Nursing Elites

1. A female client on the mental health unit tells the nurse that her roommate is sitting on the bathroom floor with superficial cuts on her wrists. The nurse cleans and assesses the client's wrists and asks what happened. She doesn't respond. What should the nurse do next?

• A. Find supplies to put a dressing on the client's wrists
• B. Take the client to a room for supervision by staff
• C. Call the healthcare provider to report the client's behavior
• D. Go find a staff member to stay in the room with the client

Correct answer: B

Rationale: In this situation, the nurse should prioritize the safety of the client. Taking the client to a room for supervision by staff is crucial to ensure immediate safety and further assessment of the client's condition. While cleaning and assessing the client's wrists are important, ensuring ongoing safety and monitoring by staff is the priority. Calling the healthcare provider at this moment may cause delays in providing immediate assistance. Finding supplies to put a dressing on the client's wrists can wait until the client is in a safe environment. Therefore, option B is the best course of action to address the client's safety needs promptly.

2. A postoperative client returns to the nursing unit following a ureter lithotomy via a flank incision. Which potential nursing problem has the highest priority when planning nursing care for this client?

• A. Ineffective airway clearance
• B. Altered nutrition less than body requirements
• C. Fluid volume excess
• D. Activity intolerance

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is 'Ineffective airway clearance.' Following a ureter lithotomy via a flank incision, the highest priority nursing problem is ensuring the client's airway remains clear. This is crucial for effective breathing and oxygenation. Altered nutrition, fluid volume excess, and activity intolerance are important to address but are of lower priority compared to maintaining a clear airway postoperatively.

3. The nurse working in an emergency center collects physical evidence 6 hours following a reported sexual assault. After placing the samples in sealed containers, which action is most important for the nurse to implement?

• A. Maintain possession of the evidence collection kit at all times until submitted to law enforcement
• B. Provide discharge instructions for prophylactic antibiotics, pregnancy, and HIV prevention medication
• C. Document the characteristics of the various sites of sample collection
• D. Assist the client with toileting, hygiene, and dressing with clean clothes

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Maintaining possession of the evidence collection kit at all times until submitted to law enforcement is crucial to ensure the integrity of the chain of custody. This step helps prevent tampering or contamination of the evidence, which is vital for the legal process. Providing discharge instructions for medications, documenting sample characteristics, and assisting the client with personal care are important aspects of care but not the immediate priority when handling forensic evidence in a sexual assault case.

4. The nurse is preparing to administer medications to a client with a nasogastric tube. Which action should the nurse take first?

• A. Check for tube placement
• B. Crush the medications
• C. Flush the tube with water
• D. Administer the medications

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct first action when administering medications to a client with a nasogastric tube is to check for tube placement. This is crucial to ensure that the medications are delivered to the correct location within the gastrointestinal tract. Checking the tube placement helps prevent complications such as medication entering the lungs if the tube is misplaced. Crushing the medications (choice B) or flushing the tube with water (choice C) should only be done after confirming the correct tube placement. Administering the medications (choice D) without verifying the tube placement can lead to serious consequences.

5. A client with a small bowel obstruction is experiencing frequent vomiting. Which instructions are most important for the nurse to provide to the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) who is completing morning care for this client?

• A. Maintain a quiet environment
• B. Ensure the linens are clean and dry
• C. Place an air deodorizer in the room
• D. Measure all emesis accurately

Correct answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D, 'Measure all emesis accurately.' When a client with a small bowel obstruction is experiencing frequent vomiting, measuring emesis accurately is crucial for monitoring fluid balance and preventing dehydration. Choice A, 'Maintain a quiet environment,' while important for patient comfort, is not as critical as accurately measuring emesis. Choices B and C, 'Ensure the linens are clean and dry' and 'Place an air deodorizer in the room,' focus on environmental factors that, although helpful, are not as essential as monitoring the client's fluid balance in this situation.

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