to Practice-Capstone | Review with
Questions and Verified Answers
Instructions: For each question, select the best answer. The correct answer is marked with a
.
Section 1: Professional Role & Leadership (Questions 1-20)
1. A new graduate nurse is feeling overwhelmed by the transition from student to licensed
professional. Which action best demonstrates effective role transition?
A) Avoiding asking for help to appear competent.
B) Creating a structured plan for time management and seeking a mentor.
C) Working extra shifts immediately to gain more experience.
D) Focusing only on tasks and avoiding interactions with the healthcare team.
Answer: B) Creating a structured plan for time management and seeking a mentor.
Rationale: A structured plan and mentorship are proactive strategies to manage stress and build
confidence, facilitating a successful transition to the professional role.
2. The primary goal of the nurse's role as a client advocate is to:
A) Ensure the physician's orders are followed without question.
B) Protect the client's rights and support their informed decisions.
C) Make decisions for the client based on the nurse's clinical expertise.
D) Limit the information given to the client to prevent anxiety.
Answer: B) Protect the client's rights and support their informed decisions.
Rationale: Advocacy involves safeguarding a patient's autonomy, right to self-determination,
and ensuring they have the information needed to make choices.
3. Which behavior by a nurse best exemplifies transformational leadership?
A) Closely monitoring each task performed by junior staff.
B) Inspiring and motivating the team to achieve a shared vision of excellent patient care.
C) Making all decisions independently during a crisis.
D) Prioritizing personal career advancement above team goals.
Answer: B) Inspiring and motivating the team to achieve a shared vision of excellent patient
care.
,Rationale: Transformational leaders empower and inspire their teams toward innovation and
high-quality outcomes, rather than simply managing tasks.
4. A nurse is delegating a task to an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Which of the
following is the nurse's responsibility?
A) To assume the UAP will perform the task correctly.
B) To provide clear instructions and supervise the outcome.
C) To delegate assessment and evaluation of the patient.
D) To allow the UAP to decide the priority of the task.
Answer: B) To provide clear instructions and supervise the outcome.
Rationale: The delegating nurse retains accountability for the task and must ensure it is
appropriate for delegation and performed correctly through adequate supervision.
5. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics, the nurse's first
commitment is to:
A) The physician.
B) The hospital administration.
C) The patient.
D) The nursing team.
Answer: C) The patient.
Rationale: The ANA Code of Ethics Provision 1 states, "The nurse practices with compassion and
respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person." This centers the
patient.
6. A nurse witnesses a medication error made by a colleague. The most appropriate initial
action is to:
A) Report the colleague immediately to the nursing supervisor.
B) Ensure the patient's safety and well-being first.
C) Confront the colleague publicly to serve as a lesson.
D) Ignore the error if it seems minor.
Answer: B) Ensure the patient's safety and well-being first.
Rationale: The primary ethical and professional duty is to the patient. The nurse must first assess
and stabilize the patient, then follow the proper institutional reporting protocol.
7. Clinical judgment in nursing is best defined as:
A) Memorizing disease processes and medications.
B) The observed outcome of critical thinking and decision-making.
C) Strictly following facility policies and procedures.
D) Relying solely on intuition.
Answer: B) The observed outcome of critical thinking and decision-making.
,Rationale: Clinical judgment is the conclusion or interpretation a nurse makes after analyzing
patient data. It's the application of critical thinking to the clinical situation.
8. A charge nurse is demonstrating accountability. Which action reflects this?
A) Blaming a system failure for a poor patient outcome.
B) Taking ownership of a mistake made on the unit and reporting it.
C) Delegating all difficult tasks to avoid potential errors.
D) Documenting a procedure that was not performed.
Answer: B) Taking ownership of a mistake made on the unit and reporting it.
Rationale: Accountability means accepting responsibility for one's own actions and the
outcomes of those actions, including errors.
9. The "Five Rights of Delegation" include the right task, right circumstance, right person, right
direction/communication, and the right of:
A) Refusal.
B) Supervision and evaluation.
C) Documentation.
D) Payment.
Answer: B) Supervision and evaluation.
Rationale: The fifth right is the "Right Supervision and Evaluation," meaning the nurse must
monitor the delegated task and evaluate the patient's response.
10. A nurse is preparing to hand off a patient to the oncoming nurse. Which tool is most
effective to ensure safe communication?
A) A quick verbal report in the hallway.
B) The SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) format.
C) Asking the oncoming nurse to read the chart.
D) Sending a text message with key points.
Answer: B) The SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) format.
Rationale: SBAR provides a structured, predictable framework for communication, reducing the
risk of miscommunication and ensuring critical information is conveyed.
11. A nurse is feeling burned out and consistently stressed. What is the most constructive
long-term strategy?
A) Ignoring the feelings and continuing to work.
B) Developing healthy coping mechanisms and self-care practices.
C) Requesting a transfer to a less demanding unit.
D) Venting frustrations with colleagues frequently.
Answer: B) Developing healthy coping mechanisms and self-care practices.
, Rationale: While unit transfers can help, building resilience through sustainable self-care is a
proactive and empowering strategy to prevent and manage burnout.
12. A patient with a "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) order tells the nurse, "I want everything
done." The nurse's best response is to:
A) Inform the patient that a DNR order is legally binding.
B) Clarify the patient's understanding of the DNR order and notify the physician.
C) Explain that the DNR order cannot be changed.
D) Document the statement but take no further action.
Answer: B) Clarify the patient's understanding of the DNR order and notify the physician.
Rationale: The patient's expressed wishes are paramount. The nurse must explore this
discrepancy, ensure the patient is fully informed, and communicate this to the provider so the
care plan can be re-evaluated.
13. Which action by a new graduate nurse requires intervention by the preceptor?
A) Asking for help to turn a heavy patient.
B) Looking up an unfamiliar medication before administering it.
C) Delegating a blood glucose check to a certified nursing assistant (CNA).
D) Performing a complex wound dressing change without prior demonstration.
Answer: D) Performing a complex wound dressing change without prior demonstration.
Rationale: This demonstrates a lack of self-awareness regarding competency. New skills should
be supervised until competency is validated to ensure patient safety.
14. The concept of "just culture" in healthcare refers to an environment that:
A) Focuses solely on punishing individuals for errors.
B) Encourages reporting of errors without fear of blame while holding individuals accountable
for reckless behavior.
C) Hides errors to protect the institution's reputation.
D) Assigns blame equally to all team members involved in an error.
Answer: B) Encourages reporting of errors without fear of blame while holding individuals
accountable for reckless behavior.
Rationale: Just culture aims to learn from errors by understanding system flaws, rather than
creating a punitive environment that drives errors underground.
15. A nurse is caring for a patient from a culture different from their own. The most
appropriate nursing action is to:
A) Assume the patient has the same health beliefs as the nurse.
B) Ask the patient about their cultural practices and preferences related to healthcare.
C) Rely on stereotypes about the patient's culture to guide care.
D) Avoid discussing cultural issues to prevent offense.