FUNCTIONS IN NURSING
THEORY AND APPLICATION
11TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)CAROL J. HUSTON
TEST BANK
1)
Reference
Ch. 1 — Decision Making, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking,
and Clinical Reasoning
Stem
As the evening charge nurse you receive two simultaneous
admissions and one patient with sudden respiratory distress.
You must allocate staff and resources while keeping patient
,safety high. Which initial action best reflects effective clinical
reasoning and prioritization?
A. Assign both admissions to the newest nurse and manage the
respiratory patient personally.
B. Triage the respiratory patient for immediate intervention,
assign one admission to the experienced nurse, and request
additional help for the second admission.
C. Delay admitting the second patient until the respiratory
situation is stabilized, and place both admissions on hold
without notifying admissions.
D. Delegate the respiratory assessment to a charge nurse from a
neighboring unit and proceed with admissions.
Correct answer
B
Rationales
Correct: B integrates immediate prioritization of life-threatening
needs, appropriate delegation based on experience, and
resource escalation—key elements of clinical reasoning and safe
management. It balances patient safety and unit throughput
per Huston’s emphasis on defining objectives and gathering
data.
A: Unsafe—placing a critical patient in hands of the most
inexperienced staff increases risk and ignores delegation
appropriateness.
C: Inefficient and ethically problematic—failing to communicate
delays compromises transparency and patient flow.
,D: Inappropriate delegation—outsourcing assessment to
another unit without confirming availability risks delayed care
and accountability issues.
Teaching point
Prioritize life-threatening needs; delegate admissions to
experienced staff and escalate help as needed.
Citation
Huston, C. J. (2024). Leadership Roles and Management
Functions in Nursing (11th ed.). Ch. 1.
2)
Reference
Ch. 1 — Decision Making, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking,
and Clinical Reasoning
Stem
A nurse manager must choose between two staffing proposals:
one maintains current ratios; the other increases float pool
coverage but raises costs. Using a decision grid would most help
the manager to:
A. Predict staff satisfaction without further data.
B. Compare alternatives across multiple weighted criteria to
support a rational decision.
C. Select the least expensive option automatically.
D. Replace the need for stakeholder input.
, Correct answer
B
Rationales
Correct: B describes the purpose of a decision grid—comparing
options across criteria with weights to support rational
decision-making, consistent with Huston’s tools for
organizational decisions.
A: Decision grids require data; they do not predict satisfaction
without inputs.
C: Decision grids promote multi-criteria evaluation, not cost-
only selection.
D: Tools complement stakeholder input; they do not replace it.
Teaching point
Use decision grids to compare alternatives across weighted
criteria for transparent decisions.
Citation
Huston, C. J. (2024). Leadership Roles and Management
Functions in Nursing (11th ed.). Ch. 1.
3)
Reference
Ch. 1 — Decision Making, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking,
and Clinical Reasoning
Stem
A new nurse prefers rule-based care and avoids ambiguity; you