Pediatric Nurse Exam Pediatric Nurse Professional and Legal Issues 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 15-year-old presents to the ER requesting treatment for a sexually transmitted infection without parental notification. Which action is most appropriate?
- Refuse treatment until a parent is contacted
- Provide treatment, as most states allow minors to consent to STI treatment (Correct answer)
- Contact child protective services before treating
- Require written parental consent before any treatment
Correct answer: Provide treatment, as most states allow minors to consent to STI treatment
Most U.S. states have minor consent laws that allow adolescents to seek and receive treatment for STIs without parental involvement.
Question 2: Which document designates a healthcare proxy for a pediatric patient who reaches adulthood during a prolonged illness?
- POLST form
- Living will
- Durable power of attorney for healthcare (Correct answer)
- Do-not-resuscitate order
Correct answer: Durable power of attorney for healthcare
A durable power of attorney for healthcare allows an adult patient to designate another person to make medical decisions if they become incapacitated.
Question 3: A nurse discovers that a colleague is documenting medications as given before actually administering them. What is the nurse's priority action?
- Confront the colleague privately and ask them to stop
- Report the behavior to the charge nurse or nurse manager (Correct answer)
- Document the observation in the patient's chart
- Ignore it if no patient harm has occurred yet
Correct answer: Report the behavior to the charge nurse or nurse manager
Falsification of medication records is a serious patient safety and legal issue that must be reported to the appropriate supervisor or manager.
Question 4: A pediatric nurse is asked to float to the neonatal ICU where she has no experience. What is the best response?
- Refuse the assignment entirely and go home
- Accept and work independently to avoid burdening staff
- Accept and immediately notify the charge nurse of her limitations (Correct answer)
- Refuse only if a written policy supports her refusal
Correct answer: Accept and immediately notify the charge nurse of her limitations
Nurses must accept assignments in good faith but are professionally and legally obligated to communicate skill limitations to ensure patient safety.
Question 5: Which ethical principle is most directly violated when a nurse shares a pediatric patient's HIV status with the child's school without consent?
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Confidentiality (Correct answer)
- Justice
Correct answer: Confidentiality
Disclosing a patient's HIV status without consent violates confidentiality, a cornerstone of the nurse-patient relationship and HIPAA.
Question 6: A 10-year-old with cancer tells the nurse she doesn't want any more chemotherapy but her parents insist on continuing. Who legally holds decision-making authority?
- The child, because she is old enough to understand
- The parents, as legal guardians of a minor (Correct answer)
- The oncologist, as the primary provider
- The hospital ethics committee
Correct answer: The parents, as legal guardians of a minor
Parents retain legal decision-making authority for minors; however, the child's assent should be sought and ethical consultation may be warranted.
Question 7: What is the nurse's primary responsibility when a physician's order appears potentially harmful to a pediatric patient?
- Carry out the order and document concerns afterward
- Question the order and clarify with the prescribing physician before administration (Correct answer)
- Administer the medication and notify the charge nurse post-administration
- Refuse the order without further communication
Correct answer: Question the order and clarify with the prescribing physician before administration
Nurses have both a professional and legal duty to clarify questionable orders with the prescribing provider before carrying them out.
Pediatric Nurse Exam Pediatric Nurse Professional and Legal Issues 2
A 15-year-old presents to the ER requesting treatment for a sexually transmitted infection without parental notification.
Which action is most appropriate?