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PNLE practice questions

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Question 1Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which sequence correctly describes the steps of the nursing process?

  1. Diagnosis, assessment, implementation, planning, evaluation
  2. Assessment, planning, diagnosis, evaluation, implementation
  3. Assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation Correct answer.
  4. Planning, assessment, diagnosis, implementation, evaluation

Explanation

The nursing process is a cyclic five-step framework that begins with data collection and ends with judging outcomes. Assessment supplies the data from which the nursing diagnosis is derived, planning sets measurable goals and interventions, implementation carries them out, and evaluation determines whether the goals were met.

Question 2Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A competent adult client tells the nurse he does not want the scheduled surgery and asks to cancel it. The nurse supports the client's decision. Which ethical principle is being upheld?

  1. Nonmaleficence
  2. Beneficence
  3. Autonomy Correct answer.
  4. Justice

Explanation

Autonomy is the client's right to make decisions about his own care, even when caregivers disagree with the choice. Honoring a competent adult's refusal of treatment is the classic expression of this principle.

Question 3Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which task is appropriate for the RN to delegate to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)?

  1. Teaching a newly diagnosed client to self-administer insulin
  2. Evaluating the effectiveness of the client's pain plan
  3. Recording vital signs of a stable postoperative client Correct answer.
  4. Performing the initial admission assessment on a new client

Explanation

Delegation to UAP is limited to tasks that are routine, standardized, and have a predictable outcome, with the RN retaining accountability. Measuring and recording vital signs on a stable client falls within that scope when the RN has verified competency.

Question 4Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse manager invites staff input, encourages group discussion, and lets the team reach consensus before decisions are made. Which leadership style is being used?

  1. Bureaucratic
  2. Laissez-faire
  3. Democratic Correct answer.
  4. Autocratic

Explanation

Democratic (participative) leadership shares decision-making with the group while the leader retains responsibility for outcomes. This style supports staff autonomy and usually improves commitment to unit decisions.

Question 5Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which characteristic best describes quantitative nursing research?

  1. It relies mainly on participant observation and field notes.
  2. It generates theory from patterns observed in the field.
  3. It collects numerical data that are analyzed statistically. Correct answer.
  4. It explores the lived experiences of participants through interviews.

Explanation

Quantitative designs measure variables and test hypotheses using numerical data and statistical analysis. The other options describe qualitative approaches, which produce rich descriptive data rather than numbers.

Question 6Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse performs a dressing change but does not record it in the client's chart. Which principle applies to this situation?

  1. Documentation is optional for routine nursing measures.
  2. Verbal reporting to the next shift replaces written documentation.
  3. Charting may be completed at the end of the shift from memory.
  4. If it is not documented, it is generally considered not done. Correct answer.

Explanation

The medical record is the legal account of care delivered, so undocumented care is treated as not rendered in audits, courts, and quality reviews. Documentation should be timely, accurate, and completed at the time of care or as soon as possible afterward.

Question 7Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

The primary purpose of a state Nurse Practice Act is to:

  1. Standardize the curricula of all nursing schools in the country.
  2. Establish the fee structure for the national licensure examination.
  3. Set the salary scale for nurses employed in hospitals.
  4. Define the scope of nursing practice and protect the public. Correct answer.

Explanation

Each state enacts a Nurse Practice Act that establishes the board of nursing, defines nursing practice, and sets requirements for licensure. Its overriding purpose is protection of the public through regulation of safe practice.

Question 8Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which nurse theorist identified ventilation, light, cleanliness, warmth, and noise control as essential elements of recovery?

  1. Florence Nightingale Correct answer.
  2. Martha Rogers
  3. Hildegard Peplau
  4. Dorothea Orem

Explanation

Nightingale's environmental theory holds that manipulation of the physical surroundings promotes the body's natural healing processes. Her emphasis on fresh air, sanitation, and quiet established the foundation of modern nursing practice.

Question 9Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A client enrolled in a clinical trial asks whether the drug being administered is still experimental. The nurse answers the question honestly. Which ethical principle is being upheld?

  1. Autonomy
  2. Veracity Correct answer.
  3. Beneficence
  4. Justice

Explanation

Veracity is the duty to tell the truth, which obligates the nurse to give accurate information even when it may be uncomfortable. It supports informed decision-making by ensuring the client is not misled.

Question 10Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which task is appropriate for the RN to delegate to a licensed practical nurse (LPN)?

  1. Performing the initial assessment of a newly admitted client
  2. Teaching a new diabetic client about insulin administration
  3. Developing the nursing care plan for a complex client
  4. Administering oral medications to a stable client Correct answer.

Explanation

LPNs practice within a defined scope that includes administering medications and performing skilled tasks for clients whose condition is stable or predictable. Assessment, care planning, and initial teaching require RN-level judgment.

Question 11Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse is giving a handoff report using SBAR. Which statement belongs in the recommendation component?

  1. A request that the provider evaluate the worsening dyspnea Correct answer.
  2. The client's vital signs and pain scores over the last four hours
  3. The client's name, room number, and current diagnosis
  4. A summary of the client's history and current medication list

Explanation

In SBAR, the recommendation states what the nurse believes is needed next, such as a request for evaluation, an order, or a change in therapy. Situation covers identifying data, background covers history and context, and assessment covers current findings and interpretation.

Question 12Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Two staff nurses argue loudly at the nurses' station about the shift assignment. Which is the nurse manager's best initial action?

  1. Document the incident in both personnel files
  2. Refer the matter directly to the human resources department
  3. Hold a private discussion with both nurses Correct answer.
  4. Reassign both nurses to different shifts

Explanation

The first step in managing interpersonal conflict is to address it directly and privately with those involved so the issues can be identified and resolved. Escalation or disciplinary measures come later if the conflict persists or affects client safety.

Question 13Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which statement best reflects the ethical requirement for informed consent in nursing research?

  1. Participants must complete the study once they sign the form.
  2. Consent is not required when the study poses minimal risk.
  3. Participants may withdraw at any time without penalty. Correct answer.
  4. Consent may be obtained after all the data have been collected.

Explanation

Respect for persons requires that participation be voluntary, so a signed consent is not a binding contract and withdrawal must remain possible without penalty. Consent must also be obtained before any data collection, and even minimal-risk studies normally require it.

Question 14Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A pain scale produces the same score each time it is administered to the same client under unchanged conditions. This finding indicates:

  1. Content validity
  2. Sampling error
  3. Reliability Correct answer.
  4. Construct validity

Explanation

Reliability refers to the consistency and reproducibility of a measurement instrument over repeated use. Validity, by contrast, concerns whether the instrument actually measures the concept it is intended to measure.

Question 15Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A unit team introduces hourly rounding, measures fall rates for a month, revises the rounding protocol, and then expands it hospital-wide. This approach illustrates:

  1. Benchmarking
  2. Sentinel event review
  3. The PDSA cycle Correct answer.
  4. Root cause analysis

Explanation

The plan-do-study-act cycle is a quality improvement method in which a change is planned, tested on a small scale, studied for results, and then acted on by adopting, adapting, or abandoning it. Repeating the cycle allows refinement before wider spread.

Question 16Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Before a client signs a consent form for surgery, the nurse's responsibility is to:

  1. Confirm that the client is informed and signing voluntarily. Correct answer.
  2. Explain the surgical procedure and its alternatives in detail.
  3. Sign the consent form on the client's behalf if family is absent.
  4. Decide whether the surgery is in the client's best interest.

Explanation

The nurse witnesses the consent and verifies that the client received the explanation from the provider, understands it, and is acting voluntarily and competently. The duty to disclose risks, benefits, and alternatives belongs to the provider performing the procedure.

Question 17Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse is caring for four clients. Which client should the nurse assess first?

  1. A client two days postoperative requesting pain medication
  2. A client with sudden crushing chest pain and diaphoresis Correct answer.
  3. A client waiting for discharge teaching before noon
  4. A client with COPD whose oxygen saturation is 90% on 2 L/min

Explanation

New chest pain with diaphoresis suggests an acute myocardial infarction and is immediately life-threatening, so it takes priority over chronic stable findings and nonurgent requests. Prioritization is based on airway, breathing, circulation, and the potential for rapid deterioration.

Question 18Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A hospitalized client has a durable power of attorney for health care. Which statement about this document is accurate?

  1. The agent must be a licensed health care provider.
  2. The agent decides only when the client cannot decide. Correct answer.
  3. The agent's authority begins the moment the document is signed.
  4. The document transfers the client's financial assets to the agent.

Explanation

A health care proxy speaks for the client only when the client loses decision-making capacity; until then the client's own wishes govern. The agent applies substituted judgment, using the client's known values rather than the agent's own preferences.

Question 19Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A physician orders a medication dose that exceeds the recommended safe range. Which action should the nurse take first?

  1. Clarify the order with the prescribing physician. Correct answer.
  2. Report the physician to the state board of nursing immediately.
  3. Ask the pharmacist to change the order without notifying the physician.
  4. Administer the medication as ordered and document the concern.

Explanation

The nurse is accountable for safe medication administration and must question any order that appears unsafe before giving the drug. The first step is to contact the prescriber to verify and clarify the order, then document the interaction.

Question 20Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A researcher studies pain in postoperative clients, and all postoperative clients admitted to the hospital during the study period make up the:

  1. Variable
  2. Population Correct answer.
  3. Sample
  4. Hypothesis

Explanation

The population is the entire set of individuals who meet the study criteria and to whom findings are meant to apply. The subset actually enrolled and measured is the sample.

Question 21Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which source provides the strongest evidence to guide a clinical practice decision?

  1. A quality improvement report from one unit
  2. A textbook chapter written by a clinical expert
  3. A systematic review of randomized trials Correct answer.
  4. A single descriptive study

Explanation

Evidence hierarchies place synthesized evidence from well-conducted randomized trials at the top because pooling studies reduces bias and random error. Expert opinion, single descriptive studies, and single-unit improvement projects rank lower as sources of generalizable evidence.

Question 22Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A client sues a nurse for malpractice. Which element must the client establish?

  1. The nurse's conduct fell below the standard of care. Correct answer.
  2. The hospital carried professional liability insurance.
  3. The nurse held a specialty certification.
  4. The client signed a general consent form at admission.

Explanation

Malpractice requires proof of a duty owed to the client, a breach of that duty measured against the standard of care, causation, and resulting damages. Certification, general consent, and insurance status do not establish breach or injury.

Question 23Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

In a 12-month weight-loss trial, 40 percent of participants drop out before the final measurement. Which threat to internal validity does this illustrate?

  1. Instrumentation
  2. History
  3. Testing effect
  4. Attrition Correct answer.

Explanation

Attrition, also called mortality, occurs when participants leave a study differentially, so the groups compared at the end no longer represent the groups formed at the start. History and instrumentation are threats that arise from external events or changes in measurement procedures, not from participant dropout.

Question 24Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse manager plans to introduce a new handoff tool. Which action is most likely to reduce staff resistance to the change?

  1. Implement the change immediately without staff input
  2. Involve staff in planning and piloting the change Correct answer.
  3. Announce the change in a memo and set an implementation date
  4. Wait for staff to request a new handoff tool

Explanation

Planned change theory holds that participation in planning and a small-scale trial reduce resistance by building ownership and allowing concerns to be addressed. Change imposed without involvement tends to produce compliance at best and overt resistance at worst.

Question 25Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

An RN delegates a task to a nursing assistant. Which statement describes the RN's responsibility after the delegation?

  1. Free of responsibility once the delegate accepts the task
  2. Accountable for the outcome and for follow-up Correct answer.
  3. Released from accountability if the delegate holds a certificate
  4. Responsible only for documenting that the task was delegated

Explanation

Delegation transfers the performance of a task but never transfers accountability, which remains with the RN. The RN must verify competency, provide clear directions, supervise, and evaluate the outcome of the delegated care.

Question 26Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A competent adult client refuses a prescribed blood transfusion after the nurse explains the risks. The nurse documents the refusal and continues to monitor the client. Which ethical principle is being upheld?

  1. Veracity, disclosing treatment information
  2. Beneficence, ensuring the client receives beneficial care
  3. Paternalism, protecting the client from harm
  4. Autonomy, respecting the client's self-determination Correct answer.

Explanation

Autonomy is the client's right to make decisions about personal health care, including the right to refuse treatment after being informed. The nurse's role is to inform, support, and document the decision rather than to override it.

Question 27Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse manager convenes the staff to decide how to reorganize the supply room and then implements the option chosen by the majority. Which leadership style is demonstrated?

  1. Autocratic
  2. Bureaucratic
  3. Laissez-faire
  4. Democratic Correct answer.

Explanation

A democratic leader involves staff in decision-making and acts on group input, which builds commitment and uses the team's expertise. The manager set the process but shared the authority to decide.

Question 28Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A researcher studies whether a new teaching method changes clients' adherence to a medication regimen. The teaching method is which type of variable?

  1. Independent variable Correct answer.
  2. Confounding variable
  3. Dependent variable
  4. Demographic variable

Explanation

The independent variable is the one the researcher manipulates or introduces; here it is the teaching method. Adherence, which is expected to change as a result, is the dependent variable.

Question 29Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse tells a client, "If you don't stay in bed, I will give you an injection that will make you sleep." The client becomes frightened and stays still. The nurse may be liable for which tort?

  1. Assault Correct answer.
  2. Defamation
  3. Negligence
  4. False imprisonment

Explanation

Assault is a threat of imminent harmful or offensive contact that causes the client to fear it, even if no contact occurs. Threatening an injection to force compliance meets that definition.

Question 30Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse researcher interviews mothers about their experience of caring for a child with asthma and describes the themes that emerge. Which type of research is this?

  1. Qualitative Correct answer.
  2. Experimental
  3. Retrospective
  4. Correlational

Explanation

Qualitative research explores meanings and lived experiences through narrative data such as interviews, and reports themes rather than numbers. Correlational, experimental, and retrospective designs are quantitative approaches.

Question 31Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse manager compares the unit's actual fall rate with the benchmark set at the start of the year and adjusts the fall-prevention plan accordingly. Which management function is being performed?

  1. Directing
  2. Organizing
  3. Controlling Correct answer.
  4. Planning

Explanation

Controlling is the management function of measuring performance against standards and taking corrective action when performance deviates. Comparing outcomes with a benchmark is the essence of control.

Question 32Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

In an experiment testing a new wound-care protocol, the group of clients who receive the usual wound care is called the:

  1. Control group Correct answer.
  2. Random sample
  3. Experimental group
  4. Target population

Explanation

The control group receives the standard or no treatment and serves as the comparison against which the effect of the intervention is judged. The group receiving the new protocol is the experimental group.

Question 33Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse discusses a client's diagnosis with a friend in a public elevator, naming the client. This action most directly violates which obligation?

  1. Nonmaleficence
  2. Veracity with the client
  3. Confidentiality Correct answer.
  4. Fidelity to the employer

Explanation

Confidentiality obligates nurses to protect client information from disclosure to individuals who have no need to know it. Sharing identifiable information in a public place is a direct breach.

Question 34Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A client falls and sustains a minor abrasion. Which action regarding the incident report is correct?

  1. Record the report number and details in the nurse's notes
  2. Complete the report factually and file it per policy Correct answer.
  3. Ask the client to sign the report before filing it
  4. Omit the incident because no serious injury occurred

Explanation

An incident report is an internal risk-management document that records the facts of an event and is filed according to facility policy; it is not part of the client's permanent record. The nurse documents the objective assessment and care given in the chart.

Question 35Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Two nurses disagree about how to divide the assignment. Each agrees to take on part of what the other wanted so that the shift can begin. Which conflict-resolution approach is used?

  1. Compromising Correct answer.
  2. Avoiding
  3. Collaborating
  4. Forcing

Explanation

Compromising means each party gives up something to reach a mutually acceptable middle ground, trading partial satisfaction for a quick resolution. Collaborating would seek a solution that fully meets both parties' needs.

Question 36Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which action is the registered nurse's responsibility and cannot be delegated to unlicensed assistive personnel?

  1. Ambulating a stable postoperative client
  2. Teaching a client how to administer insulin Correct answer.
  3. Obtaining a routine blood pressure
  4. Measuring intake and output

Explanation

Client teaching is a component of the nursing process, which requires professional nursing judgment and cannot be delegated to unlicensed personnel. Delegation is limited to tasks with predictable outcomes that fall within the delegatee's training.

Question 37Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A study compares two hospital units, one using an existing staffing model and one using a new model, without randomly assigning units or staff. This design is best described as:

  1. Descriptive
  2. Experimental
  3. Ethnographic
  4. Quasi-experimental Correct answer.

Explanation

Quasi-experimental designs test an intervention but lack random assignment, so groups may differ before the intervention begins. Random assignment is what distinguishes a true experiment.

Question 38Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

From a list of 500 discharged clients, a researcher selects every 10th name for a chart review. Which sampling method is used?

  1. Simple random sampling
  2. Convenience sampling
  3. Systematic sampling Correct answer.
  4. Purposive sampling

Explanation

In systematic sampling, the researcher selects participants at fixed intervals from a list after a random start. Every nth case being chosen is the defining feature.

Question 39Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which statement best describes the purpose of a literature review in a research study?

  1. To summarize the study's results for readers
  2. To confirm that the researcher's hypothesis is correct
  3. To replace the study's theoretical framework
  4. To identify gaps in existing knowledge Correct answer.

Explanation

A literature review surveys prior work to situate the study, show what is already known, and justify the need for the new investigation. It frames the gap rather than proving a hypothesis.

Question 40Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

An instrument designed to measure postoperative pain is reviewed by five pain experts, who agree that each item taps a component of pain. This supports which type of validity?

  1. Test-retest validity
  2. Criterion validity
  3. Interrater reliability
  4. Content validity Correct answer.

Explanation

Content validity is the extent to which instrument items represent all aspects of the concept being measured, and expert review is a standard method of establishing it. It addresses whether the tool covers the domain adequately.

Question 41Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A quality-improvement team lists possible causes of medication delays under categories such as staff, equipment, environment, and process. Which tool is being used?

  1. Run chart
  2. Pareto chart
  3. Flowchart
  4. Cause-and-effect diagram Correct answer.

Explanation

A cause-and-effect, or fishbone, diagram organizes possible causes of a problem into categories to guide improvement efforts. The branches group contributing factors so that root causes can be investigated.

Question 42Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse leader inspires staff with a shared vision for patient-centered care and encourages them to exceed their usual performance. This describes which leadership style?

  1. Autocratic
  2. Laissez-faire
  3. Transformational Correct answer.
  4. Transactional

Explanation

Transformational leaders motivate staff through vision, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration, raising performance beyond routine expectations. The focus is on shared goals and growth rather than exchange of rewards.

Question 43Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which action best demonstrates the nurse acting as a client advocate?

  1. Explaining the hospital's policy on visiting hours
  2. Ensuring the client's stated wishes reach the health care team Correct answer.
  3. Reporting the client's medication refusal to the charge nurse
  4. Completing the client's advance directive forms for the client

Explanation

Advocacy means representing and protecting the client's interests and communicating the client's informed choices to the team. The nurse supports the client's voice rather than deciding for the client.

Question 44Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which of the following statements is a null hypothesis?

  1. There is no difference in anxiety between the groups. Correct answer.
  2. Music therapy lowers anxiety scores in clients.
  3. Clients prefer music therapy over silence.
  4. Music therapy is more effective than standard care.

Explanation

A null hypothesis states that no relationship or difference exists between variables, and it is the statement statistical testing attempts to reject. Directional predictions of a difference belong to the research hypothesis.

Question 45Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

Which statement best reflects a just culture in reporting medication errors?

  1. Only errors that cause harm must be reported
  2. Reports are kept anonymous to protect staff
  3. Errors and near misses are reported to fix system flaws Correct answer.
  4. Errors are punished to deter repetition

Explanation

A just culture distinguishes system failures from reckless behavior and encourages reporting so that underlying causes can be corrected. Near misses are valuable because they reveal hazards without harm.

Question 46Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A study reports a p value of .02 with the level of significance set at .05. Which interpretation is correct?

  1. The result is not significant at the .05 level
  2. A type II error has occurred
  3. The null hypothesis is rejected Correct answer.
  4. There is a 2% chance the null hypothesis is true

Explanation

When the obtained p value is less than the preset alpha, the result is statistically significant and the null hypothesis is rejected. The p value is the probability of the observed data given that the null hypothesis is true.

Question 47Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

In a two-year study of a school nutrition program, children's growth and developmental changes over the study period could influence the outcomes. This threat to internal validity is:

  1. Testing effect
  2. Instrumentation
  3. History
  4. Maturation Correct answer.

Explanation

Maturation refers to changes within participants, such as growth, aging, or development, that occur over time and can affect the dependent variable independent of the intervention. History refers instead to external events occurring during the study.

Question 48Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A hospital-employed nurse negligently injures a client while performing assigned duties. Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, who may be held liable?

  1. No one, because there was no intent to harm
  2. Only the client's health insurer
  3. Only the nurse, who performed the act
  4. The nurse's employer, who is vicariously liable Correct answer.

Explanation

Respondeat superior holds an employer vicariously liable for the negligent acts of employees committed within the scope of employment. The employee may also be personally liable, but the employer shares responsibility under this doctrine.

Question 49Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A charge nurse gives close direction to a newly hired nurse performing a complex procedure but only occasional support to an experienced nurse doing the same task. Which leadership approach is illustrated?

  1. Transactional leadership
  2. Trait leadership
  3. Situational leadership Correct answer.
  4. Laissez-faire leadership

Explanation

Situational leadership matches the amount of direction and support to the follower's competence and commitment for a specific task. The same leader adjusts style as the individual's readiness changes.

Question 50Foundations of Nursing Practice (including Professional Adjustment, Leadership and Management, and Nursing Research)

A nurse knows the appropriate action for a client but is prevented by institutional constraints from carrying it out, causing sustained anguish. This experience is best described as:

  1. Paternalism
  2. Moral courage
  3. Moral distress Correct answer.
  4. Ethical relativism

Explanation

Moral distress arises when a nurse identifies the right action but is constrained from taking it by institutional or other barriers. The hallmark is knowing what to do while being unable to do it.