NMC Basic 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The NMC Code is structured around how many key themes?
- 3
- 5
- 4 (Correct answer)
- 6
Correct answer: 4
The NMC Code has four themes: prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety, and promote professionalism and trust.
Question 2: Under the NMC Code, 'practise effectively' includes which obligation?
- Treating only NHS patients
- Maintaining confidentiality at all times
- Keeping skills and knowledge up to date (Correct answer)
- Following all physician instructions without question
Correct answer: Keeping skills and knowledge up to date
Practising effectively requires nurses to maintain and improve their knowledge and skills continuously throughout their career.
Question 3: A nurse may raise a conscientious objection to participating in which type of situation?
- Any procedure they find personally uncomfortable
- All elective surgical procedures
- Any procedure requested by a senior physician
- Specific procedures permitted by law where a sincere objection exists (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Specific procedures permitted by law where a sincere objection exists
The NMC recognises conscientious objection only in specific legally permitted circumstances, and the nurse must still ensure patients receive safe care.
Question 4: The primary purpose of the NMC professional register is to:
- Track nurse employment history
- Protect the public by confirming registrants meet required standards (Correct answer)
- Monitor nurse salaries across the profession
- Manage NHS workforce planning
Correct answer: Protect the public by confirming registrants meet required standards
The NMC register exists to protect the public by listing practitioners who have met the standards of education, training, and conduct required to practise safely.
Question 5: Which statement best describes the professional duty of candour?
- Informing the NMC of every clinical incident
- Keeping adverse events confidential to protect the organisation
- Being transparent and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their care (Correct answer)
- Reporting all patient complaints directly to the CQC
Correct answer: Being transparent and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their care
The duty of candour requires nurses to be open, honest, and non-defensive when things go wrong, prioritising the patient's need to know.
Question 6: When a registered nurse delegates a task to a healthcare assistant, accountability for the outcome remains with:
- The ward manager
- The healthcare assistant
- The employing organisation
- The delegating registered nurse (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The delegating registered nurse
Delegation does not transfer accountability; the registered nurse who delegates remains responsible for ensuring the task is appropriate and performed safely.
Question 7: Before delegating a task, the registered nurse's FIRST consideration should be:
- Current staff workload levels
- Whether the delegatee has the competence to perform the task safely (Correct answer)
- Time constraints on the ward
- Cost-effectiveness of the delegation
Correct answer: Whether the delegatee has the competence to perform the task safely
The NMC requires nurses to delegate only to those who have the skills, knowledge, and experience to carry out the task competently.
NMC Basic 2
The NMC Code is structured around how many key themes?