Nursing Elites

1. A patient is having difficulty understanding how to properly run her glucose meter. Which of the following teaching methods would best help the patient understand how to use her instrument correctly?

• A. Give the patient an instruction booklet and encourage her to call the office if she has questions.
• B. Tell the patient to ask a healthcare provider to demonstrate how to use the instrument.
• C. Have the patient watch a video demonstrating the use of the instrument.
• D. Demonstrate the proper use of the instrument and then have the patient perform the process while still in the office.

Correct answer: D

Rationale: By using a demonstration and performance method of patient education, the patient is offered a chance to perform a task and have learning assessed while still in the office. This ensures that any questions that the patient has can be answered immediately, and any performance issues observed by the medical assistant can also be corrected promptly. Choice A is not as effective as providing a demonstration in person, as it may not address the patient's specific learning needs or allow for immediate feedback. Choice B suggests asking a healthcare provider to demonstrate, which is similar to the correct answer but may not always be readily available in the office. Choice C, watching a video, lacks the interactive component and immediate feedback that a live demonstration provides, making it less effective in this scenario.

2. You are ready to wash your patient's face. You would start by washing what area of the face?

• A. The forehead
• B. The eyes
• C. The ears
• D. The cheeks

Correct answer: B

Rationale: When washing a patient's face, it is essential to start by cleaning the eyes. The eye area is considered the priority because moving from an area that can potentially be infected to areas of the face and body that are least able to become infected with a washcloth helps prevent the spread of germs. Washing the forehead, ears, or cheeks before the eyes may risk transferring bacteria to a more sensitive area like the eyes, which could lead to infections or other complications. Therefore, starting with the eyes ensures proper hygiene and reduces the risk of introducing harmful microorganisms to the patient's face.

3. When providing mouth care to a patient in a coma, what should you do to provide good and safe mouth care?

• A. keep the head of the bed up to prevent aspiration
• B. brush the teeth and rinse the mouth with a cup of water
• C. use a special foam swab to brush only the tongue
• D. use a special foam swab to brush the tongue and teeth

Correct answer: D

Rationale: When providing mouth care to a patient in a coma, it is crucial to use a special foam swab to brush the tongue and teeth. This method helps maintain good oral hygiene for comatose patients. Special foam swabs are designed to effectively clean all areas of the mouth, including the cheeks and tongue, ensuring thorough care. Using water for mouth care in comatose patients can lead to aspiration, so it is important to avoid this practice. Keeping the head of the bed up alone does not prevent aspiration during mouth care for comatose patients, making choice A incorrect. Merely brushing the tongue (choice C) or using a foam swab only on the tongue (choice B) may not provide the comprehensive mouth care necessary for patients in a coma.

4. A child is admitted to the hospital several days after stepping on a sharp object that punctured her athletic shoe and entered the flesh of her foot. The physician is concerned about osteomyelitis and has ordered parenteral antibiotics. Which of the following actions is done immediately before the antibiotic is started?

• A. The admission orders are written.
• B. A blood culture is drawn.
• C. A complete blood count with differential is drawn.
• D. The parents arrive.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: Before starting antibiotics, a blood culture should be drawn to identify the causative organism. This step is crucial as antibiotics may interfere with the identification process. Drawing a complete blood count with differential or writing admission orders are important steps in patient care but are not as critical as obtaining a blood culture to guide appropriate antibiotic therapy. The arrival of the parents is not directly related to the immediate action required before starting antibiotics in this scenario.

5. Your elderly patient has a temperature of 98.5 degrees. Is there anything else that a nurse should do, in addition to documenting this temperature?

• A. No, this temperature is within normal limits.
• B. No, this temperature is normally hyperthermic.
• C. Yes, this temperature is highly hyperthermic.
• D. Yes, this temperature is highly hypothermic.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: No, there is nothing else that a nurse should do. A temperature of 98.5 degrees for an elderly patient falls within normal limits. Other choices are incorrect because the temperature is not hyperthermic (abnormally high) or hypothermic (abnormally low), making choices B, C, and D inaccurate responses in this scenario.

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