Chapter 13: Workforce Advocacy for a Professional Nursing Practice Environment Cherry and Jacob: Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends, and Management, 8th Edition

What should the RN do when asked to accept a patient assignment that he or she may feel unqualified to manage? 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 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 patient assignments, then modification of the assignments is in order to ensure patient safety. DIF: Application 2. What workplace factor has been found to contribute to the nursing shortage? a. Movement of nurses into acute care settings b. The use of unlicensed assistive personnel to replace RNs c. A severe lack of males who have chosen nursing as a career d. An aging nursing workforce