The novice nurse manager is discussing budgeting activities and ...

[JGIBBSON]

The novice nurse manager is discussing budgeting activities and variance reports with the experienced nurse manager. Which of the following comments by the novice nurse manager indicates that more education is needed?
 
  1. When I submit my monthly variance report, I need to provide a written explanation for each variance.
  2. I review my variances to determine the issues and identify whether there are ways that I can help prevent the variance from occurring.
  3. It is my responsibility to shelter my staff members from having to worry about this side of client care.
  4. Reviewing the budget and identifying variances is a great way to plan for next year's budget.

Question 2

The nurse manager of a medicalsurgical unit learned that the personnel budget for the medical-surgical unit was lower than the personnel budget for the Intensive Care Unit. The nurse manager wants to know the reason for this difference.
 
  Which of the following are the nurse supervisor's best responses? Select all that apply.
  1. The acuity level per client is much higher in the Intensive Care Unit, which results in an increased nurse-to-client ratio.
  2. The Intensive Care Unit has a much lower retention rate than your unit due to higher stress levels.
  3. Your unit was recently remodeled, so money was taken from your personnel budget and moved to your capital budget.
  4. The Intensive Care Unit and this unit have the same number of beds. I've made a mistake with your personnel budget, and will fix it immediately.
  5. The staff members have to be paid for education time to learn how to care for their clients. Your staff members need less education time.

[cam1229]

Answer to Question 1

Answer: 3

Rationale: The monthly variance report is completed to help plan for the next budget, control costs in the current period, and evaluate the performance of the unit. The nurse manager can use the monthly variance report to identify issues and determine ways to prevent them from occurring in the future. The variance report is submitted monthly, and the nurse manager should provide a written explanation of why the variance occurred. Good nurse managers assist staff members to develop an understanding of the issues surrounding each variance report. The variance report can be very helpful for the nurse manager as he or she plans for the following fiscal year's budget.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: 1; 2; 5
Rationale:
 The acuity level per client is much higher in the Intensive Care Unit, which results in an increased nurse-to-client ratio. This information from the nurse supervisor does accurately explain how the personnel budget in the Intensive Care Unit can be higher than the medicalsurgical unit's personnel budget. Increased client acuity levels require that more nurses be available for a smaller number of clients.
 The Intensive Care Unit has a much lower retention rate than your unit due to higher stress levels. This information from the nurse supervisor does accurately explain how the personnel budget in the Intensive Care Unit can be higher than the medicalsurgical unit's personnel budget. Units with lower retention rates have to spend extra time and effort training new staff members to care for the clients. Staff members in the Intensive Care Unit require more education and more experience than staff members who are be used to staff a medicalsurgical unit.
 Your unit was recently remodeled, so money was taken from your personnel budget and moved to your capital budget. This is not an appropriate comment from the nursing supervisor. Staff scheduling should be based on client acuity levels, and not only on budgetary restraints.
 The Intensive Care Unit and this unit have the same number of beds. I've made a mistake with your personnel budget, and will fix it immediately. This is not an appropriate comment. Increased client acuity levels of clients in the Intensive Care Unit require that more nurses be available for a smaller number of clients. The nurses should have appropriate education and experience to care for these special clients in the Intensive Care Unit.
 The staff members have to be paid for education time to learn how to care for their clients. Your staff members need less education time. This information from the nurse supervisor does accurately explain how the personnel budget in the Intensive Care Unit can be higher than the medicalsurgical unit's personnel budget. The staff members in the Intensive Care Unit require extra education to be able to adequately care for the clients in the Intensive Care Unit.

[JGIBBSON]

Thank you

[cam1229]

No problemo