Answer to Question 1
Answer: 4
Rationale: When a nurse prepares to move from one state to another, it is most important to review the new state's Nurse Practice Act. Reviewing this information will ensure that the nurse is not performing a skill that might be inappropriate to perform. It is important to review nursing skills, but it is most important to review the state's Nurse Practice Act first. Some skills might be appropriate to perform in one state but not another. Nurses typically will apply for a license transfer between states, and will only need to fill out paperwork to transfer the license. It is not commonplace to join a nursing union. Nurses typically join nursing unions when local health care organizations are thought to employ unfair labor practices.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: 2
Rationale: The Fair Labor Standard Act regulates minimum wages, overtime, and child labor issues. The act mandates that when a nurse works more than 40 hours in one week, the nurse will be paid 1.5 times what the nurse normally makes per hour for the excess time worked. This situation is unrelated to overtime, and the nurse would not receive extra financial compensation for caring for eight clients during this shift. The Safe Nurse Staffing Bill has been proposed to address quality-of-care issues related to understaffing. As of this writing, the bill had not yet been approved. The Family and Medical Leave Act does protect staff members who are not able to come to work, but the nurse is not wrong for speaking with the nurse manager regarding the concerns for client safety and quality of care due to understaffing. Additionally, there is no indication that the staff members involved are not coming to work as a result of the FMLA. There is research to suggest that understaffing results in reduced quality of care and negatively impacts client safety.