Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse Practice Exam

In a negligence suit against a nurse, what must the plaintiff prove?

1. The nurse intended to cause harm.

2. The nurse's actions caused harm.

3. The nurse knew she caused harm.

4. The nurse was sorry for causing harm.

The correct answer is: The nurse's actions caused harm.

In a negligence suit against a nurse, the plaintiff must prove that the nurse's actions caused harm. This is a fundamental principle of negligence, which involves establishing that the standard of care was not met and that this breach directly resulted in injury or damage to the patient. In this context, the plaintiff needs to demonstrate that the nurse failed to provide an acceptable level of care, which resulted in adverse consequences for the patient. The focus in negligence cases is not on the intent to cause harm or whether the nurse was aware of the harm being caused. Instead, it's purely about the causative link between the nurse's actions (or omissions) and the harm that occurred. This means that even if the nurse did not intend to harm the patient or express regret afterward, the plaintiff can still hold the nurse liable if it can be shown that their care was negligent and resulted in injury. Thus, establishing causation is key to the success of a negligence claim in this context.