CBN Professional Ethics & Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A bariatric nurse overhears colleagues making jokes about a patient's weight at the nursing station. What is the most appropriate initial action?
- Address the behavior directly with the colleagues and remind them of professional standards (Correct answer)
- Report the colleagues to the state board of nursing immediately
- Ignore it since the patient did not hear the comments
- Ask to be reassigned away from those colleagues
Correct answer: Address the behavior directly with the colleagues and remind them of professional standards
Directly addressing weight bias with peers upholds a respectful, stigma-free environment and is the appropriate first step before escalation.
Question 2: A patient scheduled for sleeve gastrectomy tells the nurse she only agreed to surgery because her spouse threatened divorce. What ethical concern should the nurse identify?
- The voluntariness of the patient's informed consent may be compromised (Correct answer)
- The patient lacks decision-making capacity
- The spouse must co-sign the surgical consent
- The surgery must be canceled permanently
Correct answer: The voluntariness of the patient's informed consent may be compromised
Informed consent must be voluntary, so evidence of coercion requires further exploration and notification of the surgical team.
Question 3: Which action by a bariatric nurse best demonstrates the ethical principle of justice?
- Advocating that all eligible patients receive equal access to bariatric care regardless of insurance status (Correct answer)
- Telling patients the truth about surgical risks
- Respecting a patient's decision to cancel surgery
- Preventing harm during postoperative care
Correct answer: Advocating that all eligible patients receive equal access to bariatric care regardless of insurance status
Justice concerns fair and equitable distribution of healthcare resources and access to care.
Question 4: A bariatric nurse is asked by a friend to share details about a mutual acquaintance's recent gastric bypass. The nurse should:
- Decline to confirm or share any information about the patient (Correct answer)
- Share only nonclinical details like the surgery date
- Confirm the surgery occurred but give no details
- Refer the friend to the surgeon's office for information
Correct answer: Decline to confirm or share any information about the patient
HIPAA and professional confidentiality standards prohibit disclosing any patient information, including confirming that care occurred.
Question 5: A postoperative bariatric patient refuses to ambulate despite understanding the risk of venous thromboembolism. Which ethical principle supports the nurse honoring this refusal after education?
- Autonomy (Correct answer)
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Autonomy
Autonomy is the patient's right to make informed decisions about their own care, even when clinicians disagree.
Question 6: Which situation represents a boundary violation for a certified bariatric nurse?
- Accepting a paid role selling supplements to patients from her bariatric unit (Correct answer)
- Providing a patient with a list of hospital-approved support groups
- Educating a patient's family about postoperative diet stages
- Following up with a discharged patient per unit protocol
Correct answer: Accepting a paid role selling supplements to patients from her bariatric unit
Using the nurse-patient relationship for personal financial gain is a professional boundary violation and conflict of interest.
Question 7: The certification standards for a Certified Bariatric Nurse primarily serve to:
- Validate specialized knowledge and promote quality care for bariatric patients (Correct answer)
- Guarantee higher salaries for certified nurses
- Replace the need for state licensure
- Allow independent prescribing of weight-loss medications
Correct answer: Validate specialized knowledge and promote quality care for bariatric patients
Specialty certification validates competency in bariatric nursing and supports safe, high-quality patient care standards.
CBN Professional Ethics & Standards 2
A bariatric nurse overhears colleagues making jokes about a patient's weight at the nursing station.
What is the most appropriate initial action?