An RN is preparing assignments for the upcoming shift. Which of the following tasks should the charge nurse delegate to a licensed practical nurse (LPN)?

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: LPNs operate under RN supervision, handling stable, predictable tasks within their scope. Performing tracheostomy suctioning for a stable client is appropriate, as it's a technical skill requiring training LPNs receive, manageable with clear parameters in a non-emergent state. Assessing neurological status involves complex judgment, reserved for RNs, as does initiating an IV line, often requiring RN-level skill per facility policy. Developing a care plan demands RN expertise in planning and evaluation. Suctioning leverages the LPN's capabilities, freeing RNs for higher-acuity tasks, ensuring efficient shift assignments while maintaining safety and adhering to delegation principles and scope-of-practice boundaries.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Organizational structure details communication channels, control spans, and lines key for Joseph's orientation unlike policies (rules), job descriptions (roles), or manuals (processes). In Stephanie's hospital, this map shows who reports to whom, like nurses to charge nurses, clarifying authority. Her leadership ensures new staff grasp this, vital in a tertiary setting where miscommunication delays care, aligning Joseph with operational flow for effective patient support.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Facing a value-laden decision, the nurse-manager's best move is reflecting on personal values like duty to staff over intuition, suppression, or deferral. Values (e.g., fairness) shape choices unconsciously; awareness mitigates bias. In a unit dilemma, say cutting hours, reflection reveals if equity drives the call, ensuring rational yet human decisions. Intuition lacks grounding, sidelining values is impossible, and deferring dodges responsibility. Leadership demands this self-insight to align actions with care ethics, maintaining a safe environment where staff trust reflects patient trust, a cornerstone of effective nursing management.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Cognitive feedback loop assesses progress. Nurse leaders check goals, like care quality, adjusting via feedback, contrasting with esteem focus. In healthcare, this drives improvement, aligning leadership with adaptive self-regulation.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Effective teams hinge on commitment a shared passion and dedication to a common goal driving synergy and accountability. During mediation, the nurse manager sees team-building signs, likely staff aligning toward this unity. Conflict can spur growth but isn't a core concept. Task clarity aids execution, and a designated leader may guide, but commitment is the bedrock, fostering collaboration over control. Here, resolving conflicts via mediation likely strengthens this collective resolve, essential for transitioning from a group to a true team.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Mentoring helps nurses build collective action skills like decision-making and collaboration by pairing them with experienced guides who model optimism and trust, key to retention. In this meeting, discussing retention strategies, mentoring stands out as it fosters skill development through real-world interaction, unlike passive conformity ('going along'), which stifles initiative. Workshops offer knowledge but lack personalized guidance, and clinical time alone doesn't teach collective skills. Mentoring, as research supports, reduces turnover by enhancing job satisfaction and collective efficacy, making it a practical, impactful approach for nurse managers to implement.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Mentorship fosters professional growth through a supportive, ongoing relationship. Serving as a guide and teacher means the experienced nurse provides direction, shares expertise, and invests time in the newly licensed nurse's development clinical, critical thinking, and personal building confidence and competence. This nurturing approach contrasts with assigning tasks without explanation, which neglects learning opportunities and risks errors from misunderstanding. Daily evaluation feels punitive, undermining trust, while focusing only on skills ignores broader professional needs like communication or ethics. Guiding and teaching establish a collaborative dynamic, addressing the novice's transition holistically, aligning with mentorship's purpose to cultivate a skilled, reflective nurse through sustained support and role modeling.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Transformational leaders inspire with vision not just change, methods, or rewards. Nurse leaders like new care goals uplift, contrasting with transactions. In healthcare, it drives passion, aligning leadership with inspiration.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Intelligence is learning/adapting, unlike memory, emotion, or learning. Nurse leaders like adapting protocols embody this, contrasting with static skills. In healthcare, it's survival, aligning leadership with adaptability.