SCFHS Saudi Prometric Nursing Exam Nursing Leadership and Management — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Saudi MOH head nurse on a 24-bed medical ward has one registered nurse (RN) and two nursing technicians on the night shift. Which task is appropriate to delegate to a nursing technician?
- Measuring and recording vital signs for a stable postoperative patient (Correct answer)
- Performing initial assessment on a newly admitted patient
- Titrating IV morphine for a patient in pain
- Educating a diabetic patient about insulin self-injection
Correct answer: Measuring and recording vital signs for a stable postoperative patient
Measuring and recording vital signs for a stable patient is within the scope of a nursing technician (assistant-level) in Saudi MOH facilities. Initial assessment, medication titration, and patient education are professional nursing responsibilities that cannot be delegated to technicians under SCFHS and Saudi MOH scope-of-practice guidelines.
Question 2: According to the Saudi MOH Nursing Staffing Standards, which nurse-to-patient ratio is recommended for a general medical-surgical ward during the day shift?
- 1 nurse to 4 patients
- 1 nurse to 6 patients (Correct answer)
- 1 nurse to 8 patients
- 1 nurse to 10 patients
Correct answer: 1 nurse to 6 patients
Saudi MOH guidelines recommend a 1:6 nurse-to-patient ratio on general medical-surgical wards during the day shift. ICU and critical care units have stricter ratios (1:1 or 1:2), while the 1:6 standard balances safe care with available workforce in general wards.
Question 3: A nurse notices a colleague administering a medication without checking the patient's allergy bracelet. Using the SCFHS Code of Professional Conduct framework, what is the nurse's FIRST action?
- Immediately inform the charge nurse and document the near-miss in the incident reporting system (Correct answer)
- Ignore the event because the patient did not react to the medication
- Confront the colleague in front of the patient
- Report directly to the Ministry of Health without informing the unit manager
Correct answer: Immediately inform the charge nurse and document the near-miss in the incident reporting system
The SCFHS Code of Professional Conduct obligates nurses to report safety concerns and near-miss events through the hospital's incident reporting system and to inform the charge nurse immediately. Ignoring the event violates patient safety obligations; public confrontation is unprofessional; escalating to MOH before using internal channels bypasses the required chain of command.
Question 4: A ward manager wants to improve hand hygiene compliance from 55% to the WHO target. Which quality improvement model is most commonly applied in Saudi MOH hospitals for such initiatives?
- PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle (Correct answer)
- FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)
- Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
- SWOT Analysis
Correct answer: PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle
The PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle is the standard continuous quality improvement model used in Saudi MOH hospitals for process improvement initiatives such as hand hygiene campaigns. FMEA and RCA are used reactively to analyze potential or actual failures, while SWOT is a strategic planning tool, not a QI cycle.
Question 5: Under the Saudi MOH Patient Rights Charter, a patient refuses a blood transfusion based on personal beliefs. The physician has documented medical necessity. What should the nurse do?
- Document the refusal, ensure the patient has signed an informed refusal form, and notify the physician and nurse manager (Correct answer)
- Administer the transfusion because the physician ordered it
- Contact the patient's family to override the patient's decision
- Discharge the patient immediately against medical advice without documentation
Correct answer: Document the refusal, ensure the patient has signed an informed refusal form, and notify the physician and nurse manager
The Saudi MOH Patient Rights Charter recognizes the competent adult patient's right to refuse treatment. The nurse must document the refusal thoroughly, obtain a signed informed refusal form, and notify both the physician and nurse manager so alternative care can be planned. Overriding a competent patient's decision or pressuring family to override it violates patient autonomy.
Question 6: Which of the following is a primary responsibility of the charge nurse during a mass-casualty incident (MCI) at a Saudi hospital, according to the Saudi MOH Hospital Disaster Plan?
- Activating the unit's surge capacity plan and coordinating staff assignments (Correct answer)
- Performing triage at the emergency department entrance
- Communicating directly with media and the public
- Contacting insurance providers to verify patient coverage
Correct answer: Activating the unit's surge capacity plan and coordinating staff assignments
During an MCI, the charge nurse's primary role is to activate the unit's surge capacity plan and coordinate internal staff assignments to receive mass-casualty patients. Triage at the ED entrance is the role of designated triage officers, media communication is handled by the hospital's public relations department, and insurance verification is not an emergency priority.
SCFHS Saudi Prometric Nursing Exam Nursing Leadership and Management
A Saudi MOH head nurse on a 24-bed medical ward has one registered nurse (RN) and two nursing technicians on the night shift.
Which task is appropriate to delegate to a nursing technician?