PMHNP EXAM REVIEW QUESTIONS &
ACCURATE COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
PASSED 100%
An adult psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner uses the interpersonal therapy
model with a patient to establish a therapeutic alliance based upon empathy and trust.
The nurse practitioner recognizes the patient's readiness to terminate therapy when the
patient demonstrates:
A. an understanding that leaving a significant other may be painful, but also presents an
opportunity for growth.
B. breathing and muscle relaxation exercises that decrease muscle tension and anxiety.
C. free association, and considers the nurse practitioner's interpretation of the patient's
dreams.
D. new adaptive skills and responses after completing "homework assignments." -
CORRECT ANSWER A. an understanding that leaving a significant other may be
painful, but also presents an opportunity for growth.
4. Serving as a member on a crisis team, an adult psychiatric and mental health nurse
practitioner provides crisis intervention to the survivors of a plane crash. Forty-eight
hours after the accident, the survivors describe vivid flashbacks, startle reactions, and
disrupted sleep patterns. The nurse practitioner responds by:
A. advising the survivors to consider using a hypnotic medication for a brief period.
B. educating the survivors about prodromal symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.
C. encouraging the survivors to rest during the day.
D. suggesting that the survivors join a post trauma support group - CORRECT
ANSWER B. educating the survivors about prodromal symptoms of posttraumatic stress
disorder.
3. Which behavior reflects existentially oriented therapy?
A. Attempting to understand a patient's subjective world
B. Challenging a patient's irrational beliefs
C. Developing specific plans for change
D. Establishing general group goals - CORRECT ANSWER A. Attempting to
understand a patient's subjective world
A patient with borderline personality disorder experiences intense anxiety when an adult
psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner goes on vacation. The best explanation
for this reaction is that the patient:
, A. has failed to develop clear ego boundaries.
B. has failed to master object constancy.
C. is employing primitive idealization.
D. is employing projective identification. - CORRECT ANSWER B. has failed to master
object constancy.
An adult psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner uses a cognitive-behavioral
approach to help an adolescent patient change self-defeating behaviors. After
identifying the initial stressor that is causing the inappropriate behavior, the therapeutic
intervention is to identify:
A. alternative positive responses to the stressor.
B. negative consequences of the behavioral response to the stressor.
C. possible outcomes of alternative responses.
D. rational and irrational beliefs about the stressor. - CORRECT ANSWER D. rational
and irrational beliefs about the stressor.
Which characteristic of fluoxetine (Prozac) provides the greatest degree of safety for
patients who have severe depression?
A. Greater efficacy than tricyclic antidepressants
B. Less potential for drug interaction
C. Less potential for injury with intentional overdose
D. Less potential for suicidal thinking - CORRECT ANSWER C. Less potential for injury
with intentional overdose
For 12 years, a 65-year-old patient with bipolar affective disorder has been treated with
lithium (Eskalith) 900 mg daily. When oral hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 12.5 mg daily is
added for hypertension, the patient develops nausea, vomiting, ataxia, and muscle
weakness and the patient's serum lithium level is 2.0 mEq/L. The interaction of the
lithium and the thiazide diuretic has induced:
A. hypokalemia.
B. hyponatremia.
C. increased renal clearance of lithium.
D. reduced renal clearance of lithium. - CORRECT ANSWER D. reduced renal
clearance of lithium.
14. During patient education about sertraline (Zoloft), an adult psychiatric and mental
health nurse practitioner focuses upon the potential side effect of:
A. agranulocytosis.
B. hypernatremia.
C. sexual dysfunction.
D. weight loss. - CORRECT ANSWER C. sexual dysfunction.
ACCURATE COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
PASSED 100%
An adult psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner uses the interpersonal therapy
model with a patient to establish a therapeutic alliance based upon empathy and trust.
The nurse practitioner recognizes the patient's readiness to terminate therapy when the
patient demonstrates:
A. an understanding that leaving a significant other may be painful, but also presents an
opportunity for growth.
B. breathing and muscle relaxation exercises that decrease muscle tension and anxiety.
C. free association, and considers the nurse practitioner's interpretation of the patient's
dreams.
D. new adaptive skills and responses after completing "homework assignments." -
CORRECT ANSWER A. an understanding that leaving a significant other may be
painful, but also presents an opportunity for growth.
4. Serving as a member on a crisis team, an adult psychiatric and mental health nurse
practitioner provides crisis intervention to the survivors of a plane crash. Forty-eight
hours after the accident, the survivors describe vivid flashbacks, startle reactions, and
disrupted sleep patterns. The nurse practitioner responds by:
A. advising the survivors to consider using a hypnotic medication for a brief period.
B. educating the survivors about prodromal symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.
C. encouraging the survivors to rest during the day.
D. suggesting that the survivors join a post trauma support group - CORRECT
ANSWER B. educating the survivors about prodromal symptoms of posttraumatic stress
disorder.
3. Which behavior reflects existentially oriented therapy?
A. Attempting to understand a patient's subjective world
B. Challenging a patient's irrational beliefs
C. Developing specific plans for change
D. Establishing general group goals - CORRECT ANSWER A. Attempting to
understand a patient's subjective world
A patient with borderline personality disorder experiences intense anxiety when an adult
psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner goes on vacation. The best explanation
for this reaction is that the patient:
, A. has failed to develop clear ego boundaries.
B. has failed to master object constancy.
C. is employing primitive idealization.
D. is employing projective identification. - CORRECT ANSWER B. has failed to master
object constancy.
An adult psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner uses a cognitive-behavioral
approach to help an adolescent patient change self-defeating behaviors. After
identifying the initial stressor that is causing the inappropriate behavior, the therapeutic
intervention is to identify:
A. alternative positive responses to the stressor.
B. negative consequences of the behavioral response to the stressor.
C. possible outcomes of alternative responses.
D. rational and irrational beliefs about the stressor. - CORRECT ANSWER D. rational
and irrational beliefs about the stressor.
Which characteristic of fluoxetine (Prozac) provides the greatest degree of safety for
patients who have severe depression?
A. Greater efficacy than tricyclic antidepressants
B. Less potential for drug interaction
C. Less potential for injury with intentional overdose
D. Less potential for suicidal thinking - CORRECT ANSWER C. Less potential for injury
with intentional overdose
For 12 years, a 65-year-old patient with bipolar affective disorder has been treated with
lithium (Eskalith) 900 mg daily. When oral hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 12.5 mg daily is
added for hypertension, the patient develops nausea, vomiting, ataxia, and muscle
weakness and the patient's serum lithium level is 2.0 mEq/L. The interaction of the
lithium and the thiazide diuretic has induced:
A. hypokalemia.
B. hyponatremia.
C. increased renal clearance of lithium.
D. reduced renal clearance of lithium. - CORRECT ANSWER D. reduced renal
clearance of lithium.
14. During patient education about sertraline (Zoloft), an adult psychiatric and mental
health nurse practitioner focuses upon the potential side effect of:
A. agranulocytosis.
B. hypernatremia.
C. sexual dysfunction.
D. weight loss. - CORRECT ANSWER C. sexual dysfunction.
