Question 1

What can be suggested to a nurse wanting to protect back health while caring for patients? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The nurse should use proper body mechanics,assistive patient-handling devices,and ergonomic equipment and be aware of potential risk.Only caring for patients that can move independently is not realistic.

Question 2

What action can the nurse take to reduce the risk of repetitive motion disorders? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The nurse can frequently alternate between standing and sitting; have a good understanding of ergonomic principles; engage in routine stretching of shoulders,neck,arms,hands,and fingers; and attend training on how to reduce injury.

Question 3

Which statement by the nurse manager indicates understanding of Magnet status?

Accepted Answer

The American Nurses Credentialing Center is responsible for judging whether hospitals achieve Magnet status,which is an American Nurses Association subsidiary.The National League of Nursing accredits nursing programs.The National Council State Boards of Nursing is the national regulatory body for nursing practice and nurse licensure.

Question 4

A nurse manager is evaluating her computer chair.What should the nurse manager look for to make sure the chair is a good ergonomic design? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The nurse should look for appropriate padding,arm rests that can be removed,strong lumbar support,ease of making adjustments,and wheels that allow easy movement.

Question 5

The staff nurse,in the tenth hour of a 12-hour shift,is told by the house supervisor that the nurse replacement will be 2 hours late and the staff nurse must work these extra 2 hours.The nurse is unable to stay over.What is the best action for the nurse to talk?

Accepted Answer

When nurses are concerned that their patients require more care than they can provide,they must report this.If the nurse does not get adequate direction or an answer from the immediate supervisor,then the nurse should follow the chain of command and report it to the person above the supervisor.It would not be advisable or prudent to go home and abandon the patient assignment without adequate staffing or to work a double shift when the nurse has admitted being too tired.Loading up on caffeine may give the nurse immediate energy,but the fatigue may impair judgment and reasoning in patient care.

Question 6

A nurse manager is educating a coworker on agencies that oversee environmental hazards at ambulatory care centers.The nurse manager judges the teaching to be effective when the coworker states:

Accepted Answer

The purpose of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)and the state health department is to establish safety and health standards in the work environment.OSHA requires employers to provide a safe work environment for employees.The other options refer to agencies that regulate professional nursing practice (NCSBN)and provide credentialing (ANCC).Ambulatory Care Nursing Administration and Practice is not a recognized agency.There is the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN),which is the association of professional nurses and associates who identify ambulatory care practice as essential to the continuum of high quality,cost-effective health care.

Question 7

Which statement by the nurse indicates an adequate understanding of violence in the health care setting?

Accepted Answer

Workplace violence is a growing risk and the second leading cause of occupational death in the United States.The nature of health care workers' jobs puts them at risk for workplace violence,which can result in injury or death.Health care workers are at risk for harm from coworkers,patients,families,and visitors in any health care setting at anytime.

Question 8

After completing a crisis intervention course,the nurse recognizes the signs of escalating violence as:\

Accepted Answer

Signs of escalating violence include pacing,using foul language,cursing,raising of fists,and threats.The other options are typical behaviors that are noted in the hospital setting that do not reflect a situation where the person is escalating out of control.

Question 9

Ergonomic hazards are a major safety risk for nurses,causing serious musculoskeletal injuries.To reduce the risk,nurses should

Accepted Answer

The current recommendations by the American Nurses Association (ANA)include the use of assistive patient-handling devices for lifting,transferring,and turning patients.According to the ANA,there is no safe way to manually lift or turn a physically dependent person (i.e.,proper lifting techniques or good body mechanics)without risking back and shoulder injuries.Becoming stronger by lifting weights would not reduce the risk of injury.It is not rational to think that patients would never need lifting or moving,which is why having assistive patient-handling devices is so important for risk reduction in nurse injuries.

Question 10

A nurse believes to be bullied at work.Which of the following actions by the perpetrator lead them to believe this?

Accepted Answer

Being given the "silent treatment" is a sign of bullying.Offering to help with an assignment and asking to switch a shift or cover a break are not considered signs of bullying.

Question 11

A nurse manager is educating a new nurse on how to prevent back injuries in the workplace.The teaching has been effective when the new nurse states: (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The teaching has been effective when the new nurse states that back injuries can be caused by lifting,transferring,or reaching.Back injuries are very common in the workplace and can occur when work is performed both correctly and incorrectly.

Question 12

A nurse professor is educating nursing students on The American Nurses Association's recommendation to use assistive devices for safe patient handling.The nurse professor judges the teaching to be effective when one of the students state:

Accepted Answer

In many situations,proper body mechanics are not adequate to protect the nurse.The nurse cannot adjust body mechanics in a way that fully protects the back.Teaching nurses to use proper body mechanics to lift and turn patients has not resulted in fewer injuries.The current recommendations by the ANA include the use of assistive patient-handling devices for lifting,transferring,and turning patients.The state board of nursing would not necessarily be the agency tracking data regarding back injuries.This would more than likely be the local or state hospital association tracking this data.Even if there are increased lawsuits related to back injuries,there are also a great number of injuries that do not end up in litigation,so the data would be inaccurate to make the assumption.

Question 13

The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000 was implemented to prevent health care workers from experiencing needlestick injuries.Which of the following is required to be documented regarding a needlestick injury?

Accepted Answer

The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act requires documentation of the department and work area in which the needlestick injury occurred.It also requires employers to maintain a sharps injury log to document the type and brand of device involved and an explanation of how the incident occurred.The information is to be recorded and maintained in a way that protects the confidentiality of injured employees.The test question is asking for "required documentation," so notifying the doctor is not appropriate.More than likely,the person would be sent to the occupational safety department for follow-up and documentation.

Question 14

How does the federal government affect environmental safety in the hospital setting?

Accepted Answer

The purpose of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),a federal agency,is to establish safety and health standards in the work environment.OSHA requires employers to provide a safe work environment for employees.OSHA is part of the United States Department of Labor.OSHA does not work on discipline issues because that is the function of the state board of nursing.Guidelines for safe nursing practice are provided by accepted nursing standards.The CQI group at the hospital would identify issues or violations of not implementing standard precautions.

Question 15

A nurse feels bullied at work.Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?

Accepted Answer

The nurse should first report the bullying to get the behavior to stop.The next step would be to take time off of work recover from the incident.The nurse should never ignore the bullying or take action against the other person by themself.

Question 16

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)provides guidelines to protect health care workers from needlesticks.Which action by the nurse manager shows the use of the guidelines in practice?

Accepted Answer

OSHA has established guidelines that employers must follow to protect their workers.The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act became law in November 2000,requiring the use of safer devices to protect workers from sharps injuries.Advocating for workplace safety,the ANA was very instrumental in having this piece of federal legislation passed.This act amends the Blood-Borne Pathogen Standard (administered by OSHA)to require the use of safer devices to protect from sharps injuries.It also requires that employers solicit the input of nonmanagerial employees who are responsible for direct patient care regarding the identification,evaluation,and selection of effective engineering and work-practice controls.Providing a safe working environment is a good option,but it does not specifically address the safety devices required for prevention of needlestick injuries.OSHA does not provide for safe nursing practice guidelines.

Question 17

A nurse is passing medications when interrupted by a colleague.Upon resuming work,the nurse realizes a medication was given to the wrong patient.What should the first action be?

Accepted Answer

The nurse should tell the immediate supervisor or charge nurse.Documentation of the error is important and should occur after the supervisor is contacted and the patient is cared for.The nurse should never keep the medication error to themself.

Question 18

A nurse manager is educating a group of new nurses on workplace violence.The nurse judges the teaching to be effective when one of the nurses states: (Select all that apply)

Accepted Answer

The teaching has been effective when the nurse states the following: workplace violence includes physical assaults and unwanted sexual advances,and at least 80% of nurses have experienced workplace violence.

Question 19

A nurse has been floated to another department,and things are not going well.What should the nurse do?

Accepted Answer

The nurse should tell the immediate supervisor if things are not going well on the new unit to ensure safe patient care.The nurse should not leave unit,refuse to provide patient care,or keep problems to themself.

Question 20

A nurse is working on a unit with short staffing.The nurse has voiced concerns to the charge nurse,who appears to brush them off.Which action would be the most appropriate for the nurse to take?

Accepted Answer

The most appropriate action for the nurse to take would be to document the concerns.Raising a voice,talking about the charge nurse to coworkers,or keeping the issue to themself will not help resolve the short staffing.

Quiz 25: Workplace Issues