Legal Aspects & Ethics of Nursing Practice – Flashcards

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Law
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the sum total of man-made rules designed to help people to maintain order in their society and settle their problems in a nondestructive manner
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Statutory law
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established through the legislative process
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Common law
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established by previous court decisions
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Public law
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defines and interprets relationships between individuals and the government
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Types of public law
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Constitutional law Administrative law Criminal law
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Private law
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defines and interprets relationships between individuals
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Types of private law
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Contract law Tort law
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Board of nursing
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The administrative law in nursing; state agency legislatively created by the state nurse practice act (NPA)
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Functions of the board of nursing
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-Licensing board for nurses -Establishes entry requirements into the profession -Sets definitions of nursing practice -Establishes guidelines for professional discipline when a nurse fails to obey the law or becomes incompetent
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What is licensure used for?
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Used to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens. Also control entry into the profession, makes sure you keep your license up-to-date, and nurse imposters
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Nurse Multi-State Licensure Compact
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Allows a nurse who holds a license in the state of legal residency to practice in other states that have enacted the Compact
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How many states are in the Nurse Multi-State Licensure Compact
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23
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Who is excluded from the Nurse Multi-State Licensure Compact
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Advanced practice nurses-- they must obtain certification in each state in which they practice
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As mandated by the NPA, what is the role of the board of nursing?
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ensure that a licensed nurse continues to practice: -within the standard of care -behaves professionally and ethically, and -obeys all relevant state laws
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What are some of the most common complaints brought to the board?
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-Using illicit drugs or alcohol while practicing. -Stealing drugs from a healthcare organization -Committing a serious error that might demonstrate incompetence -Falsifying records
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The Nurse Practice Act
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enforced by each state's nursing board. Nurses must comply with the law and related rules in order to maintain their licenses.
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What does The Nurse Practice Act describe?
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-Qualifications for licensure -Nursing titles that are allowed to be used -Scope of practice (what the nurse is allowed to do) -Actions that can or will happen if the nurse does not follow the nursing law
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Types of Board of Nursing:Disciplinary and Administrative Laws
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Regulatory power Adjudicatory power
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Regulatory power
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authorizes the board to develop rules and regulations for nursing licensure, nursing education, and nursing practice
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Adjudicatory power
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authorizes the board to investigate, hear, and decide the outcomes of complaints that involve violations of the NPA and of the rules and regulations promulgated by the board
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A nurse is reading the state board of nursing's quarterly report and notes that several nurses have been disciplined for drug addiction or dependence. The nurse concludes that:
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These nurses have not been compliant with their drug rehab.
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Contract law
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nurses work under contract, a promissory agreement between two or more parties that creates a legal relationship
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Types of contract laws
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Employment at will Labor law
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Employment at will
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the employee has the right to terminate employment for any reason "at will," and the employer has the parallel right to terminate the employee at any time for any reason, also "at will"
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Labor law
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collective bargaining agreement establishes a contractual agreement between the union and the employer
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Tort Law
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private or civil wrong against individuals
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Plaintiff
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files a tort action to recover damages for personal injury or property damage occurring from the negligent conduct or unintended misconduct
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Unintentional tort
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harm or injury occurs as a consequence of an unintended wrongful act by another person
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Negligence
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occurs when a person fails to act in a reasonable manner under a given set of circumstances
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Malpractice
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unreasonable conduct by a nurse or other professional **The nurse has the legal duty to provide the patient with a reasonable standard of care―that is, "what the reasonably prudent nurse would do under the same or similar circumstances"**
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Four Elements of Malpractice
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Duty Breach of duty Causation Damages
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Duty (element of malpractice)
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Nurse had legal obligation toward the patient
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Breach of duty (element of malpractice)
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Nurse's conduct violated duty to the patient based on compliance with reasonable standards of care compared with an average like-specialty provider under similar circumstances
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Causation (element of malpractice)
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Determination of whether the nurse's action or inaction caused the patient's injury and whether the patient's injury was foreseeable
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Damages (element of malpractice
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Patient suffered injury or harm
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Assault
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A deliberate act in which one person threatens to harm another person without his or her consent and has the ability to carry out that threat
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Battery
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Nonconsensual touching, even if the touching may be of benefit to the patient
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Informed Consent Law requires that the patient:
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receive adequate information concerning the nature of the proposed treatment and its purposes, the risks and benefits of the proposed treatment and of doing nothing based on the best evidence available, including discomfort
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Express consent
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consent given in spoken or written direct words
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Implied consent
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consent inferred from the patient's conduct
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Exceptions to informed consent
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-Emergency exception -Therapeutic privilege -Court-ordered care
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Breach of Confidentiality
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It is the duty of health care providers to protect the secrecy of a patient's information, no matter how it is obtained aka keep ya damn mouth closed.
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What is the name of the Federal law that was enacted by Congress in 1996 governing the privacy of personal health information and the security of that information?
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Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
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Moral philosophy
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The pursuit of understanding human values. Can be used as a framework or thought process from which to decide which actions are appropriate
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Applied ethics
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Application of the thoughts determined by moral reasoning
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Professional ethics
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A guide to what the profession considers professional conduct and the scope of practice
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Nursing ethics
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The ability to describe the characteristics of the "good nurse" and to identify nurses' ethical practices
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Moral distress
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A feeling of unease that accompanies the inability to do what one knows to be right.
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Decision-making tool
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A framework or structure for working through a difficult problem
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ANA Code of Ethics
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Clearly articulates the professional obligations for nurses in the United States to: - Understand our disciplinary goals and responsibilities to further them - Use our knowledge, experience, and skills to grasp the unique needs of individual patients - Give patients the care required or access the appropriate resources to ensure that their needs can be met
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Beneficence (ethical principle)
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The obligation to provide a good while avoiding harm as a by-product of our good actions; helping others to gain what is of benefit to them **The goals of nursing are beneficent goals**
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Beneficent goals of nursing
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-the prevention of illness -the alleviation of suffering -the protection, promotion and restoration of health
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Nonmaleficence (ethical principle)
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Duty to avoid harm
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Justice (ethical principle)
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How the benefits and burdens should be distributed among patient populations; Nurses have responsibilities for social and political activism related to ensuring just health care
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Autonomy (ethical principle)
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Individuals have the right and should have the freedom to decide for themselves which actions are acceptable
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Internal constraints on patient autonomy
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Mental ability Level of consciousness Age Disease states
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External constraints on patient autonomy
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Hospital environment Nursing resources Information for making informed choices Financial resources
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Paternalism
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The overriding of patient choices or intentional actions in order to benefit the patient
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Veracity (ethical principle)
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The obligation to tell the truth and to not lie or deceive others
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Principles of ethical behavior fall into what 4 areas?
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Autonomy Beneficence Justice Veracity
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Important Ethical Concepts in Nursing
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Advocacy Accountability Cooperation and collaboration Caring
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Contemporary Issues and Problems
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Genetic Testing Vaccines Preventive ethics Communication
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What is the legal basis for your practice as a nurse?
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Your nursing license
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Which is the best description of breach of duty?
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The nurse did not deliver care to a patient under the nurse's care as a reasonable practitioner would perform in the same circumstances according to Standards of Care.
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A surgeon fails to get a parent's signature on a surgical consent for a minor child. The surgery is performed. This could result in what type of legal accusation?
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Battery
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The acronym PHI stands for which of the following?
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Protected Health Information
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All of the following provide evidence of Standards of Care except:
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a. patient satisfaction surveys. b. policies and procedures. c. care maps. d. drug handbooks. Answer: A
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Which of the following describes moral distress?
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The nurse knows the right thing to do, but the situation does not allow him or her to do it
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A pregnant teen is unsure whether she wants to place the baby for adoption or raise the child. Her mother wants her to place the baby for adoption. A nurse helps the teen clarify her values and goals related to the decision. Choose the term that fits this nursing behavior.
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Advocacy
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A nurse says, "I want to make sure I know how to use this equipment. I do not want to hurt a patient." What ethical principle is the nurse using?
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Nonmaleficence
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Which of the following is not an essential element of informed consent?
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a. Complete, accurate, and understandable information b. Alternative treatments c. Risks and benefits d. Credentials and experience of practitioner Answer: D
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Which of the following statements is(are) true? (Select all that apply.)
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a. Ethical decision-making tools prescribe what should be done in complex situations. b. The right and moral thing to do in clinical practice is usually clear for experienced practitioners. c. Ethical dilemmas are common in clinical practice. d. The ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements provides a guide to nurses in their day-to-day practice. Answers: C & D
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A nursing executive wishes to implement a new policy based on initial National Patient Safety Goals 2002 to eliminate wrong patient, wrong site, and wrong procedure. Which action by the executive would best meet one of the goals?
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Formulate a time-out policy
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The nurse knows that the purpose of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is to
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Protect the health of all Americans
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Although the responsibility to explain procedures, their risks and benefits to the client is that of the physician's, in some cases, this could be witnessed by the nurse. Which client is legally allowed to give informed consent?
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A client who cannot read
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When giving a report to the oncoming shift, which action by the nurse could be considered an invasion of the client's privacy?
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Allowing a photographer to take a sleeping client's photograph
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All of the following must be disclosed when applying for a renewing a license except
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Parking tickets
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A client with cancer has decided against further treatment. Which nursing action would be most helpful?
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Making sure the client has accurate information and understands the consequences of the decision
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Which term is defined as answerable to oneself and others for one's own actions?
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Accountability
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The nurse did not follow hospital procedure and hung a unit of blood on the wrong client. The client had an anaphylactic reaction and the team is called in for emergency treatment. During the resuscitation, the nurse does not reveal that the wrong blood was given. Which moral principles were violated? Select all that apply
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Beneficence Autonomy Veracity
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It's OK to borrow money from rich patient as long as you pay back the loan in a timely and honorable manner (true/false)
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False
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A nurse who practices in two different Compact states describes one consideration to this system to a colleague, stating
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"I have to know the nursing laws of both states."
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A nurse is explaining to a co-worker that the Patient Self-Determination Act, the Ryan White Act, and the McKinney Homelessness Act are all examples of
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health care policies and regulations created in the 1990s.
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Which nursing role is most closely connected to social justice?
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Advocate
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