Chapter 22: Staffing and Scheduling
Huber: Leadership & Nursing Care Management, 6th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The provision of quality nursing care to clients, wherever delivered, depends on the:
a. appropriate nursing diagnoses.
b. current wage scale.
c. number of nurse leaders.
d. right skill mix.
ANS: D
The major goal of staffing management is to provide the right number of nursing staff with the
right qualifications to deliver safe, high-quality, and cost-effective nursing care to a group of
patients and their families as evidenced by positive clinical outcomes, satisfaction with care,
and progression across the care continuum (Eck Birmingham, 2010; T.A. Fitzpatrick, personal
communication, August 31, 2016). “Appropriate safe nurse staffing and skill mix levels are
essential to optimize quality of care” (ANA, 2016a), and this determination is challenging yet
essential.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) TOP: Nursing Process: Planning
MSC: Client Needs: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
2. Staffing management is one of the most critical activities for nurse leaders at every level of the
health care organization today because it affects: a. delegation and supervision.
b. unit leadership productivity.
c. organizational outcomes.
d. professional development and quality control.
ANS: C
Staffing management is one of the most critical yet highly complex and time-consuming
activities for nurse leaders at every level of the health care organization today. How well or
poorly nursing leaders execute staff management impacts the safety and quality of patient
care, financial results, and organizational outcomes, such as job satisfaction and retention of
registered nurses (RNs).
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) TOP: Nursing Process: Planning
MSC: Client Needs: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
3. Evaluation of the effect of nurse staffing on quality patient, financial, and organizational
outcomes is known as: a. patient acuity.
b. staffing effectiveness.
c. nurse-to-patient ratio.
.
, lOMoAR cPSD| 47061011
d. nursing workload.
ANS: B
Staffing effectiveness is the evaluation of the effect of nurse staffing on quality patient,
financial, and organizational outcomes.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) TOP: Nursing Process: Evaluation
MSC: Client Needs: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
4. The nursing manager of a general medical-surgical unit in a large hospital has gathered data
reflecting the average length of time that it takes to provide nursing care to broad categories of
client groups with typical characteristics. The patient classification system that the nursing
manager has used is criticized for its: a. lack of reliability.
b. medical elements.
c. stereotyping of patients.
d. subjective basis.
ANS: A
Patient classification systems aimed at adjusting staffing for acuity have been plagued with an
inability to accurately and reliably measure patient care variability. Further, they have lacked
organizational credibility and added documentation burden to the direct-care nurse.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application)
TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment
MSC: Client Needs: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
5. The nursing manager of a general medical-surgical unit in a large hospital has gathered data
reflecting the average length of time that it takes to provide nursing care to broad categories of
client groups with typical characteristics. The nursing manager will most likely use the patient
classification data he collected to: a. avoid management layoffs.
b. change professional nursing roles.
c. obtain staffing reimbursement.
d. staff his nursing unit appropriately.
ANS: D
The nurse manager who is accountable for a patient care unit or area executes staffing
management strategies to yield an optimal health experience and clinical outcomes for
patients and their families; a healthy, satisfying work environment; and cost-effective staffing
model for the organization.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) TOP: Nursing Process: Evaluation
MSC: Client Needs: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
.