the patient "acts weird and has bad hygiene." The nurse's responsibility is to:
A) accept the data without question.
B) form impressions based on data personally gathered.
C) document the impression of the team social worker.
D) discuss the social worker's impression with the patient.

Accepted Answer

In using information from secondary sources,nurses should not simply accept the assessment of another health care team member; instead,they should apply the information they obtain to their nursing framework for data collection and formulate their own impressions and diagnoses.This brings another perspective to the work of the health care team and promotes an unbiased receptivity to patients and their problems.

Question 19

A nurse clinician is attempting to explain the evaluation phase of the nursing process to a student.Which statement would help the student grasp the essentials?
A) "It is a continuous, active process."
B) "Patient and family participation is optional."
C) "It takes place at the time of termination of services."
D) "It is optional since it is based on the patient's readiness."

Accepted Answer

Evaluation is a continuous,active process that begins early in the relationship and continues throughout.It is an activity that requires patient and family participation,because it is based on previously identified goals and level of satisfaction.It should be documented to demonstrate the value of nursing services to consumers.

Question 20

A nurse who is new to the mental health setting is having difficulty writing meaningful outcome criteria.The nurse's mentor should suggest which source to best assist the nurse?
A) Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC)
B) Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC)
C) North American Nursing Diagnosis Association International (NANDA-I)
D) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, ed 4, text revision(DSM-IV-TR)

Accepted Answer

NOC stands for Nursing Outcomes Classification.The outcomes listed can serve as models for nurses.

Quiz 11: Implementing the Nursing Process: Standards of Practice and Professional Performance

A nurse registers for a DSM-IV-TR update workshop.This is an example of adherence to the standard of professional performance that refers to:

To obtain the clearest clinical information about a patient,a nurse who used several secondary sources,including the patient's spouse and the report of the admitting psychiatrist,will seek validation from:

A nurse teaching a patient about the effects and side effects of the prescribed medication bases the plan on the knowledge that learning is more effective when:

A staff nurse is told at orientation that the department has a clinical advancement program in place.On what criterion is advancement usually based?

Which action best demonstrates a nurse displaying accountability?

What is the major difference between supervision and therapy?

A nurse is working with a patient with depression.To best help the patient translate insight into action,a major nursing challenge will be to:

Nursing interventions that have the greatest validity are those that:

A nurse interviewed a reluctant patient who answered questions with minimal responses and rarely made eye contact.When documenting baseline data collected in the interview,the nurse should include:

Nursing behaviors associated with the implementation phase of the nursing process are concerned with:

According to the nursing standard related to research,a novice psychiatric-mental health nurse with an associate's degree can be expected to:

Which goal should be given the highest priority?

A new psychiatric staff nurse is asked to be a member of the Quality Improvement (QI) Committee.The nurse should be motivated to agree to do this because:

A patient is admitted with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder,manic phase,and displays extreme hyperactivity,agitation,talkativeness,and emotional lability.Which is the highest priority nursing diagnosis?

If physicians wish to understand the nursing equivalent of the medical DSM-IV-TR,they should seek an understanding of the:

A psychiatric nurse clinician is heard calling nurse educators "the experts" and frequently refers to nurse administrators and researchers as "those who know it all." This nurse can be assessed as having a problem with:

Which is a well-written short-term goal for a socially withdrawn patient who tells a nurse of a wish to reduce social isolation? By day 2,the patient will:

While gathering a baseline history about a patient,a nurse is told by a team social worker that the patient "acts weird and has bad hygiene." The nurse's responsibility is to:

A nurse clinician is attempting to explain the evaluation phase of the nursing process to a student.Which statement would help the student grasp the essentials?

A nurse who is new to the mental health setting is having difficulty writing meaningful outcome criteria.The nurse's mentor should suggest which source to best assist the nurse?