BCEN Professional Practice 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which organization publishes the core curriculum used as the primary reference for BCEN certification preparation?
- American Nurses Association (ANA)
- Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) (Correct answer)
- Joint Commission on Accreditation (TJC)
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
Correct answer: Emergency Nurses Association (ENA)
The Emergency Nurses Association publishes the Sheehy's Emergency Nursing core curriculum, the primary reference for BCEN exam preparation.
Question 2: Which ethical principle is applied when a nurse advocates for a patient who is unable to speak for themselves?
- Justice
- Nonmaleficence
- Advocacy (patient autonomy surrogate) (Correct answer)
- Veracity
Correct answer: Advocacy (patient autonomy surrogate)
Advocacy involves speaking on behalf of patients who cannot represent their own interests, upholding their rights and preferences.
Question 3: When is it legally and ethically appropriate to breach patient confidentiality without consent?
- When a family member requests information for caregiving purposes
- When the patient has a chronic illness requiring community notification
- When there is a credible threat of harm to an identifiable third party (Correct answer)
- When the patient is elderly and lives alone
Correct answer: When there is a credible threat of harm to an identifiable third party
Confidentiality may be breached when a patient poses a credible, specific threat of harm to an identifiable third party, as established by the Tarasoff ruling.
Question 4: A nurse documents an error in a patient's chart. What is the correct procedure?
- Erase or white-out the incorrect entry and rewrite it
- Draw a single line through the error, note 'error,' date, time, and initial it (Correct answer)
- Delete the entry from the electronic health record without notation
- Leave the entry unchanged to avoid drawing attention to the mistake
Correct answer: Draw a single line through the error, note 'error,' date, time, and initial it
Proper error correction requires drawing a single line through the mistake, writing 'error,' and including the date, time, and initials to maintain an accurate, legal record.
Question 5: A nurse receives an order that they believe is inappropriate for the patient. What is the FIRST action?
- Carry out the order to maintain chain of command
- Refuse the order and document it without notifying the provider
- Clarify the order with the prescribing provider directly (Correct answer)
- Ask a colleague to carry out the order instead
Correct answer: Clarify the order with the prescribing provider directly
Nurses must clarify unclear or potentially harmful orders with the prescribing provider before administering, to ensure patient safety.
Question 6: Which activity is an example of a nurse participating in quality improvement (QI)?
- Reviewing a patient's insurance eligibility
- Analyzing trends in door-to-ECG times to reduce delays (Correct answer)
- Scheduling staff vacation coverage
- Completing mandatory payroll documentation
Correct answer: Analyzing trends in door-to-ECG times to reduce delays
Quality improvement involves systematic data analysis to identify opportunities for enhancing care processes, such as tracking and reducing door-to-ECG times.
Question 7: A patient refuses a recommended blood transfusion citing religious beliefs. They are alert and competent. What should the nurse do?
- Administer the transfusion anyway to save the patient's life
- Seek an emergency court order to override the patient's decision
- Respect the refusal and document it, ensuring informed refusal is obtained (Correct answer)
- Contact the patient's family to convince them to change the patient's mind
Correct answer: Respect the refusal and document it, ensuring informed refusal is obtained
A competent adult has the right to refuse any treatment, including life-saving interventions; the nurse must respect this decision and document informed refusal.
BCEN Professional Practice 3
Which organization publishes the core curriculum used as the primary reference for BCEN certification preparation?