A charge nurse hears a patient tearfully telling the visiting spouse, "Please don't let that nurse care for me again! I've never had such a rude nurse! My dressing was ripped off so fast it made me cry!". How should the charge nurse handle this situation?
Approach the patient and say, "You seem very upset. Please tell me what happened."
Make rounds and asks other patients whether they've had problems with the nurse.
Assign a different staff member to care for this patient for the remainder of the day.
Confer with the nurse who has been caring for this patient and state that the patient is dissatisfied with the care received.
The Correct Answer is A
In nursing leadership, resolving conflict requires active listening and a non-judgmental approach to gather data directly from the source. This initial step is part of the assessment phase of the nursing process, ensuring that the charge nurse understands the patient's perspective before implementing corrective actions or addressing the interprofessional dynamics of the unit.
Rationale:
A. Approaching the patient directly to listen to their concerns is the priority action. This validates the patient's feelings and allows the charge nurse to collect objective and subjective data regarding the incident. It establishes a therapeutic relationship and demonstrates that the facility takes patient satisfaction and safety seriously.
B. Making rounds to question other patients is unprofessional and violates the privacy of the nurse-patient relationship. It can damage the reputation of the staff member without cause and creates an environment of distrust on the unit. Investigations should be focused and specific rather than speculative or generalized.
C. Assigning a different staff member may be a temporary solution for patient comfort, but doing so before assessing the situation ignores the root cause. Without a proper investigation, the charge nurse cannot determine if a practice error occurred or if a remediation plan is necessary for the staff nurse involved.
D. Conferring with the nurse is a necessary follow-up step, but it should not happen before the charge nurse has heard the patient's account. To handle the situation effectively, the leader must first understand the severity and specifics of the complaint to facilitate a fair and constructive discussion with the staff member.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Professional development in nursing involves self-assessment, career alignment, competency identification, and role satisfaction, where awareness of individual strengths guides strategic placement in roles that optimize performance, job satisfaction, and long-term career trajectory within healthcare systems.
Rationale:
A. Understanding role expectations is important for job performance, but it is not the primary reason for identifying personal strengths. Role expectations relate to external job requirements rather than internal alignment of skills and competencies.
B. Acting in a legal and ethical manner is a professional obligation required of all nurses regardless of individual strengths. It is governed by regulatory standards and does not depend on personal strength identification or career advancement planning.
C. Maintaining professional status relates to licensure, continuing education, and adherence to professional standards. While important for career progression, it is not directly dependent on awareness of individual strengths or their application in career planning.
D. Identifying professional strengths is primarily important for determining appropriate career fit and pathway selection. It enables nurses to align competencies, interests, and abilities with suitable roles, improving job satisfaction, performance, and long-term career development outcomes.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Epidemiological surveillance defines an epidemic by the statistical deviation from established baseline data. This phenomenon involves a rapid acceleration of disease transmission within a specific geographic cluster, where the observed frequency of illness significantly exceeds the documented endemic threshold for that population and period.
Rationale:
A. A disease that spreads worldwide across multiple continents is classified as a pandemic. While an epidemic is a localized or regional outbreak, the pandemic designation requires global scale and extensive community transmission. This choice describes an extreme level of disease prevalence.
B. An epidemic occurs when the incidence of a health-related event is clearly in excess of normal expectancy. Identifying this rise requires a comparison to historical data within a defined geographical area. It represents a significant shift in the ecological balance between host and pathogen.
C. A disease present at a steady, predictable rate within a specific community is considered endemic. This indicates that the pathogen is permanently established in the area without causing unexpected surges in morbidity. It is the baseline state, not an epidemic.
D. Isolated cases that occur infrequently and without a recognizable temporal or geographic pattern are described as sporadic. These instances do not represent a coordinated cluster of infection and lack the transmission velocity required to be labeled an epidemic. They are disconnected events.
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