NMC Leadership and Teamwork 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A newly qualified nurse disagrees with a senior colleague's patient care decision during a ward round. What is the most appropriate first action?
- Comply silently to avoid conflict
- Raise the concern respectfully at an appropriate time using structured communication (Correct answer)
- Escalate immediately to the ward manager without speaking to the colleague
- Document the disagreement without addressing it verbally
Correct answer: Raise the concern respectfully at an appropriate time using structured communication
The NMC Code requires nurses to raise concerns promptly and professionally, using structured communication such as SBAR to address disagreements constructively.
Question 2: Which leadership style is most associated with empowering team members by fostering autonomy and shared decision-making?
- Autocratic
- Laissez-faire
- Transformational (Correct answer)
- Transactional
Correct answer: Transformational
Transformational leadership motivates and empowers team members through shared vision, autonomy, and collaborative decision-making.
Question 3: During a busy night shift, a colleague appears visibly distressed and is making repeated documentation errors. As the shift leader, what should you do first?
- Report the errors to the ward manager immediately
- Remove the colleague from patient care and speak with them privately about their wellbeing (Correct answer)
- Ignore the situation as it may resolve itself
- Ask other staff to cover without acknowledging the issue
Correct answer: Remove the colleague from patient care and speak with them privately about their wellbeing
Patient safety and staff wellbeing both require prompt action; removing the colleague from immediate care and checking in privately protects patients and supports the nurse.
Question 4: What does the term 'psychological safety' mean in the context of healthcare team functioning?
- Ensuring staff have access to mental health services
- A climate where team members feel safe to speak up, ask questions, and report errors without fear of punishment (Correct answer)
- Keeping patient information confidential within the team
- Providing a physically safe environment for all staff
Correct answer: A climate where team members feel safe to speak up, ask questions, and report errors without fear of punishment
Psychological safety describes a team environment where individuals can voice concerns, admit mistakes, and challenge decisions without fear of negative consequences.
Question 5: A nurse preceptor notices that a student consistently rushes through hand hygiene. Using a supportive leadership approach, what is the best response?
- Formally report the student to the education team immediately
- Observe once more before acting
- Provide immediate constructive feedback, explain the infection control risk, and observe a return demonstration (Correct answer)
- Ask another student to model the correct technique without speaking to the student directly
Correct answer: Provide immediate constructive feedback, explain the infection control risk, and observe a return demonstration
Supportive preceptorship involves timely, specific feedback combined with demonstration to correct unsafe practice and promote learning.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the role of a charge nurse in relation to team delegation?
- Delegating all tasks equally regardless of competence
- Assigning tasks based on each team member's skills, competence, and workload (Correct answer)
- Retaining all complex tasks personally to ensure quality
- Delegating only administrative tasks to avoid accountability issues
Correct answer: Assigning tasks based on each team member's skills, competence, and workload
Effective delegation requires the charge nurse to match tasks to individual team members' skills and capacity while maintaining overall accountability.
Question 7: A multidisciplinary team meeting is scheduled but the physiotherapist and social worker are unable to attend. What is the best approach to ensure continuity of holistic care?
- Proceed without their input and update them via email later
- Postpone the meeting indefinitely
- Obtain written updates from absent members in advance and share outcomes with them after the meeting (Correct answer)
- Exclude their care domains from the discussion
Correct answer: Obtain written updates from absent members in advance and share outcomes with them after the meeting
Gathering input from absent MDT members before the meeting and sharing outcomes afterward ensures all disciplines contribute to holistic patient-centred care.
NMC Leadership and Teamwork 2
A newly qualified nurse disagrees with a senior colleague's patient care decision during a ward round.
What is the most appropriate first action?