CANS EXAM ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026
200 QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
GRADED A+
⩥ A unit manager of a 25-bed medical/surgical area receives a phone
call from a nurse who has called in sick five times in the past month. He
tells the manager that he very much wants to come to work when
scheduled, but must often care for his wife, who is undergoing treatment
for breast cancer. In the practice of a strengths-based nursing leader,
what would be the best approach to satisfying the needs of this nurse,
other staff, and patients?
a. Line up agency nurses who can be called in to work on short notice.
b. Place the nurse on unpaid leave for the remainder of his wife's
treatment.
c. Sympathize with the nurse's dilemma and let the charge nurse know
that this nurse may be calling in frequently in the future.
d. Work with the nurse, staffing office, and other nurses to arrange his
scheduled days off around his wife's treatments. Answer: D
⩥ A grievance brought by a staff nurse against the unit manager requires
mediation. At the first mediation session, the staff nurse repeatedly calls
the unit manager's actions unfair, and the unit manager continues to
reiterate the reasons for the actions. What would be the best course of
action at this time?
a. Send the two disputants away to reach their own resolution.
,b. Involve another staff nurse in the discussion so as to clarify issues.
c. Ask each party to examine her own motives and issues in the conflict.
d. Continue to listen as the parties repeat their thoughts and feelings
about the conflict. Answer: C
⩥ Shortly after being informed of fetal death, a labouring woman asks
why she is not able to hear her baby's heartbeat on the monitor anymore.
Although the monitor volume had been turned off so that the patient
would be able to sleep between contractions, the nurse responded that
there was no heartbeat to hear because the baby had died in utero; then
the nurse asked whether the patient would like to talk about how she was
feeling. This response demonstrates:
a. Lack of empathy.
b. Ethical leadership.
c. Complexity science.
d. A coercive relationship. Answer: B
⩥ The manager of a surgical area envisions a future that requires the
addition of registered nurse (RN) assistants or unlicensed persons to
feed, bathe, and walk patients. The RNs on the staff have always
practiced in a primary nursing-delivery system and are very resistant to
this idea.
The best initial strategy in this situation would include:
a. Exploring the values of the RNs in relation to this change.
,b. Leaving the RNs alone for a time so they can think about the change
before they are approached again.
c. Dropping the idea and trying for the change in another year or so.
d. Hiring the assistants and allowing the RNs to see what good additions
they are. Answer: A
⩥ As the charge nurse on the night shift in a small long-term care
facility, you have found that there is little turnover among your licensed
practical nurse and nursing assistant (NA) staff members, but they are
not very motivated to work beyond their job descriptions. Which of the
following strategies might motivate the staff and lead to greater job
satisfaction?
a. Ask the director of nursing to offer higher wages and bonuses for
extra work for the night licensed practical nurses and NAs.
b. Allow the licensed practical nurses and NAs greater decision-making
power within the scope of their positions in the institution.
c. Help the licensed practical nurses and NAs with their work, whenever
possible.
d. Ask the director of nursing to increase job security for night staff by
having them sign contracts that guarantee work. Answer: B
⩥ As the nurse manager, you want to increase motivation by providing
motivating factors. Which action would you select?
a. Collaborate with the human resources/personnel department to
develop on-site daycare services.
, b. Provide a hierarchical organizational structure.
c. Implement a model of shared governance.
d. Promote the development of a flexible benefits package. Answer: C
⩥ A charge nurse on a busy 40-bed medical/surgical unit is approached
by a patient's son, who begins to complain loudly about the quality of
care his mother is receiving. His behaviour is so disruptive that it is
overheard by staff, physicians, and other visitors. The family member
rejects any attempt to intervene therapeutically to resolve the issue. He
leaves the unit abruptly, and the nurse is left feeling frustrated. Which
behaviour by the charge nurse best illustrates refined leadership skills in
an emotionally intelligent practitioner?
a. Reflection to obtain insight into how the situation could be handled
differently in the future
b. Trying to catch up with the angry family member to resolve the
concern
c. Discussing the concern with the patient after the family member has
left
d. Notifying nursing administration of the situation Answer: A
⩥ The chief nursing officer has asked the staff development coordinator
to facilitate the development of a clinical competency program for the
facility. While making rounds on the units, the staff development
coordinator overhears RN staff complaining that they believe it is
insulting to be required to participate in a competency program. Which
200 QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
GRADED A+
⩥ A unit manager of a 25-bed medical/surgical area receives a phone
call from a nurse who has called in sick five times in the past month. He
tells the manager that he very much wants to come to work when
scheduled, but must often care for his wife, who is undergoing treatment
for breast cancer. In the practice of a strengths-based nursing leader,
what would be the best approach to satisfying the needs of this nurse,
other staff, and patients?
a. Line up agency nurses who can be called in to work on short notice.
b. Place the nurse on unpaid leave for the remainder of his wife's
treatment.
c. Sympathize with the nurse's dilemma and let the charge nurse know
that this nurse may be calling in frequently in the future.
d. Work with the nurse, staffing office, and other nurses to arrange his
scheduled days off around his wife's treatments. Answer: D
⩥ A grievance brought by a staff nurse against the unit manager requires
mediation. At the first mediation session, the staff nurse repeatedly calls
the unit manager's actions unfair, and the unit manager continues to
reiterate the reasons for the actions. What would be the best course of
action at this time?
a. Send the two disputants away to reach their own resolution.
,b. Involve another staff nurse in the discussion so as to clarify issues.
c. Ask each party to examine her own motives and issues in the conflict.
d. Continue to listen as the parties repeat their thoughts and feelings
about the conflict. Answer: C
⩥ Shortly after being informed of fetal death, a labouring woman asks
why she is not able to hear her baby's heartbeat on the monitor anymore.
Although the monitor volume had been turned off so that the patient
would be able to sleep between contractions, the nurse responded that
there was no heartbeat to hear because the baby had died in utero; then
the nurse asked whether the patient would like to talk about how she was
feeling. This response demonstrates:
a. Lack of empathy.
b. Ethical leadership.
c. Complexity science.
d. A coercive relationship. Answer: B
⩥ The manager of a surgical area envisions a future that requires the
addition of registered nurse (RN) assistants or unlicensed persons to
feed, bathe, and walk patients. The RNs on the staff have always
practiced in a primary nursing-delivery system and are very resistant to
this idea.
The best initial strategy in this situation would include:
a. Exploring the values of the RNs in relation to this change.
,b. Leaving the RNs alone for a time so they can think about the change
before they are approached again.
c. Dropping the idea and trying for the change in another year or so.
d. Hiring the assistants and allowing the RNs to see what good additions
they are. Answer: A
⩥ As the charge nurse on the night shift in a small long-term care
facility, you have found that there is little turnover among your licensed
practical nurse and nursing assistant (NA) staff members, but they are
not very motivated to work beyond their job descriptions. Which of the
following strategies might motivate the staff and lead to greater job
satisfaction?
a. Ask the director of nursing to offer higher wages and bonuses for
extra work for the night licensed practical nurses and NAs.
b. Allow the licensed practical nurses and NAs greater decision-making
power within the scope of their positions in the institution.
c. Help the licensed practical nurses and NAs with their work, whenever
possible.
d. Ask the director of nursing to increase job security for night staff by
having them sign contracts that guarantee work. Answer: B
⩥ As the nurse manager, you want to increase motivation by providing
motivating factors. Which action would you select?
a. Collaborate with the human resources/personnel department to
develop on-site daycare services.
, b. Provide a hierarchical organizational structure.
c. Implement a model of shared governance.
d. Promote the development of a flexible benefits package. Answer: C
⩥ A charge nurse on a busy 40-bed medical/surgical unit is approached
by a patient's son, who begins to complain loudly about the quality of
care his mother is receiving. His behaviour is so disruptive that it is
overheard by staff, physicians, and other visitors. The family member
rejects any attempt to intervene therapeutically to resolve the issue. He
leaves the unit abruptly, and the nurse is left feeling frustrated. Which
behaviour by the charge nurse best illustrates refined leadership skills in
an emotionally intelligent practitioner?
a. Reflection to obtain insight into how the situation could be handled
differently in the future
b. Trying to catch up with the angry family member to resolve the
concern
c. Discussing the concern with the patient after the family member has
left
d. Notifying nursing administration of the situation Answer: A
⩥ The chief nursing officer has asked the staff development coordinator
to facilitate the development of a clinical competency program for the
facility. While making rounds on the units, the staff development
coordinator overhears RN staff complaining that they believe it is
insulting to be required to participate in a competency program. Which
