A nurse stealing narcotics from an acute care nursing unit is guilty of a:
1. Civil offense
2. Criminal offense
3. Common law offense
4. Administrative law offense
ANS: 2
Criminal laws prevent harm to society and provide punishment for crimes (often imprisonment). A felony is a crime of a serious nature that has a penalty of imprisonment for greater than 1 year or even death. A misdemeanor is a less serious crime that has a penalty of a fine or imprisonment for less than 1 year. An example of criminal conduct for nurses is misuse of a controlled sub-stance. Civil laws protect the rights of individual persons within our society and encourage fair and equitable treatment among people. Common law is created by judicial decisions made in courts when individual legal cases are decided (i.e., informed consent). Administrative law is created by administrative bodies, such as state boards of nursing, when they pass rules and regu-lations.
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A family member of a client in a long-term care facility asks the nurse why he cannot insert a catheter so the client will not develop skin breakdown from being wet. What should the explanation include when the nurse responds to the family member?
A) Catheters are no longer used for treatment of incontinence. B) Older adult residents are able to have catheters inserted if the family requests them. C) The invasive nature of the catheter provides a portal for infection. D) If a catheter is inserted, it must be flushed with normal saline daily.
On arrival in the emergency department, a patient who was in a motor vehicle accident is reported to be apprehensive, confused, hypotensive, tachycardic, and oliguric, with cool and clammy skin. What should the nurse do first?
a. Perform a rapid head-to-toe assessment. b. Obtain patient's medical history from family. c. Cover patient with warm blankets. d. Reorient the patient to person, place, and time.
As adults become older, their sleep patterns change. Older adults tend to
a. Sleep later in the morning b. Go to bed earlier c. Wake earlier in the morning d. Take several naps during the day
A nurse wants to find a description of diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders. Which resource would have the most complete information?
a. The ICD-10 b. Nursing Outcomes Classification c. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders d. The ANA Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice