The nurse has decided to move across the country. The nurse ...

[s.tung]

The nurse has decided to move across the country. The nurse discusses the move with several peers. Which of the following responses is the best advice from a peer regarding ways for the nurse to prepare professionally for the move?
 
  1. You should make sure all of your nursing skills you currently use are sound by reviewing the skills in a nursing text.
  2. You'll have to prepare to take the NCLEX again. All of the states require that to transfer nursing licenses.
  3. You need to figure out which nursing union you will want to join.
  4. Get a copy of the state's Nurse Practice Act so you will know what you can and cannot do in your new job.

Question 2

The nurse has been assigned to care for eight high-acuity clients during the scheduled shift. The normal nurse-to-client ratio on this unit is one nurse to five clients.
 
  Two of the nurses who were scheduled to come in for this shift called and stated that they were unable to work. The nurse asks the nurse manager about the legal issues surrounding short staffing. Which of the following is the nurse manager's best response?
 
  1. The Fair Labor Standard Act addresses these issues. You will receive extra financial compensation.
  2. There is a bill called the Safe Nurse Staffing Bill that is attempting to establish a minimum nurse staffing ratio to best meet client acuity levels.
  3. The Family and Medical Leave Act protects the staff members who were unable to come in today for their shifts. You have no right to complain.
  4. There is no research to suggest that caring for this many clients will affect the quality of care provided.

[makaylafy]

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.

[s.tung]

Excellent

[milbourne11]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it