HESI Leadership and Management Exam
Questions with Correct Answers
(VerifiedAnswers) Plus Rationales 2026 Q&A
Instant Download PDF
1. A charge nurse observes a newly licensed nurse repeatedly
struggling with time management during a busy shift. Which
action is most appropriate?
A. Remove the nurse from patient care for the remainder of the
shift.
B. Complete all of the nurse's assigned tasks to prevent delays.
C. Ask the nurse to identify priorities and help develop a
realistic plan for the shift.
D. Report the nurse immediately to the nursing board.
Rationale: Effective leadership supports staff development while
maintaining patient safety. Coaching the nurse to identify
priorities promotes critical thinking, time-management skills,
and professional growth. Immediate removal or disciplinary
escalation is not warranted solely because the nurse needs
coaching, and completing all of the work prevents the nurse
from developing the necessary skills.
2. Which task is most appropriate for an RN to delegate to an
experienced UAP?
,A. Assessing a newly admitted patient's pain.
B. Teaching a patient how to use an incentive spirometer.
C. Obtaining routine vital signs for a stable patient.
D. Evaluating whether a patient's medication is effective.
Rationale: Routine vital-sign collection for a stable patient is a
predictable task that can generally be delegated to trained UAP.
Assessment, teaching, and evaluation require nursing judgment
and remain the responsibility of the licensed nurse.
3. A nurse manager wants to reduce medication errors. Which
intervention best reflects a systems approach to quality
improvement?
A. Identify the nurse who made the most recent error and
discipline that nurse.
B. Review error patterns and contributing system factors, then
implement and evaluate corrective changes.
C. Tell staff to be more careful when administering medications.
D. Require every nurse to work additional hours for closer
supervision.
Rationale: A systems approach examines processes,
communication, workload, technology, and other contributing
factors rather than focusing only on individual blame. Quality
improvement requires identifying patterns, testing
interventions, and measuring whether the changes improve
outcomes.
,4. Which statement by a nurse manager best demonstrates
transformational leadership?
A. "Follow my instructions exactly because I am the manager."
B. "We will maintain the current process because changing it
may be difficult."
C. "Let's create a shared vision for safer handoffs and identify
how each team member can contribute."
D. "I will make all decisions so the staff does not have to worry
about them."
Rationale: Transformational leaders motivate staff around a
shared vision, encourage participation, support innovation, and
develop team members. Creating a shared approach to
improving handoffs reflects these principles more strongly than
command-and-control or change-avoidant leadership.
5. A nurse receives a verbal order that seems unsafe because
the prescribed dose appears unusually high. What should the
nurse do first?
A. Administer the medication because the provider wrote the
order.
B. Clarify the order with the prescribing provider before
administering the medication.
C. Ask another nurse to administer it instead.
D. Document the concern after administering the medication.
, Rationale: The nurse has a professional responsibility to
question an order that may be unsafe. Clarifying the dose with
the prescribing provider before administration protects the
patient and provides an opportunity to correct a potential
prescribing error.
6. Which assignment is most appropriate for a float nurse who
is competent in adult medical-surgical care but has never
worked in an ICU?
A. A mechanically ventilated patient requiring titration of
vasoactive medication.
B. A stable postoperative patient requiring routine
assessments and medications.
C. A patient requiring continuous intracranial-pressure
monitoring.
D. A patient receiving a complex continuous hemodynamic
infusion.
Rationale: Assignments should match the nurse's demonstrated
competence. A stable postoperative patient with routine
medical-surgical needs is more appropriate for a competent
medical-surgical float nurse than patients requiring specialized
ICU knowledge and skills.
7. During a staff meeting, two nurses begin arguing loudly
about a scheduling decision. What is the nurse manager's best
initial response?
Questions with Correct Answers
(VerifiedAnswers) Plus Rationales 2026 Q&A
Instant Download PDF
1. A charge nurse observes a newly licensed nurse repeatedly
struggling with time management during a busy shift. Which
action is most appropriate?
A. Remove the nurse from patient care for the remainder of the
shift.
B. Complete all of the nurse's assigned tasks to prevent delays.
C. Ask the nurse to identify priorities and help develop a
realistic plan for the shift.
D. Report the nurse immediately to the nursing board.
Rationale: Effective leadership supports staff development while
maintaining patient safety. Coaching the nurse to identify
priorities promotes critical thinking, time-management skills,
and professional growth. Immediate removal or disciplinary
escalation is not warranted solely because the nurse needs
coaching, and completing all of the work prevents the nurse
from developing the necessary skills.
2. Which task is most appropriate for an RN to delegate to an
experienced UAP?
,A. Assessing a newly admitted patient's pain.
B. Teaching a patient how to use an incentive spirometer.
C. Obtaining routine vital signs for a stable patient.
D. Evaluating whether a patient's medication is effective.
Rationale: Routine vital-sign collection for a stable patient is a
predictable task that can generally be delegated to trained UAP.
Assessment, teaching, and evaluation require nursing judgment
and remain the responsibility of the licensed nurse.
3. A nurse manager wants to reduce medication errors. Which
intervention best reflects a systems approach to quality
improvement?
A. Identify the nurse who made the most recent error and
discipline that nurse.
B. Review error patterns and contributing system factors, then
implement and evaluate corrective changes.
C. Tell staff to be more careful when administering medications.
D. Require every nurse to work additional hours for closer
supervision.
Rationale: A systems approach examines processes,
communication, workload, technology, and other contributing
factors rather than focusing only on individual blame. Quality
improvement requires identifying patterns, testing
interventions, and measuring whether the changes improve
outcomes.
,4. Which statement by a nurse manager best demonstrates
transformational leadership?
A. "Follow my instructions exactly because I am the manager."
B. "We will maintain the current process because changing it
may be difficult."
C. "Let's create a shared vision for safer handoffs and identify
how each team member can contribute."
D. "I will make all decisions so the staff does not have to worry
about them."
Rationale: Transformational leaders motivate staff around a
shared vision, encourage participation, support innovation, and
develop team members. Creating a shared approach to
improving handoffs reflects these principles more strongly than
command-and-control or change-avoidant leadership.
5. A nurse receives a verbal order that seems unsafe because
the prescribed dose appears unusually high. What should the
nurse do first?
A. Administer the medication because the provider wrote the
order.
B. Clarify the order with the prescribing provider before
administering the medication.
C. Ask another nurse to administer it instead.
D. Document the concern after administering the medication.
, Rationale: The nurse has a professional responsibility to
question an order that may be unsafe. Clarifying the dose with
the prescribing provider before administration protects the
patient and provides an opportunity to correct a potential
prescribing error.
6. Which assignment is most appropriate for a float nurse who
is competent in adult medical-surgical care but has never
worked in an ICU?
A. A mechanically ventilated patient requiring titration of
vasoactive medication.
B. A stable postoperative patient requiring routine
assessments and medications.
C. A patient requiring continuous intracranial-pressure
monitoring.
D. A patient receiving a complex continuous hemodynamic
infusion.
Rationale: Assignments should match the nurse's demonstrated
competence. A stable postoperative patient with routine
medical-surgical needs is more appropriate for a competent
medical-surgical float nurse than patients requiring specialized
ICU knowledge and skills.
7. During a staff meeting, two nurses begin arguing loudly
about a scheduling decision. What is the nurse manager's best
initial response?
