Professional Accountability and Delegation Flashcards
7 cards from real NMC 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 Accountability and Delegation flashcards as text
A patient asks a healthcare assistant for information about their diagnosis. The HCA is uncertain. What is the correct response?
Answer: Direct the patient to ask the responsible registered nurse
HCAs should refer clinical enquiries to a registered nurse, ensuring the patient receives accurate information within the correct scope of practice.
A nurse is asked to countersign a student's documentation. What must the nurse verify before signing?
Answer: That the entry accurately reflects the care given and meets professional standards
Countersigning documentation means the registered nurse is personally vouching for its accuracy; they must verify the content is correct and meets NMC record-keeping standards.
What does 'vicarious liability' mean in the context of nursing delegation?
Answer: The employer is liable for negligent acts of employees acting within their role
Vicarious liability holds employers responsible for employees' negligent acts committed within the course of their employment.
A registered nurse is approached by a colleague asking her to sign off a procedure the colleague performed but that the nurse did not witness. What should the nurse do?
Answer: Decline to countersign as she cannot verify what she did not witness
The NMC Code requires nurses to only sign for what they can personally verify; countersigning unwitnessed procedures is dishonest and violates professional standards.
Which scenario best demonstrates appropriate accountability when a delegation goes wrong?
Answer: Acknowledging the error, reporting it, reflecting on the delegation decision, and taking corrective action
Professional accountability requires transparent error reporting, honest reflection on the delegation decision, and active steps to prevent recurrence.
A nurse is off duty but is the only clinician available when a community emergency arises. Under NMC guidance, what should the nurse do?
Answer: Provide basic life-saving assistance within her competence while summoning emergency services
The NMC Code states that nurses must respond to emergencies when basic life-saving care is needed, acting within their competence until emergency services arrive.
When a nurse takes on an expanded role (e.g., nurse prescriber), who is accountable for ensuring the nurse is competent in that role?
Answer: Both the nurse and the employer share this accountability
Both the individual nurse and the employer have shared accountability: the nurse must not practise beyond their competence, and the employer must provide appropriate training and assessment.