MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A nurse has been offered a position on an obstetric unit and has learned that the unit offers therapeutic 
abortions, a procedure that contradicts the nurse's personal beliefs. What is the nurse's ethical 
obligation to these clients?
A. The nurse should adhere to professional standards of practice and offer service to these 
clients.
B. The nurse should make the choice to decline this position and pursue a different nursing 
role.
C. The nurse should decline to care for the client’s considering abortion.
D. The nurse should express alternativesto women considering terminating their pregnancy.
ANS: B
Rationale: To avoid facing the ethical dilemma of providing care that contradicts the nurse’s personal 
beliefs, the nurse should consider working in an area of nursing that would not pose this dilemma. The 
nurse should not provide care to the client because it is a conflict of personal values. The nurse should 
not deny care to these clients as this would be a breach in the Code of Ethics for nurses. If the client is 
not requesting information for alternatives to abortions, then the nurse should not be providing this 
information.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 27
NAT: Client Needs: Safe, Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
TOP: Chapter 1: Professional Nursing Practice KEY: Integrated Process: Caring 
BLM: Cognitive Level: Apply NOT: Multiple Choice
2. An 80-year-old client is admitted with a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia. During 
admission the client states, "I have a living will." What implication of this should the nurse recognize?
A. This document is always honored, regardless of circumstances.
B. This document specifies the client's wishes before hospitalization.
C. This document is binding for the duration of the client's life.
D. This document has been drawn up by the client's family to determine DNR status.
ANS: B
Rationale: A living will is one type of advance directive. In most situations, living wills are limited to 
situations in which the client's medical condition is deemed terminal. The other answers are incorrect 
because living wills are not always honored in every circumstance, they are not binding for the 
duration of the client's life, and they are not drawn up by the client's family.
PTS: 1 REF: p. 29
NAT: Client Needs: Safe, Effective Care Environment: Management of Care 
TOP: Chapter 1: Professional Nursing Practice
KEY: Integrated Process: Communication and Documentation BLM: Cognitive Level: Analyze 
NOT: Multiple Choice
3. A nurse has been providing ethical care for many years and is aware of the need to maintain the ethical 
principle of nonmaleficence. Which of the following actions would be considered a violation of this 
principle?
A. Discussing a DNR order with a terminally ill client
B. Assisting a semi-independent client with ADLs
C. Refusing to administer pain medication as prescribed