Chapter 1 — Nursing as a Profession
Key Concept: Professional identity
ANA Standard(s): Professional Performance; Standards of
Practice (Assessment) — ANA (5th Ed.)
Nursing Process: Assessment
Stem: Which statement best describes nursing as a
profession compared with an occupation?
Options:
A. A profession requires only technical skills and on-the-job
training.
B. A profession is defined by formal education, a code of
ethics, and autonomous decision-making.
C. A profession primarily focuses on profit and individual
gain.
D. A profession has no external standards or regulatory
oversight.
Correct Answer: B — formal education, ethics, autonomy
Rationale:
Correct (2–3 sentences): Nursing is characterized by
formalized education, a code of ethics, professional
standards, and autonomy in clinical judgment
(Fundamentals of Nursing, 12th Ed., Ch. 1; page numbers
vary by edition). This aligns with ANA Scope & Standards
describing professional practice and accountability.
, A (incorrect): Technical skills and on-the-job training
describe occupations, not professions, because they lack
formalized education and standards.
B (incorrect): (This is correct; see above.)
C (incorrect): While compensation matters, professions
prioritize public service, ethical obligations, and
competence over profit.
D (incorrect): Professions typically have external regulation
(licensure, professional organizations) that govern practice.
Teaching Point: Professions combine education, ethics,
standards, and autonomous judgment.
2.
Question /stem
Chapter 1 — Historical Influences
Key Concept: Nightingale’s contributions
ANA Standard(s): Professional Performance — ANA (5th
Ed.)
Nursing Process: Implementation
Stem: Which of Florence Nightingale’s interventions had
the greatest long-term influence on the development of
modern nursing?
Options:
A. Establishing nursing as a skilled, evidence-informed
profession focused on sanitation and patient environment.
B. Promoting nursing primarily as a domestic, unpaid
caretaking role.
, C. Advocating that nurses should only work in private
homes.
D. Recommending that nursing education be entirely
apprenticeship-based without formal schools.
Correct Answer: A — sanitation & professionalization
Rationale:
Correct (2–3 sentences): Nightingale emphasized
sanitation, environmental measures, and systematic
training—foundations of modern nursing practice and
education (Fundamentals of Nursing, 12th Ed., Ch. 1; page
numbers vary by edition). Her work advanced nursing as a
skilled, evidence-informed profession.
A (incorrect): (This is correct; see above.)
B (incorrect): Nightingale advocated professional training
and standards, not unpaid domestic caretaking as the
profession’s ideal.
C (incorrect): Nightingale worked in hospital settings and
public health, not limiting nursing to private homes.
D (incorrect): She supported formalized nursing education
rather than only apprenticeship models.
Teaching Point: Nightingale’s focus on environment and
training shaped modern nursing.
3.
Question /stem
Chapter 1 — Contemporary Influences
Key Concept: Technology impact