NMC Basic 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is NOT one of the standard 'rights' of medication administration?
- Right patient
- Right nurse (Correct answer)
- Right dose
- Right route
Correct answer: Right nurse
The rights of medication administration focus on the patient and the drug (patient, drug, dose, route, time, reason, documentation) — 'right nurse' is not among them.
Question 2: In patient safety terminology, a 'near miss' is defined as:
- An incident that caused minor patient harm
- A patient complaint about the quality of care
- An error that was identified and corrected before it reached the patient (Correct answer)
- A staffing shortage that delayed treatment
Correct answer: An error that was identified and corrected before it reached the patient
A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in harm because it was caught in time, but had potential to cause injury.
Question 3: A nurse suspects a colleague is on duty while impaired by alcohol. The correct immediate action is to:
- Observe further before taking action
- Confront the colleague privately after the shift
- Report the concern immediately to a senior nurse or manager (Correct answer)
- Document the observation and raise it at the next staff meeting
Correct answer: Report the concern immediately to a senior nurse or manager
Patient safety requires immediate escalation when a colleague's fitness to practise is in doubt — delay increases risk of harm.
Question 4: How frequently must registered nurses complete NMC revalidation?
- Every 12 months
- Every 2 years
- Every 5 years
- Every 3 years (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Every 3 years
NMC revalidation is required every three years, demonstrating continued fitness to practise and engagement with The Code.
Question 5: The primary purpose of a clinical risk assessment is to:
- Assign blame following an adverse event
- Document individual nurse workload
- Satisfy regulatory inspection requirements
- Identify and reduce potential hazards before they cause patient harm (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Identify and reduce potential hazards before they cause patient harm
Risk assessment is a proactive process aimed at preventing harm by identifying hazards, evaluating their likelihood, and implementing controls.
Question 6: Under the NMC Code, a nurse should raise a patient safety concern:
- Only after an incident has already caused harm
- Immediately upon identifying a risk, even if it means conflict (Correct answer)
- After first discussing the concern with all team members
- Only through the formal incident reporting system
Correct answer: Immediately upon identifying a risk, even if it means conflict
The Code requires nurses to act immediately when they believe patient safety is at risk, regardless of potential conflict or hierarchy.
Question 7: When a medication error occurs, the nurse's FIRST priority is to:
- Complete the incident report form
- Notify the pharmacy department
- Assess the patient's condition and inform the prescribing clinician (Correct answer)
- Document the error in the nursing notes
Correct answer: Assess the patient's condition and inform the prescribing clinician
Immediate clinical assessment of the patient and notifying the prescriber ensures any adverse effect can be managed promptly.
