PROGRESSIVE CARE RN A CORE EXAM SET 2026/2027
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Your patient reports nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Their blood pressure is 89/55,
heart rate 122 bpm, and temperature 100.8°F. What condition do you expect? -
✔✔Hypovolemic shock
✔✔Your patient was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. They are being discharged on
anticoagulant therapy every evening. Which patient statement indicates a need for
further teaching? - ✔✔I cannot wait to get back to riding my horse.
✔✔Your patient's epicardial wires were pulled 30 minutes ago. They now report acute
chest pain. What would you do NEXT? - ✔✔Call cardio-thoracic surgeon and report
symptoms.
✔✔You enter your patient's room. You notice the telemetry box and the IV catheter on
the bed. You last saw your patient 1 hour ago. Who would you notify immediately? -
✔✔Charge nurse
✔✔A patient is status post video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS) with lobectomy.
You are preparing to admit them. What equipment should be placed in their room prior
to their arrival? - ✔✔• Trach collar
• High flow oxygen (Wrong)
• Incentive spirometer
• Sterile suctioning catheter
✔✔ You want to assess for jugular vein distention (JVD). What position would be
BEST? - ✔✔Position patient on their back with head of bed at 30 to 45 degrees.
✔✔Your patient with triple cardiac bypass surgery is post-op day 3. Chest tubes have
been removed. They suddenly report palpitations. Their blood pressure is 130/76 and
heart rate is 140 bpm. What would you do NEXT? - ✔✔Perform a bedside EKG
✔✔Your patient has a history of renal insufficiency. What class of analgesics would
MOST likely be contraindicated for them? - ✔✔Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
medications
✔✔Your patient is acutely ill. What route of medication administration would likely be
LEAST effective? - ✔✔Intramuscular
✔✔You are working with the code team to resuscitate a patient in ventricular fibrillation.
Chest compressions are ongoing and the patient has been shocked twice. What
, emergency medication, if any, would you administer at this juncture? - ✔✔Epinephrine
(Adrenaline) 1 mg IV
✔✔Your patient is on anticoagulant medication. You are discharging them and provide
patient education.
Which statement by your patient indicates an understanding of the education? - ✔✔I will
not take ibuprofen (Motrin®) every day
✔✔Your non-verbal patient is alert. What type of pain assessment would be
appropriate? - ✔✔• Visual pain scale
• Verbal descriptive scale
• Vital signs assessment to approximate pain
• Behavioral pain scale (Wrong)
✔✔Your patient has returned from the cath lab post angioplasty. Upon assessment you
note a large hematoma at the sheath site. What would be your immediate action? -
✔✔Apply manual pressure to the site and call for help.
✔✔Your patient has new onset seizures. They ask you what they should know about
taking levetiracetam (Keppra®). What would be your BEST response? - ✔✔Common
side effects are fatigue and depression
✔✔Your patient with cardiac bypass surgery is post-op day 2. The nursing assistant
reports that your patient has a temp of 101.3°F and blood pressure of 82/56. Their urine
output has decreased to less than 30 mL in the past 4 hours. You suspect a post-
surgery complication. After calling the physician you receive orders for STAT CBC,
CMP, and coagulation test. What results would you expect to see after these labs are
completed? - ✔✔WBC greater than 19,000
✔✔What is an adequate amount of urine output? - ✔✔30 mL/hr
✔✔Your patient has left ventricular failure. What clinical manifestations would you
expect to see? - ✔✔Dyspnea, distant heart sounds, bilateral crackles
✔✔You are caring for your patient with an order for furosemide (Lasix®) 80 mg BID.
What would be your MOST appropriate action? - ✔✔Call provider to clarify the order.
✔✔Your patient is in cardiac arrest. Chest compressions are being performed.
Capnography indicates the end-tidal CO2 is 18 mmg. What do the capnography results
indicate about the chest compressions? - ✔✔No changes. These are high quality
compressions.
✔✔What is required before making a report of elder abuse? - ✔✔Suspicion of abuse
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Your patient reports nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Their blood pressure is 89/55,
heart rate 122 bpm, and temperature 100.8°F. What condition do you expect? -
✔✔Hypovolemic shock
✔✔Your patient was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. They are being discharged on
anticoagulant therapy every evening. Which patient statement indicates a need for
further teaching? - ✔✔I cannot wait to get back to riding my horse.
✔✔Your patient's epicardial wires were pulled 30 minutes ago. They now report acute
chest pain. What would you do NEXT? - ✔✔Call cardio-thoracic surgeon and report
symptoms.
✔✔You enter your patient's room. You notice the telemetry box and the IV catheter on
the bed. You last saw your patient 1 hour ago. Who would you notify immediately? -
✔✔Charge nurse
✔✔A patient is status post video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS) with lobectomy.
You are preparing to admit them. What equipment should be placed in their room prior
to their arrival? - ✔✔• Trach collar
• High flow oxygen (Wrong)
• Incentive spirometer
• Sterile suctioning catheter
✔✔ You want to assess for jugular vein distention (JVD). What position would be
BEST? - ✔✔Position patient on their back with head of bed at 30 to 45 degrees.
✔✔Your patient with triple cardiac bypass surgery is post-op day 3. Chest tubes have
been removed. They suddenly report palpitations. Their blood pressure is 130/76 and
heart rate is 140 bpm. What would you do NEXT? - ✔✔Perform a bedside EKG
✔✔Your patient has a history of renal insufficiency. What class of analgesics would
MOST likely be contraindicated for them? - ✔✔Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
medications
✔✔Your patient is acutely ill. What route of medication administration would likely be
LEAST effective? - ✔✔Intramuscular
✔✔You are working with the code team to resuscitate a patient in ventricular fibrillation.
Chest compressions are ongoing and the patient has been shocked twice. What
, emergency medication, if any, would you administer at this juncture? - ✔✔Epinephrine
(Adrenaline) 1 mg IV
✔✔Your patient is on anticoagulant medication. You are discharging them and provide
patient education.
Which statement by your patient indicates an understanding of the education? - ✔✔I will
not take ibuprofen (Motrin®) every day
✔✔Your non-verbal patient is alert. What type of pain assessment would be
appropriate? - ✔✔• Visual pain scale
• Verbal descriptive scale
• Vital signs assessment to approximate pain
• Behavioral pain scale (Wrong)
✔✔Your patient has returned from the cath lab post angioplasty. Upon assessment you
note a large hematoma at the sheath site. What would be your immediate action? -
✔✔Apply manual pressure to the site and call for help.
✔✔Your patient has new onset seizures. They ask you what they should know about
taking levetiracetam (Keppra®). What would be your BEST response? - ✔✔Common
side effects are fatigue and depression
✔✔Your patient with cardiac bypass surgery is post-op day 2. The nursing assistant
reports that your patient has a temp of 101.3°F and blood pressure of 82/56. Their urine
output has decreased to less than 30 mL in the past 4 hours. You suspect a post-
surgery complication. After calling the physician you receive orders for STAT CBC,
CMP, and coagulation test. What results would you expect to see after these labs are
completed? - ✔✔WBC greater than 19,000
✔✔What is an adequate amount of urine output? - ✔✔30 mL/hr
✔✔Your patient has left ventricular failure. What clinical manifestations would you
expect to see? - ✔✔Dyspnea, distant heart sounds, bilateral crackles
✔✔You are caring for your patient with an order for furosemide (Lasix®) 80 mg BID.
What would be your MOST appropriate action? - ✔✔Call provider to clarify the order.
✔✔Your patient is in cardiac arrest. Chest compressions are being performed.
Capnography indicates the end-tidal CO2 is 18 mmg. What do the capnography results
indicate about the chest compressions? - ✔✔No changes. These are high quality
compressions.
✔✔What is required before making a report of elder abuse? - ✔✔Suspicion of abuse
