Evaluation Exam NCM 119 - Midterm

The number of adverse events such as falls and pressure ulcers on your unit is increasing. An ideal staffing plan to address this issue would include which of the following? Increasing the:

• Total number of staff on the unit.
• Staff and RN hours per patient.
• Total number of staff, and implementing 12-hour shifts.
• Number of RNs and number of RNs with experience on the unit.

To prepare staffing schedules, a nurse manager needs to calculate paid nonproductive time. When calculating paid nonproductive time, the nurse manager considers:

• Work time, educational time, and holiday time.
• Paid hours minus worked hours.
• Vacation time, holiday time, and sick time.
• Paid hours minus meeting time.

A nurse manager uses many sources of data when planning the unit's workload for the year. Which of the following data must be considered in the planning?

• Hours of operation of the unit
• Trends in acuity on the unit
• Maximum work stretch for each employee
• Weekend requirements

Scheduling is a function of implementing the staffing plan by assigning unit personnel to work specific hours and specific days of the week. To retain nursing staff, the nurse manager must schedule:

• All weekends off.
• All holidays off.
• A variety of scheduling options.
• Rotating shifts.

The difference between staffing and scheduling is that staffing:

• Puts the right person in the right position.
• Puts the right person in the right time and place.
• Refers to the number of nursing hours per patient per day.
• Looks after interpretation of benefits and compensation.

In the past year, you have noticed an increase in patient falls on your unit. In reading studies related to staffing and patient outcomes, you realize that you will need to plan for:

• Higher patient care hours.
• Safer facilities.
• Institution of a patient classification system.
• An increased number of RN positions.

A nurse staffing plan takes into account:

• Specific nurse-to-patient ratios per shift.
• Participation of nurses in projecting staffing needs.
• Compensation and benefits for each level of staff.
• The occupancy load of a unit.

In a job interview for a staff position, which of the following indicates your knowledge of patient safety?

• "Will I be able to get overtime hours on your unit?"
• "If there is an opportunity to work extra shifts, I would really like that."
• "Is there a strategy in place to reduce the number of overtime hours on the unit?"
• "I see no reason why I wouldn't be able to work overtime."

Automated computerized staffing allows for which advantage to the institution?

• Reduces workload of nurse manager
• Provides coverage on weekends
• Uses part-time staff
• Provides coverage for daily changes in acuity of patients

A large university hospital has commisioned a multidisciplinary group to review patient records following discharge in order to evaluate patient outcomes and the character and quality of nursing care that patients receive. This evaluative program is:

• an outcome evaluation
• a process evaluation
• a structure evaluation
• a nursing audit