PNC Licensing Examination Professional Practice, Ethics and Management Syllabus

Name the three classic leadership styles described by Lewin.

Autocratic (authoritarian), Democratic (participative), and Laissez-faire (delegative/free-rein).

What is the difference between transactional and transformational leadership?

Transactional leadership motivates through rewards and punishments for performance; transformational leadership inspires and motivates followers toward a shared vision and higher performance.

What are Tuckman's stages of group/team development?

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning.

Define quality assurance in nursing.

A planned, systematic process of monitoring and evaluating care against established standards to ensure and improve quality of patient care.

What are Donabedian's three components for evaluating quality of care?

Structure (resources/setting), Process (how care is delivered), and Outcome (results of care).

Define a 'standard' of care.

An authoritative statement that describes the expected level or degree of nursing performance against which actual practice is measured.

What is an audit in quality assurance?

A systematic review of records and practices to evaluate the quality of care; may be retrospective, concurrent, or prospective.

What are the domains of learning in Bloom's taxonomy?

Cognitive (knowledge/thinking), Affective (attitudes/feelings), and Psychomotor (skills/doing).

What are the main principles of effective teaching/learning?

Readiness, motivation, active participation, reinforcement, feedback, repetition/practice, and proceeding from simple to complex and known to unknown.

Define nursing research.

A systematic, scientific inquiry designed to develop, refine, and expand nursing knowledge to improve patient care and practice.

What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?

Quantitative research measures numerical data to test hypotheses and find relationships; qualitative research explores meanings, experiences, and concepts using non-numerical (narrative) data.

List the basic steps of the research process.

Identify the problem, review literature, formulate hypothesis/objectives, design the study, collect data, analyze data, interpret results, and disseminate findings.

What is the difference between an independent and a dependent variable?

The independent variable is the one manipulated or presumed cause; the dependent variable is the outcome that is measured and affected by the independent variable.

Differentiate the null hypothesis from the alternative hypothesis.

The null hypothesis (H0) states there is no relationship/difference; the alternative hypothesis (H1) states there is a relationship/difference.

Name the four levels (scales) of measurement of data.

Nominal (categories), Ordinal (ranked), Interval (equal intervals, no true zero), and Ratio (equal intervals with a true zero).

What are the three measures of central tendency?

Mean (average), Median (middle value), and Mode (most frequent value).

How is the mean calculated?

Mean = sum of all values divided by the number of values (Σx / n).

What are common measures of dispersion (variability)?

Range, variance, standard deviation, and interquartile range.

In a normal distribution, what percentage of values fall within 1, 2, and 3 standard deviations of the mean?

Approximately 68% within 1 SD, 95% within 2 SD, and 99.7% within 3 SD (the empirical/68-95-99.7 rule).

What does a p-value less than 0.05 indicate?

It indicates statistical significance — the result is unlikely (less than 5% probability) to be due to chance, so the null hypothesis is rejected.

What is the correct sequence of CPR steps in adult Basic Life Support?

C-A-B: Compressions, Airway, Breathing — after checking responsiveness and calling for help.

What are the recommended depth and rate of chest compressions in adult CPR?

Depth of at least 5 cm (2 inches) and a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute.

What is the compression-to-ventilation ratio for adult one- and two-rescuer CPR?

30 compressions to 2 ventilations (30:2) for both one- and two-rescuer adult CPR.

What are the shockable rhythms in advanced life support?

Ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia (pulseless VT).

What is the first-line drug and dose given in cardiac arrest (asystole/PEA) during ACLS?

Adrenaline (epinephrine) 1 mg IV/IO every 3-5 minutes.

Define triage.

The process of sorting and prioritizing patients for treatment based on the severity of their condition and the likelihood of benefit from immediate care.

What do the colors red, yellow, green, and black mean in disaster triage tagging?

Red = immediate (life-threatening, treat first); Yellow = delayed (serious but stable); Green = minor (walking wounded); Black = deceased/expectant (unsalvageable).

What is the immediate management of anaphylaxis?

Give intramuscular adrenaline (epinephrine) 0.5 mg (0.3-0.5 mL of 1:1000) into the anterolateral thigh, ensure airway/oxygen, lay patient flat with legs raised, and give IV fluids.

What is the priority assessment sequence for any emergency patient?

The ABCDE approach: Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability (neurological), and Exposure/Environment.

What is the immediate first-aid management of a conscious adult with severe airway obstruction (choking)?

Encourage coughing; if ineffective, give 5 back blows between the shoulder blades followed by 5 abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver), repeating until the obstruction clears or the patient becomes unconscious.