PEARSON NCLEX-RN Questions &
Rationales Exam Prep Guide 2026
2. A 30-year-old male from Haiti is brought to the emergency
department in sickle cell crisis. What is the best position for
this client?
Side-lying with knees flexed
Knee-chest
High Fowler's with knees flexed
Semi-Fowler's with legs extended on the bed - Correct
Answers ✅Semi-Fowler's with legs extended on the bed
3. A 25-year-old male is admitted in sickle cell crisis. Which of
the following interventions would be of highest priority for
this client?
Taking hourly blood pressures with mechanical cuff
Encouraging fluid intake of at least 200mL per hour
Position in high Fowler's with knee gatch raised
Administering Tylenol as ordered - Correct Answers
✅Encouraging fluid intake of at least 200mL per hour.
It is important to keep the client in sickle cell crisis hydrated
to prevent further sickling of the blood.
4. Which of the following foods would the nurse encourage
the client in sickle cell crisis to eat?
Peaches
Cottage cheese
Popsicle
,PEARSON NCLEX-RN Questions &
Rationales Exam Prep Guide 2026
Lima beans - Correct Answers ✅Popsicle.
Hydration is important in the client with sickle cell disease to
prevent thrombus formation. Popsicles, gelatin, juice, and
pudding have high fluid content.
5. A newly admitted client has sickle cell crisis. The nurse is
planning care based on assessment of the client. The client is
complaining of severe pain in his feet and hands. The pulse
oximetry is 92. Which of the following interventions would be
implemented first? Assume that there are orders for each
intervention.
Adjust the room temperature
Give a bolus of IV fluids
Start O2
Administer meperidine (Demerol) 75mg IV push - Correct
Answers ✅Start O2.
The most prominent clinical manifestation of sickle cell crisis
is pain. However, the pulse oximetry indicates that oxygen
levels are low; thus, oxygenation takes precedence over pain
relief.
6. The nurse is instructing a client with iron-deficiency
anemia. Which of the following meal plans would the nurse
expect the client to select?
Roast beef, gelatin salad, green beans, and peach pie
Chicken salad sandwich, coleslaw, French fries, ice cream
,PEARSON NCLEX-RN Questions &
Rationales Exam Prep Guide 2026
Egg salad on wheat bread, carrot sticks, lettuce salad, raisin
pie
Pork chop, creamed potatoes, corn, and coconut cake -
Correct Answers ✅Egg salad on wheat bread, carrot sticks,
lettuce salad, raisin pie
Egg yolks, wheat bread, carrots, raisins, and green, leafy
vegetables are all high in iron, which is an important mineral
for this client. Roast beef, cabbage, and pork chops are also
high in iron, but the side dishes accompanying these choices
are not
7. Clients with sickle cell anemia are taught to avoid activities
that cause hypoxia and hypoxemia. Which of the following
activities would the nurse recommend?
A family vacation in the Rocky Mountains
Chaperoning the local boys club on a snow-skiing trip
Traveling by airplane for business trips
A bus trip to the Museum of Natural History - Correct
Answers ✅A bus trip to the Museum of Natural History
A family vacation in the Rocky Mountains at high altitudes,
cold temperatures, and airplane travel can cause sickling
episodes and should be avoided
8. The nurse is conducting an admission assessment of a
client with vitamin B12 deficiency. Which of the following
would the nurse include in the physical assessment?
Palpate the spleen
, PEARSON NCLEX-RN Questions &
Rationales Exam Prep Guide 2026
Take the blood pressure
Examine the feet for petechiae
Examine the tongue - Correct Answers ✅Examine the
tongue
The tongue is smooth and beefy red in the client with vitamin
B12 deficiency, so examining the tongue should be included
in the physical assessment.
9. An African American female comes to the outpatient clinic.
The physician suspects vitamin B12 deficiency anemia.
Because jaundice is often a clinical manifestation of this type
of anemia, what body part would be the best indicator?
Conjunctiva of the eye
Soles of the feet
Roof of the mouth
Shins - Correct Answers ✅Roof of the mouth
The oral mucosa and hard palate (roof of the mouth) are the
best indicators of jaundice in dark-skinned persons. The
conjunctiva can have normal deposits of fat, which give a
yellowish hue; thus, answer A is incorrect. The soles of the
feet can be yellow if they are calloused, making answer B
incorrect; the shins would be an area of darker pigment
10. The nurse is conducting a physical assessment on a client
with anemia. Which of the following clinical manifestations
would be most indicative of the anemia?
Rationales Exam Prep Guide 2026
2. A 30-year-old male from Haiti is brought to the emergency
department in sickle cell crisis. What is the best position for
this client?
Side-lying with knees flexed
Knee-chest
High Fowler's with knees flexed
Semi-Fowler's with legs extended on the bed - Correct
Answers ✅Semi-Fowler's with legs extended on the bed
3. A 25-year-old male is admitted in sickle cell crisis. Which of
the following interventions would be of highest priority for
this client?
Taking hourly blood pressures with mechanical cuff
Encouraging fluid intake of at least 200mL per hour
Position in high Fowler's with knee gatch raised
Administering Tylenol as ordered - Correct Answers
✅Encouraging fluid intake of at least 200mL per hour.
It is important to keep the client in sickle cell crisis hydrated
to prevent further sickling of the blood.
4. Which of the following foods would the nurse encourage
the client in sickle cell crisis to eat?
Peaches
Cottage cheese
Popsicle
,PEARSON NCLEX-RN Questions &
Rationales Exam Prep Guide 2026
Lima beans - Correct Answers ✅Popsicle.
Hydration is important in the client with sickle cell disease to
prevent thrombus formation. Popsicles, gelatin, juice, and
pudding have high fluid content.
5. A newly admitted client has sickle cell crisis. The nurse is
planning care based on assessment of the client. The client is
complaining of severe pain in his feet and hands. The pulse
oximetry is 92. Which of the following interventions would be
implemented first? Assume that there are orders for each
intervention.
Adjust the room temperature
Give a bolus of IV fluids
Start O2
Administer meperidine (Demerol) 75mg IV push - Correct
Answers ✅Start O2.
The most prominent clinical manifestation of sickle cell crisis
is pain. However, the pulse oximetry indicates that oxygen
levels are low; thus, oxygenation takes precedence over pain
relief.
6. The nurse is instructing a client with iron-deficiency
anemia. Which of the following meal plans would the nurse
expect the client to select?
Roast beef, gelatin salad, green beans, and peach pie
Chicken salad sandwich, coleslaw, French fries, ice cream
,PEARSON NCLEX-RN Questions &
Rationales Exam Prep Guide 2026
Egg salad on wheat bread, carrot sticks, lettuce salad, raisin
pie
Pork chop, creamed potatoes, corn, and coconut cake -
Correct Answers ✅Egg salad on wheat bread, carrot sticks,
lettuce salad, raisin pie
Egg yolks, wheat bread, carrots, raisins, and green, leafy
vegetables are all high in iron, which is an important mineral
for this client. Roast beef, cabbage, and pork chops are also
high in iron, but the side dishes accompanying these choices
are not
7. Clients with sickle cell anemia are taught to avoid activities
that cause hypoxia and hypoxemia. Which of the following
activities would the nurse recommend?
A family vacation in the Rocky Mountains
Chaperoning the local boys club on a snow-skiing trip
Traveling by airplane for business trips
A bus trip to the Museum of Natural History - Correct
Answers ✅A bus trip to the Museum of Natural History
A family vacation in the Rocky Mountains at high altitudes,
cold temperatures, and airplane travel can cause sickling
episodes and should be avoided
8. The nurse is conducting an admission assessment of a
client with vitamin B12 deficiency. Which of the following
would the nurse include in the physical assessment?
Palpate the spleen
, PEARSON NCLEX-RN Questions &
Rationales Exam Prep Guide 2026
Take the blood pressure
Examine the feet for petechiae
Examine the tongue - Correct Answers ✅Examine the
tongue
The tongue is smooth and beefy red in the client with vitamin
B12 deficiency, so examining the tongue should be included
in the physical assessment.
9. An African American female comes to the outpatient clinic.
The physician suspects vitamin B12 deficiency anemia.
Because jaundice is often a clinical manifestation of this type
of anemia, what body part would be the best indicator?
Conjunctiva of the eye
Soles of the feet
Roof of the mouth
Shins - Correct Answers ✅Roof of the mouth
The oral mucosa and hard palate (roof of the mouth) are the
best indicators of jaundice in dark-skinned persons. The
conjunctiva can have normal deposits of fat, which give a
yellowish hue; thus, answer A is incorrect. The soles of the
feet can be yellow if they are calloused, making answer B
incorrect; the shins would be an area of darker pigment
10. The nurse is conducting a physical assessment on a client
with anemia. Which of the following clinical manifestations
would be most indicative of the anemia?
