Nursing Elites

1. The nurse provides a postoperative client with an analgesic medication and darkens the room before the client goes to sleep for the night. The nurse's actions:

• A. help decrease stimuli from the cerebral cortex.
• B. stimulate hormonal changes in the brain.
• C. help the client's circadian rhythm.
• D. alert the hypothalamus in the brain.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The nurse's actions of providing an analgesic medication and darkening the room aim to decrease stimuli from the cerebral cortex. Reduction of environmental stimuli, especially light and noise, from the cerebral cortex, which is an area of arousal, facilitates sleep. By decreasing input to this area, the client is more likely to fall asleep and stay asleep. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because the scenario does not involve stimulating hormonal changes, influencing the circadian rhythm, or alerting the hypothalamus.

2. A nurse is planning task assignments for the day. Which task should the nurse assign to the nursing assistant?

• A. Suctioning a client who requires periodic suctioning
• B. Assessing a client who has undergone an arteriogram and requires close monitoring
• C. Performing colostomy irrigation on a client with an ostomy
• D. Assisting a client who needs frequent ambulation with a walker

Correct answer: D

Rationale: When delegating tasks, a nurse must consider the staff member's education and competency level. Noninvasive tasks like helping a client ambulate with a walker are usually suitable for nursing assistants. Suctioning a client and colostomy irrigation are invasive procedures that require a licensed nurse's skills. Assessing a client post-arteriogram for any complications or changes in condition also necessitates the expertise of a licensed nurse. Therefore, the most appropriate task to assign to a nursing assistant is assisting a client who needs frequent ambulation with a walker.

3. A nurse on the night shift is making client rounds. When the nurse checks a client who is 97 years old and has successfully been treated for heart failure, he notes that the client is not breathing. If the client does not have a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order, the nurse should take which action?

• A. Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• B. Call the client's health care provider
• C. Administer oxygen to the client and call the health care provider
• D. Contact the nursing supervisor for directions

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is the appropriate action when a client is not breathing and does not have a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. CPR is considered an emergency treatment that can be provided without client consent in life-threatening situations. Calling the health care provider or nursing supervisor for directions, as well as administering oxygen without addressing the lack of breathing, would delay critical life-saving interventions. Therefore, administering CPR is the most urgent and necessary action to perform in this scenario.

4. In which of the following conditions might increased cortisol levels be found?

• A. Cushing's syndrome
• B. Addison's disease
• C. Renal failure
• D. Congestive heart failure

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Cushing's syndrome is characterized by increased cortisol levels due to the overproduction of cortisol by the adrenal glands. This excess cortisol can lead to various symptoms and complications. Addison's disease is associated with decreased cortisol levels as it results from adrenal insufficiency, making it an incorrect choice in this context. Renal failure and congestive heart failure are not typically linked to abnormal cortisol levels, further indicating that they are not the conditions where increased cortisol levels are found.

5. The nurse teaching a client about hepatitis and its transmission should explain that one type of hepatitis does not produce a carrier state after its acute phase. Which type is it?

• A. hepatitis A
• B. hepatitis B
• C. hepatitis C
• D. hepatitis D

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is hepatitis A. Hepatitis A does not produce a carrier state after its acute phase. It is transmitted via contaminated water or food through the oral-fecal route and is not blood-borne. Hepatitis B, choice B, can lead to a carrier state where the person remains infectious despite being asymptomatic. Hepatitis C, choice C, can also result in a chronic carrier state. Hepatitis D, choice D, is an incomplete virus that requires hepatitis B to replicate; it does not lead to a carrier state on its own.

Similar Questions