LEADERSHIP ROLES AND MANAGEMENT
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
A charge nurse on a medical–surgical unit receives conflicting
lab results for a patient with sepsis while staffing is short. The
nurse must decide whether to call the provider immediately,
delegate additional monitoring to a newly oriented RN, or
,reposition resources. Which decision best reflects effective
clinical reasoning and unit leadership?
A. Call the provider immediately and ask the newly oriented RN
to continue routine tasks.
B. Reassign an experienced RN to monitor the patient closely,
instruct the new RN to obtain vitals and report changes, and
notify the provider with the updated data.
C. Wait for laboratory confirmation before acting and keep
current assignments unchanged to avoid workflow disruption.
D. Ask the newly oriented RN to call the provider directly while
you continue managing staffing assignments.
Correct Answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): This option prioritizes patient safety, uses
delegation appropriately by assigning monitoring tasks to a
competent RN, supports the newly oriented RN with a clear,
reportable task, and informs the provider with relevant, up-to-
date data—consistent with clinical reasoning and Huston’s
emphasis on delegation and evidence-based decision making.
A: Calling the provider is appropriate, but leaving an
inexperienced RN without supervision risks missed changes.
C: Delaying action until confirmation jeopardizes a potentially
unstable patient and violates the principle of timely, evidence-
informed decisions.
,D: Having the new RN contact the provider without backup is
unsafe and fails to provide adequate supervision.
Teaching Point
Delegate tasks matched to competence; prioritize supervision
and timely provider communication.
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 evidence-based
protocols to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections
(CAUTI). One protocol requires a moderate staffing increase but
shows larger infection reduction; the other fits current staffing
but yields a smaller reduction. Using a decision grid approach,
which factor should the manager weigh most heavily to reach a
sound managerial decision?
A. The popularity of the protocol among peer hospitals.
B. Relative impact on patient safety and infection reduction per
unit cost.
C. The ease of implementing the protocol without additional
, staff.
D. The manager’s personal preference based on prior
experience.
Correct Answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): Decision grids emphasize objective weighting of
criteria; patient safety and infection reduction per cost are high-
value, evidence-based criteria that align with Huston’s
recommendation to define objectives clearly and use data to
guide choices.
A: Popularity is a lower-level criterion; it may inform
acceptability but not effectiveness.
C: Ease of implementation matters but is secondary to patient
outcomes and cost-effectiveness.
D: Personal preference risks bias and undermines rational
administrative decision making.
Teaching Point
Weight objective patient-safety and cost-effectiveness criteria in
decision-grid analyses.
Citation
Huston, C. J. (2024). Leadership Roles and Management
Functions in Nursing (11th ed.). Ch. 1.
3
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
A charge nurse on a medical–surgical unit receives conflicting
lab results for a patient with sepsis while staffing is short. The
nurse must decide whether to call the provider immediately,
delegate additional monitoring to a newly oriented RN, or
,reposition resources. Which decision best reflects effective
clinical reasoning and unit leadership?
A. Call the provider immediately and ask the newly oriented RN
to continue routine tasks.
B. Reassign an experienced RN to monitor the patient closely,
instruct the new RN to obtain vitals and report changes, and
notify the provider with the updated data.
C. Wait for laboratory confirmation before acting and keep
current assignments unchanged to avoid workflow disruption.
D. Ask the newly oriented RN to call the provider directly while
you continue managing staffing assignments.
Correct Answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): This option prioritizes patient safety, uses
delegation appropriately by assigning monitoring tasks to a
competent RN, supports the newly oriented RN with a clear,
reportable task, and informs the provider with relevant, up-to-
date data—consistent with clinical reasoning and Huston’s
emphasis on delegation and evidence-based decision making.
A: Calling the provider is appropriate, but leaving an
inexperienced RN without supervision risks missed changes.
C: Delaying action until confirmation jeopardizes a potentially
unstable patient and violates the principle of timely, evidence-
informed decisions.
,D: Having the new RN contact the provider without backup is
unsafe and fails to provide adequate supervision.
Teaching Point
Delegate tasks matched to competence; prioritize supervision
and timely provider communication.
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 evidence-based
protocols to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections
(CAUTI). One protocol requires a moderate staffing increase but
shows larger infection reduction; the other fits current staffing
but yields a smaller reduction. Using a decision grid approach,
which factor should the manager weigh most heavily to reach a
sound managerial decision?
A. The popularity of the protocol among peer hospitals.
B. Relative impact on patient safety and infection reduction per
unit cost.
C. The ease of implementing the protocol without additional
, staff.
D. The manager’s personal preference based on prior
experience.
Correct Answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): Decision grids emphasize objective weighting of
criteria; patient safety and infection reduction per cost are high-
value, evidence-based criteria that align with Huston’s
recommendation to define objectives clearly and use data to
guide choices.
A: Popularity is a lower-level criterion; it may inform
acceptability but not effectiveness.
C: Ease of implementation matters but is secondary to patient
outcomes and cost-effectiveness.
D: Personal preference risks bias and undermines rational
administrative decision making.
Teaching Point
Weight objective patient-safety and cost-effectiveness criteria in
decision-grid analyses.
Citation
Huston, C. J. (2024). Leadership Roles and Management
Functions in Nursing (11th ed.). Ch. 1.
3
