#2 - Edgar: Nurses who have been specially trained in

[Dave Killoran]

This question can be a tricky one, and it's a good example of a problem that some students will complete and think is easy, only to discover later that they somehow missed it. Questions like this one were part of the reason the scale on this test was on the looser side.

The dispute can be summarized as follows:

• Edgar: Trained nurses should be allowed to anesthetize patients without having a doctor present, in part because anesthesia has gotten safer in recent decades.
  
  Paula: Doctors need to be present, because only they have the training to handle the rare emergency that might arise.

Answer choice (A): This is a clever wrong answer, and one that caught many test takers unawares. The problem here isn't just whether nurses should be allowed to administer anesthesia, but whether they should be allowed to do so with or without a doctor present. If you selected this answer, go back and review the stimulus, and note how the focus of each is not solely on nurses, but on the presence of doctors. It's an easy point to miss, but one that can help you get better for future questions!

Answer choice (B): Edgar does not address the frequency of emergencies, so his opinion here is unknown, and this answer is incorrect.

Answer choice (C): Neither addresses the topic of "more" training, but instead just reference that training has occurred.

Answer choice (D): Edgar clearly agrees with this statement, but Paula's opinion is unknown.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer. As noted in (A), the focus isn't on whether nurses can administer anesthesia, but whether they should be able to do so in the absence of a doctor.