,Chapter 1 — Nursing Today
1
Question /stem
Chapter 1 — Nursing Today — Nursing as a Profession
Key Concept: Characteristics of a profession
ANA Standard(s): Standards of Professional Performance
— Ethics, Education, Quality of Practice (as applicable)
Nursing Process: Assessment
Stem: Which combination best identifies the defining
characteristics of nursing as a profession?
Options:
A. Employment in hospitals, strict shift schedules, and
physician supervision
B. Specialized body of knowledge, service orientation,
autonomy, and code of ethics
C. Vocational training, temporary certification, and task-
oriented duties
D. Volunteerism, informal mentorship, and ad hoc skill
acquisition
Correct Answer: B — specialized body of knowledge,
service orientation, autonomy, and code of ethics
Rationale:
Correct (2–3 sentences): Nursing is defined as a profession
by its specialized knowledge base, commitment to service,
professional autonomy, and adherence to a code of ethics
(Fundamentals of Nursing, 12th Ed., Ch. 1). These features
,distinguish professional nursing from vocational or
volunteer roles and align with ANA professional standards.
A (incorrect): Employment setting and shift patterns are
workplace features, not defining professional
characteristics.
B (incorrect): Vocational/training descriptors
underestimate the profession’s emphasis on theory, ethics,
and autonomy.
C (incorrect): Volunteerism and informal mentorship
describe nonprofessional or informal learning contexts.
Teaching Point: Professional status rests on knowledge,
ethics, autonomy, and service.
2
Question /stem
Chapter 1 — Nursing Today — Historical Influences
Key Concept: Impact of Florence Nightingale
ANA Standard(s): Professional Practice — Leadership,
Ethics (contextual)
Nursing Process: Assessment
Stem: Which historical contribution is most accurately
attributed to Florence Nightingale’s influence on modern
nursing?
Options:
A. Establishing hospital-based diploma programs as the
universal educational model
, B. Introducing principles of sanitation, public health, and
data-driven practice
C. Creating mandatory licensure examinations for nurses
worldwide
D. Inventing the clinical trial as a method for evaluating
interventions
Correct Answer: B — introducing principles of sanitation,
public health, and data-driven practice
Rationale:
Correct (2–3 sentences): Nightingale’s work emphasized
sanitation, hygiene, and use of data to improve health
outcomes—foundational to public-health nursing and
evidence-informed practice (Fundamentals of Nursing,
12th Ed., Ch. 1). Her statistical approach and
environmental focus remain core to contemporary nursing.
A (incorrect): While Nightingale influenced nursing
education, she did not establish hospital diplomas as the
universal model.
C (incorrect): Universal mandatory licensure developed
later through profession-wide regulation, not Nightingale
alone.
D (incorrect): Clinical trials evolved later in medical
research; Nightingale advanced observational data use.
Teaching Point: Nightingale pioneered sanitation and early
data-driven public health approaches.
1
Question /stem
Chapter 1 — Nursing Today — Nursing as a Profession
Key Concept: Characteristics of a profession
ANA Standard(s): Standards of Professional Performance
— Ethics, Education, Quality of Practice (as applicable)
Nursing Process: Assessment
Stem: Which combination best identifies the defining
characteristics of nursing as a profession?
Options:
A. Employment in hospitals, strict shift schedules, and
physician supervision
B. Specialized body of knowledge, service orientation,
autonomy, and code of ethics
C. Vocational training, temporary certification, and task-
oriented duties
D. Volunteerism, informal mentorship, and ad hoc skill
acquisition
Correct Answer: B — specialized body of knowledge,
service orientation, autonomy, and code of ethics
Rationale:
Correct (2–3 sentences): Nursing is defined as a profession
by its specialized knowledge base, commitment to service,
professional autonomy, and adherence to a code of ethics
(Fundamentals of Nursing, 12th Ed., Ch. 1). These features
,distinguish professional nursing from vocational or
volunteer roles and align with ANA professional standards.
A (incorrect): Employment setting and shift patterns are
workplace features, not defining professional
characteristics.
B (incorrect): Vocational/training descriptors
underestimate the profession’s emphasis on theory, ethics,
and autonomy.
C (incorrect): Volunteerism and informal mentorship
describe nonprofessional or informal learning contexts.
Teaching Point: Professional status rests on knowledge,
ethics, autonomy, and service.
2
Question /stem
Chapter 1 — Nursing Today — Historical Influences
Key Concept: Impact of Florence Nightingale
ANA Standard(s): Professional Practice — Leadership,
Ethics (contextual)
Nursing Process: Assessment
Stem: Which historical contribution is most accurately
attributed to Florence Nightingale’s influence on modern
nursing?
Options:
A. Establishing hospital-based diploma programs as the
universal educational model
, B. Introducing principles of sanitation, public health, and
data-driven practice
C. Creating mandatory licensure examinations for nurses
worldwide
D. Inventing the clinical trial as a method for evaluating
interventions
Correct Answer: B — introducing principles of sanitation,
public health, and data-driven practice
Rationale:
Correct (2–3 sentences): Nightingale’s work emphasized
sanitation, hygiene, and use of data to improve health
outcomes—foundational to public-health nursing and
evidence-informed practice (Fundamentals of Nursing,
12th Ed., Ch. 1). Her statistical approach and
environmental focus remain core to contemporary nursing.
A (incorrect): While Nightingale influenced nursing
education, she did not establish hospital diplomas as the
universal model.
C (incorrect): Universal mandatory licensure developed
later through profession-wide regulation, not Nightingale
alone.
D (incorrect): Clinical trials evolved later in medical
research; Nightingale advanced observational data use.
Teaching Point: Nightingale pioneered sanitation and early
data-driven public health approaches.
