Editing Management of Care – RN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 5==
A charge nurse is making assignments and has a nurse floated from the postpartum unit to a medical-surgical unit. Which client should the charge nurse assign to the float nurse?
# A client receiving a continuous heparin infusion requiring hourly titration based on laboratory results.
# A client 1 day after total knee arthroplasty with stable vital signs who is awaiting physical therapy.
# A client newly admitted with chest pain whose troponin result is pending.
# A client with septic shock receiving norepinephrine.

'''Answer:''' 2. The client 1 day after total knee arthroplasty with stable vital signs who is awaiting physical therapy.

''Rationale:'' A floated nurse should receive the most stable clients with the most predictable needs, because the nurse's orientation to the unit, its population, and its resources is limited. Options 1, 3, and 4 all involve clients who are unstable or whose status is undetermined and who require specialized medical-surgical or critical care judgment. Floating a nurse is permissible; assigning that nurse to clients whose care exceeds the nurse's demonstrated competence is not, and the charge nurse retains accountability for the assignment.