Ethical & Legal Issues in Canadian Nursing 3 Edition Test Bank
Keatings: Ethical and Legal Issues in Canadian Nursing, 3
rd Edition
Chapter 1: Introduction to Nursing Law and Ethics
MULTIPLE CHOICE
- Which of the following has mandated that nurses are to have a basic understanding of the
- Provincial and federal nursing bodies
- The Supreme Court of Canada
- Provincial nursing labour unions
- The Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act, 1990
Canadian legal system?
ANS: A
Correct A: Provincial and federal regulatory bodies, as well as the Canadian Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses have certain requirements related to nurses’ knowledge and skill.
Incorrect B: The Supreme Court is not involved in this mandate.
Incorrect C: Labour unions do not focus on nursing standards and knowledge.
Incorrect D: This act is relevant but is specific to drugs and pharmacies, not legal issues in general.
DIF: Cognitive level: Comprehension REF: p. 5
- Why do nurses need to have an understanding of ethics?
- Nurses do not share the same perspectives of health care with other health care
- Morality and care are at the heart of nursing practice.
- Ethics enables nurses to choose the correct course of action.
- Convincing family members of compassionate courses of action is best done by
professionals.
nurses.
ANS: B
Correct B: Nurses study ethics because morality and care are at the heart of nursing practice.
Incorrect A: Professional values may be shared across multiple professions.
Incorrect C: Ethics allows nurses to consider multiple options and to choose the best course of action.Incorrect D: Nurses often know the family best, but this statement is not necessarily true.
DIF: Cognitive level: Synthesis REF: p. 8
- Why is it advantageous for nurses to have knowledge of ethical theories and principles?
- It encourages nurses to critique others’ points of view.
- It allows nurses to justify and defend their positions on a situation. 1 / 4
- It allows nurses to use rhetoric to convince an interdisciplinary team.
- It allows nurses to convince patients to choose comfort measures only.
ANS: B
Correct B: It is appropriate for nurses to justify and defend positions on an ethical patient situation. Often the nurse knows the patient best and has relevant information to contribute to the decision-making process.
Incorrect A: Knowledge gives nurses the opportunity to see flaws in the thinking of others but does not encourage critique. Positions are, however, open to critique by others with knowledge.
Incorrect C: Rhetoric is inappropriate to use in a professional discussion.
Incorrect D: This may not be appropriate and is not the role of the nurse alone.
DIF: Cognitive level: Comprehension REF: p. 9
- Why must nurses be familiar with the legal system?
- Some nursing actions are governed by the law.
- Nurses’ decisions may not be supported by the law.
- Nurses are sometimes at risk for litigation.
- All of the above.
ANS: D
Correct D: Reserved or controlled acts, and the administration of narcotics, are two examples of nursing actions governed by law. A nurse may think an action is “ethical,” but it may not be legal. Nurses’ decisions sometimes have untoward consequences, and errors or omissions may lead to negligence claims.
Incorrect A: Reserved or controlled acts, and the administration of narcotics, are two examples of nursing actions governed by law. A nurse may think an action is “ethical,” but it may not be legal. Nurses’ decisions sometimes have untoward consequences, and errors or omissions may lead to negligence claims.Incorrect B: Reserved or controlled acts, and the administration of narcotics, are two examples of nursing actions governed by law. A nurse may think an action is “ethical,” but it may not be legal. Nurses’ decisions sometimes have untoward consequences, and errors or omissions may lead to negligence claims.Incorrect C: Reserved or controlled acts, and the administration of narcotics, are two examples of nursing actions governed by law. A nurse may think an action is “ethical,” but it may not be legal. Nurses’ decisions sometimes have untoward consequences, and errors or omissions may lead to negligence claims.
DIF: Cognitive level: Comprehension REF: p. 4
TRUE/FALSE
- In addition to having obligations to clients, nurses also have rights regarding what they can
expect as professionals.
ANS: T 2 / 4
Correct: Like all Canadians, nurses have rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.Nurses must consider these rights in the context of their responsibilities and obligations to clients.
Incorrect: Like all Canadians, nurses have rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.Nurses must consider these rights in the context of their responsibilities and obligations to clients.
DIF: Cognitive level: Comprehension REF: p. 7
- In order for society to hold nurses to a high standard of competence, restrictions are necessary on
rights and privileges.
ANS: T
Correct: Some restrictions are necessary to keep up high standards. Education, collective bargaining, duties to patients, and the legal system all contribute to organizing the collective rights and privileges of nurses as a professional group.
Incorrect: Some restrictions are necessary to keep up high standards. Education, collective bargaining, duties to patients, and the legal system all contribute to organizing the collective rights and privileges of nurses as a professional group.
DIF: Cognitive level: Knowledge REF: p. 4
- The field of ethics is gaining prominence in part because of the growing sophistication of science
and technology, which results in an increasing number of ethical dilemmas.
ANS: T
Correct: Recent advances in genetics and reproductive biotechnology, for example, have opened up an entirely new array of ethical dilemmas not previously known.
Incorrect: Recent advances in genetics and reproductive biotechnology, for example, have opened up an entirely new array of ethical dilemmas not previously known.
DIF: Cognitive level: Comprehension REF: p. 3 3 / 4
Keatings: Ethical and Legal Issues in Canadian Nursing, 3
rd
Edition
Chapter 2: Ethical Theoretical Perspectives
Test Bank
MULTIPLE CHOICE
- How may ethics best be described?
- The philosophical study of morality
- The study of right versus wrong
- The beliefs and norms of a society
- The application of ethical principles to moral issues
ANS: A
Correct A: Ethics, the philosophical study of morality, is the systematic
exploration of what is morally right and wrong.
Incorrect B: Ethics is the systematic exploration of what is morally right and
wrong.
Incorrect C: The beliefs and norms of a society are known as values.
Incorrect D: Applying ethical principles to moral issues helps provide
frameworks for ethical decision making; this is not a description of ethics.
DIF: Cognitive level: Knowledge REF: p. 18
- Which of the following is the focus of normative ethics?
- The analysis of morality without taking a moral position
- The question of what is right or wrong
- Explaining how moral attitudes and beliefs differ from person to
- Distinguishing between what is normal and what is not
person
ANS: B
Correct B: Normative ethics focuses on the reasons or arguments that guide
decisions about what is right and wrong. Basic principles and virtues are identified to guide morality and provide coherent, systematic, and justifiable answers to moral questions.
Incorrect A: Normative ethics seeks to guide a decision; it is not concerned
with taking moral positions.Incorrect C: A person’s differing moral attitudes and beliefs help to shape his or her personal values; this is not a focus of normative ethics.
Incorrect D: A person’s ideas of normal and abnormal would be considered
values, but the ability to make this distinction is not in itself a form of ethics.
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