A nurse practitioner is also a manager in a small practice with three physicians. One of the medical assistants comes to her and says that another employee is falsifying her work hours. The nurse practitioner knows that the two employees don't get along. What would be the next step the nurse would take if following the problem-solving process?

A. Collect the facts.
B. List the options.
C. Evaluate the potential options.
D. Make a decision and act.
E. Ask the other employee why she is falsifying her work hours.

A. Collect the facts.

After identifying a problem, the next step in the decision-making process is to collect the facts. The remaining steps are to list the options, evaluate them, and make a decision and act. The nurse practitioner must first determine if the employee is, in fact, falsifying her work hours. That will require much observation on her part to compare when the employee is at work and what the time sheet says.