Professional Standards & Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real CMC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Standards & Ethics flashcards as text
A CMC nurse is asked by a journalist to comment on a high-profile cardiac patient's condition. The nurse should:
Answer: Decline to comment and direct the journalist to the public relations department
HIPAA protects all patients, including public figures; all media inquiries must be directed to authorized hospital representatives.
A do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order is in place for a cardiac patient who arrests in the hallway during a visitor's presence. The visitor demands the team 'do everything.' The nurse should:
Answer: Honor the DNR order and calmly explain it to the visitor while providing comfort measures
A valid DNR order must be honored regardless of family or bystander pressure; comfort care is provided instead.
Which scenario BEST illustrates a conflict of interest for a CMC-certified nurse serving on a hospital formulary committee?
Answer: Advocating for a cardiac medication manufactured by a company in which the nurse holds stock
Financial interest in a drug manufacturer creates a conflict of interest that can compromise objective decision-making on a formulary committee.
A cardiac patient discloses to the nurse that they plan to stop taking their anticoagulant and does not want this shared with the physician. Ethically, the nurse should:
Answer: Document the disclosure and inform the physician because withholding poses significant clinical risk
When a patient's disclosure indicates significant clinical risk, the nurse's duty to prevent harm justifies informing the treating physician.
Which of the following is an example of a nurse fulfilling the ethical obligation of fidelity?
Answer: Following through on a promise to return and explain a procedure to an anxious patient
Fidelity means keeping promises and honoring commitments made to patients, such as returning to provide information.
A cardiac nurse is floated to a telemetry unit and asked to perform rhythm interpretation, a skill the nurse has not practiced in two years. The ethical obligation is to:
Answer: Inform the charge nurse of the competency gap and request supervision or reassignment
Nurses must practice within their current competency and must disclose gaps to supervisors to ensure safe patient care.
In a research study conducted in a cardiac unit, a patient's informed consent form is in English, but the patient only speaks Spanish. The most ethical action is to:
Answer: Delay study enrollment until a certified interpreter and translated consent form are obtained
Ethical research standards require informed consent in the participant's primary language, using a certified interpreter and translated documents.