Chapter 12: Workforce Advocacy and the Nursing Shortage

Chapter 12: Workforce Advocacy and the Nursing Shortage

 

Complete Chapter Questions With Answers

 

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE

 

1. When an RN is asked to accept an assignment that he or she may not be qualified to perform, the nurse should:

a.	accept the assignment as appropriate if assigned by a legitimate power.
b.	be primarily concerned with the number of patients being assigned.
c.	ask how other nurses have handled the assignment in the past.
d.	determine whether he or she is familiar with the types of patients being assigned.

 

 

ANS:  D

Correct: Nurses should always think critically about assignments so they can communicate what makes them uncomfortable about a particular assignment. If nurses do not have the knowledge or experience required for particular patient assignments, then modification of the assignments is in order to ensure patient safety.

Incorrect:

1. Even if the person who makes the assignment has legitimate power, he or she may not be aware of the nurse’s work experience and training.
2. The nurse should not respond on the basis of the actual number of patients assigned but should consider the needs of each patient, his or her age and condition, other factors that contribute to special needs, and the resources available to meet those needs.
3. Each nurse possesses individual expertise. Basing decisions on the actions and capabilities of others is incorrect and is potentially unsafe for the patient.

 

DIF:    Application    REF:   p. 232

 

2. One workplace issue—the nursing shortage—is caused by several complex issues, including:

a.	movement of nurses into acute care settings.
b.	the use of unlicensed assistive personnel to replace RNs.
c.	a mass of baby boomers who have chosen nursing as a career.
d.	an aging nursing workforce.

 

 

ANS:  D

Correct: Research validates that an aging population and an aging nursing workforce are significant contributors to the nursing shortage issue.

Incorrect:

1. Movement of nurses into acute care settings would actually be beneficial in terms of the nursing shortage. As patient care technology increases, the number of nurses needed in acute care settings is increasing.
2. Unlicensed assistive personnel cannot be used to replace RNs, although they can be placed in positions that allow them to assist RNs in providing patient care.
3. There has not been a mass of baby boomers who have chosen nursing as a career.

 

DIF:    Comprehension                               REF:   p. 228

 

3. Studies conducted to determine enrollment trends in nursing schools have found that in the last years:

a.	a greater number of individuals chose nursing as a career but could not meet entrance requirements.
b.	more young women chose to enter the profession of nursing.
c.	fewer career opportunities exist in the profession of nursing and fewer opportunities are projected to exist for women.
d.	men have dominated the profession, and women feel that they have experienced discrimination.

 

 

ANS:  B

Correct: An unexpected number of young women entered the nursing workforce from 2002 to 2009, causing faster growth in the supply than anticipated.

Incorrect:

1. Many qualified nursing candidates are turned away because of limited enrollment in nursing schools.
2. More people are living with chronic conditions, and health care reform will most likely dramatically increase the number of people accessing care.
3. Men remain a minority in the nursing profession.

 

DIF:    Analysis         REF:   p. 225

 

4. Qualified nursing school applicants have continued to be turned away, limiting enrollment due to a shortage of faculty, which is attributed to several factors, including:

a.	nursing faculty are subject to high levels of burnout and job dissatisfaction.
b.	only the number of faculty in Associate Degree programs remain stable.
c.	the mean age of nursing faculty continues to decrease and older faculty mentors have left the profession.
d.	increasing job competition from higher paying clinical sites, especially in today’s economic turndown.

 

 

ANS:  D

Correct: Academic institutions, especially those faced with budget cuts, generally cannot compete with nonacademic employers. Faculty salaries continue to be a major contributor to the nursing shortage.

Incorrect:

1. Nursing faculty are the most satisfied of all professional nurses with their jobs.
2. Faculty preparing all levels of professional nurses are limited, most often due to aging.
3. Nursing faculty continue to age with the mean age increasing across all faculty positions.

 

DIF:    Application    REF:   p. 226