Pathophysiology / Med-Surg NCLEX Questions
with Correct Answers
A client with Cushing's syndrome is admitted to the hospital in preparation for surgery
to remove an adrenal tumour. During the admission assessment, the client tells the
nurse that she looks so awful she does not want anyone to be around her. What is the
best response to the client? Select one:
a. "Let me show you how to dress so that the changes are not so noticeable."
b. "You really should not worry about how you look in the hospital. We see many worse
things."
c. "Most of the physical and mental changes caused by the disease will gradually
improve after surgery."
d. "I do not think you look bad. Your appearance is just altered by your disease."
C
What is the most common repsonse of the stroke client to the change in body image?
Select one:
a. Dissociation
b. Depression
c. Intellectualization
d. Denial
B
The nurse is providing discharge teaching to a client after a scleral buckling procedure
for retinal detachment. Which statement, if made by the client, indicates that the
discharge teaching is effective? Select one:
a. "I should avoid lifting heavy objects and straining."
,b. "The procedure will correct my vision immediately."
c. "I can expect severe pain after this procedure."
d. "I doubt my other eye will ever be affected."
A
A 30-year-old client has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. What should the nurse
expect to assess in this client's integumentary system?
Select one:
a. General hyperpigmentation and loss of body hair
b. Cold, dry, pale skin, dry, coarse hair, and brittle, slow growing nails
c. Warm, flushed skin, alopecia, and thin nails
d. Pale skin, pale mucous membranes, hair loss, and nail dystrophy
B
After a stroke, a client is admitted to the facility. The client is conscious, has left-sided
weakness, and an absent gag reflex. He's incontinent and has a tarry black stool. His
blood pressure is 100/60 mm Hg, and his hemoglobin is 100 g/L. Which nursing
intervention is a priority for this client? Select one:
a. Checking stools for occult blood
b. Elevating the head of the bed to 30 degrees
c. Performing range-of-motion (ROM) exercises on the left side
d. Keeping skin clean and dry
B
A health care provider orders several drugs for a client with hemorrhagic stroke.
Which drug order should the nurse question? Select one:
a. Dexamethasone (corticosteroid)
,b. Heparin sodium (anticoagulant)
c. Phenytoin (antiseizure)
d. Methyldopa (alpha-adrenergic agonist
B
Computed tomography (CT) of a 68-year-old male client's head reveals that he has
experienced a hemorrhagic stroke. Which of the following is a nursing priority
intervention in the emergency department? Select one:
a. Administration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)
b. Positioning to promote cerebral perfusion
c. Control of fluid and electrolyte imbalances
d. Maintenance of the client's airway
D
A client in acid-base imbalance has altered potassium levels. What knowledge does the
nurse use to recognize that the potassium levels are altered in acid-base imbalances?
Select one:
a. In acidosis, hydrogen ions in the blood are exchanged for potassium from the cell.
b. In alkalosis, potassium is shifted into extracellular fluid to bind excessive
bicarbonate.
c. Potassium is returned to extracellular fluid on correction of metabolic acidosis.
d. Hyperkalemia causes an alkalosis that results in potassium being shifted into the cell.
A
A client has a traumatic skin wound on his left thigh as a result of an accident at a
construction site. Your time in the emergency clinic with the client has been brief, but
you are able to set priorities for his care. Which of the following is pertinent and most
, important for Dave's care at this time? Select one:
a. ineffective peripheral tissue perfusion related to left thigh inflammation
b. impaired physical mobility related to injured left thigh
c. risk for infection related to loss of protective skin barrier at injured left thigh
d. fear related to potentially-serious injury to left thigh
D
When planning care for a client with disturbed sensory perception related to increased
intraocular pressure caused by primary open-angle glaucoma, which of the following
elements should the nurse focus on? Select one:
a. Encourage compliance with drug therapy for the glaucoma to prevent loss of vision.
b. Give anticipatory guidance about the eventual loss of central vision that will occur.
c. Manage the pain experienced by clients with glaucoma that persists until the optic
nerve atrophies.
d. Recognize that eye damage caused by glaucoma can be reversed in the early stages.
A
When changing the dressing on a pressure ulcer, a nurse notes necrotic tissue on the
edges of the wound. Which action should the nurse anticipate that the health care
provider will order? Select one:
a. Irrigation
b. Culture and sensitivity tests
c. Incision and drainage
d. Debridement to remove necrotic tissue
D
with Correct Answers
A client with Cushing's syndrome is admitted to the hospital in preparation for surgery
to remove an adrenal tumour. During the admission assessment, the client tells the
nurse that she looks so awful she does not want anyone to be around her. What is the
best response to the client? Select one:
a. "Let me show you how to dress so that the changes are not so noticeable."
b. "You really should not worry about how you look in the hospital. We see many worse
things."
c. "Most of the physical and mental changes caused by the disease will gradually
improve after surgery."
d. "I do not think you look bad. Your appearance is just altered by your disease."
C
What is the most common repsonse of the stroke client to the change in body image?
Select one:
a. Dissociation
b. Depression
c. Intellectualization
d. Denial
B
The nurse is providing discharge teaching to a client after a scleral buckling procedure
for retinal detachment. Which statement, if made by the client, indicates that the
discharge teaching is effective? Select one:
a. "I should avoid lifting heavy objects and straining."
,b. "The procedure will correct my vision immediately."
c. "I can expect severe pain after this procedure."
d. "I doubt my other eye will ever be affected."
A
A 30-year-old client has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. What should the nurse
expect to assess in this client's integumentary system?
Select one:
a. General hyperpigmentation and loss of body hair
b. Cold, dry, pale skin, dry, coarse hair, and brittle, slow growing nails
c. Warm, flushed skin, alopecia, and thin nails
d. Pale skin, pale mucous membranes, hair loss, and nail dystrophy
B
After a stroke, a client is admitted to the facility. The client is conscious, has left-sided
weakness, and an absent gag reflex. He's incontinent and has a tarry black stool. His
blood pressure is 100/60 mm Hg, and his hemoglobin is 100 g/L. Which nursing
intervention is a priority for this client? Select one:
a. Checking stools for occult blood
b. Elevating the head of the bed to 30 degrees
c. Performing range-of-motion (ROM) exercises on the left side
d. Keeping skin clean and dry
B
A health care provider orders several drugs for a client with hemorrhagic stroke.
Which drug order should the nurse question? Select one:
a. Dexamethasone (corticosteroid)
,b. Heparin sodium (anticoagulant)
c. Phenytoin (antiseizure)
d. Methyldopa (alpha-adrenergic agonist
B
Computed tomography (CT) of a 68-year-old male client's head reveals that he has
experienced a hemorrhagic stroke. Which of the following is a nursing priority
intervention in the emergency department? Select one:
a. Administration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)
b. Positioning to promote cerebral perfusion
c. Control of fluid and electrolyte imbalances
d. Maintenance of the client's airway
D
A client in acid-base imbalance has altered potassium levels. What knowledge does the
nurse use to recognize that the potassium levels are altered in acid-base imbalances?
Select one:
a. In acidosis, hydrogen ions in the blood are exchanged for potassium from the cell.
b. In alkalosis, potassium is shifted into extracellular fluid to bind excessive
bicarbonate.
c. Potassium is returned to extracellular fluid on correction of metabolic acidosis.
d. Hyperkalemia causes an alkalosis that results in potassium being shifted into the cell.
A
A client has a traumatic skin wound on his left thigh as a result of an accident at a
construction site. Your time in the emergency clinic with the client has been brief, but
you are able to set priorities for his care. Which of the following is pertinent and most
, important for Dave's care at this time? Select one:
a. ineffective peripheral tissue perfusion related to left thigh inflammation
b. impaired physical mobility related to injured left thigh
c. risk for infection related to loss of protective skin barrier at injured left thigh
d. fear related to potentially-serious injury to left thigh
D
When planning care for a client with disturbed sensory perception related to increased
intraocular pressure caused by primary open-angle glaucoma, which of the following
elements should the nurse focus on? Select one:
a. Encourage compliance with drug therapy for the glaucoma to prevent loss of vision.
b. Give anticipatory guidance about the eventual loss of central vision that will occur.
c. Manage the pain experienced by clients with glaucoma that persists until the optic
nerve atrophies.
d. Recognize that eye damage caused by glaucoma can be reversed in the early stages.
A
When changing the dressing on a pressure ulcer, a nurse notes necrotic tissue on the
edges of the wound. Which action should the nurse anticipate that the health care
provider will order? Select one:
a. Irrigation
b. Culture and sensitivity tests
c. Incision and drainage
d. Debridement to remove necrotic tissue
D
