Success Exam Prep Guide | Nursing Research and
Evidence-Based Practice | Galen College of Nursing
|Q&A
**1. A nurse is caring for a patient who refuses a prescribed medication. The nurse respects the
patient's decision and documents the refusal. Which ethical principle is the nurse upholding?**
A) Beneficence
B) Nonmaleficence
C) Autonomy
D) Justice
**Correct Answer: C) Autonomy**
Rationale: Autonomy is the ethical principle that respects a patient's right to make their own
healthcare decisions. By respecting the patient's refusal of medication, the nurse is upholding
the principle of autonomy. Beneficence is the duty to do good; nonmaleficence is the duty to do
no harm; justice is fairness in distribution of resources.
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**2. The nurse is providing care to a patient who is a danger to themselves and others. Which
ethical principle permits the nurse to take necessary actions to protect the patient and others?
**
A) Beneficence
B) Nonmaleficence
C) Autonomy
,D) Justice
**Correct Answer: A) Beneficence**
Rationale: Beneficence is the ethical principle of doing good and acting in the best interest of
the patient. When a patient is a danger to themselves or others, the principle of beneficence
may override patient autonomy to protect the patient and others from harm. Nonmaleficence is
"do no harm"; autonomy respects patient choice; justice is fairness.
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**3. The Code of Ethics for Nurses, published by the American Nurses Association (ANA), serves
as a foundation for:**
A) Financial decision-making in healthcare
B) Ethical relationships, responsibilities, behaviors, and decision-making
C) Legal liability protection
D) Determining scope of practice
**Correct Answer: B) Ethical relationships, responsibilities, behaviors, and decision-making**
Rationale: The Code of Ethics for Nurses provides guidance for ethical relationships,
responsibilities, behaviors, and decision-making. It is used in conjunction with professional
standards, laws, and regulations that guide practice. Financial decisions, legal liability, and scope
of practice are addressed by other documents.
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**4. A nurse fails to report a change in a patient's condition, and the patient experiences a
negative outcome. This is an example of:**
, A) Assault
B) Battery
C) Negligence
D) Libel
**Correct Answer: C) Negligence**
Rationale: Negligence is the failure to provide care that a reasonably prudent nurse would
provide under similar circumstances. Failing to report a change in a patient's condition
constitutes negligence as it places the patient at risk for harm. Assault is a threat of harm;
battery is actual physical harm; libel is written defamation.
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**5. Which of the following is a key component of the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement
Model?**
A) Recognizing Cues
B) Documenting Care
C) Delegation
D) Administering Medications
**Correct Answer: A) Recognizing Cues**
Rationale: The NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (CJMM) identifies six cognitive
skills: Recognize Cues, Analyze Cues, Prioritize Hypotheses, Generate Solutions, Take Action, and
Evaluate Outcomes. Recognizing cues is the first step in the model. Documenting, delegation,
and medication administration are tasks rather than cognitive skills.