PROFESSIONAL NURSING EXAM 4
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW SHEET
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
●● litigation
Answer: process of bringing and trying a lawsuit
●● plaintiff
Answer: person bringing suit
●● defendant
Answer: person being accused of a crime
●● public law
Answer: government is directly involved; regulates relationships
between individuals and government
●● private law (civil law)
Answer: regulates relationships among people
●● criminal law
,Answer: concerns state and federal criminal statutes which define
criminal actions
●● constitutions
Answer: serve as guides to legislative bodies
●● statutory law
Answer: law enacted by a legislative body (ex: nurse practice act)
●● administrative law
Answer: empowered by executive officers
●● common law
Answer: law resulting from court decisions (when judiciary system
reconciles controversies) that is then followed when other cases
involving similar circumstances and facts arise; common law is as
binding as civil law
●● crime
Answer: wrong against a person or the person's property as well as the
public (punishable by state)
●● tort
, Answer: a wrong committed by a person against another person or that
person's property; (tried in civil court)
●● liability
Answer: duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages must be
established to prove negligence or malpractice
●● nurse practice acts
Answer: broadly defines the legal scope of nursing practice (state by
state)
●● just culture
Answer: encourages reporting mistakes so as to fix or bring attention to
a problem in the system
●● sentinel events
Answer: unexpected occurrences involving death or serious physical or
psychological injury, or the risk thereof
●● Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
Answer: protects the welfare of people engaged in work or employment
(electrical, isolation, radiation/chemical safety)
●● National Practitioner Data Bank
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW SHEET
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
●● litigation
Answer: process of bringing and trying a lawsuit
●● plaintiff
Answer: person bringing suit
●● defendant
Answer: person being accused of a crime
●● public law
Answer: government is directly involved; regulates relationships
between individuals and government
●● private law (civil law)
Answer: regulates relationships among people
●● criminal law
,Answer: concerns state and federal criminal statutes which define
criminal actions
●● constitutions
Answer: serve as guides to legislative bodies
●● statutory law
Answer: law enacted by a legislative body (ex: nurse practice act)
●● administrative law
Answer: empowered by executive officers
●● common law
Answer: law resulting from court decisions (when judiciary system
reconciles controversies) that is then followed when other cases
involving similar circumstances and facts arise; common law is as
binding as civil law
●● crime
Answer: wrong against a person or the person's property as well as the
public (punishable by state)
●● tort
, Answer: a wrong committed by a person against another person or that
person's property; (tried in civil court)
●● liability
Answer: duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages must be
established to prove negligence or malpractice
●● nurse practice acts
Answer: broadly defines the legal scope of nursing practice (state by
state)
●● just culture
Answer: encourages reporting mistakes so as to fix or bring attention to
a problem in the system
●● sentinel events
Answer: unexpected occurrences involving death or serious physical or
psychological injury, or the risk thereof
●● Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
Answer: protects the welfare of people engaged in work or employment
(electrical, isolation, radiation/chemical safety)
●● National Practitioner Data Bank
