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A series of multiple-choice questions and answers related to chapter 1 of the book 'leadership roles and management functions in nursing'. The questions cover key concepts in decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking within the context of nursing practice. It offers insights into the application of these concepts in real-world scenarios, making it a valuable resource for nursing students and professionals.
Typology: Exams
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The nurse is applying a decision making process to a clinical challenge. When applying this process the nurse must? A. Choose between different courses of action B. Analyze the root cause of a situation C. Prioritize the maximum good for the maximum number of people D. Begin by solving the underlying problem - correct answer ✅A. Choose between different courses of action Feedback: Decision making is a complex, cognitive process often defined as choosing a particular course of action. Problem solving is part of decision making and is a systematic process that focuses on analyzing a difficult situation. It is not always realistic for the nurse to solve each of the problems contributing to a larger challenge, especially at the beginning of the decision-making process. The nurse often lacks the time, information, or resources to analyze the root causes of a situation. Many times, the nurse makes a decision that benefits
the largest number of people, but this is not always feasible or desirable The nurse is applying the traditional problem-solving model when mediating in a conflict between two colleagues. When applying this model, the nurse should prioritize what task? A. Encouraging each nurse to reflect on his or her actions B. Implementing a solution as quickly as possible C. Eliciting input from other nurses D. Identify the root cause of conflict - correct answer ✅D. Identify the root cause of conflict Feedback: The traditional problem-solving model attempts to identify the root problem in situations, a task that can require much time and energy. Efficiency is desirable, but trying to implement a solution as quickly as possible can result in a hasty and incorrect solution. Reflective thinking is always beneficial, but this is not a specific component of the
traditional problem-solving model. Outside input may or may not be necessary; this varies with each individual problem. Which statement is true regarding decision-making? A. Past experience has little to do with quality of the decision B. Personal belief can be adjusted for when the scientific approach to problem-solving is used C. Decisions are greatly influenced by each person's value system. D. Scientific methods to provide identical decisions by different individuals for the same problem. - correct answer ✅C. Decisions are greatly influenced by each person's value system. Feedback: Values, life experience, individual preference, and individual ways of thinking will influence a person's decision making. No matter how objective the criteria will be, value judgments will always play a part in a person's decision making, either consciously or
subconsciously. It is not possible for a nurse to fully "set aside" personal beliefs when making a decision, even if the nurse applies the principles of self- reflection The nurse manager of a short staffed unit needs to make a decision about a nurses request for an unpaid leave of absence. In order to increase the chance of making a good decision, the manager should: A. Involved as many people in the decision making process as possible B. Prioritize the option that is most innovative C. Generate as many different alternatives as possible D. Begin the decision making process by presuming the status quo to be the best option - correct answer ✅C. Generate as many different alternatives as possible Feedback: The greater the number of alternatives that can be generated by the decision
maker, the better the final decision will be. Generating multiple alternatives may require involving more people in the decision-making process, but the process can easily become unwieldy if too many people are involved. The manager should always consider the status quo as a possible option, but this is not always considered to be the default option. Innovation is often a desirable characteristic, but it would be inappropriate to choose an option solely because it is innovative; many other values must be considered An experience nurse manager has been described as being a " right brain thinker ". This managers decision making process likely prioritize what characteristic? A. Transparency B. Efficiency C. Intuition
D. Linear analysis - correct answer ✅C. Intuition Feedback: Right-brained thinkers have traditionally been characterized as being creative and intuitive. Linear analysis is more closely aligned with left-brained thinking. Transparency and efficiency are desirable qualities that are not particularly aligned with either of these two paradigms The nurse manager is applying an evidence-based approach to a clinical question around client mobilization. When using PICO format to search for evidence, the nurse should identify what? A. The preferences of clients and their families B. The role of intuition in the decision making process C. The clients for whom the intervention would be relevant D. Cost associated with a potential change in practice - correct answer ✅C. The clients for whom the intervention would be relevant
Feedback: The PICO (patient or population, intervention, comparison, and outcome) format is used in evidence-based practice to guide the search for the current best evidence to address a problem. Client and family preferences and cost are included in evidence-based practice but are not explicit components of the PICO format. Intuition is a component of decision making but is not specifically included in the PICO format The nurse manager is applying the decision making process when addressing a nurses high rate of absenteeism. This process should result in: A. An action that guarantee success B. A new understanding of the problem C. A chosen course of action D. an outcome that is desired by all - correct answer ✅C. A chosen course of action Feedback: A decision is made when a course of action has been chosen. A decision may not
always be pleasing to everyone involved in the situation, and success can never be fully guaranteed. The manager should seek to fully understand the problem, but this is a phase in decision making, not the result of the process The nurse manager is face with a difficult decision in a situation that involves the managers values. What is the managers best action? A. try to Base a decision on intuition rather than values. B. Defer the decision to a colleague with different values. C. Set aside his or her values and make a rational decision. D. Identify and reflect on his or her own value - correct answer ✅D. Identify and reflect on his or her own value Feedback: Every person has a value system, and this cannot be simply "set aside." Awareness and reflection are necessary to make good decisions in the context of one's own values. Intuition and values are not counterpoints, and prioritizing intuition does not negate the importance of values. Values influence every decision to varying degrees, and it is
impractical to defer every value-laden decision to someone else What statement is true concerning critical thinking? A.It is narrower in scope than decision making B. It is a synonym for problem-solving process C.It is a simple approach to decision-making D. It requires reasoning and creative analysis - correct answer ✅D. It requires reasoning and creative analysis Feedback: Critical thinking has a broader scope and is more complex than decision making and problem solving. It is sometimes referred to as reflective thinking. Critical thinking also involves reflecting on the meaning of statements, examining the offered evidence and reasoning, and forming judgments about facts A nurse manager has realized that the data gathering process before a recent decision may be influenced by confirmation bias. How can the manager best prevent this in the future? A. Collect only the minimum quality of data before making a decision.
B.Delegate data gathering to a trusted colleague who has different values C.Make sure not to prioritize information that supports managers beliefs. D. consider all implications of an alternative before making a decision - correct answer ✅C.Make sure not to prioritize information that supports managers beliefs. Feedback: Confirmation bias refers to our tendency to search for and favor information that confirms our beliefs while simultaneously ignoring or devaluing information that contradicts our beliefs. Self-awareness and reflection can reduce this tendency. Delegating the data-gathering process may be beneficial in some situations, but every person is prone to confirmation bias, although in differing ways. Considering the implications of a decision is an important part of decision making but does not address the issue of confirmation bias. Minimizing data collection may reduce confirmation bias but could compromise the quality of a decision
A nurse manager has made a decision and is now preparing to evaluate the decision. What question should best guide the nurses evaluation process? A. Did the outcome align with original objectives? B. Can evaluation be eliminated if the problem is resolved? C. Is evaluation necessary when using a good decision making model? D. Is every party happy with the outcome of the decision? - correct answer ✅A. Did the outcome align with original objectives? Feedback: The evaluation phase is necessary to find out more about one's ability as a decision maker and to find out where the decision making was faulty. This step cannot be eliminated from the decision-making process because it provides the means for determining whether a good decision was made. Happiness is not the criterion by which decisions are usually evaluated. Rather, evaluation is done by comparing actual outcomes to desired outcomes
Which statement concerning the role of the most powerful individuals in organizational decision-making is true? A. They tend to delegate decisions making rather than making decisions themselves. B. They usually make important decisions with consideration of effort on others. C. they often make decisions that are in congruency with their own values. D. They exert less influence on decisions that was previously thought. - correct answer ✅C. they often make decisions that are in congruency with their own values. Feedback: Not only does the preference of the powerful influence decisions of others in the organization but the powerful are also able to inhibit the preferences of the less powerful. Powerful people in organizations are more likely to have decisions made that are congruent
with their own preferences and values. Powerful people tend to make decisions on their own rather than delegating them. Often, the effect on others is not prioritized as highly as it should be One of the nurses on the unit said, " my Vietnamese parents won't even look me in the eye, but I know the Asian patients avoid making eye contact as a way of showing respect." this nurse is demonstrating what type of illogical thinking? A. deductive reasoning B. overgeneralizing C. a firming the consequences D. arguing from analogy - correct answer ✅B. Overgeneralizing Feedback: This type of "crooked" thinking occurs when one believes that because one person has a particular characteristic, every other person in the same category also has the same characteristic. It is an overgeneralization to assign one meaning to an action to every person from an entire continent. This kind of oversimplified deduction is exemplified when
stereotypical statements are used to justify arguments and decisions. When affirming the consequences, one decides that if B is good and he or she is doing A, then A must not be good. When arguing from analogy, the nurse applies a component that is present in two separate concepts and then states that because A is present in B, then A and B are alike in all respects The nurse has accepted a job in a workplace where organizational power has a pronounced effect. This characteristic may have what affect on the nurse in the workplace? A. Many decisions will be delegated to the nurse by supervisors. B. There will be a high level of mistrust and suspicion in the workplace. C. Communication will be compromised in the work place. D. The nurse may have to accept decisions contrary to his or her own values. - correct answer ✅D. The nurse may have to accept decisions contrary to his or her own values.
Feedback: The ability of the powerful to influence individual decision making in an organization often requires adopting a private personality and an organizational personality. The nurse will often have to accept decisions that solely reflect the values of more powerful individuals. This may lead to a feeling of powerlessness but not necessarily mistrust and lack of communication. Delegation of decision making is likely to be rare, not common, because it is concentrated with those in power The unit manager has created a decision grid in order to assist with difficult staffing decisions that will affect many nurses. The decision grid will also allow the manager to: A. Examine alternative visually and compare each against the same criteria. B. Ensure that the decision is made objectively rather than subjectively. C. Plot the outcome of a decision over time and evaluate decision making process.
D. Predict when events must take place to complete a project on time - correct answer ✅A. Examine alternative visually and compare each against the same criteria. Feedback: A decision grid allows one to visually examine the alternatives and compare each against the same criteria. This assists with the decision-making process, but it cannot guarantee that the decision will be completely objective. A decision grid is not a tool for tracking the outcomes of a decision. Decision grids are not synonymous with project planning tables A nurse manager is planning to apply a decision-making model to a clinical challenge. When using a decision-making tool, what should the manager do? A. be aware that the tool cannot eliminate the risk of human error B. Have an impartial colleague apply the tool, if possible. C. Apply the tool as quickly as possible.
D. Recognize the tool will negate the effect of the managers values.
correct answer ✅A. be aware that the tool cannot eliminate the risk of human error Feedback: Management decision-making aids are subject to human error and do not remove the effects of individual values, which always affect decision making. There is no particular reason that a tool would have to be applied by another person. Making the correct decision can take time; moving too quickly can compromise the quality of the process Nurse manager had to intervene in a conflict between client and a staff member the manager chooses to make a decision " In the moment" rather than applying a methodic or deliberate decision- making tool. How should this managers actions Be interpreted? A. The manager should have used a decision-making tool before responding be. B. The manager demonstrated an autocratic leader ship style.
C. The managers decision was likely made on faces basis of emotion. D. The manager applied heuristics to a problem that required a quick solution - correct answer ✅D. The manager applied heuristics to a problem that required a quick solution Feedback: Most individuals rely on discrete, often unconscious processes known as heuristics, which allows them to solve problems more quickly and to build on experiences they have gained in their lives. This manager's prompt decision making exemplifies this rapid approach. This does not necessarily lead to worse outcomes than a slower, more methodical approach. Heuristics can be based on experience and knowledge and are not simply expressions of emotion. Heuristics and rapid decision making are not synonymous with an autocratic leadership style that downplays input from others
Which statement is true regarding an economic man style manager? A. The manager is primarily motivated by his or her own financial gain. B. The manager gathers as much information as possible and produces many alternatives. C. The manager makes decisions that may not be ideal but results in solutions that have an adequate outcome. D. The manager may lack complete knowledge and generate a few alternatives - correct answer ✅B. The manager gathers as much information as possible and produces many alternatives. Feedback: Economic managers gather as much information as possible and generate many alternatives. However, most management decisions are made by using the administrative man model of decision making, in which the manager never has complete knowledge and generates fewer alternatives. The term economic man does not suggest that the manager is
motivated by personal financial gain. The administrative man carries out decisions that are only satisficing, a term used to describe decisions that may not be ideal but result in solutions that have adequate outcomes What characteristic of nurse manager best demonstrates left brain thinking? A. Manager highly values innovative intuition when making decisions B. The manager is open to feedback from staff when making a decision. C. The managers relationships with peers are prioritized when evaluating decisions. D. The manager applied linear, analytical model when making a decision. - correct answer ✅D. The manager applied linear, analytical model when making a decision. Feedback: Analytical, linear, left-brain thinkers process information differently from
creative, intuitive, right-brain thinkers. Placing a value on relationships and being open to feedback are not specifically associated with one or the other sides of the brain The nurse manager is preparing to use the PERT tool when making a staff decision. This tool primarily address what components of the decision making process? A. Consequences B. Values C. Timing D. Ethics - correct answer ✅C. Timing Feedback: PERT is a popular tool to determine the timing of decisions. This tool does not explicitly address some of the other relevant considerations when making decisions, including values and ethics. This tool does not focus on the evaluation (consequences) component of decision making
The nurse is working with a group of students who are learning High risk procedures. How should the nurse best ensure learning while protecting safety of clients? A. Teach the students about the traditional problem-solving process before the practice procedure. B. Use simulation for the students to learn and practice the skills C. Help the students use a decision-making model to choose the safest technique. D. Create an unfolding case study during the procedure. - correct answer ✅B. Use simulation for the students to learn and practice the skills Feedback: Simulation provides learners opportunities for problem solving that have little or no risk to clients or to organizational performance while providing models, either mechanical or live, to provide experiences for the learner. Simulation is generally considered to be more realistic (and conducive to learning) than a case study and no less
safe. A decision-making or problem-solving model is not normally implemented when learning new skills or procedures Which statement demonstrates a characteristic of a critical thinker? Select all that apply. A. "Since that didn't work effectively, let's try something different" B. "The Solution has to be something the client is willing to do" C. "Maybe there is no new solution to this particular problem." D. "Ill talk to the client's primary care giver about the problem" E. "It's important that we not give up; our clients deserve it." - correct answer ✅A, B, D, E Feedback: A critical thinker displays persistence, empathy, and assertiveness. Trying a new approach shows persistence. Considering the client's participation shows empathy. Speaking to the care provider on the client's behalf shows assertiveness. Concluding that there is no solution to a problem reflects an inability to think outside the box. Stating "It's
important that we not give up; our clients deserve it" shows persistence and empathy What is the value of using a structured approach to problem solving for the novice nurse? A. Facilitates effective time management. B. Supports the acquisition of clinical reasoning C. Supplements the orientation process D. Encourages professional autonomy - correct answer ✅B. Supports the acquisition of clinical reasoning Feedback: A structured approach to problem solving and decision making increases clinical reasoning and is the best way to learn how to make quality decisions because it eliminates trial and error and focuses the learning on a proven process. This is particularly helpful to the novice nurse with limited clinical experience and intuition. The other options are outcomes of the possession of critical thinking skills and clinical reasoning
A novice nurse has been trying to apply the nursing process to each client interaction. What should the nurse do to enhance the effectiveness of this process for making decisions and solving problems? A. Conduct assessment and diagnosis simultaneously whenever possible B.Ensure that specific goals are identified during the planning process. C. Avoid evaluating the process until every outcome has been met. D.Prioritize ethics during each phase of the nursing process. - correct answer ✅B.Ensure that specific goals are identified during the planning process Feedback: The weakness of the nursing process, like the traditional problem-solving model, is in not requiring clearly stated objectives. Goals should be clearly stated in the planning phase of the process, but this step is frequently omitted or obscured. Assessment and diagnosis often cannot be performed at the same time. Ethics should always be considered,