NCLEX-RN QUESTION AND ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES 2023

NCLEX-RN QUESTION AND ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES 2023 The Safe & Effective Care Environment: The Management of Care Practice Questions 2023 1. You are caring for a client at the end of life. The client tells you that they are grateful for having considered and decided upon some end of life decisions and the appointments of those who they wish to make decisions for them when they are no longer able to do so. During this discussion with the client and the client’s wife, the client states that “my wife and I are legally married so I am so glad that she can automatically make all healthcare decisions on my behalf without a legal durable power of attorney when I am no longer able to do so myself” and the wife responds to this statement with, “that is not completely true. I can only make decisions for you and on your behalf when these decisions are not already documented on your advance directive.” How should you, as the nurse, respond to and address this conversation between the husband and wife and the end of life? A. You should respond to the couple by stating that only unanticipated treatments and procedures that are not included in the advance directive can be made by the legally appointed durable power of attorney for healthcare decisions. B. You should be aware of the fact that the wife of the client has a knowledge deficit relating to advance directives and durable powers of attorney for healthcare decisions and plan an educational activity to meet this learning need. C. You should be aware of the fact that the client has a knowledge deficit relating to advance directives and durable powers of attorney for healthcare decisions and plan an educational activity to meet this learning need. D. You should reinforce the wife’s belief that legally married spouses automatically serve for the other spouse’s durable power of attorney for health care decisions and that others than the spouse cannot be legally appointed while people are married Correct Response: A You should respond to the couple by stating that only unanticipated treatments and procedures that are not included in the advance directive can be made by the legally appointed durable power of attorney for healthcare decisions. Both the client and the client’s spouse have knowledge deficits relating to advance directives. Legally married spouses do not automatically serve for the other spouse’s durable power of attorney for health care decisions; others than the spouse can be legally appointed while people are married. 2. The Patient Self Determination Act of the United States protects clients in terms of their rights to what? Select all that apply. A. Privacy and to have their medical information confidential unless the client formally approves the sharing of this information with others such as family members. B. Make healthcare decisions and to have these decisions protected and communicated to others when they are no longer competent to do so. C. Be fully informed about all treatments in term of their benefits, risks and alternatives to them so the client can make a knowledgeable and informed decision about whether or not to agree to having it D. Make decisions about who their health care provider is without any coercion or undue influence of others including healthcare providers. Correct Response: B,D The Patient Self Determination Act, which was passed by the US Congress in 1990, gives Americans the right to make healthcare decisions and to have these decisions protected and communicated to others when they are no longer competent to do so. These decisions can also include rejections for future care and treatment and these decisions are reflect in advance directives. This Act also supports the rights of the client to be free of any coercion or any undue influence of others including healthcare providers. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) supports and upholds the clients’ rights to confidentially and the privacy of their medical related information regardless of its form. It covers hard copy and electronic medical records unless the client has formally approved the sharing of this information with others such as family members. The elements of informed consent which includes information about possible treatments and procedures in terms of their benefits, risks and alternatives to them so the client can make a knowledgeable and informed decision about whether or not to agree to having it may be part of these advanced directives, but the law that protects these advance directives is the Patient Self Determination Act. 3. Your client is in the special care area of your hospital with multiple trauma and severe bodily burns. This 45 year old male client has an advance directive that states that the client wants all life saving measures including cardiopulmonary resuscitation and advance cardiac life support, including mechanical ventilation. As you are caring for the client, the client has a complete cardiac and respiratory arrest. This client has little of no chance for survival and they are facing imminent death according to your professional judgement, knowledge of pathophysiology and your critical thinking. You believe that all life saving measures for this client would be futile. What is the first thing that you, as the nurse, should do? A. Call the doctor and advise them that the client’s physical status has significantly changed and that they have just had a cardiopulmonary arrest. B. Begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation other emergency life saving measures. C. Notify the family of the client’s condition and ask them what they should be done for the client. D. Insure that the client is without any distressing signs and symptoms at the end of life. Correct Response: B You must immediately begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation and all life saving measures as the client in their advance directive despite the nurse’s own beliefs and professional opinions. Nurses must uphold the client’s right to accept, choose and reject any and all of treatments, as stated in the client’s advance directive. You would not call the doctor first; your priority is the sustaining of the client’s life; you would also not immediately notify the family for the same reason and, when you do communicate with the family at a later time, you would not ask them what should or should not be done for the client when they wishes are already contained in the client’s advance directive. Finally, you would also insure that the client is without pain and all other distressing signs and symptoms at the end of life, but the priority and the first thing that you would do is immediately begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation and all life saving measures as requested by the client in their advance directive, according to the ABCs and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. 4. You are caring for a high risk pregnant client who is in a life threatening situation. The fetus is also at high risk for death. Clinical decisions are being made that concern you because some of these treatments and life saving measures promote the pregnant woman’s life at the same time that they significantly jeopardize the fetus’ life and viability and other decisions can preserve the fetus’s life at the expense of the pregnant woman’s life. Which role of the nurse is the priority at this time? A. Case manager B. Collaborator C. Coordinator of care D. Advocacy Correct Response: D The priority role of the nurse is advocacy. The nurse must serve as the advocate for both the fetus and the mother at risk as the result of this ethical dilemma where neither option is desirable. As an advocate, the nurse would seek out resources and people, such as the facility’s ethicist or the ethics committee, to resolve this ethical dilemma. 5. A nurse who organizes and establishes a political action committee (PAC) in their local community to address issues relating to the accessibility and affordability of healthcare resources in the community is serving in which capacity and role of the registered nurse? A. Client advocate B. Collaborator C. Politician D. Entrepreneur Correct Response: A A nurse who organizes and establishes a political action committee (PAC) in their local community to address issues relating to the accessibility and affordability of healthcare resources in the community is serving as the client advocate. As you should know, the definition of “client” includes not only individual clients, and families as a unit, but also populations such as the members of the local community. Although the nurse, as the organizer of this political action committee (PAC), will have to collaborate with members of the community to promote the accessibility and affordability of healthcare resources in the community, this is a secondary role rather than the primary role. Additionally, although the nurse is serving in a political advocacy effort, the nurse is not necessarily a politician and there is no evidence that this nurse is an entrepreneur. 6. Which of the following are the five Rights of Supervision? A. The right task, the right circumstances, the right person, the right competency, and the right supervision or feedback B. The right task, the right circumstances, the right person, the right direction or communication, and the right supervision or feedback C. The right competency, the right education and training, the right scope of practice, the right environment and the right client condition D. The right competency, the right person, the right scope of practice, the right environment and the right client condition Correct Response: B The Five Rights of Delegation include the right task, the right circumstances, the right person, the right direction or communication, and the right supervision or feedback. The right competency is not one of these basic Five Rights, but instead, competency is considered and validated as part of the combination of matching the right task and the right person; the right education and training are functions of the right task and the right person who is able to competently perform the task; the right scope of practice, the right environment and the right client condition are functions of the legal match of the person and the task; and the setting of care which is not a Right of Delegation and the matching of the right person, task and circumstances. 7. The registered nurse, prior to the delegation of tasks to other members of the nursing care team, evaluates the ability of staff members to perform assigned tasks for the position as based on which legal consideration? A. The American Nurses Association’s Scopes of Practice B. The American Nurses Association’s Standards of Care C. State statutes D. Federal law Correct Response: C The registered nurse, prior to the delegation of tasks to other members of the nursing care team, evaluates the ability of staff members to perform assigned tasks for the position as based on state statutes that differentiate among the different types of nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel that are legally able to perform different tasks. Although the American Nurses Association’s Standards of Care guide nursing practice, these standards are professional rather than legal standards and the American Nurses Association does not have American Nurses Association’s Scopes of Practice, only the states’ laws or statutes do. Lastly, scopes of practice are within the legal domain of the states and not the federal government. 8. The best way to objectively evaluate the effectiveness of an individual staff member’s time management skills in a longitudinal manner is to: A. Observe the staff member during an entire shift of duty to determine whether or not the nurse has accurately and appropriately established priorities. B. Observe the staff member during an entire shift of duty to determine whether or not the nurse has accurately and appropriately completed priority tasks. C. Ask the staff member how they feel like they have been able to employ their time management skills for the last six months. D. Collect outcome data over time and then aggregate and analyze this data to determine whether or not the staff member has completed reasonable assignments in the allotted time before the end of their shift of duty. Correct Response: D The best way to objectively evaluate the effectiveness of an individual staff member’s time management skills in a longitudinal manner is to collect outcome data over time, and then aggregate and analyze this data to determine whether or not the staff member has completed reasonable assignments in the allotted time before the end of their shift of duty. Another way to perform this longitudinal evaluation is to look at the staff member’s use of over time, like the last six months, when the unit was adequately staffed. Observing the staff member during an entire shift of duty to determine whether or not the nurse has accurately and appropriately established priorities is a way to evaluate the short term abilities for establishing priorities and not assignment completion and observing the staff member during an entire shift of duty to determine whether or not the nurse has accurately and appropriately completed priority tasks is a way to evaluate the short term abilities for completing established priorities and not a complete assignment which also includes tasks that are not of the highest priority. Lastly, asking the staff member how they feel like they have been able to employ their time management skills for the last six months is the use of subjective rather than objective evaluation. 9. Which of the following patient care tasks is coupled with the appropriate member of the nursing care team in terms of their legal scope of practice? A. An unlicensed staff member who has been “certified” by the employing agency to monitor telemetry: Monitoring cardiac telemetry B. An unlicensed assistive staff member like a nursing assistant who has been “certified” by the employing agency to insert a urinary catheter: Inserting a urinary catheter C. A licensed practical nurse: The circulating nurse in the perioperative area D. A licensed practical nurse: The first assistant in the perioperative area Correct Response: A An unlicensed staff member who has been “certified” by the employing agency to monitor telemetry can monitor cardiac telemetry; they cannot, however, interpret these cardiac rhythms and initiate interventions when interventions are indicated. Only the nurse can perform these roles. Unlicensed assistive staff member like a nursing assistant cannot under any circumstances be certified” by the employing agency to insert a urinary catheter or insert a urinary catheter because this is a sterile procedure and, legally, no sterile procedures can be done by an unlicensed assistive staff member like a nursing assistant. Lastly, the role of the circulating nurse is within the exclusive scope of practice for the registered nurse and the role of the first assistant is assumed only by a registered nurse with the advanced training and education necessary to perform competently in this capacity. Neither of these roles can be delegated to a licensed practical nurse or an unlicensed assistive staff member like a nursing assistant or a surgical technician. 10. You are providing care to a permanently disabled Iraqi war veteran who is 28 years of age. When he returned home from the war at the age of 24 years of age 2 years ago he was deemed permanently disabled by both the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Social Security Administration. He receives a substantial monthly service connected disability check from the Veterans Administration and he has no spouse or legal dependents. Which type of governmental health insurance is he now entitled to? A. Only the VA health care services because he is not 65 years of age B. Medicare because he has been deemed permanently disabled for 2 years C. Medicaid because he is permanently disabled and not able to work D. Choices B and C Correct Response: B This client is legally eligible for Medicare because he has been deemed permanently disabled for more than 2 years in addition to the VA health care services. People over the age of 65 and those who are permanently disabled for at least two years, according to the Social Security Administration, are eligible for Medicare. Based on the information in this scenario, the client is not eligible for Medicaid because has a “substantial” VA disability check on a monthly basis and is not indigent and with a low income. 11. You are a registered nurse who is performing the role of a case manager in your hospital. You have been asked to present a class to newly employed nurses about your role, your responsibilities and how they can collaborate with you as the case manager. Which of the following is a primary case management responsibility associated with reimbursement that you should you include in this class? A. The case manager’s role in terms of organization wide performance improvement activities B. The case manager’s role in terms complete, timely and accurate documentation C. The case manager’s role in terms of the clients’ being at the appropriate level of care D. The case manager’s role in terms of contesting denied reimbursements Correct Response: C Registered nurse case managers have a primary case management responsibility associated with reimbursement because they are responsible for insuring that the client is being cared for at the appropriate level of care along the continuum of care that is consistent with medical necessity and the client’s current needs. A failure to insure the appropriate level of care jeopardizes reimbursement. For example, care in an acute care facility will not be reimbursed when the client’s current needs can be met in a subacute or long term care setting. Nurse case managers do not have organization wide performance improvement activities, the supervision of complete, timely and accurate documentation or challenging denied reimbursements in their role. These roles and responsibilities are typically assumed by quality assurance/performance improvement, supervisory staff and medical billers, respectively. 12. Select the nurse case management model used for patient care delivery that is accurately paired with one of its descriptors: A. The ProACT Model: Registered nurses perform the role of the primary nurse in addition to the related coding and billing functions B. The Collaborative Practice Model: The registered nurse performs the role of the primary nurse in addition to the role of the clinical case manager with administrative, supervisory and fiscal responsibilities C. The Case Manager Model: The management and coordination of care for clients throughout a facility who share the same DRG or medical diagnosis D. The Triad Model of Case Management: The joint collaboration of the social worker, the nursing case manager, and the utilization review team Correct Response: D The Triad Model of case management entails the joint collaboration of the social worker, the nursing case manager, and the utilization review team. The Professionally Advanced Care Team, referred to as the ProACT Model, which was developed at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, entails registered nurses serving in the role of both the primary nurse the clinical case manager with no billing and coding responsibilities; these highly specialized and technical billing and coding responsibilities are done by the business office, medical billers and medical coders. The Case Manager Model entails the registered nurses’ role in terms of case management for a particular nursing care unit for a group of clients with the same medical diagnosis or DRG. In contrast to this Case Manager Model of Beth Israel Hospital, the Collaborative Practice Model of case management entails the role of some registered nurses in a particular healthcare facility to manage, coordinate, guide and direct the complex care of a population of clients throughout the entire healthcare facility who share a particular diagnosis or Diagnostic Related Group. 13. Which of these case management methods employs the intrinsic use of multidisciplinary plans of care that are based on the client’s current condition, and reflect interventions and expected outcomes within a pre-established time line? A. The Case Manager Model B. The ProACT Model C. The Collaborative Practice Model D. The Triad Model of Case Management Correct Response: A The Case Manager Model and the Collaborative Practice Model of case management are the only models of case management that employ the mandated and intrinsic use of critical pathways which are multidisciplinary plans of care that are based on the client’s current condition, and that reflect interventions and expected outcomes within a preestablished time line. The ProACT Model, the Collaborative Practice Model and the Triad Model of Case Management do not necessarily employ critical pathways; these models can use any system of medical records and documentation. 14. Which type of legal consent is indirectly given by the client by the very nature of their voluntary acute care hospitalization? A. An opt out consent B. An implicit consent C. An explicit consent D. No consent at all is given Correct Response: B The type of legal consent that is indirectly given by the client by the very nature of their voluntary acute care hospitalization is an implicit consent indirectly given by the client by the very nature of their voluntary acute care hospitalization is an implicit consent. An explicit consent, on the other hand, is the direct and formal consent of the client; and an opt out consent is given when a patient does NOT refuse a treatment; this lack of objections by the patient indicates that the person has consented to the treatment or procedure with an opt out consent. 15. You are asked by your supervisor to take photographs of the residents and their family members who are attending a holiday dinner and celebration at your long term care facility. What should you do? A. Take the photographs because these photographs are part of the holiday tradition at this facility B. Take the photographs because all of the residents are properly attired and in a dignified condition C. Refuse to take the photographs unless you have the consent of all to do so D. Refuse to take the photographs because this is not part of the nurse’s role Correct Response: C You should refuse to take the photographs unless you have the consent of all to do so because to do otherwise is a violation of the residents’ rights to privacy and confidentiality as provided in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This, rather than the false belief that this is not part of the nurse’s role, is the reason that you would not automatically take these photographs. Regardless of whether or not these photographs are part of the holiday tradition at this facility and whether or not the residents are properly attired and in a dignified condition, no photographs can be legally taken without the residents’ permission and consent. 16. Select the law that is accurately paired with its description in terms of client rights. A. The Patient Self Determination Act: The client’s right to choose the level of care B. The Patient Self Determination Act: The clients’ right to healthcare insurance coverage for mental health disorders C. The Mental Health Parity Act: The privacy and security of technological psychiatric information D. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): The privacy and security of technological medical information Correct Response: D The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects the client’s legal rights to the privacy, security and confidentiality of all medical information including data and information that is technologically stored and secured. The Patient Self Determination Act uphold the client’s right to choose and reject care and not the level of care that is driven and decided upon as based on medical necessity and health insurance reimbursement; this Act also does not give client’s the right to any health insurance including healthcare insurance coverage for mental health disorders. Lastly, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act, passed in 2008, mandates insurance coverage for mental health and psychiatric health services in a manner similar to medical and surgical insurance coverage; it does not protect the privacy and security of technological psychiatric information, HIPAA does. 17. Select the member of the multidisciplinary team that you would most likely collaborate with when the client is at risk for falls due to an impaired gait. A. The physical therapist B. The occupational therapist C. The podiatrist D. The nurse practitioner Correct Response: A The member of the multidisciplinary team that you would most likely collaborate with when the client is at risk for falls due to an impaired gait is a physical therapist. Physical therapists are licensed healthcare professionals who assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions including those related to the patient’s functional abilities in terms of their gait, strength, mobility, balance, coordination, and joint range of motion. They also provide patients with assistive aids like walkers and canes and exercise regimens. Occupational therapists assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions including those that facilitate the patient’s ability to achieve their highest possible level of independence in terms of their activities of daily living such as bathing, grooming, eating and dressing. Podiatrists care for disorders and diseases of the foot; and nurse practitioners, depending on their area of specialty, may also collaborate with nurses when a client is affected with a disorder in terms of gait, strength, mobility, balance, coordination, and joint range of motion, however the member of the multidisciplinary team that you would most likely collaborate with when the client is at risk for falls due to an impaired gait is a physical therapist. 18. Select the member of the multidisciplinary team that you would most likely collaborate with when the client can benefit from the use of adaptive devices for cutting food? A. The physical therapist B. The occupational therapist C. The dietician D. The podiatrist Correct Response: B The member of the multidisciplinary team that you would most likely collaborate with when the client can benefit from the use of adaptive devices for eating is the occupational therapist. Occupational therapists assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions including those that facilitate the patient’s ability to achieve their highest possible level of independence in terms of their activities of daily living such as bathing, grooming, eating and dressing. Many of these interventions include adaptive devices such as special eating utensils and grooming aids. Physical therapists are licensed healthcare professionals who assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions including those related to the patient’s functional abilities in terms of their gait, strength, mobility, balance, coordination, and joint range of motion. They also provide patients with assistive aids like walkers and canes and exercise regimens. Dieticians assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions including those relating to dietary needs of those patients who need regular or therapeutic diets. They also provide dietary education and work with other members of the healthcare need when a client has dietary needs secondary to physical disorders such as dysphagia; and podiatrists care for disorders and diseases of the foot. 19. What is the primary goal of multidisciplinary case conferences? A. To fulfill the nurse’s role in terms of collaboration B. To plan and provide for optimal client outcomes C. To solve complex multidisciplinary patient care problems D. To provide educational experiences for experienced nurses Correct Response: C The primary goal of multidisciplinary case conferences is to plan care that facilitates optimal client outcomes. Other benefits of multidisciplinary case conferences include the fulfillment of the nurse’s role in terms of collaboration and collegiality, to solve complex multidisciplinary patient care problems so that optimal client outcomes can be achieved and also to provide educational experiences for nurses; these things are secondary rather than primary goals. 20. Which member of the multidisciplinary team would you most likely collaborate with when your pediatric client has had a traumatic amputation one or more months ago? A. A Pedorthist B. A pediatric nurse practitioner C. A trauma certified clinical nurse specialist D. A prosthetist Correct Response: D The member of the multidisciplinary team would you most likely collaborate with when your pediatric client has had a traumatic amputation secondary to a terrorism blast explosion a month ago or more ago is a prosthetist. Prosthetists, in collaboration with other members of the healthcare team, assess patients and then design, fit and supply the patient with an artificial body part such as a leg or arm prosthesis. They also followup with patients who have gotten a prosthesis to check and adjust it in terms of proper fit, patient comfort and functioning. Pedorthists modify and provide corrective footwear and employ supportive devices to address conditions which affect the feet and lower limbs. Lastly, you may collaborate with a trauma certified clinical nurse specialist and a pediatric nurse practitioner but this consultation and collaboration should begin immediately upon arrival to the emergency department, and not a month after the injury. 21. Conflicts, according to Lewin, include which types of conflict? Select all that are accurate. A. Conceptualization conflicts B. Avoidance - Avoidance conflicts C. Approach - Approach conflicts D. Resolvable conflicts E. Unresolvable conflicts F. Double Approach - Avoidance conflicts G. Approach-Avoidance conflicts Correct Response: B, C, F, G According to Lewin, the types of conflict are Avoidance-Avoidance conflicts, ApproachApproach conflicts, Double Approach - Avoidance conflicts and Approach-Avoidance conflicts. 22. Select the types and stages of conflict that are accurately paired with their description. Select all that apply. A. Frustration: The phase of conflict that is characterized with personal agendas and obstruction B. Conceptualization: The phase of conflict that occurs when contending parties have developed a clear and objective understanding of the nature of the conflict and factors that have led to it C. Taking action: The phase of conflict that is characterized with individual responses to and feelings about the conflict D. Resolution: The type of conflict that can be resolved E. Avoidance-Avoidance: A stage of conflict that occurs when there are NO alternatives that are acceptable to the contending parties F. Approach- Approach Conflicts: The type of conflict that occurs when the people involved in the conflict want more than one alternatives or actions that could resolve the conflict. G. Approach-Avoidance Conflicts: The type of conflict that occurs when the people involved in the conflict believe that all of the alternatives are NEITHER completely satisfactory nor completely dissatisfactory. Correct Response: C, F, G Taking action is the phase of conflict that is characterized with individual responses to and feelings about the conflict; Approach- Approach conflicts are a type of conflict that occurs when the people involved in the conflict want more than one alternatives or actions that could resolve the conflict; and Approach-Avoidance conflicts are a type of conflict that occurs when the people involved in the conflict believe that all of the alternatives are NEITHER completely satisfactory or completely dissatisfactory. Frustration is the phase of conflict that occurs when those involved in the conflict believe that their goals and needs are being blocked and not met, and not necessarily characterized with personal agendas and obstruction; conceptualization is the phase of conflict that occurs when those involved in the conflict begin to understand what the conflict is all about and why it has occurred. This understanding often varies from person to person and this personal understanding may or may not be accurate, clear or objective, and not a clear and objective understanding of the nature of the conflict and factors that have led to it; resolution is a phase of conflict resolution, not a type of conflict, that is characterized when the contending parties are able to come to some agreement using mediation, negotiation or another method; an Avoidance-Avoidance conflict is a type of conflict and not a phase of conflict, that occurs when there are NO alternatives that are acceptable to any the contending parties; Approach- Approach conflicts occur when the people involved in the conflict want more than one alternative or action that could resolve the conflict; and lastly, Double Approach - Avoidance is a type of conflict and not a stage of conflict that occurs when the people involved in the conflict are forced to choose among alternatives and actions, all of which have BOTH positive and negative aspects to them. 23. You are the chair person for the healthcare facility’s newly formed multidisciplinary Safety Committee. During the Forming stage of this group’s development major conflicts have arisen. Which technique of conflict resolution should you use to resolve these conflicts? A. Passivity B. Compromise C. Competition D. Accommodating Others Correct Response: B Conflicts can be effectively resolved using a number of different strategies and techniques such as compromise, negotiation, and mediation. Avoidance of the conflict, withdrawing in addition to other passivity, competition, and accommodating others are not effective and healthy conflict resolution techniques