NUR 222 FINAL ACTUAL EXAM – QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | VERIFIED AND
WELL DETAILED ANSWERS | PLUS RATIONALES | DOWNLOAD AND PASS |
LATEST EXAM UPDATE 2026/2027
Core Domains:
• Medical-Surgical Nursing
• Pharmacology and Medication Administration
• Fundamentals of Nursing Practice
• Health Assessment and Physical Examination
• Mental Health Nursing
• Maternity and Women's Health
• Pediatric Nursing
• Nursing Ethics and Legal Issues
• Leadership and Management in Nursing
• Community and Public Health Nursing
Introduction
This comprehensive examination is designed to rigorously assess the essential
knowledge, critical thinking skills, and clinical judgment required of nursing
students. The exam encompasses a wide array of topics, from foundational nursing
theory and pharmacology to complex patient care scenarios across the lifespan.
Through a series of multiple-choice questions and applied clinical scenarios,
students will demonstrate their ability to synthesize information, prioritize care, and
make sound clinical decisions. This assessment emphasizes real-world application
and professional accountability, preparing students to deliver safe, effective, and
compassionate care in diverse healthcare settings. The inclusion of rationales for
each answer serves as a valuable learning tool to reinforce core concepts and
enhance clinical reasoning.
,SECTION ONE: QUESTIONS 1-50
1. A nurse is planning care for a patient with a new diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.
Which of the following interventions is the priority for the nurse to include in
the initial teaching plan?
A. The importance of routine physical exercise
B. How to perform proper foot care
C. The signs, symptoms, and management of hypoglycemia
D. Information about carbohydrate counting
🟢 Correct Answer: C. The signs, symptoms, and management of hypoglycemia
🔴 Explanation: While all options are important components of diabetes
education, the immediate priority is safety. Hypoglycemia is a life-threatening
complication of insulin therapy. The patient must first be able to recognize and
treat hypoglycemia to prevent severe adverse outcomes before moving on to
other aspects of self-management.
2. A patient is prescribed furosemide (Lasix) for the management of heart
failure. Which of the following laboratory values should the nurse monitor
most closely?
A. Serum sodium
B. Serum potassium
C. Serum calcium
D. Serum magnesium
🟢 Correct Answer: B. Serum potassium
🔴 Explanation: Furosemide is a loop diuretic that inhibits the reabsorption of
sodium and chloride in the ascending loop of Henle, leading to significant
,excretion of potassium. This can cause hypokalemia, which is a serious electrolyte
imbalance that can lead to cardiac arrhythmias. Monitoring serum potassium is
therefore a critical nursing action.
3. A nurse is performing a physical assessment on a patient who has been
admitted with pneumonia. Which of the following findings would the nurse
expect to auscultate in the patient's lower lobes?
A. Vesicular breath sounds
B. Bronchial breath sounds
C. Bronchovesicular breath sounds
D. Decreased breath sounds with crackles
🟢 Correct Answer: D. Decreased breath sounds with crackles
🔴 Explanation: Pneumonia causes inflammation and fluid accumulation in the
alveoli and airways. This consolidation and exudate leads to decreased air
movement and the presence of adventitious sounds like fine or coarse crackles
(rales) that are best heard in the dependent areas, such as the lower lobes, during
inspiration.
4. A patient with a history of major depressive disorder is prescribed a selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). The nurse understands that the therapeutic
effect of this medication is primarily due to:
A. Blocking the reuptake of dopamine
B. Increasing the availability of serotonin in the synaptic cleft
C. Decreasing the activity of monoamine oxidase
D. Blocking the reuptake of norepinephrine
, 🟢 Correct Answer: B. Increasing the availability of serotonin in the synaptic cleft
🔴 Explanation: SSRIs work by selectively inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin in
the presynaptic neuron. This action results in a higher concentration of serotonin
remaining in the synaptic cleft, which enhances serotonergic neurotransmission
and is believed to improve mood in patients with depression.
5. A nurse is caring for a patient who is postoperative day 1 following a total
hip arthroplasty. Which of the following interventions is most important to
prevent a postoperative complication?
A. Administering prescribed pain medication
B. Encouraging the use of the incentive spirometer
C. Applying sequential compression devices
D. Maintaining hip abduction with a pillow
🟢 Correct Answer: B. Encouraging the use of the incentive spirometer
🔴 Explanation: While all options are important, preventing postoperative
pulmonary complications, such as atelectasis and pneumonia, is a high priority.
Incentive spirometry promotes deep breathing and lung expansion, which helps
to prevent these complications. This is especially critical after surgery, particularly
in older adults or those with prolonged immobility.
6. A nurse is preparing to administer a blood transfusion to a patient. Which of
the following actions should the nurse take first?
A. Verify the patient's identity using two identifiers
B. Obtain the patient's vital signs
WELL DETAILED ANSWERS | PLUS RATIONALES | DOWNLOAD AND PASS |
LATEST EXAM UPDATE 2026/2027
Core Domains:
• Medical-Surgical Nursing
• Pharmacology and Medication Administration
• Fundamentals of Nursing Practice
• Health Assessment and Physical Examination
• Mental Health Nursing
• Maternity and Women's Health
• Pediatric Nursing
• Nursing Ethics and Legal Issues
• Leadership and Management in Nursing
• Community and Public Health Nursing
Introduction
This comprehensive examination is designed to rigorously assess the essential
knowledge, critical thinking skills, and clinical judgment required of nursing
students. The exam encompasses a wide array of topics, from foundational nursing
theory and pharmacology to complex patient care scenarios across the lifespan.
Through a series of multiple-choice questions and applied clinical scenarios,
students will demonstrate their ability to synthesize information, prioritize care, and
make sound clinical decisions. This assessment emphasizes real-world application
and professional accountability, preparing students to deliver safe, effective, and
compassionate care in diverse healthcare settings. The inclusion of rationales for
each answer serves as a valuable learning tool to reinforce core concepts and
enhance clinical reasoning.
,SECTION ONE: QUESTIONS 1-50
1. A nurse is planning care for a patient with a new diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.
Which of the following interventions is the priority for the nurse to include in
the initial teaching plan?
A. The importance of routine physical exercise
B. How to perform proper foot care
C. The signs, symptoms, and management of hypoglycemia
D. Information about carbohydrate counting
🟢 Correct Answer: C. The signs, symptoms, and management of hypoglycemia
🔴 Explanation: While all options are important components of diabetes
education, the immediate priority is safety. Hypoglycemia is a life-threatening
complication of insulin therapy. The patient must first be able to recognize and
treat hypoglycemia to prevent severe adverse outcomes before moving on to
other aspects of self-management.
2. A patient is prescribed furosemide (Lasix) for the management of heart
failure. Which of the following laboratory values should the nurse monitor
most closely?
A. Serum sodium
B. Serum potassium
C. Serum calcium
D. Serum magnesium
🟢 Correct Answer: B. Serum potassium
🔴 Explanation: Furosemide is a loop diuretic that inhibits the reabsorption of
sodium and chloride in the ascending loop of Henle, leading to significant
,excretion of potassium. This can cause hypokalemia, which is a serious electrolyte
imbalance that can lead to cardiac arrhythmias. Monitoring serum potassium is
therefore a critical nursing action.
3. A nurse is performing a physical assessment on a patient who has been
admitted with pneumonia. Which of the following findings would the nurse
expect to auscultate in the patient's lower lobes?
A. Vesicular breath sounds
B. Bronchial breath sounds
C. Bronchovesicular breath sounds
D. Decreased breath sounds with crackles
🟢 Correct Answer: D. Decreased breath sounds with crackles
🔴 Explanation: Pneumonia causes inflammation and fluid accumulation in the
alveoli and airways. This consolidation and exudate leads to decreased air
movement and the presence of adventitious sounds like fine or coarse crackles
(rales) that are best heard in the dependent areas, such as the lower lobes, during
inspiration.
4. A patient with a history of major depressive disorder is prescribed a selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). The nurse understands that the therapeutic
effect of this medication is primarily due to:
A. Blocking the reuptake of dopamine
B. Increasing the availability of serotonin in the synaptic cleft
C. Decreasing the activity of monoamine oxidase
D. Blocking the reuptake of norepinephrine
, 🟢 Correct Answer: B. Increasing the availability of serotonin in the synaptic cleft
🔴 Explanation: SSRIs work by selectively inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin in
the presynaptic neuron. This action results in a higher concentration of serotonin
remaining in the synaptic cleft, which enhances serotonergic neurotransmission
and is believed to improve mood in patients with depression.
5. A nurse is caring for a patient who is postoperative day 1 following a total
hip arthroplasty. Which of the following interventions is most important to
prevent a postoperative complication?
A. Administering prescribed pain medication
B. Encouraging the use of the incentive spirometer
C. Applying sequential compression devices
D. Maintaining hip abduction with a pillow
🟢 Correct Answer: B. Encouraging the use of the incentive spirometer
🔴 Explanation: While all options are important, preventing postoperative
pulmonary complications, such as atelectasis and pneumonia, is a high priority.
Incentive spirometry promotes deep breathing and lung expansion, which helps
to prevent these complications. This is especially critical after surgery, particularly
in older adults or those with prolonged immobility.
6. A nurse is preparing to administer a blood transfusion to a patient. Which of
the following actions should the nurse take first?
A. Verify the patient's identity using two identifiers
B. Obtain the patient's vital signs
