PROGRESSIVE CARE RN A STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Your patient is experiencing left-sided weakness from a meningioma. What would
be the MOST likely treatment for their brain tumor? - ✔✔Surgical resection
✔✔Your coworker mistakenly gives 2 units of insulin to a patient. The patient is
stabilized and the provider is informed. What would be your NEXT step? - ✔✔Create an
incident report
✔✔Your patient had an IVC filter placed 2 days ago. They start to complain of sharp
pain in the chest, shortness of breath, anxiety, and heart palpitations. What would you
do NEXT? - ✔✔Notify provider and prepare for a CT scan.
✔✔What ethical principle is the foundation of end-of-life care? - ✔✔Patient autonomy
✔✔What is the importance of proper cuff inflation for tracheostomy tubes? - ✔✔• To
decrease the flow of supplemental oxygen. (Wrong)
• To facilitate mechanical ventilation.
• To prepare the patient for extubation.
• To allow the patient to speak.
✔✔What are the MOST common causes of acute onset pancreatitis? - ✔✔Alcoholism
and gallstones
✔✔Your patient has an upper GI bleed. They have a hemoglobin of 6.1 g/dL. What
order would you perform
FIRST? - ✔✔Prepare to administer 2 units PRBCs.
✔✔Your patient is on the midday schedule for hemodialysis. They have 100 mg
metoprolol XL (Toprol®) ordered for this morning. Their blood pressure is 150/98. What
would be your MOST appropriate action? - ✔✔Hold the metoprolol because of the
upcoming dialysis.
✔✔What would be your BEST method for dressing a venous stasis ulcer? - ✔✔Use
gauze wrap covered by a compression bandage
✔✔What would you check before administering digoxin (Lanoxin®)? - ✔✔Apical pulse
✔✔What is the FIRST step of the PDSA quality improvement cycle? - ✔✔Plan
✔✔Your patient has left ventricular heart failure and chest pain. The transport team is
ready to take them to their echocardiogram. What would be your nursing PRIORITY for
safe transportation? - ✔✔Accompany patient to their destination
, ✔✔Your patient has a new onset of atrial fibrillation with a blood pressure of 80/60.
What treatment would be MOST appropriate? - ✔✔Electrical cardioversion
✔✔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? - ✔✔High flow oxygen
✔✔Which statement by your patient would concern you the MOST that they are
seriously considering suicide? - ✔✔I have 10 pills set aside if things get really bad.
✔✔Your patient has advanced COPD with an oxygen saturation level of 80%. What
would you do to promote adequate gas exchange? - ✔✔Use a venturi mask to delivery
oxygen as ordered
✔✔What is an early hemodynamic change associated with stroke? - ✔✔• Bradycardia
• Widened pulse pressure
• Hypotension (Wrong)
• Hypertension
✔✔Your patient has mitral stenosis. What abnormal heart sound would you expect to
hear? - ✔✔Diastolic murmur
✔✔Your patient is admitted from the ED for syncope for a ground level fall. You note
their heart rate is 50 and they are confused. Their child states they think your patient
has dementia but has not been diagnosed yet. Patient's blood pressure is stable. What
order do you expect? - ✔✔Stat head CT
✔✔Your patient is newly diagnosed with asthma. What would be your MAIN goal when
providing patient education? - ✔✔Self-management for symptom control
✔✔You are performing auscultation on your patient. You note an absence of breath
sounds in the right lower lobe. What would you suspect? - ✔✔Pneumothorax
✔✔You complete a mental status assessment on your patient. You notice they are
oriented some of the time but not all of the time as their attention drifts when you ask
them questions. What would be an appropriate screening tool based on your
assessment findings? - ✔✔Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)
✔✔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
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Your patient is experiencing left-sided weakness from a meningioma. What would
be the MOST likely treatment for their brain tumor? - ✔✔Surgical resection
✔✔Your coworker mistakenly gives 2 units of insulin to a patient. The patient is
stabilized and the provider is informed. What would be your NEXT step? - ✔✔Create an
incident report
✔✔Your patient had an IVC filter placed 2 days ago. They start to complain of sharp
pain in the chest, shortness of breath, anxiety, and heart palpitations. What would you
do NEXT? - ✔✔Notify provider and prepare for a CT scan.
✔✔What ethical principle is the foundation of end-of-life care? - ✔✔Patient autonomy
✔✔What is the importance of proper cuff inflation for tracheostomy tubes? - ✔✔• To
decrease the flow of supplemental oxygen. (Wrong)
• To facilitate mechanical ventilation.
• To prepare the patient for extubation.
• To allow the patient to speak.
✔✔What are the MOST common causes of acute onset pancreatitis? - ✔✔Alcoholism
and gallstones
✔✔Your patient has an upper GI bleed. They have a hemoglobin of 6.1 g/dL. What
order would you perform
FIRST? - ✔✔Prepare to administer 2 units PRBCs.
✔✔Your patient is on the midday schedule for hemodialysis. They have 100 mg
metoprolol XL (Toprol®) ordered for this morning. Their blood pressure is 150/98. What
would be your MOST appropriate action? - ✔✔Hold the metoprolol because of the
upcoming dialysis.
✔✔What would be your BEST method for dressing a venous stasis ulcer? - ✔✔Use
gauze wrap covered by a compression bandage
✔✔What would you check before administering digoxin (Lanoxin®)? - ✔✔Apical pulse
✔✔What is the FIRST step of the PDSA quality improvement cycle? - ✔✔Plan
✔✔Your patient has left ventricular heart failure and chest pain. The transport team is
ready to take them to their echocardiogram. What would be your nursing PRIORITY for
safe transportation? - ✔✔Accompany patient to their destination
, ✔✔Your patient has a new onset of atrial fibrillation with a blood pressure of 80/60.
What treatment would be MOST appropriate? - ✔✔Electrical cardioversion
✔✔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? - ✔✔High flow oxygen
✔✔Which statement by your patient would concern you the MOST that they are
seriously considering suicide? - ✔✔I have 10 pills set aside if things get really bad.
✔✔Your patient has advanced COPD with an oxygen saturation level of 80%. What
would you do to promote adequate gas exchange? - ✔✔Use a venturi mask to delivery
oxygen as ordered
✔✔What is an early hemodynamic change associated with stroke? - ✔✔• Bradycardia
• Widened pulse pressure
• Hypotension (Wrong)
• Hypertension
✔✔Your patient has mitral stenosis. What abnormal heart sound would you expect to
hear? - ✔✔Diastolic murmur
✔✔Your patient is admitted from the ED for syncope for a ground level fall. You note
their heart rate is 50 and they are confused. Their child states they think your patient
has dementia but has not been diagnosed yet. Patient's blood pressure is stable. What
order do you expect? - ✔✔Stat head CT
✔✔Your patient is newly diagnosed with asthma. What would be your MAIN goal when
providing patient education? - ✔✔Self-management for symptom control
✔✔You are performing auscultation on your patient. You note an absence of breath
sounds in the right lower lobe. What would you suspect? - ✔✔Pneumothorax
✔✔You complete a mental status assessment on your patient. You notice they are
oriented some of the time but not all of the time as their attention drifts when you ask
them questions. What would be an appropriate screening tool based on your
assessment findings? - ✔✔Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)
✔✔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
