Exam 16: Staffing and Scheduling

The medical-surgical unit is at capacity and the clients have a high acuity, requiring care such as turning, bathing, toileting, and feeding. Which level of supplementary staff would be cost-effective?

A unit requires a great deal of staffing flexibility. To fill this need, the manager should use which strategy?

The medical-surgical unit's census has decreased since the previous shift. The manager is reviewing the staffing grid. Which factor is used to determine staffing mix?

A nurse manager needs to supplement the staff for the next schedule. Which option would be the most significant drain on the unit's staffing budget?

A newly hired nurse manager is being mentored in this new role. How should the mentor advise this manager regarding staffing for the next shift?

The nurse manager of an intensive care unit has several open shifts that require an RN to fill. Several nurses have taken overtime shifts but there are still several uncovered shifts. The chief nurse officer (CNO) decides to fill these vacancies with agency nurses. The CNO realizes that agency personnel must have which requirements prior to working in the facility?

A hospital has open shifts on its medical-surgical unit. The manager has listed open shifts on the hospital's intranet. This is an example of which type of scheduling?

An acute care nursing unit has determined that an acuity level III client requires 6 hours of nursing care per shift while a level IV client requires 8 hours. Today the unit has seven level III clients and nine level IV clients. The manger should staff for ___ hours of nursing care for the next shift.

The nurse manager is determining the day's nursing care hours (NCHs) by analyzing the client workload. The unit census is 30 and there is a total of 220 nursing care hours. The average nursing hours per client per day (NHPPD) figured to the nearest hundredth decimal point is ____.

The hospital has elected to use the demand management staffing system instead of the patient classification system. Because of this decision, the nurse manager who is staffing must focus on which of the following?

On two recent occasions, the experienced nurse manager has found it nearly impossible to discuss upcoming events with all the staff on the unit. What is a common reason for this problem?

The OB manager is looking at staffing for the night shift. The postpartum unit is busy and the labor-delivery unit has four clients in labor. The manager collects data from the nursing staff regarding the acuity of their clients. These data assist the manager in determining the staff for the next shift. This is an example of which type of system?

The nurse manager is explaining her staffing budget to the hospital administration. The manager has developed a flexible staffing pattern. The administration questions the manager as to why this pattern was developed. Which answer is most correct?

The nurse manager is explaining the organizational staffing policy to a newly hired nurse. The nurse will be scheduled on an as-needed basis. The manager explains this policy is a supplemental scheduling policy. Which staffing strategies would be included in this policy?

The unit has open shifts even after staff members have signed up for overtime. The chief nurse officer (CNO) does not want to hire agency nurses to cover these shifts. The nurse manager does not understand why the CNO is offering staff an incentive versus hiring agency nurses. Which would be a reasonable conclusion?

The nurse manager of a postsurgical unit is preparing the next month's schedule. The manager has reviewed the surgery schedule for the corresponding month and notes there are several high-acuity surgeries. Which staffing adjustment would the manager make to best provide the care needed by these postoperative clients?

Which group determines the level of nursing care and hours of care necessary to meet the needs of the hospitalized client?

A new nurse manager asks to see the Joint Commission manual in order to determine adequate staffing for the next shift. How should the supervisor respond to this request?

The unpredictability of the labor and delivery area requires a set staff mix for every shift. Which type of staffing pattern should the manager use to ensure this mix?

A critical care nurse has reported off because of an illness. Which choice of replacement for this nurse would provide the best continuity of quality nursing care?