CGRN Professional Standards and Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A colleague has been charting vital signs as stable without actually checking the patient during sedation recovery. What is the appropriate first action?
- Ignore it
- Report directly to the state board
- Address the colleague directly and report to the charge nurse/supervisor (Correct answer)
- Document in the patient's chart
Correct answer: Address the colleague directly and report to the charge nurse/supervisor
Address the unsafe practice directly and report to the charge nurse to ensure immediate patient safety.
First address the colleague, then report to the charge nurse/supervisor regardless of their response. Check on affected patients immediately. Complete an incident report. State board reporting may follow the institutional investigation.
Question 2: What does informed consent require for endoscopic procedures?
- The patient signs a form
- The physician explains risks, benefits, alternatives and the patient demonstrates understanding and agrees voluntarily (Correct answer)
- The nurse explains the procedure
- Consent is implied when the patient arrives
Correct answer: The physician explains risks, benefits, alternatives and the patient demonstrates understanding and agrees voluntarily
Informed consent is a process requiring disclosure, understanding, voluntariness, and capacity — not just a signed form.
Four elements: disclosure (nature, risks, benefits, alternatives), understanding (in comprehensible language), voluntariness (free from coercion), and capacity. The GI nurse verifies the form is completed and the patient appears to understand.
Question 3: The SGNA Standards of Clinical Practice define which aspect of GI nursing?
- Salary requirements
- The scope, standards of practice, and professional performance expectations (Correct answer)
- Endoscope manufacturer guidelines
- Hospital accreditation requirements
Correct answer: The scope, standards of practice, and professional performance expectations
SGNA Standards define the scope of practice, standards of care, and professional performance expectations for GI nursing.
SGNA Standards cover standards of practice (nursing process in GI settings), standards of professional performance (quality, education, ethics, research), and scope of practice. Used for policy development, performance evaluation, and legal proceedings. CGRN certification validates competency against these standards.
Question 4: A patient requests that endoscopy results not be shared with their spouse in the waiting room. What is the nurse's obligation?
- Share results since they are family
- Respect the patient's wishes and protect confidentiality under HIPAA (Correct answer)
- Share only if results are normal
- Require a signed refusal form
Correct answer: Respect the patient's wishes and protect confidentiality under HIPAA
Under HIPAA, the patient controls who receives their health information regardless of family relationship.
HIPAA protects all individually identifiable health information. Being a spouse does not automatically grant access. Document the patient's preference and communicate it to all team members. Sedation does not negate pre-procedure expressed wishes.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of continuing education for maintaining CGRN certification?
- To increase certification cost
- To ensure ongoing competency and currency in GI nursing practice (Correct answer)
- To limit the number of certified nurses
- To satisfy hospital HR requirements
Correct answer: To ensure ongoing competency and currency in GI nursing practice
CE requirements ensure certified nurses maintain current knowledge in the rapidly evolving field of GI nursing.
CGRN certification requires renewal every 5 years through re-examination or CE credits. GI nursing evolves with new technologies, updated guidelines, and emerging evidence. CE activities include SGNA courses, conferences, academic coursework, and published research.
Question 6: A nurse is asked to perform a task outside the state nurse practice act. What should the nurse do?
- Perform it if the physician ordered it
- Decline, citing scope limitations, and notify the supervisor (Correct answer)
- Perform it but document a protest
- Ask another nurse to do it
Correct answer: Decline, citing scope limitations, and notify the supervisor
Nurses must practice within their state nurse practice act. A physician's order does not expand nursing scope.
The NPA supersedes physician orders and institutional policies. The nurse is individually liable for their practice. Respectfully decline, explain scope limitation, suggest appropriate alternatives, and notify the supervisor. Document the request and rationale for declining.
CGRN Professional Standards and Ethics 2
A colleague has been charting vital signs as stable without actually checking the patient during sedation recovery.
What is the appropriate first action?