Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML) Practice Test

Which calculation can be made with the information provided in the budget regarding total workload hours?

1. Total number of staff employed

2. Average hours worked per nurse

3. Daily hours available for patient care

4. Yearly total available to calculate costs per patient

The correct answer is: Yearly total available to calculate costs per patient

The ability to calculate the yearly total available to determine costs per patient is grounded in effectively understanding how budgeted workload hours translate into financial assessments for healthcare services. Workload hours represent the total time that nursing staff are expected to work, which can be analyzed for budgeting and resource allocation. By aggregating the total workload hours over a year, a healthcare manager can establish the overall staffing costs based on the hours worked and the associated salaries or wages. This figure is pivotal when performing cost per patient calculations, as it allows for a more accurate financial analysis considering how many hours of care were provided, thus enabling a clearer perspective on budget allocation and financial planning. In contrast, other calculations may derive from different data sets or involve complex variables that aren’t solely reliant on total workload hours. For instance, calculating the total number of staff employed, average hours worked per nurse, or daily hours available for patient care requires additional contextual information or specific metrics, such as staff shifts and the distribution of hours among employees. Therefore, the most directly feasible calculation using total workload hours focuses on yearly expenditures, making it crucial for effective budgeting in healthcare settings.