13. The nurse manager is preparing to perform a performance ...

[james]

13. The nurse manager is preparing to perform a performance appraisal interview with a nurse. Which of the following scenarios may indicate the nurse manager is conducting a distortion error known as the recency effect?
 
  1. Three clients assigned to the nurse have fallen during the last month. The nursing manager remembers this information, but does not examine any other information acquired during the year about the nurse's performance.
  2. The nurse manager has been unable to adequately monitor or evaluate the performance of a nurse due to an increased number of meetings during the time this nurse usually works. However, all information that the nurse manager knows about the nurse has been positive.
  3. The nurse manager has had very little contact with the new nurse, but remembers an incident 6 months ago with a client's family where the nurse was thought to be loud and offensive.
  4. The new nurse manager feels very strongly that the most important quality in a nurse is lack of absenteeism. The previous nurse manager felt that the most important quality was client safety.

Question 2

12. The nurse manager is discussing ways to motivate the nursing staff with the nurse manager's immediate supervisor. Which of the following is the best example of a reward for the staff nurse working on this unit?
 
  1. All nurses on this unit work 8 hours per shift, five times each week.
  2. Tuition reimbursement benefits are extended to those moving from a licensed practical nurse to a registered nurse.
  3. The organization adopts a clinical ladder system.
  4. All full-time nurses are provided with health care insurance.

[jrpg123456]

Answer to Question 1

Answer: 1

Rationale: The recency effect can occur when the nurse manager weighs recent events more heavily than events that have occurred throughout the previous year. The halo effect occurs when the nurse manager is aware of several positive things about the nurse, but hasn't had enough contact with the nurse to adequately determine if the nurse is meeting all of the criteria for a positive evaluation. However, the nurse manager gives the nurse a good evaluation. Problem distortion is when the nurse manager remembers a negative episode from the past and uses this one incident as the source of a poor evaluation. The rater temperament effect can occur when one nursing manager feels that one specific attribute is more important than another attribute.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: 3

Rationale: Nursing managers who state that all of the nurses who work on the unit must work 8 hours per shift, five times each week are using a traditional schedule. This type of schedule is not a variant schedule. Variant schedules are used as a reward for staff nurses, and help keep staff nurses in the profession. A variant schedule allows the staff nurse more control over the work schedule. Tuition reimbursement should be extended to nurses who want more education regardless of their current degree, to be thought of as a reward. Adopting a clinical ladder system for nurses rewards all of the nurses who choose to climb the clinical ladder. The clinical ladder rewards individual nurses who choose leadership roles and choose to further their education. It would be rewarding to offer staff nurses a menu to select which benefits they need or want, instead of just providing health care insurance to everyone, regardless of need. Some nurses may not need health care insurance.