nclex rn prioritization questions NCLEX RN Prioritization Questions - Nursing Elites
Logo

Nursing Elites

NCLEX-RN

NCLEX RN Prioritization Questions

1. The pediatric nurse caring for a 3-year-old child with cerebral palsy (CP) prepares a home care teaching plan for the caregivers on discharge. Which items will the nurse include in the teaching plan? (Select one that does not apply.)

Correct answer: D

Rationale: When developing a discharge teaching plan for a child with cerebral palsy (CP), the nurse should focus on strategies to enhance the child's independence and functional abilities. Choices A, B, and C are appropriate interventions to include in the teaching plan for a child with CP. Applying splints and braces can help facilitate muscle control and improve body functioning. Buying toys that are appropriate for the child's abilities can promote engagement and development. Encouraging the child to perform self-care tasks fosters independence and skill development. However, the use of skeletal muscle relaxants for short-term control is not typically a part of routine care for pediatric patients with CP. These medications are usually reserved for specific situations and are not a standard component of home care teaching plans for children with CP.

2. The nurse monitors a patient after chest tube placement for a hemopneumothorax. The nurse is most concerned if which assessment finding is observed?

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The nurse should be most concerned if 400 mL of blood is observed in the collection chamber as it may indicate the patient is at risk of developing hypovolemic shock. A large air leak in the water-seal chamber is expected initially after chest tube placement for a pneumothorax. While pain with deep inspiration should be treated, it is not as urgent as the risk of continued hemorrhage. Subcutaneous emphysema is not uncommon in a patient with pneumothorax and is usually harmless. However, a large amount of blood in the collection chamber is a more critical finding that requires immediate attention to prevent potential complications.

3. The nurse palpates the posterior chest while the patient says 99 and notes absent fremitus. What action should the nurse take next?

Correct answer: A

Rationale: To assess for tactile fremitus, the nurse should use the palms of the hands to assess for vibration when the patient repeats a word or phrase such as '99'. After noting absent fremitus, the nurse should then auscultate the lungs to assess for the presence or absence of breath sounds. Absent fremitus may be noted with conditions like pneumothorax or atelectasis. The vibration is increased in conditions such as pneumonia, lung tumors, thick bronchial secretions, and pleural effusion. Encouraging the patient to turn, cough, and deep breathe is an appropriate intervention for atelectasis, but assessing breath sounds takes priority. Fremitus is decreased if the hand is farther from the lung or the lung is hyperinflated (barrel chest). Palpating the anterior chest for fremitus is less effective due to the presence of large muscles and breast tissue, making auscultation a more appropriate next step.

4. A 64-year-old patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is hospitalized with pneumonia. Which nursing action will be included in the plan of care?

Correct answer: A

Rationale: In a patient with ALS, progressive muscle weakness is a significant issue. Assisting with active range of motion (ROM) exercises will help maintain muscle strength for as long as possible. Agitation and paranoia are not typically associated with ALS, making choice B incorrect. Giving muscle relaxants can further weaken muscles and depress respirations, worsening the condition, so choice C is inappropriate. Choice D is not directly related to the patient's physical condition and needs.

5. When auscultating the patient's lungs during a shift assessment on a patient admitted in the early phase of heart failure, which finding would the nurse most likely hear?

Correct answer: C

Rationale: In the early phase of heart failure, fine crackles are likely to be heard upon auscultation of the lungs. Fine crackles are characterized as discontinuous, high-pitched sounds of short duration heard on inspiration. Rhonchi are continuous rumbling, snoring, or rattling sounds mainly on expiration, which are often associated with airway secretions. Coarse crackles are a series of long-duration, discontinuous, low-pitched sounds during inspiration, typically indicating fluid in the alveoli. Wheezes are continuous high-pitched musical sounds on inspiration and expiration, commonly heard in conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Therefore, the correct choice is C, as it describes the expected lung sounds in a patient with early heart failure.

Similar Questions

Following assessment of a patient with pneumonia, the nurse identifies a nursing diagnosis of ineffective airway clearance. Which assessment data best supports this diagnosis?
When assessing a patient who has just arrived after an automobile accident, the emergency department nurse notes tachycardia and absent breath sounds over the right lung. For which intervention will the nurse prepare the patient?
Claudication is a well-known effect of peripheral vascular disease. Which of the following facts about claudication is correct? Select the one that doesn't apply:
A patient who was admitted the previous day with pneumonia complains of a sharp pain of 7 (based on a 0 to 10 scale) whenever taking a deep breath. Which action will the nurse take next?
The nurse notes that a patient has incisional pain, a poor cough effort, and scattered rhonchi after a thoracotomy. Which action should the nurse take first?
ATI TEAS 7 Exam Overview

Access More Features

NCLEX RN Basic
$69.99/ 30 days

  • 5,000 Questions with answers
  • Comprehensive NCLEX coverage
  • 30 days access @ $69.99

NCLEX RN Premium
$149.99/ 90 days

  • 5,000 Questions with answers
  • Comprehensive NCLEX coverage
  • 30 days access @ $149.99