Professional Standards & Competencies Flashcards
7 cards from real NP 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 & Competencies flashcards as text
Which scenario represents a breach of professional boundaries by an NP?
Answer: Connecting with a current patient on social media to share health tips
Connecting with current patients on social media blurs the professional-personal boundary and risks confidentiality, dual relationships, and biased care.
Which statement about the NP's role in advocacy aligns with professional standards?
Answer: NPs should advocate for patients, communities, and health policy at local, state, and national levels
NP professional standards explicitly include advocacy at multiple levels — individual, community, and systems/policy — as a core professional responsibility.
A competent adult patient with terminal cancer requests information about medical aid in dying. The NP personally opposes this practice. The NP should:
Answer: Provide objective information about all legal options available in the state and offer referral to a provider who can assist
Even when an NP has moral objections, professional standards require provision of accurate information and referral so the patient can exercise informed autonomy.
Which action constitutes unprofessional conduct that could result in disciplinary action by a state nursing board?
Answer: Practicing beyond one's scope of competence without seeking consultation
Practicing beyond the scope of one's competence without consultation constitutes unprofessional conduct and is subject to state board disciplinary action.
Which describes the difference between licensure and certification for nurse practitioners?
Answer: Licensure is granted by the state and is legally required to practice; certification is a credential granted by a professional certifying body
State licensure is the legal authority to practice; national certification (e.g., AANPCB, ANCC) validates specialty competence and is typically required for licensure.
An NP notices a pattern of preventable hospital readmissions in their patient population. Applying the 'quality of practice' standard, the NP should:
Answer: Analyze the data, develop and implement a quality improvement intervention, and evaluate outcomes
The quality of practice standard calls for NPs to identify gaps, lead or participate in quality improvement, and evaluate results to improve patient outcomes.
Which ethical principle is MOST directly challenged when an NP withholds a terminal diagnosis from a patient at the family's request?
Answer: Autonomy
Withholding a diagnosis from a competent patient violates autonomy by denying them information needed to make informed decisions about their own care.