CNL Exam Questions and Answers
The Clinical Nurse Leader role is best described as:
A. An advanced practice role
B. A role with a focus on specialty nursing care
C. A case manager
D. A generalist clinician with education at the master's degree level - Correct Answers-
D. A generalist clinician with education at the master's degree level
The Clinical Nurse Leader Project Team are evaluating the role on a national basis on
all the following patient outcomes EXCEPT:
A. Inpatient Readmission
B. Cost of care
C. Patient falls
D. Surgical infection rate - Correct Answers-B. Cost of care
Which of the following best describes metabolic syndrome:
A. An advanced disturbance of fluid and electrolytes in diabetics
B. The constellation of lipid and non-lipid risk factors linked to insulin resistance
C. Evidence of impaired renal function in patients with hypertension
D. The occurrence of dyslipidemia in patients with obesity - Correct Answers-B. The
constellation of lipid and non-lipid risk factors linked to insulin resistance
In preparing an educational program for your staff about delegation to LPN Team
Members, you stress that the which of the following tasks cannot be delegated
according to the Nurse Practice Act:
A. Recording of Vital Signs
B. IV insertion
C. Patient Reassessment
D. Health and Wellness Promotion - Correct Answers-C. Patient Reassessment
As a CNL, you meet with staff after a sentinel event in your work area and are asked
about the cause. No conclusive findings have been reached but your are aware from
your reading that the most frequent cause of sentinel events is which one of the
following:
A. Procedural Complications
B. Staffing
C. Competency Issues
D. Communication Issues - Correct Answers-D. Communication Issues
Ototoxic drugs are a potential cause of sensorineural hearing loss. Which of the
following drugs may cause hearing loss?
,A. Penicillin
B. Minocycline
C. Cephalexin
D. Gentamicin - Correct Answers-D. Gentamicin
Complexity theory has developed from the field of:
A. Nursing
B. Business
C. Industry
D. Quantum Physics - Correct Answers-D. Quantum Physics
Research by Aiken et al. on magnet hospitals shows:
A. No relationship between job satisfaction and patient outcomes.
B. Magnet hospitals have higher rates of nursing turnover.
C. No relationship between nursing satisfaction and turnover.
D. Job satisfaction is positively related to patient outcomes. - Correct Answers-D. Job
satisfaction is positively related to patient outcomes.
The CNL recognizes that gaining trust is a fundamental element in planned change.
Which behavior or process would hinder the development of trust?
A. Providing all necessary information
B. Providing only information deemed necessary by formal leaders
C. Achieving buy-in from formal and informal leaders
D. Including all interested parties in the planning of change - Correct Answers-B.
Providing only information deemed necessary by formal leaders
Adequate sample size for as study is defined by:
A. A minimum of ten subjects per variable
B. A minimum of thirty subjects for a descriptive study
C. Anticipated effect size, power of the statistical tests, and significance level
D. Maturity of the concepts being studied - Correct Answers-C. Anticipated effect size,
power of the statistical tests, and significance level
The staff on your unit complain about the inability of their new graduates to provide a
comprehensive end of shift report. As CNL, you know from reading Benner's work that
new graduates are usually in what stage of development:
A. Expert
B. Competent
C. Proficient
D. Advanced Beginner or Novice - Correct Answers-D. Advanced Beginner or Novice
In evaluating a data set of recently admitted patients to her unit, the CNL notes that
40% of the patients have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. This would be an example of
the CNL as:
A. Team Manager
B. Advocate
,C. Risk Anticipator
D. Educator - Correct Answers-C. Risk Anticipator
The hemoglobin A1C gives you an indication of your patient's glucose control over:
A. Month
B. 4-6 Weeks
C. 60-90 Days
D. Year - Correct Answers-C. 60-90 Days
You begin to mediate a conflict with two of your team members and recognize that the
first step in the mediation process is to:
A. Listen to both sides
B. Establish the ground rules
C. Focus on the facts not the people
D. Don't judge - Correct Answers-B. Establish the ground rules
Which of the following would not be included in a cultural assessment of patients:
A. Patient identification of their cultural/ethnic group
B. Food preferences and taboos
C. Communication/Language
D. Political views - Correct Answers-D. Political views
When discussing supervision and delegation with nurses on your unit, you note that the
most acutely ill patients on your unit are often given to agency nurses. If the patient
were to have a bad outcome and the case were reviewed by a nurse expert, which of
the following standards of delegation would be questioned:
A. Assignment of the right task
B. Assignment of the right person
C. Follow-up with the right communication
D. Provision of the right feedback - Correct Answers-B. Assignment of the right person
Your health care agency is experiencing budget deficits. The Chief Nursing Officer has
asked you to prepare a briefing for the CEO outlining the value of the CNL role. Which
of the following outcomes would be the most critical to highlight in making a financial
case for your role:
A. Patient satisfaction
B. Nursing staff retention
C. Reduction in Length of Stay
D. Reduction in Patient Falls - Correct Answers-C. Reduction in Length of Stay
Which of the following statements about AIDS is incorrect?
A. Most diagnoses are made in persons 20-49 years of age.
B. Over 1.5 million Americans are infected with HIV
C. The ELISA is a screening tool.
D. HIV is transmitted through casual kissing - Correct Answers-D. HIV is transmitted
through casual kissing
, Aspects of professional nursing practice that CANNOT be delegated are:
A. Monitoring and Recording
B. Implementation and Feedback
C. Assessment and Evaluation
D. Reporting and Recording - Correct Answers-C. Assessment and Evaluation
Osteoarthritis is often associated with:
A. Systemic symptoms of disease
B. Restricted joint movement
C. Elevated temperature
D. Inflammation of the proximal interphalangeal joints - Correct Answers-B. Restricted
joint movement
A patient is admitted to your unit after experiencing seizures. In helping a novice nurse
do the initial nursing assessment, you remind her that the most important information in
seizure assessment is usually provided by:
A. A CT Scan
B. An EEG
C. An Eyewitness
D. Magnetic Resonance Imaging - Correct Answers-C. An Eyewitness
Coaching is the appropriate strategy for the CNL all of the following situations EXCEPT:
A. Teaching staff a new skill
B. Helping staff work through a patient care problem
C. Counseling staff for time and attendance issues
D. Preparing staff for changes in policies and procedures - Correct Answers-C.
Counseling staff for time and attendance issues
You are the CNL on a Cardiology Unit. The hospital has attempted to initiate
computerized order entry for physicians (CPOE) which has the strong support of your
nursing team. Once again, the initiative on your unit is postponed largely due to the
complaints of a cardiologist who admits many patients to your facility. The night nursing
staff is very angry and now vows to call this physician at night on a regular basis to
question handwritten orders. You recognize that this represents the following approach
to conflict resolution:
A. Avoiding
B. Accommodation
C. Collaboration
D. Competition - Correct Answers-D. Competition
Ways to promote a healthy team culture on your unit include all of the following
EXCEPT:
A. Keep lines of communication open
B. Avoid a culture of gossip
C. Discourage staff feedback on unit issues
The Clinical Nurse Leader role is best described as:
A. An advanced practice role
B. A role with a focus on specialty nursing care
C. A case manager
D. A generalist clinician with education at the master's degree level - Correct Answers-
D. A generalist clinician with education at the master's degree level
The Clinical Nurse Leader Project Team are evaluating the role on a national basis on
all the following patient outcomes EXCEPT:
A. Inpatient Readmission
B. Cost of care
C. Patient falls
D. Surgical infection rate - Correct Answers-B. Cost of care
Which of the following best describes metabolic syndrome:
A. An advanced disturbance of fluid and electrolytes in diabetics
B. The constellation of lipid and non-lipid risk factors linked to insulin resistance
C. Evidence of impaired renal function in patients with hypertension
D. The occurrence of dyslipidemia in patients with obesity - Correct Answers-B. The
constellation of lipid and non-lipid risk factors linked to insulin resistance
In preparing an educational program for your staff about delegation to LPN Team
Members, you stress that the which of the following tasks cannot be delegated
according to the Nurse Practice Act:
A. Recording of Vital Signs
B. IV insertion
C. Patient Reassessment
D. Health and Wellness Promotion - Correct Answers-C. Patient Reassessment
As a CNL, you meet with staff after a sentinel event in your work area and are asked
about the cause. No conclusive findings have been reached but your are aware from
your reading that the most frequent cause of sentinel events is which one of the
following:
A. Procedural Complications
B. Staffing
C. Competency Issues
D. Communication Issues - Correct Answers-D. Communication Issues
Ototoxic drugs are a potential cause of sensorineural hearing loss. Which of the
following drugs may cause hearing loss?
,A. Penicillin
B. Minocycline
C. Cephalexin
D. Gentamicin - Correct Answers-D. Gentamicin
Complexity theory has developed from the field of:
A. Nursing
B. Business
C. Industry
D. Quantum Physics - Correct Answers-D. Quantum Physics
Research by Aiken et al. on magnet hospitals shows:
A. No relationship between job satisfaction and patient outcomes.
B. Magnet hospitals have higher rates of nursing turnover.
C. No relationship between nursing satisfaction and turnover.
D. Job satisfaction is positively related to patient outcomes. - Correct Answers-D. Job
satisfaction is positively related to patient outcomes.
The CNL recognizes that gaining trust is a fundamental element in planned change.
Which behavior or process would hinder the development of trust?
A. Providing all necessary information
B. Providing only information deemed necessary by formal leaders
C. Achieving buy-in from formal and informal leaders
D. Including all interested parties in the planning of change - Correct Answers-B.
Providing only information deemed necessary by formal leaders
Adequate sample size for as study is defined by:
A. A minimum of ten subjects per variable
B. A minimum of thirty subjects for a descriptive study
C. Anticipated effect size, power of the statistical tests, and significance level
D. Maturity of the concepts being studied - Correct Answers-C. Anticipated effect size,
power of the statistical tests, and significance level
The staff on your unit complain about the inability of their new graduates to provide a
comprehensive end of shift report. As CNL, you know from reading Benner's work that
new graduates are usually in what stage of development:
A. Expert
B. Competent
C. Proficient
D. Advanced Beginner or Novice - Correct Answers-D. Advanced Beginner or Novice
In evaluating a data set of recently admitted patients to her unit, the CNL notes that
40% of the patients have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. This would be an example of
the CNL as:
A. Team Manager
B. Advocate
,C. Risk Anticipator
D. Educator - Correct Answers-C. Risk Anticipator
The hemoglobin A1C gives you an indication of your patient's glucose control over:
A. Month
B. 4-6 Weeks
C. 60-90 Days
D. Year - Correct Answers-C. 60-90 Days
You begin to mediate a conflict with two of your team members and recognize that the
first step in the mediation process is to:
A. Listen to both sides
B. Establish the ground rules
C. Focus on the facts not the people
D. Don't judge - Correct Answers-B. Establish the ground rules
Which of the following would not be included in a cultural assessment of patients:
A. Patient identification of their cultural/ethnic group
B. Food preferences and taboos
C. Communication/Language
D. Political views - Correct Answers-D. Political views
When discussing supervision and delegation with nurses on your unit, you note that the
most acutely ill patients on your unit are often given to agency nurses. If the patient
were to have a bad outcome and the case were reviewed by a nurse expert, which of
the following standards of delegation would be questioned:
A. Assignment of the right task
B. Assignment of the right person
C. Follow-up with the right communication
D. Provision of the right feedback - Correct Answers-B. Assignment of the right person
Your health care agency is experiencing budget deficits. The Chief Nursing Officer has
asked you to prepare a briefing for the CEO outlining the value of the CNL role. Which
of the following outcomes would be the most critical to highlight in making a financial
case for your role:
A. Patient satisfaction
B. Nursing staff retention
C. Reduction in Length of Stay
D. Reduction in Patient Falls - Correct Answers-C. Reduction in Length of Stay
Which of the following statements about AIDS is incorrect?
A. Most diagnoses are made in persons 20-49 years of age.
B. Over 1.5 million Americans are infected with HIV
C. The ELISA is a screening tool.
D. HIV is transmitted through casual kissing - Correct Answers-D. HIV is transmitted
through casual kissing
, Aspects of professional nursing practice that CANNOT be delegated are:
A. Monitoring and Recording
B. Implementation and Feedback
C. Assessment and Evaluation
D. Reporting and Recording - Correct Answers-C. Assessment and Evaluation
Osteoarthritis is often associated with:
A. Systemic symptoms of disease
B. Restricted joint movement
C. Elevated temperature
D. Inflammation of the proximal interphalangeal joints - Correct Answers-B. Restricted
joint movement
A patient is admitted to your unit after experiencing seizures. In helping a novice nurse
do the initial nursing assessment, you remind her that the most important information in
seizure assessment is usually provided by:
A. A CT Scan
B. An EEG
C. An Eyewitness
D. Magnetic Resonance Imaging - Correct Answers-C. An Eyewitness
Coaching is the appropriate strategy for the CNL all of the following situations EXCEPT:
A. Teaching staff a new skill
B. Helping staff work through a patient care problem
C. Counseling staff for time and attendance issues
D. Preparing staff for changes in policies and procedures - Correct Answers-C.
Counseling staff for time and attendance issues
You are the CNL on a Cardiology Unit. The hospital has attempted to initiate
computerized order entry for physicians (CPOE) which has the strong support of your
nursing team. Once again, the initiative on your unit is postponed largely due to the
complaints of a cardiologist who admits many patients to your facility. The night nursing
staff is very angry and now vows to call this physician at night on a regular basis to
question handwritten orders. You recognize that this represents the following approach
to conflict resolution:
A. Avoiding
B. Accommodation
C. Collaboration
D. Competition - Correct Answers-D. Competition
Ways to promote a healthy team culture on your unit include all of the following
EXCEPT:
A. Keep lines of communication open
B. Avoid a culture of gossip
C. Discourage staff feedback on unit issues
