# ABSENTEEISM IN NURSING: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 2, Test 3, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 2, Test 3, Reading Passage 1. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | NO | prior to this time, few active steps had been taken to measure, understand or manage the occurrence of absenteeism |
| 2 | NO | there was no reward or recognition for not utilising the paid sick leave entitlement |
| 3 | NO | 67 per cent of nurses felt that administration was not sympathetic to the problems shift work causes |
| 4 | YES | Other causes, in decreasing order of frequency, were illness in family, family social function, work to do at home and bereavement. |
| 5 | NOT GIVEN | Similar attitudes have been noted by James (1989) |
| 6 | NO | In an attempt to reduce the level of absenteeism amongst the 250 Registered and Enrolled Nurses |
| 7 | YES | the Prince William management introduced three different, yet potentially complementary, strategies over 18 months. |
| 8 | businesses | it was possible to secure incentives from local businesses |
| 9 | schedule | staff were given a larger degree of control in their rosters ... staff were given the opportunity to determine their working schedule |
| 10 | excessive | managers would analyse the pattern of absence of staff with excessive sick leave (greater than ten days per year for full-time employees). |
| 11 | voluntary absence | Characteristic patterns of potential 'voluntary absenteeism' such as absence before and after days off |
| 12 | twenty | This represents a 20 percent improvement. |
| 13 | communication | This led to significant improvements in communication between managers and staff. |

## Why these answers are right

**1. NO.** The statement claims the hospital has tried to cut nurse absenteeism for many years. The writer says that before this study few active steps had been taken to measure, understand or manage absenteeism there. Few steps contradicts years of effort, so the answer is NO.

**2. NO.** The statement says the nurses saw benefits in taking little sick leave. Paragraph b reports the opposite view: they felt there was no reward or recognition for not using their paid sick leave, so they might as well take the days. That contradicts it, giving NO.

**3. NO.** This concerns the 1986 survey by Miller and Norton, which found that 67 per cent of nurses felt administration was not sympathetic to the problems shift work causes. Two thirds saying management did not understand contradicts just over half saying it did, so NO.

The why and the trap for questions 4 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/absenteeism-in-nursing-a-longitudinal-study/answers).

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