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 nurse notices that a colleague consistently delegates complex assessments to HCAs to reduce her own workload. What is the most appropriate response?
Answer: Raise a concern with the line manager or through the clinical governance process
Unsafe delegation that compromises patient care must be escalated through appropriate governance channels in line with the NMC Code's duty to raise concerns.
Which of the following BEST describes the concept of 'professional responsibility' in NMC terms?
Answer: Being answerable for your own decisions, actions, and omissions in practice
Professional responsibility under the NMC means the nurse is personally answerable for their own actions, decisions, and any failures to act in practice.
A healthcare assistant asks a nurse if she can take a patient's blood pressure using a new automated device the HCA has never been trained on. What should the nurse do?
Answer: Confirm the HCA is competent with this specific device before agreeing
The delegating nurse must confirm competence with the specific equipment being used, not assume all automated devices are interchangeable.
Under NMC revalidation requirements, how often must a registered nurse confirm their practice and renew their registration?
Answer: Every three years
NMC revalidation requires nurses to confirm their practice, continuing professional development, and fitness to practise every three years.
A nurse is concerned that staffing levels are so low that safe care cannot be provided. What does the NMC Code require the nurse to do?
Answer: Document the concern and escalate it through the appropriate channels
The NMC Code requires nurses to proactively raise and escalate concerns about staffing or resource levels that affect patient safety.
A student nurse acting under a registered nurse's supervision makes an error. Who bears professional accountability for that error?
Answer: Both the student and the supervising registered nurse, each for their own part
The student is responsible for their own acts, while the supervising registered nurse is accountable for the appropriateness and quality of supervision provided.
Which of the following is a key duty of a nurse when accepting a delegation from a senior colleague?
Answer: Accept only if it falls within the nurse's own knowledge, skills, and competence
A nurse must only accept delegated tasks that fall within their verified competence; accepting a task beyond one's ability breaches the NMC Code.