CNL PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH 100% CORRECT ANSWERS
The CNL is working in the ER with a Novice Nurse. Four patients have arrived in the
last twenty minutes. Which of the following patients should the novice nurse be coached
to see FIRST:
A. A patient complaining of chest pain unrelieved by nitroglycerin
B. A patient with third-degree burns to the face
C. A patient with a left hip fracture
D. A patient complaining of epigastric pain - Answer- B. A patient with third-degree
burns to the face
For the first time in history, there are now four generations in the healthcare workforce.
Most nursing leaders belong to which of the following generations:
A. The Baby Boomers
B. The Veterans or Traditionalists
C. Generation X
D. The Millennials or Generation Y - Answer- A. The Baby Boomers
Your hospital is looking at a new research instrument to measure staff satisfaction. Your
CNO is concerned that this instrument may not in fact be measuring satisfaction. She is
questioning which of the following:
A. The instrument's stability
B. The instrument's reliability
C. The instrument's validity
D. The instrument's sensitivity - Answer- C. The instrument's validity
In assessing a need for a change in practice on the unit, a key initial step for the CNL
would be to:
A. Collect internal data
B. Benchmark data against outside organizations
C. Assess feasibility, benefits and risk
D. Include stakeholders in the discussion - Answer- D. Include stakeholders in the
discussion
The goals of the CNL certification include all EXCEPT:
A. Formal recognition of individuals who meet the eligibility requirements of the CNL
certification program.
B. Encouragement for CNLs to continue personal and professional growth.
,C. Providing a national standard for CNL assessment that can be used by employers
and the public.
D. Provision of standards to state boards of nursing to expand the nursing scope of
practice for the CNL role. - Answer- D. Provision of standards to state boards of nursing
to expand the nursing scope of practice for the CNL role.
Eligibility for designation as a CNL SM requires all but which one of the following:
A. Graduation from an accredited CNL graduate program.
B. Successful completion of a 400 hour practicum as a CNL.
C. CNL certification
D. Five years of nursing experience - Answer- D. Five years of nursing experience
A key difference between the CNS and CNL role is that the CNS:
A. Translates nursing research into practice
B. Develops, implements and coordinates organizational standards, policies and
procedures
C. Provides expert knowledge and skill in a specialized area of practice
D. Participates in interdisciplinary decision making - Answer- C. Provides expert
knowledge and skill in a specialized area of practice
The CNL certification exam is being administered by which of the following:
A. The American Nurses Association
B. The American Nurses Credentialing Center
C. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing
D. The Emergency Room Nurses Association - Answer- C. The American Association of
Colleges of Nursing
The Clinical Nurse Leader role is best described as:
A. An advanced practice role
B. A role with a focus on specialty nursing care
C. A case manager
D. A generalist clinician with education at the master's degree level - Answer- D. A
generalist clinician with education at the master's degree level
The Clinical Nurse Leader Project Team are evaluating the role on a national basis on
all the following patient outcomes EXCEPT:
A. Inpatient Readmission
B. Cost of care
C. Patient falls
D. Surgical infection rate - Answer- B. Cost of care
Which of the following best describes metabolic syndrome:
A. An advanced disturbance of fluid and electrolytes in diabetics
B. The constellation of lipid and non-lipid risk factors linked to insulin resistance
C. Evidence of impaired renal function in patients with hypertension
,D. The occurrence of dyslipidemia in patients with obesity - Answer- B. The
constellation of lipid and non-lipid risk factors linked to insulin resistance
In preparing an educational program for your staff about delegation to LPN Team
Members, you stress that the which of the following tasks cannot be delegated
according to the Nurse Practice Act:
A. Recording of Vital Signs
B. IV insertion
C. Patient Reassessment
D. Health and Wellness Promotion - Answer- C. Patient Reassessment
As a CNL, you meet with staff after a sentinel event in your work area and are asked
about the cause. No conclusive findings have been reached but your are aware from
your reading that the most frequent cause of sentinel events is which one of the
following:
A. Procedural Complications
B. Staffing
C. Competency Issues
D. Communication Issues - Answer- D. Communication Issues
Ototoxic drugs are a potential cause of sensorineural hearing loss. Which of the
following drugs may cause hearing loss?
A. Penicillin
B. Minocycline
C. Cephalexin
D. Gentamicin - Answer- D. Gentamicin
Complexity theory has developed from the field of:
A. Nursing
B. Business
C. Industry
D. Quantum Physics - Answer- D. Quantum Physics
Research by Aiken et al. on magnet hospitals shows:
A. No relationship between job satisfaction and patient outcomes.
B. Magnet hospitals have higher rates of nursing turnover.
C. No relationship between nursing satisfaction and turnover.
D. Job satisfaction is positively related to patient outcomes. - Answer- D. Job
satisfaction is positively related to patient outcomes.
The CNL recognizes that gaining trust is a fundamental element in planned change.
Which behavior or process would hinder the development of trust?
A. Providing all necessary information
B. Providing only information deemed necessary by formal leaders
C. Achieving buy-in from formal and informal leaders
, D. Including all interested parties in the planning of change - Answer- B. Providing only
information deemed necessary by formal leaders
Adequate sample size for as study is defined by:
A. A minimum of ten subjects per variable
B. A minimum of thirty subjects for a descriptive study
C. Anticipated effect size, power of the statistical tests, and significance level
D. Maturity of the concepts being studied - Answer- C. Anticipated effect size, power of
the statistical tests, and significance level
The staff on your unit complain about the inability of their new graduates to provide a
comprehensive end of shift report. As CNL, you know from reading Benner's work that
new graduates are usually in what stage of development:
A. Expert
B. Competent
C. Proficient
D. Advanced Beginner or Novice - Answer- D. Advanced Beginner or Novice
In evaluating a data set of recently admitted patients to her unit, the CNL notes that
40% of the patients have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. This would be an example of
the CNL as:
A. Team Manager
B. Advocate
C. Risk Anticipator
D. Educator - Answer- C. Risk Anticipator
The hemoglobin A1C gives you an indication of your patient's glucose control over:
A. Month
B. 4-6 Weeks
C. 60-90 Days
D. Year - Answer- C. 60-90 Days
You begin to mediate a conflict with two of your team members and recognize that the
first step in the mediation process is to:
A. Listen to both sides
B. Establish the ground rules
C. Focus on the facts not the people
D. Don't judge - Answer- B. Establish the ground rules
Which of the following would not be included in a cultural assessment of patients:
A. Patient identification of their cultural/ethnic group
B. Food preferences and taboos
C. Communication/Language
D. Political views - Answer- D. Political views
WITH 100% CORRECT ANSWERS
The CNL is working in the ER with a Novice Nurse. Four patients have arrived in the
last twenty minutes. Which of the following patients should the novice nurse be coached
to see FIRST:
A. A patient complaining of chest pain unrelieved by nitroglycerin
B. A patient with third-degree burns to the face
C. A patient with a left hip fracture
D. A patient complaining of epigastric pain - Answer- B. A patient with third-degree
burns to the face
For the first time in history, there are now four generations in the healthcare workforce.
Most nursing leaders belong to which of the following generations:
A. The Baby Boomers
B. The Veterans or Traditionalists
C. Generation X
D. The Millennials or Generation Y - Answer- A. The Baby Boomers
Your hospital is looking at a new research instrument to measure staff satisfaction. Your
CNO is concerned that this instrument may not in fact be measuring satisfaction. She is
questioning which of the following:
A. The instrument's stability
B. The instrument's reliability
C. The instrument's validity
D. The instrument's sensitivity - Answer- C. The instrument's validity
In assessing a need for a change in practice on the unit, a key initial step for the CNL
would be to:
A. Collect internal data
B. Benchmark data against outside organizations
C. Assess feasibility, benefits and risk
D. Include stakeholders in the discussion - Answer- D. Include stakeholders in the
discussion
The goals of the CNL certification include all EXCEPT:
A. Formal recognition of individuals who meet the eligibility requirements of the CNL
certification program.
B. Encouragement for CNLs to continue personal and professional growth.
,C. Providing a national standard for CNL assessment that can be used by employers
and the public.
D. Provision of standards to state boards of nursing to expand the nursing scope of
practice for the CNL role. - Answer- D. Provision of standards to state boards of nursing
to expand the nursing scope of practice for the CNL role.
Eligibility for designation as a CNL SM requires all but which one of the following:
A. Graduation from an accredited CNL graduate program.
B. Successful completion of a 400 hour practicum as a CNL.
C. CNL certification
D. Five years of nursing experience - Answer- D. Five years of nursing experience
A key difference between the CNS and CNL role is that the CNS:
A. Translates nursing research into practice
B. Develops, implements and coordinates organizational standards, policies and
procedures
C. Provides expert knowledge and skill in a specialized area of practice
D. Participates in interdisciplinary decision making - Answer- C. Provides expert
knowledge and skill in a specialized area of practice
The CNL certification exam is being administered by which of the following:
A. The American Nurses Association
B. The American Nurses Credentialing Center
C. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing
D. The Emergency Room Nurses Association - Answer- C. The American Association of
Colleges of Nursing
The Clinical Nurse Leader role is best described as:
A. An advanced practice role
B. A role with a focus on specialty nursing care
C. A case manager
D. A generalist clinician with education at the master's degree level - Answer- D. A
generalist clinician with education at the master's degree level
The Clinical Nurse Leader Project Team are evaluating the role on a national basis on
all the following patient outcomes EXCEPT:
A. Inpatient Readmission
B. Cost of care
C. Patient falls
D. Surgical infection rate - Answer- B. Cost of care
Which of the following best describes metabolic syndrome:
A. An advanced disturbance of fluid and electrolytes in diabetics
B. The constellation of lipid and non-lipid risk factors linked to insulin resistance
C. Evidence of impaired renal function in patients with hypertension
,D. The occurrence of dyslipidemia in patients with obesity - Answer- B. The
constellation of lipid and non-lipid risk factors linked to insulin resistance
In preparing an educational program for your staff about delegation to LPN Team
Members, you stress that the which of the following tasks cannot be delegated
according to the Nurse Practice Act:
A. Recording of Vital Signs
B. IV insertion
C. Patient Reassessment
D. Health and Wellness Promotion - Answer- C. Patient Reassessment
As a CNL, you meet with staff after a sentinel event in your work area and are asked
about the cause. No conclusive findings have been reached but your are aware from
your reading that the most frequent cause of sentinel events is which one of the
following:
A. Procedural Complications
B. Staffing
C. Competency Issues
D. Communication Issues - Answer- D. Communication Issues
Ototoxic drugs are a potential cause of sensorineural hearing loss. Which of the
following drugs may cause hearing loss?
A. Penicillin
B. Minocycline
C. Cephalexin
D. Gentamicin - Answer- D. Gentamicin
Complexity theory has developed from the field of:
A. Nursing
B. Business
C. Industry
D. Quantum Physics - Answer- D. Quantum Physics
Research by Aiken et al. on magnet hospitals shows:
A. No relationship between job satisfaction and patient outcomes.
B. Magnet hospitals have higher rates of nursing turnover.
C. No relationship between nursing satisfaction and turnover.
D. Job satisfaction is positively related to patient outcomes. - Answer- D. Job
satisfaction is positively related to patient outcomes.
The CNL recognizes that gaining trust is a fundamental element in planned change.
Which behavior or process would hinder the development of trust?
A. Providing all necessary information
B. Providing only information deemed necessary by formal leaders
C. Achieving buy-in from formal and informal leaders
, D. Including all interested parties in the planning of change - Answer- B. Providing only
information deemed necessary by formal leaders
Adequate sample size for as study is defined by:
A. A minimum of ten subjects per variable
B. A minimum of thirty subjects for a descriptive study
C. Anticipated effect size, power of the statistical tests, and significance level
D. Maturity of the concepts being studied - Answer- C. Anticipated effect size, power of
the statistical tests, and significance level
The staff on your unit complain about the inability of their new graduates to provide a
comprehensive end of shift report. As CNL, you know from reading Benner's work that
new graduates are usually in what stage of development:
A. Expert
B. Competent
C. Proficient
D. Advanced Beginner or Novice - Answer- D. Advanced Beginner or Novice
In evaluating a data set of recently admitted patients to her unit, the CNL notes that
40% of the patients have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. This would be an example of
the CNL as:
A. Team Manager
B. Advocate
C. Risk Anticipator
D. Educator - Answer- C. Risk Anticipator
The hemoglobin A1C gives you an indication of your patient's glucose control over:
A. Month
B. 4-6 Weeks
C. 60-90 Days
D. Year - Answer- C. 60-90 Days
You begin to mediate a conflict with two of your team members and recognize that the
first step in the mediation process is to:
A. Listen to both sides
B. Establish the ground rules
C. Focus on the facts not the people
D. Don't judge - Answer- B. Establish the ground rules
Which of the following would not be included in a cultural assessment of patients:
A. Patient identification of their cultural/ethnic group
B. Food preferences and taboos
C. Communication/Language
D. Political views - Answer- D. Political views
