ATI Community Health Nursing Practice Exam 2026 |Questions
|Answers |Rationales
1. A nurse is planning a primary prevention strategy for a group of local
residents. Which of the following activities should the nurse include?
A. Teaching a diabetic client how to perform foot care
B. Performing scoliosis screenings for middle school students
C. Providing influenza immunizations at a community center
D. Leading a support group for individuals recovering from substance use disorder
Answer: C
Rationale: Primary prevention aims to prevent the onset of disease or injury.
Immunizations are a classic example of primary prevention. Screenings are secondary
prevention, and rehabilitation or management of chronic diseases are tertiary prevention.
2. A community health nurse is conducting a windshield survey. Which of the
following data collection methods is the nurse using?
A. Systematically observing the community’s physical environment while driving through
B. Directly interviewing key stakeholders in the community
C. Analyzing existing census data and morbidity reports
D. Distributing written surveys to households in the neighborhood
Answer: A
Rationale: A windshield survey involves an objective, systematic observation of a
community’s characteristics and environment by driving or walking through the area.
,3. A nurse is caring for a client who has a positive Mantoux tuberculin skin test
(TST). Which of the following is the nurse’s priority action?
A. Initiate airborne precautions immediately
B. Instruct the client to begin taking isoniazid
C. Notify the local health department of the result
D. Prepare the client for a chest X-ray
Answer: D
Rationale: A positive TST indicates exposure to TB but not necessarily active disease. The
priority is to determine if the disease is active via a chest X-ray and sputum culture before
starting treatment or isolation.
4. In the ‘IPREPARE’ mnemonic for environmental health assessment, what does
the ‘E’ stand for?
A. Environmental factors
B. Environmental justice
C. Emergency preparedness
D. Existing conditions
Answer: A
Rationale: In the IPREPARE mnemonic used to assess environmental exposure, the ‘E’
stands for Environmental factors (such as chemicals, radiation, or biological pollutants).
5. A nurse is triaging victims at the scene of a mass casualty event. Which of the
following victims should be assigned a ‘Red’ tag?
A. A client with a fractured tibia and stable vital signs
B. A client who has expired due to severe head trauma
C. A client who is unconscious and has a sucking chest wound
D. A client who is ambulatory with minor lacerations
Answer: C
, Rationale: In START triage, a Red tag (Immediate) is assigned to victims with life-
threatening injuries who have a high chance of survival if treated immediately, such as
those with airway or respiratory distress.
6. A community health nurse is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella. Which
of the following is the first step in the epidemiological process?
A. Identifying the source of the infection
B. Defining the population at risk
C. Implementing control measures
D. Evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention
Answer: B
Rationale: The first step in an epidemiological investigation is usually to establish the
existence of an outbreak and define the population at risk or define the case.
7. A school nurse is planning a program for secondary prevention of obesity.
Which of the following interventions should be included?
A. Publishing healthy recipes in the school newsletter
B. Developing exercise plans for students with a BMI over 30
C. Screening students for Body Mass Index (BMI)
D. Encouraging the school board to remove vending machines
Answer: C
Rationale: Secondary prevention focuses on early detection and screening. BMI screening
identifies students who may already be overweight or obese for early intervention.
|Answers |Rationales
1. A nurse is planning a primary prevention strategy for a group of local
residents. Which of the following activities should the nurse include?
A. Teaching a diabetic client how to perform foot care
B. Performing scoliosis screenings for middle school students
C. Providing influenza immunizations at a community center
D. Leading a support group for individuals recovering from substance use disorder
Answer: C
Rationale: Primary prevention aims to prevent the onset of disease or injury.
Immunizations are a classic example of primary prevention. Screenings are secondary
prevention, and rehabilitation or management of chronic diseases are tertiary prevention.
2. A community health nurse is conducting a windshield survey. Which of the
following data collection methods is the nurse using?
A. Systematically observing the community’s physical environment while driving through
B. Directly interviewing key stakeholders in the community
C. Analyzing existing census data and morbidity reports
D. Distributing written surveys to households in the neighborhood
Answer: A
Rationale: A windshield survey involves an objective, systematic observation of a
community’s characteristics and environment by driving or walking through the area.
,3. A nurse is caring for a client who has a positive Mantoux tuberculin skin test
(TST). Which of the following is the nurse’s priority action?
A. Initiate airborne precautions immediately
B. Instruct the client to begin taking isoniazid
C. Notify the local health department of the result
D. Prepare the client for a chest X-ray
Answer: D
Rationale: A positive TST indicates exposure to TB but not necessarily active disease. The
priority is to determine if the disease is active via a chest X-ray and sputum culture before
starting treatment or isolation.
4. In the ‘IPREPARE’ mnemonic for environmental health assessment, what does
the ‘E’ stand for?
A. Environmental factors
B. Environmental justice
C. Emergency preparedness
D. Existing conditions
Answer: A
Rationale: In the IPREPARE mnemonic used to assess environmental exposure, the ‘E’
stands for Environmental factors (such as chemicals, radiation, or biological pollutants).
5. A nurse is triaging victims at the scene of a mass casualty event. Which of the
following victims should be assigned a ‘Red’ tag?
A. A client with a fractured tibia and stable vital signs
B. A client who has expired due to severe head trauma
C. A client who is unconscious and has a sucking chest wound
D. A client who is ambulatory with minor lacerations
Answer: C
, Rationale: In START triage, a Red tag (Immediate) is assigned to victims with life-
threatening injuries who have a high chance of survival if treated immediately, such as
those with airway or respiratory distress.
6. A community health nurse is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella. Which
of the following is the first step in the epidemiological process?
A. Identifying the source of the infection
B. Defining the population at risk
C. Implementing control measures
D. Evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention
Answer: B
Rationale: The first step in an epidemiological investigation is usually to establish the
existence of an outbreak and define the population at risk or define the case.
7. A school nurse is planning a program for secondary prevention of obesity.
Which of the following interventions should be included?
A. Publishing healthy recipes in the school newsletter
B. Developing exercise plans for students with a BMI over 30
C. Screening students for Body Mass Index (BMI)
D. Encouraging the school board to remove vending machines
Answer: C
Rationale: Secondary prevention focuses on early detection and screening. BMI screening
identifies students who may already be overweight or obese for early intervention.
