NSG 300 Exam 1 | (2026) Nursing Study
Questions | Foundations (PDF)
1. Who is considered the founder of modern nursing and
significantly improved sanitation during the Crimean War?
a) Clara Barton
b) Dorothea Dix
c) Florence Nightingale
d) Mary Mahoney
Answer: c) Florence Nightingale
Rationale: Nightingale is known for her environmental
theory (sanitation, clean water, fresh air) and
dramatically reducing mortality rates. Clara Barton
founded the Red Cross; Dorothea Dix reformed mental
health asylums.
2. A nurse is using Jean Watson’s Theory of Human
Caring. Which action best exemplifies this theory?
1
,a) Ensuring the medication is given at the correct time
b) Developing a caring relationship with the patient
c) Adjusting the room temperature for comfort
d) Documenting vital signs accurately
Answer: b) Developing a caring relationship with the
patient
Rationale: Watson’s theory focuses on caritas processes—
love, kindness, and authentic presence. Options A/C/D
are important but fall under Nightingale’s environment or
technical skills.
3. Which nursing theorist is associated with the "Self-Care
Deficit Theory"?
a) Hildegard Peplau
b) Dorothea Orem
c) Madeleine Leininger
d) Betty Neuman
Answer: b) Dorothea Orem
Rationale: Orem’s theory states that nursing is needed
2
,when a patient cannot perform self-care (bathing, eating,
toileting). Peplau focused on interpersonal relations;
Leininger on transcultural nursing.
4. A nurse turns a patient every 2 hours to prevent
pneumonia. This directly applies which of Nightingale’s
canons?
a) Light
b) Cleanliness
c) Ventilation
d) Noise
Answer: c) Ventilation
Rationale: Nightingale believed that poor ventilation led
to "hospital-acquired pneumonia." Turning patients
expands lungs and mobilizes secretions, which is a form of
mechanical ventilation/air exchange.
5. A student nurse asks, "How do nursing diagnoses differ
from medical diagnoses?" The correct response is:
a) Nursing diagnoses treat the disease pathology
3
, b) Nursing diagnoses focus on the patient's response to
health problems
c) Nursing diagnoses require an MD order
d) Nursing diagnoses are always physiological
Answer: b) Nursing diagnoses focus on the patient's
response to health problems
Rationale: Medical Dx: Myocardial infarction. Nursing Dx:
Acute pain, Decreased cardiac output, Activity intolerance.
6. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which
nursing problem should be addressed FIRST?
a) Low self-esteem due to body image changes
b) Lack of social support from family
c) Ineffective airway clearance
d) Need for spiritual guidance
Answer: c) Ineffective airway clearance
Rationale: Maslow prioritizes physiological needs (air,
water, food, shelter, sleep) before safety, love, esteem,
and self-actualization.
4
Questions | Foundations (PDF)
1. Who is considered the founder of modern nursing and
significantly improved sanitation during the Crimean War?
a) Clara Barton
b) Dorothea Dix
c) Florence Nightingale
d) Mary Mahoney
Answer: c) Florence Nightingale
Rationale: Nightingale is known for her environmental
theory (sanitation, clean water, fresh air) and
dramatically reducing mortality rates. Clara Barton
founded the Red Cross; Dorothea Dix reformed mental
health asylums.
2. A nurse is using Jean Watson’s Theory of Human
Caring. Which action best exemplifies this theory?
1
,a) Ensuring the medication is given at the correct time
b) Developing a caring relationship with the patient
c) Adjusting the room temperature for comfort
d) Documenting vital signs accurately
Answer: b) Developing a caring relationship with the
patient
Rationale: Watson’s theory focuses on caritas processes—
love, kindness, and authentic presence. Options A/C/D
are important but fall under Nightingale’s environment or
technical skills.
3. Which nursing theorist is associated with the "Self-Care
Deficit Theory"?
a) Hildegard Peplau
b) Dorothea Orem
c) Madeleine Leininger
d) Betty Neuman
Answer: b) Dorothea Orem
Rationale: Orem’s theory states that nursing is needed
2
,when a patient cannot perform self-care (bathing, eating,
toileting). Peplau focused on interpersonal relations;
Leininger on transcultural nursing.
4. A nurse turns a patient every 2 hours to prevent
pneumonia. This directly applies which of Nightingale’s
canons?
a) Light
b) Cleanliness
c) Ventilation
d) Noise
Answer: c) Ventilation
Rationale: Nightingale believed that poor ventilation led
to "hospital-acquired pneumonia." Turning patients
expands lungs and mobilizes secretions, which is a form of
mechanical ventilation/air exchange.
5. A student nurse asks, "How do nursing diagnoses differ
from medical diagnoses?" The correct response is:
a) Nursing diagnoses treat the disease pathology
3
, b) Nursing diagnoses focus on the patient's response to
health problems
c) Nursing diagnoses require an MD order
d) Nursing diagnoses are always physiological
Answer: b) Nursing diagnoses focus on the patient's
response to health problems
Rationale: Medical Dx: Myocardial infarction. Nursing Dx:
Acute pain, Decreased cardiac output, Activity intolerance.
6. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which
nursing problem should be addressed FIRST?
a) Low self-esteem due to body image changes
b) Lack of social support from family
c) Ineffective airway clearance
d) Need for spiritual guidance
Answer: c) Ineffective airway clearance
Rationale: Maslow prioritizes physiological needs (air,
water, food, shelter, sleep) before safety, love, esteem,
and self-actualization.
4
