Professionalism, Ethics & Trends: NCK Exam Questions & Revision
Professionalism, Ethics and Trends tests the legal and ethical foundations of nursing practice in Kenya. Key topics include the NCK Act and scope of practice, the code of conduct, patient rights, informed consent, confidentiality, documentation and professional accountability.
High-yield topics
The areas that come up most often in professionalism, ethics & trends questions.
Sample exam questions
Obtaining informed consent before a procedure mainly upholds the patient right to:
- A. Confidentiality
- B. Autonomy
- C. Beneficence
- D. Justice
Why: Informed consent respects autonomy — the patient right to make decisions about their own care after understanding the options.
The body that regulates nursing training, registration and licensing in Kenya is the:
- A. Kenya Medical Training College
- B. Ministry of Health
- C. Nursing Council of Kenya
- D. Kenya Medical Association
Why: The Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) is the statutory body that regulates nursing and midwifery training, registration and licensing.
What are the characteristics of an effective report?
- A. Written instantly, concise and clear.
- B. Contextualized, brief and enriched with the writers opinion.
- C. Free of extraneous materials, concise and complete.
- D. Promptly written, data enriched and to detail in all aspects·.
Why: An effective report should be free of extraneous materials, concise, and complete. This ensures that the report is focused, easy to understand, and provides all necessary information without unnecessary details. Option a suggests writing instantly, which may compromise accuracy. Option b includes the writer's opinion, which is not suitable for objective reporting. Option d emphasizes detail in all aspects, which can lead to unnecessary information.
In relation to obtaining an informed consent from a seventeen year old adolescent the nurse should remember that the adolescent-
- A. Does not have the legal capacity to give consent.
- B. Is not able to make an acceptable or intelligent choice.
- C. Is able to give voluntary consent when parents are not available.
- D. Will most likely be unable to choose between alternatives when asked to consent.
Why: Option C is correct because in many jurisdictions, a seventeen year old is considered mature enough to provide informed consent, especially in the absence of parents. Options A and B are incorrect as they underestimate the decision-making capabilities of adolescents. Option D is also incorrect as it generalizes that adolescents cannot make choices, which is not true for all individuals in this age group.
The main objective of regulating nursing practice is to ensure the safety of:
- A. The public.
- B. Practicing nurses.
- C. The employing agency.
- D. Professional standards.
Why: The main objective of regulating nursing practice is to ensure the safety of the public by ensuring that nurses meet specific standards of practice and competence. While the safety of practicing nurses and the employing agency is important, the primary focus of regulation is on protecting the public from harm. Professional standards are a part of this regulation but are not the ultimate objective.
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Revision tips
- Practise with real past-paper questions, not just notes — recognition is not the same as recall.
- Always read the rationale, even when you answer correctly, so you learn why the other options are wrong.
- Revise little and often using spaced repetition rather than cramming the night before.
- Track your weak topics and spend most of your time there, not on what you already know.