Galen NSG 4800 Comp 3 Exam | Transition to Professional
Nursing Practice (2026) Q&A
1. Which leadership style involves the leader including team members in the decision-making
process while retaining final authority?
A) Autocratic
B) Democratic (participative)
C) Laissez-faire
D) Transactional
Correct Answer: Democratic (participative)
Rationale: Democratic leadership involves the leader including team members in the decision-
making process, though the leader retains final authority. Autocratic leadership is directive and
top-down, laissez-faire is hands-off, and transactional is based on rewards and punishments.
2. A charge nurse is making assignments for the upcoming shift. Which client should be assigned
to the most experienced RN?
A) A client who is 24 hours postoperative following an appendectomy
B) A client who has a new diagnosis of hypertension
C) A client who is receiving chemotherapy for the first time
D) A client who has stable angina and is awaiting discharge
Correct Answer: A client who is receiving chemotherapy for the first time
Rationale: A client receiving chemotherapy for the first time requires extensive teaching, close
monitoring for hypersensitivity reactions, and potential management of life-threatening adverse
effects. This complex care requires a nurse with experience and strong clinical judgment.
,3. A charge nurse seeks input from the team before making a final decision on staffing
assignments. This leadership style is best described as which of the following?
A) Autocratic
B) Democratic
C) Laissez-faire
D) Bureaucratic
Correct Answer: Democratic
Rationale: Democratic leadership involves team members in decision-making while the leader
retains final authority. Autocratic leaders make decisions unilaterally, laissez-faire leaders
provide minimal guidance, and bureaucratic leaders strictly follow rules and policies.
4. Which of the following tasks can a registered nurse safely delegate to an unlicensed assistive
personnel (UAP)?
A) Assessing a client's pain level
B) Performing a sterile dressing change
C) Measuring and recording vital signs
D) Providing discharge teaching about wound care
Correct Answer: Measuring and recording vital signs
Rationale: UAPs can perform routine, standardized tasks that do not require clinical judgment,
such as measuring vital signs, recording intake and output, and assisting with activities of daily
living. Assessment, sterile procedures, and teaching are within the RN's scope of practice.
5. The nurse is caring for four clients. Which client should the nurse assess first?
A) A client with COPD who has an oxygen saturation of 92% on 2L NC
,B) A client with heart failure who has 2+ pitting edema in the lower extremities
C) A client post-cardiac catheterization who reports new back pain and has a pulsating mass at
the groin site
D) A client with diabetes who has a blood glucose of 180 mg/dL
Correct Answer: A client post-cardiac catheterization who reports new back pain and has a
pulsating mass at the groin site
Rationale: New back pain and a pulsating mass at the catheter insertion site after cardiac
catheterization may indicate retroperitoneal bleeding or a pseudoaneurysm—a life-threatening
emergency requiring immediate intervention. The other findings are concerning but not
immediately life-threatening.
6. A newly licensed nurse is struggling to organize their workload and complete tasks on time.
What should the nurse's preceptor do first?
A) Assign the nurse to fewer patients
B) Work alongside the nurse to model prioritization and time management strategies
C) Report the nurse to the manager for incompetence
D) Allow the nurse to figure it out independently
Correct Answer: Work alongside the nurse to model prioritization and time management
strategies
Rationale: Coaching and modeling are effective strategies for developing a new nurse's skills.
The preceptor should provide guidance, demonstrate effective techniques, and offer
constructive feedback in real time. Assigning fewer patients may help but does not address the
underlying skill deficit.
7. Which ethical principle is being upheld when a nurse allocates resources fairly among all
assigned clients?
, A) Autonomy
B) Beneficence
C) Justice
D) Non-maleficence
Correct Answer: Justice
Rationale: Justice refers to fairness and the equitable distribution of resources, benefits, and
burdens. Autonomy respects patients' rights to make their own decisions, beneficence involves
doing good, and non-maleficence involves avoiding harm.
8. A nurse is caring for a client who is scheduled for an ERCP. What is the priority nursing
intervention post-procedure?
A) Assess gag reflex
B) Administer pain medication
C) Monitor for signs of infection
D) Encourage oral fluid intake
Correct Answer: Assess gag reflex
Rationale: After an ERCP, the client's throat is numbed, and the gag reflex must be assessed
before allowing the client to eat or drink to prevent aspiration. Pain medication, infection
monitoring, and fluid intake are important but secondary to airway safety.
9. Which of the following is an example of malpractice in nursing?
A) A client goes home with a wound unreported, and the client falls and it is never reported
B) Threatening to touch a client without consent
C) Touching a client without permission
Nursing Practice (2026) Q&A
1. Which leadership style involves the leader including team members in the decision-making
process while retaining final authority?
A) Autocratic
B) Democratic (participative)
C) Laissez-faire
D) Transactional
Correct Answer: Democratic (participative)
Rationale: Democratic leadership involves the leader including team members in the decision-
making process, though the leader retains final authority. Autocratic leadership is directive and
top-down, laissez-faire is hands-off, and transactional is based on rewards and punishments.
2. A charge nurse is making assignments for the upcoming shift. Which client should be assigned
to the most experienced RN?
A) A client who is 24 hours postoperative following an appendectomy
B) A client who has a new diagnosis of hypertension
C) A client who is receiving chemotherapy for the first time
D) A client who has stable angina and is awaiting discharge
Correct Answer: A client who is receiving chemotherapy for the first time
Rationale: A client receiving chemotherapy for the first time requires extensive teaching, close
monitoring for hypersensitivity reactions, and potential management of life-threatening adverse
effects. This complex care requires a nurse with experience and strong clinical judgment.
,3. A charge nurse seeks input from the team before making a final decision on staffing
assignments. This leadership style is best described as which of the following?
A) Autocratic
B) Democratic
C) Laissez-faire
D) Bureaucratic
Correct Answer: Democratic
Rationale: Democratic leadership involves team members in decision-making while the leader
retains final authority. Autocratic leaders make decisions unilaterally, laissez-faire leaders
provide minimal guidance, and bureaucratic leaders strictly follow rules and policies.
4. Which of the following tasks can a registered nurse safely delegate to an unlicensed assistive
personnel (UAP)?
A) Assessing a client's pain level
B) Performing a sterile dressing change
C) Measuring and recording vital signs
D) Providing discharge teaching about wound care
Correct Answer: Measuring and recording vital signs
Rationale: UAPs can perform routine, standardized tasks that do not require clinical judgment,
such as measuring vital signs, recording intake and output, and assisting with activities of daily
living. Assessment, sterile procedures, and teaching are within the RN's scope of practice.
5. The nurse is caring for four clients. Which client should the nurse assess first?
A) A client with COPD who has an oxygen saturation of 92% on 2L NC
,B) A client with heart failure who has 2+ pitting edema in the lower extremities
C) A client post-cardiac catheterization who reports new back pain and has a pulsating mass at
the groin site
D) A client with diabetes who has a blood glucose of 180 mg/dL
Correct Answer: A client post-cardiac catheterization who reports new back pain and has a
pulsating mass at the groin site
Rationale: New back pain and a pulsating mass at the catheter insertion site after cardiac
catheterization may indicate retroperitoneal bleeding or a pseudoaneurysm—a life-threatening
emergency requiring immediate intervention. The other findings are concerning but not
immediately life-threatening.
6. A newly licensed nurse is struggling to organize their workload and complete tasks on time.
What should the nurse's preceptor do first?
A) Assign the nurse to fewer patients
B) Work alongside the nurse to model prioritization and time management strategies
C) Report the nurse to the manager for incompetence
D) Allow the nurse to figure it out independently
Correct Answer: Work alongside the nurse to model prioritization and time management
strategies
Rationale: Coaching and modeling are effective strategies for developing a new nurse's skills.
The preceptor should provide guidance, demonstrate effective techniques, and offer
constructive feedback in real time. Assigning fewer patients may help but does not address the
underlying skill deficit.
7. Which ethical principle is being upheld when a nurse allocates resources fairly among all
assigned clients?
, A) Autonomy
B) Beneficence
C) Justice
D) Non-maleficence
Correct Answer: Justice
Rationale: Justice refers to fairness and the equitable distribution of resources, benefits, and
burdens. Autonomy respects patients' rights to make their own decisions, beneficence involves
doing good, and non-maleficence involves avoiding harm.
8. A nurse is caring for a client who is scheduled for an ERCP. What is the priority nursing
intervention post-procedure?
A) Assess gag reflex
B) Administer pain medication
C) Monitor for signs of infection
D) Encourage oral fluid intake
Correct Answer: Assess gag reflex
Rationale: After an ERCP, the client's throat is numbed, and the gag reflex must be assessed
before allowing the client to eat or drink to prevent aspiration. Pain medication, infection
monitoring, and fluid intake are important but secondary to airway safety.
9. Which of the following is an example of malpractice in nursing?
A) A client goes home with a wound unreported, and the client falls and it is never reported
B) Threatening to touch a client without consent
C) Touching a client without permission
