Nursing Elites

1. Which of the following individuals is at the highest risk for suicide?

• A. 76-year-old widow with chronic renal failure
• B. 19-year-old with new SSRI therapy
• C. 28-year-old post-partum crying weekly
• D. 50-year-old client with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is the 76-year-old widow with chronic renal failure. Elderly individuals with chronic diseases, especially men, are at very high risk for suicide. The other choices, although they may be vulnerable populations, do not carry as high a risk for suicide. The 19-year-old with new SSRI therapy may actually have a lower risk as they are receiving treatment. The 28-year-old post-partum individual is experiencing a common emotional response after childbirth, which is not necessarily indicative of a high suicide risk. The 50-year-old with OCD and depression is at risk but not as high as elderly individuals with chronic illness.

2. The physician wants to know if a client is tolerating their total parenteral nutrition. Which of the following laboratory tests is likely to be ordered?

• A. triglyceride level
• B. liver function tests
• C. a glucose tolerance test
• D. a complete blood count

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The liver is crucial in processing nutrients and medications received through total parenteral nutrition. Liver function tests assess various enzymes produced by the liver, including prothrombin time/partial prothrombin time, serum glutamic oxaloacetic and pyruvic transaminases, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, albumin, and alkaline phosphatase. Monitoring these enzymes can help determine if the liver is functioning properly to metabolize the nutrients from TPN. Triglyceride levels (Choice A) primarily evaluate the body's ability to clear fats, not specifically related to TPN tolerance. A glucose tolerance test (Choice C) is used to diagnose diabetes by measuring blood glucose levels after ingesting a glucose-rich solution, not directly related to TPN tolerance. A complete blood count (Choice D) assesses blood components such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets but does not provide specific information about TPN tolerance.

3. A patient has a history of cardiac arrhythmia. A nurse has been ordered to give 2 units of blood to this patient. The nurse should take which of the following actions?

• A. Administer pain medication to the patient.
• B. Inform the patient's family about the procedure in person.
• C. Decrease the temperature of the blood to be given.
• D. Increase the temperature of the blood to be given.

Correct answer: D

Rationale: In patients with a history of cardiac arrhythmia, warming the blood before transfusion can help prevent additional arrhythmias. Cold blood can lead to arrhythmias and should be avoided. Administering pain medication (Choice A) is not directly related to the safe administration of blood. Informing the patient's family in person (Choice B) is important but not the immediate action required for safe transfusion. Decreasing the temperature of the blood to be given (Choice C) would increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmia, contrary to the goal of ensuring patient safety.

4. Nursing care for a client undergoing chemotherapy includes assessment for signs of bone marrow depression. Which finding accounts for some of the symptoms related to bone marrow depression?

• A. erythrocytosis
• B. leukocytosis
• C. polycythemia
• D. thrombocytopenia

Correct answer: D

Rationale: Thrombocytopenia is an abnormal decrease in the number of platelets, which results in bleeding tendencies. During chemotherapy, bone marrow depression can lead to a reduction in platelet production, causing thrombocytopenia. Erythrocytosis is an abnormal increase in red blood cells, leukocytosis is an increase in white blood cells, and polycythemia is an excess of red blood cells, which is synonymous with erythrocytosis. In the context of chemotherapy, the focus is on the decrease in red and white blood cells, making thrombocytopenia the most relevant finding.

5. A nurse is instructing a patient on the order of sensations with the application of an ice water bath for a swollen right ankle. Which of the following is the correct order of sensations experienced with an ice water bath?

• A. cold, burning, aching, and numbness
• B. burning, aching, cold, and numbness
• C. aching, cold, burning, and numbness
• D. cold, aching, burning, and numbness

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct order of sensations experienced with an ice water bath is cold, burning, aching, and numbness, as stated by the acronym CBAN (cold, burn, ache, numbness). Option A is the correct sequence. Choice B is incorrect as it starts with burning, which typically follows the cold sensation. Choice C is incorrect as aching is usually felt after the burning sensation. Choice D is incorrect as aching usually occurs after the burning sensation.

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