The nurse manager suspects a nurse working on night shift of ...

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The nurse manager suspects a nurse working on night shift of mishandling narcotics by diverting medications prescribed for client's pain.
 
  Which action if undertaken first will indicate that the nurse manager needs further instruction in the appropriate steps to take when faced with ethical concerns?
   1. The nurse in question is confronted.
   2. The rights of all involved are considered.
   3. The client is medicated for pain as necessary.
   4. The nurse in question is investigated.

Question 2

Which situation will most likely result in an ethical problem because of short staffing on a geriatric unit?
 
  1. The nurses begin to spend a few minutes with assigned clients each shift in quiet
  conversation.
   2. Each nurse on the unit has an assigned client with whom they are to
  discuss end-of-life decision making.
   3. The clients on the unit are assigned days of the week on which they go to
  exercise.
   4. Most of the clients have family visiting on the weekends who ask the nurses
  questions.

[IRincones]

Answer to Question 1

Answer: 1

Rationale: The nurse manager would not confront the nurse in question initially. The nurse manager would need to gather information to determine the validity of the complaints. The patient's pain management is of the highest priority, and will need to be reviewed by the nurse manager. The nurse manager would also further investigate the suspected nurse. Only then might the nurse manager confront the nurse.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: 2

Rationale: If nurses are unavailable to discuss end-of-life decision making with their clients, there is potential for the clients to die without those decisions made. This leads to ethical dilemmas if the clients' wishes are not known. If nurses are not available for quiet conversation, no ethical problem is apparent. A lack of exercise does not entail an ethical problem, and short staffing will not affect visitors asking questions.