A charge nurse suspects that a staff nurse is chemically impaired. Which of the following actions should the charge nurse take?
Counsel the staff nurse about substance use.
Collect data about the staff nurse to support further action.
Report the staff nurse to the facility ethics committee.
Assign clients who are not prescribed narcotics to the staff nurse.
The Correct Answer is B
Rationale:
A. Counseling the staff nurse directly is not the charge nurse’s role in this situation. Formal evaluation and intervention are handled through appropriate channels, not peer-to-peer counseling.
B. The charge nurse should first gather objective data (such as documentation of behavior, medication handling, or performance concerns) to support further action. This ensures any report is factual and unbiased.
C. The facility’s ethics committee does not handle suspected staff impairment. Reporting goes through management and possibly employee health or human resources.
D. Assigning “safe” clients to the nurse does not address the potential risk to all clients and enables impaired practice, which is unsafe and unethical.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Rationale:
A. Home health provides ongoing nursing care and monitoring in the home but does not typically arrange for durable medical equipment like a wheelchair.
B. Social services coordinate community resources, including arranging for durable medical equipment such as a wheelchair, making this the correct referral.
C. Physical therapy focuses on improving strength, mobility, and teaching the client how to safely transfer and use mobility aids but does not arrange for equipment procurement.
D. Occupational therapy helps the client adapt to activities of daily living (ADLs) and may train the client in wheelchair use but does not arrange for obtaining the wheelchair itself.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Rationale:
A. A health care surrogate (or durable power of attorney for health care) does not have to be the oldest child; the client chooses the person they trust most to make decisions.
B. Advance directives are flexible and can be altered or revoked by the client at any time, as long as the client is competent.
C. A living will outlines the client’s treatment preferences, but it does not designate who will speak for the client. That role belongs to a health care proxy/surrogate.
D. Signing advance directives does not remove the client’s right to make decisions. The client retains autonomy as long as they are capable of decision-making.
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