Delegation & Prioritization
Which tasks can a nurse delegate to an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP): teaching, ambulation, assessment, or documentation of vital signs?
Ambulation and documentation of vital signs (not teaching or assessment).
Which leadership style involves making decisions quickly and independently, often used in crisis situations?
Autocratic leadership.
What does SBAR stand for in communication?
Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation.
Which communication style is most effective in nursing leadership: passive, assertive, or aggressive?
Assertive communication.
What does HIPAA primarily protect?
Patient privacy and confidentiality of health information.
According to the “Five Rights of Delegation,” name two elements a nurse must always consider.
Right task, right circumstance, right person, right direction/communication, right supervision.
Transformational leaders motivate their team by focusing on what key principle?
Inspiring and empowering staff toward a shared vision.
What is the first step in the Quality Improvement (QI) process?
Identify the problem/issue.
What conflict resolution strategy seeks a “win-win” outcome through collaboration?
Collaboration.
Which ethical principle is demonstrated when a nurse respects a patient’s right to refuse treatment?
Autonomy.
A new RN has four patients. Which task should they assign to an experienced LPN: postoperative vital signs, admission assessment, discharge teaching, or titration of IV medications?
Postoperative vital signs (LPNs can collect focused data and monitor, but RNs must assess, teach, and titrate IVs).
A nurse leader encourages shared governance and involves staff in decision-making. Which leadership style is this?
Democratic leadership.
A nurse finds a med error before administering the medication. What is the nurse’s priority next step: report, notify provider, complete incident report, or document in chart?
Withhold the medication and assess the patient → then notify the provider.
A nurse overhears two staff members arguing. What is the manager’s best first response: ignore it, separate them, or facilitate open communication?
Facilitate open communication in a professional manner.
A nurse witnesses another nurse documenting care that wasn’t provided. What is the immediate action?
Report the incident to the charge nurse or manager immediately (fraudulent documentation is unsafe and unethical).
A UAP reports a patient’s blood pressure is 78/46. What is the RN’s priority action?
Immediately assess the patient themselves to validate the finding and determine status.
A nurse manager notices high staff turnover. Which leadership style might contribute to staff dissatisfaction if overused: democratic, laissez-faire, or transformational?
Laissez-faire leadership (lack of direction/support leads to dissatisfaction).
A QI team is investigating frequent patient falls on the unit. What tool should they use to determine contributing factors: root cause analysis, PDSA cycle, or sentinel event reporting?
Root cause analysis.
A staff nurse refuses an assignment, stating, “It’s unsafe.” What is the manager’s priority action in response?
Assess the safety concern and clarify expectations — address the concern before enforcing the assignment.
A patient with terminal cancer requests no further treatment. The provider insists on continuing therapy. Which ethical principle should guide the nurse’s advocacy?
Autonomy (respecting the patient’s wishes).
A nurse is caring for four patients: one awaiting discharge with home care teaching, one post-op day 1 with pain 8/10, one newly admitted with chest pain, and one needing scheduled antibiotics. Using Maslow’s and safety principles, who should the nurse see first?
The newly admitted patient with chest pain (airway/breathing/circulation priority).
Scenario: A unit is preparing for a Joint Commission visit. The leader organizes staff into committees, delegates roles, and sets clear deadlines. Which leadership style is being applied, and why is it most effective here?
Autocratic or authoritative leadership — provides structure, efficiency, and clear expectations during high-stakes situations.
A hospital notes a rise in catheter-associated infections. The QI team pilots a new sterile insertion checklist on one unit. Which step of the PDSA cycle does this represent, and what should come next?
“Do” phase (implementing change on a small scale). Next step is “Study” (evaluate outcomes).
A physician yells at a nurse in front of the team. What is the best leadership action: address privately later, report to administration immediately, confront professionally in the moment, or ignore it?
Confront professionally in the moment to stop inappropriate behavior, then follow up privately and per policy.
A nurse manager is told by administration to increase patient assignments beyond safe staffing ratios. What is the most appropriate response to balance patient safety, ethics, and organizational pressure?
Advocate for safe staffing, follow chain of command, and file an incident/variance if necessary — patient safety takes priority over administrative pressure.