Nursing Elites

1. What is the main purpose of a utilization review?

• A. Evaluate patient outcomes
• B. Ensure compliance with regulations
• C. Reduce hospital readmissions
• D. Assess financial impact

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The main purpose of a utilization review is to evaluate patient outcomes and ensure that patients receive appropriate care based on medical necessity and quality standards. While ensuring compliance with regulations, reducing hospital readmissions, and assessing financial impact are important aspects of healthcare management, the primary goal of utilization review is to focus on the quality and effectiveness of patient care.

2. 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.

3. What is the primary purpose of a nurse staffing committee?

• A. To oversee patient safety initiatives
• B. To develop staffing policies and procedures
• C. To coordinate patient care
• D. To manage nurse recruitment

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The primary purpose of a nurse staffing committee is to develop staffing policies and procedures to ensure adequate nurse-to-patient ratios. By establishing these guidelines, the committee aims to optimize patient care by ensuring appropriate staffing levels, which in turn can enhance patient safety and coordination of care. While overseeing patient safety initiatives and managing nurse recruitment are important aspects of healthcare management, the core function of a nurse staffing committee is to create and implement policies that govern the allocation and distribution of nursing staff to meet patient care needs effectively. Therefore, choices A, C, and D, though relevant to healthcare, do not align with the primary purpose of a nurse staffing committee as outlined in the question.

4. Which of the following best describes decertification?

• A. Encourage union affiliation
• B. Change union affiliation
• C. Reward union affiliation
• D. Empower union affiliation

Correct answer: B

Rationale: Decertification is the process of removing or changing union affiliation. Choosing option B, 'Change union affiliation,' correctly reflects this definition. Option A, 'Encourage union affiliation,' is incorrect as decertification is not about promoting union membership but rather altering it. Option C, 'Reward union affiliation,' is incorrect as decertification does not involve rewarding union membership. Option D, 'Empower union affiliation,' is incorrect as decertification does not empower union membership but rather modifies or eliminates it.

5. The nurse manager is responsible for implementing a new electronic health record (EHR) system. What is the first step in this process?

• A. Train all staff on the new system
• B. Identify the project team
• C. Develop a training program
• D. Conduct a needs assessment

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct first step in implementing a new electronic health record (EHR) system is to identify the project team. This team will be crucial in overseeing the entire implementation process, including tasks like developing a training program (Choice C) and conducting a needs assessment (Choice D). Training all staff on the new system (Choice A) is an important step but typically occurs after the project team has been identified to ensure a smooth and efficient implementation.

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