EDAPT Exam – Professional Identity: Leadership vs
Management, Critical Thinking & Decision-Making|
Verified Questions Provided with A+ Graded
Rationales Latest Updated 2026
For each characteristic, specify if it aligns with a leadership or management position.
Leadership:
Less delegated authority
Emphasizes interpersonal relationships
May or may not be part of the formal hierarchy of the organization
Management:
Direct subordinates
Emphasizes control and results
Manipulate resources to achieve goals
Which skill is a basic requirement for the development of sound critical thinking?
Evaluating
Which process is not used to support decision making by the nurse and nurse leader?
Assuming
A nurse is appointed to a charge nurse position in a local hospital. Which term best describes
this new role?
Formal leader
The nurse leader is orienting a new charge nurse to the expected decision-making process they
will share. Which of the following are the benefits of using a structured approach to decision-
making? Select all that apply.
Focuses attention
Organizes thoughts
Promotes critical thinking
In which situation is the nurse demonstrating self-reflection to improve critical thinking?
Highlight the correct response.
,Revises a plan of care after noting the client's response to interventions.
Critical thinking and decision-making are both cognitive processes that require thought. Which
cognitive process steps are unique to critical thinking? Select all that apply.
Analyzing cues
Evaluating outcomes
Completing a client assessment is the best way to detect __________ of the client's status, even
if the nurse is not certain what is causing the change.
Critical thinking skills help the nurse figure out what additional __________ is needed to
provide the __________ care possible.
Deterioration
Information
Safest
The nurse manager who overheard a nurse saying, "men have such a low tolerance for pain"
realizes that the nurse's clients are at risk for harm due to which factor?
Preconceived ideas
For each question, specify if the statement demonstrates if the nurse is or is not using critical
thinking.
Is Using Critical Thinking:
"That did not work well. How can I do it differently next time?"
"This should help the client, but is it safe?"
"The facts are there, but what do they mean?"
Is Not Using Critical Thinking:
"That chair has had a broken leg for a while. When will someone do something about it?"
"Why does nothing go right for me?
The nurse leader is mentoring a new nurse whose clinical reasoning skills are limited. Before
creating an improvement plan, which three skills of the new nurse should be evaluated by the
nurse leader?
Decision-making
Problem-solving
Critical thinking
, __________ speaks at all new colleague orientation sessions to personally welcome colleagues
and share their vision.
__________ informs subordinates that normal working hours will be changed in the coming
year.
__________ offers bonuses to assure tasks are completed on time.
__________ uses a monthly "Pulse Check" survey to receive feedback from colleagues.
__________ sets a schedule for when colleagues can take breaks.
Leadership
Management
Management
Leadership
Management
A staff nurse who serves on the facility policy and procedure committee encourages a colleague
to volunteer to fill a recently opened position on the same committee. Which role is this
colleague demonstrating?
Informal leader
The nurse manager has received feedback from their mentor that the quality of decisions the
nurse manager makes could be improved using critical thinking. Which actions should the
mentor recommend the nurse manager take to increase their competence? Select all that apply.
Ask more questions to understand the issue
Generate as many alternatives as possible
The ethics committee is reviewing a recent decision involving a family whose father was at the
end of his life, and the adult children could not agree on a treatment plan. The client's nurse,
who was present for the consultation and contributed to the discussion, asks the medical
ethicist why families struggle with a decision that seems clear to the nurse. Which statement is
the best response by the medical ethicist?
Each family member's decisions are impacted by their personal values.
In which situations should the nurse leader use critical thinking? Select all that apply.
Management, Critical Thinking & Decision-Making|
Verified Questions Provided with A+ Graded
Rationales Latest Updated 2026
For each characteristic, specify if it aligns with a leadership or management position.
Leadership:
Less delegated authority
Emphasizes interpersonal relationships
May or may not be part of the formal hierarchy of the organization
Management:
Direct subordinates
Emphasizes control and results
Manipulate resources to achieve goals
Which skill is a basic requirement for the development of sound critical thinking?
Evaluating
Which process is not used to support decision making by the nurse and nurse leader?
Assuming
A nurse is appointed to a charge nurse position in a local hospital. Which term best describes
this new role?
Formal leader
The nurse leader is orienting a new charge nurse to the expected decision-making process they
will share. Which of the following are the benefits of using a structured approach to decision-
making? Select all that apply.
Focuses attention
Organizes thoughts
Promotes critical thinking
In which situation is the nurse demonstrating self-reflection to improve critical thinking?
Highlight the correct response.
,Revises a plan of care after noting the client's response to interventions.
Critical thinking and decision-making are both cognitive processes that require thought. Which
cognitive process steps are unique to critical thinking? Select all that apply.
Analyzing cues
Evaluating outcomes
Completing a client assessment is the best way to detect __________ of the client's status, even
if the nurse is not certain what is causing the change.
Critical thinking skills help the nurse figure out what additional __________ is needed to
provide the __________ care possible.
Deterioration
Information
Safest
The nurse manager who overheard a nurse saying, "men have such a low tolerance for pain"
realizes that the nurse's clients are at risk for harm due to which factor?
Preconceived ideas
For each question, specify if the statement demonstrates if the nurse is or is not using critical
thinking.
Is Using Critical Thinking:
"That did not work well. How can I do it differently next time?"
"This should help the client, but is it safe?"
"The facts are there, but what do they mean?"
Is Not Using Critical Thinking:
"That chair has had a broken leg for a while. When will someone do something about it?"
"Why does nothing go right for me?
The nurse leader is mentoring a new nurse whose clinical reasoning skills are limited. Before
creating an improvement plan, which three skills of the new nurse should be evaluated by the
nurse leader?
Decision-making
Problem-solving
Critical thinking
, __________ speaks at all new colleague orientation sessions to personally welcome colleagues
and share their vision.
__________ informs subordinates that normal working hours will be changed in the coming
year.
__________ offers bonuses to assure tasks are completed on time.
__________ uses a monthly "Pulse Check" survey to receive feedback from colleagues.
__________ sets a schedule for when colleagues can take breaks.
Leadership
Management
Management
Leadership
Management
A staff nurse who serves on the facility policy and procedure committee encourages a colleague
to volunteer to fill a recently opened position on the same committee. Which role is this
colleague demonstrating?
Informal leader
The nurse manager has received feedback from their mentor that the quality of decisions the
nurse manager makes could be improved using critical thinking. Which actions should the
mentor recommend the nurse manager take to increase their competence? Select all that apply.
Ask more questions to understand the issue
Generate as many alternatives as possible
The ethics committee is reviewing a recent decision involving a family whose father was at the
end of his life, and the adult children could not agree on a treatment plan. The client's nurse,
who was present for the consultation and contributed to the discussion, asks the medical
ethicist why families struggle with a decision that seems clear to the nurse. Which statement is
the best response by the medical ethicist?
Each family member's decisions are impacted by their personal values.
In which situations should the nurse leader use critical thinking? Select all that apply.
