Nursing Fundamentals
POIREP • SCIHTE
NF College of Nursing & Health Sciences
B U I L D I N G T H E F O U N D AT I O N F O R N U R S I N G E X C E L L E N C E
FUNDAMENTALS
Nursing Fundamentals — Ethics, Law & Perioperative
Nursing
CO M P L E T E CO M P R E H E N S I V E R E V I E W — D O CU M E N TAT I O N , E T H I CS , L E G A L I SS U E S , S U R G E R Y & PA I N
MANAGEMENT
INSTITUTION Nursing Fundamentals Program EXAM TYPE Nursing Fundamentals Examination
PROGRAM RN Nursing Program ACADEMIC YEAR
EXAM TITLE Ethics, Law & Perioperative Nursing — TOTAL QUESTIONS Complete Study Guide — All Topics
Complete Review
COURSE TITLE Nursing Fundamentals FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the Single Best
Answer
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each question unless otherwise specified.
▸ This comprehensive review covers documentation, ethical principles (utilitarianism, deontology, beneficence, nonmaleficence,
autonomy, justice, veracity, fidelity), legal issues (statutory law, torts, negligence, malpractice, Good Samaritan), perioperative
nursing (pre/intra/postoperative phases, surgical classifications, anesthesia, PACU, complications), and pain management
(nociceptive vs neuropathic, PCA, POSS, non-pharmacologic interventions).
▸ Correct answers and detailed rationales appear below each question.
▸ All content is derived from Nursing Fundamentals core concepts.
SECTION I — DOCUMENTATION, ETHICS & LEGAL PRINCIPLES Part A
1. What is the primary importance of documentation in nursing?
A. To satisfy hospital administration requirements.
B. To provide a clear, legal record of patient care and ensure continuity of care among healthcare providers.
C. To bill insurance companies.
D. To track nurse productivity.
CORRECT ANSWER B — To provide a clear, legal record of patient care and ensure continuity of care.
RATIONALE Documentation serves as both a legal record and a communication tool. An incident report should detail the
incident without being documented in the patient chart. Purposeful rounding improves patient satisfaction,
reduces falls, and enhances care. "If it wasn't documented, it wasn't done."
, 2. Utilitarianism in ethics is best defined as:
A. Focusing on the rights of the individual regardless of consequences.
B. The greatest good for the greatest number of people, focusing on the effect of an action.
C. Doing good on behalf of others.
D. Preventing harm to others.
CORRECT ANSWER B — The greatest good for the greatest number of people.
RATIONALE Utilitarianism evaluates actions by their consequences—maximizing benefit for the most people. Deontology
(A) focuses on individual rights regardless of outcome. Beneficence (C) is doing good. Nonmaleficence (D) is
preventing harm. Autonomy respects self-determination. Justice is fairness. Veracity is honesty. Fidelity is
keeping promises.
3. Beneficence in nursing ethics means:
A. Preventing harm to others.
B. Respecting a person's right to make their own decisions.
C. Doing good or promoting good on behalf of others, with careful evaluation of benefit vs harm.
D. Being honest.
CORRECT ANSWER C — Doing good or promoting good on behalf of others with benefit vs harm evaluation.
RATIONALE Beneficence requires nurses to actively promote the patient's best interests while weighing benefits against
potential harms. Nonmaleficence (A) is "do no harm." Autonomy (B) is self-determination. Veracity (D) is
honesty/truth-telling.
4. Malpractice differs from negligence because malpractice involves:
A. Any mistake made by a nurse.
B. Acting outside the scope of practice or failing to meet standards of care, resulting in patient injury.
C. Only criminal acts.
D. Intentional harm to a patient.
CORRECT ANSWER B — Acting outside scope of practice or failing to meet standards of care, resulting in patient injury.
RATIONALE Malpractice is professional negligence—four elements must be proven: duty, breach of duty, causation, and
damages. Negligence (A) is practicing below the standard of care. Intentional torts (D) include assault, battery,
defamation, invasion of privacy, and false imprisonment.
5. Good Samaritan laws protect healthcare professionals when:
A. They receive payment for emergency care.
B. They provide assistance in an emergency situation, acting within their scope of practice without gross negligence.
C. They provide care in the hospital setting.
D. They act outside their scope of practice in an emergency.
CORRECT ANSWER B — Providing emergency assistance within scope of practice without gross negligence.
RATIONALE Good Samaritan laws protect volunteers at accident scenes who act reasonably within their training. They do
NOT cover care for payment, gross negligence, or acting outside one's scope. Nursing students must be
prepared for clinical; if unsure of a procedure, they should NEVER attempt it without instructor guidance.
POIREP • SCIHTE
NF College of Nursing & Health Sciences
B U I L D I N G T H E F O U N D AT I O N F O R N U R S I N G E X C E L L E N C E
FUNDAMENTALS
Nursing Fundamentals — Ethics, Law & Perioperative
Nursing
CO M P L E T E CO M P R E H E N S I V E R E V I E W — D O CU M E N TAT I O N , E T H I CS , L E G A L I SS U E S , S U R G E R Y & PA I N
MANAGEMENT
INSTITUTION Nursing Fundamentals Program EXAM TYPE Nursing Fundamentals Examination
PROGRAM RN Nursing Program ACADEMIC YEAR
EXAM TITLE Ethics, Law & Perioperative Nursing — TOTAL QUESTIONS Complete Study Guide — All Topics
Complete Review
COURSE TITLE Nursing Fundamentals FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the Single Best
Answer
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each question unless otherwise specified.
▸ This comprehensive review covers documentation, ethical principles (utilitarianism, deontology, beneficence, nonmaleficence,
autonomy, justice, veracity, fidelity), legal issues (statutory law, torts, negligence, malpractice, Good Samaritan), perioperative
nursing (pre/intra/postoperative phases, surgical classifications, anesthesia, PACU, complications), and pain management
(nociceptive vs neuropathic, PCA, POSS, non-pharmacologic interventions).
▸ Correct answers and detailed rationales appear below each question.
▸ All content is derived from Nursing Fundamentals core concepts.
SECTION I — DOCUMENTATION, ETHICS & LEGAL PRINCIPLES Part A
1. What is the primary importance of documentation in nursing?
A. To satisfy hospital administration requirements.
B. To provide a clear, legal record of patient care and ensure continuity of care among healthcare providers.
C. To bill insurance companies.
D. To track nurse productivity.
CORRECT ANSWER B — To provide a clear, legal record of patient care and ensure continuity of care.
RATIONALE Documentation serves as both a legal record and a communication tool. An incident report should detail the
incident without being documented in the patient chart. Purposeful rounding improves patient satisfaction,
reduces falls, and enhances care. "If it wasn't documented, it wasn't done."
, 2. Utilitarianism in ethics is best defined as:
A. Focusing on the rights of the individual regardless of consequences.
B. The greatest good for the greatest number of people, focusing on the effect of an action.
C. Doing good on behalf of others.
D. Preventing harm to others.
CORRECT ANSWER B — The greatest good for the greatest number of people.
RATIONALE Utilitarianism evaluates actions by their consequences—maximizing benefit for the most people. Deontology
(A) focuses on individual rights regardless of outcome. Beneficence (C) is doing good. Nonmaleficence (D) is
preventing harm. Autonomy respects self-determination. Justice is fairness. Veracity is honesty. Fidelity is
keeping promises.
3. Beneficence in nursing ethics means:
A. Preventing harm to others.
B. Respecting a person's right to make their own decisions.
C. Doing good or promoting good on behalf of others, with careful evaluation of benefit vs harm.
D. Being honest.
CORRECT ANSWER C — Doing good or promoting good on behalf of others with benefit vs harm evaluation.
RATIONALE Beneficence requires nurses to actively promote the patient's best interests while weighing benefits against
potential harms. Nonmaleficence (A) is "do no harm." Autonomy (B) is self-determination. Veracity (D) is
honesty/truth-telling.
4. Malpractice differs from negligence because malpractice involves:
A. Any mistake made by a nurse.
B. Acting outside the scope of practice or failing to meet standards of care, resulting in patient injury.
C. Only criminal acts.
D. Intentional harm to a patient.
CORRECT ANSWER B — Acting outside scope of practice or failing to meet standards of care, resulting in patient injury.
RATIONALE Malpractice is professional negligence—four elements must be proven: duty, breach of duty, causation, and
damages. Negligence (A) is practicing below the standard of care. Intentional torts (D) include assault, battery,
defamation, invasion of privacy, and false imprisonment.
5. Good Samaritan laws protect healthcare professionals when:
A. They receive payment for emergency care.
B. They provide assistance in an emergency situation, acting within their scope of practice without gross negligence.
C. They provide care in the hospital setting.
D. They act outside their scope of practice in an emergency.
CORRECT ANSWER B — Providing emergency assistance within scope of practice without gross negligence.
RATIONALE Good Samaritan laws protect volunteers at accident scenes who act reasonably within their training. They do
NOT cover care for payment, gross negligence, or acting outside one's scope. Nursing students must be
prepared for clinical; if unsure of a procedure, they should NEVER attempt it without instructor guidance.
