NFDN 2008 Comprehensive
Questions (Frequently Most
Tested) with Verified Answers
Emotional Intelligence - Answer: Key attribute aligned with individuals capacity to know themselves and
others.
Emotionally intelligent leaders help people harmonize to increase their value in the workplace- can
influence staff retention and quality of care delivery.
Patient centred care - Answer: includes the patient and their family members to design and deliver
health care at all levels.
Associated with excellent health care delivery
Three elements that guide ethical nursing practice - Answer: Meta-ethics: explores broader theory and
meaning of morality and the foundation and scope of moral values, words and practice.
Normative Ethics: concerned with the standards most people use to guide their behaviours and how
they are determined
Applied Ethics: relates ethical principles to real life moral issues, such as how to provide nursing care and
how to conduct research on human subjects.
Distinguish between ethics and morality - Answer: Ethics: division of moral philosophy that involves the
moral practices, beliefs, standards of individuals or groups. Branch of philosophy that deals with "right"
or "wrong".
Morality: code of conduct advanced and accepted by a society, a group or an individual. Can be reflected
in personal, cultural and professional values and based on ideas about right or wrong.
Ethical dilemma vs ethical distress(or moral distress) - Answer: Ethical dilemma: or questions, arise when
there are equally compelling reasons for and against two or more possible courses of actions but only
one option can be selected.
Ethical distress: when the nurse knows the right thing to do, but he or she cannot act on that insight.
Can provoke guilt, concern or distaste. EX: family wants to resuscitate their mother but she has a signed
DNR
, Define Liability - Answer: ones responsibility for his or her own conduct; an obligation or duty to be
reformed; responsibility for an action or an outcome
Explain Professional Sanctions - Answer: Are imposed by regulatory bodies and arise from a delegation
of regulatory authority from provinces or territories to self regulate their members. Disciplining
members is the primary mechanism by which standards are enforced.
Generally arise from three unacceptable behaviours: misconduct, incompetence, and conduct
unbecoming a member of the profession. Can result in loss of license, fines, remediation requirements,
further education or practice restrictions.
Define Misconduct, incompetence and conduct unbecoming a member of the profession - Answer:
Misconduct: unacceptable behaviour within the scope of the professions practice
Incompetence: failure to meet minimum generally accepted standards
Conduct unbecoming a member of the profession: behaviour outside a professions practice that may
bring the profession into disrepute
Define negligence - Answer: Failure to exercise the degree of care that a person of ordinary prudence,
based on the reasonable standard, would exercise under the same or similar circumstances
Define Malpractice - Answer: Failure of a professional person to act in accordance with the prevalent
professional standards or failure to foresee potential consequences that a professional person, having
the necessary skills and expertise to act in a professional manner, should foresee
Define Privacy - Answer: The right of the individual to determine when, how and to what extent he or
she will release personal information
Define Confidentiality - Answer: The promise to hold in private any information provided and to prevent
the release of information to those who are unauthorized
Define duty to report - Answer: Report other nurses or health care providers to their registration bodies
where concern exists that a professional is dangerous to the public or demonstrates sexual misconduct.
Questions (Frequently Most
Tested) with Verified Answers
Emotional Intelligence - Answer: Key attribute aligned with individuals capacity to know themselves and
others.
Emotionally intelligent leaders help people harmonize to increase their value in the workplace- can
influence staff retention and quality of care delivery.
Patient centred care - Answer: includes the patient and their family members to design and deliver
health care at all levels.
Associated with excellent health care delivery
Three elements that guide ethical nursing practice - Answer: Meta-ethics: explores broader theory and
meaning of morality and the foundation and scope of moral values, words and practice.
Normative Ethics: concerned with the standards most people use to guide their behaviours and how
they are determined
Applied Ethics: relates ethical principles to real life moral issues, such as how to provide nursing care and
how to conduct research on human subjects.
Distinguish between ethics and morality - Answer: Ethics: division of moral philosophy that involves the
moral practices, beliefs, standards of individuals or groups. Branch of philosophy that deals with "right"
or "wrong".
Morality: code of conduct advanced and accepted by a society, a group or an individual. Can be reflected
in personal, cultural and professional values and based on ideas about right or wrong.
Ethical dilemma vs ethical distress(or moral distress) - Answer: Ethical dilemma: or questions, arise when
there are equally compelling reasons for and against two or more possible courses of actions but only
one option can be selected.
Ethical distress: when the nurse knows the right thing to do, but he or she cannot act on that insight.
Can provoke guilt, concern or distaste. EX: family wants to resuscitate their mother but she has a signed
DNR
, Define Liability - Answer: ones responsibility for his or her own conduct; an obligation or duty to be
reformed; responsibility for an action or an outcome
Explain Professional Sanctions - Answer: Are imposed by regulatory bodies and arise from a delegation
of regulatory authority from provinces or territories to self regulate their members. Disciplining
members is the primary mechanism by which standards are enforced.
Generally arise from three unacceptable behaviours: misconduct, incompetence, and conduct
unbecoming a member of the profession. Can result in loss of license, fines, remediation requirements,
further education or practice restrictions.
Define Misconduct, incompetence and conduct unbecoming a member of the profession - Answer:
Misconduct: unacceptable behaviour within the scope of the professions practice
Incompetence: failure to meet minimum generally accepted standards
Conduct unbecoming a member of the profession: behaviour outside a professions practice that may
bring the profession into disrepute
Define negligence - Answer: Failure to exercise the degree of care that a person of ordinary prudence,
based on the reasonable standard, would exercise under the same or similar circumstances
Define Malpractice - Answer: Failure of a professional person to act in accordance with the prevalent
professional standards or failure to foresee potential consequences that a professional person, having
the necessary skills and expertise to act in a professional manner, should foresee
Define Privacy - Answer: The right of the individual to determine when, how and to what extent he or
she will release personal information
Define Confidentiality - Answer: The promise to hold in private any information provided and to prevent
the release of information to those who are unauthorized
Define duty to report - Answer: Report other nurses or health care providers to their registration bodies
where concern exists that a professional is dangerous to the public or demonstrates sexual misconduct.
