• NSG 526 Exam 09/01/2026
Wilkes NSG 526 Exam 1 | Clinical
Modalities in Advanced Psych | Questions
& Correct Verified Answers with Rationales
| Latest 2026/2027 Update | Graded A+|
A family discusses the impact of a seriously mental ill member. Insurance partially covers
treatment expenses, but the family spends much of their savings for care. The client's sibling
says, "My parents have no time for me." The parents are concerned that when they are older,
there will be no one to care for the client. Which response by the nurse would be most
helpful?
a. Acknowledge their concerns and consult with the treatment team about ways to bring the
client's symptoms under better control.
b. Give them names of financial advisors that could help them save or borrow sufficient funds
to leave a trust fund to care for their loved one.
P 1
, • NSG 526 Exam 09/01/2026
c. Refer them to crisis intervention services to learn ways to manage caregiver stress and
provide titles of some helpful books for families.
d. Discuss benefits of participating in National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) programs and
ways to help the client become more indepen –
Correct Answer :ANS: D
The family has raised a number of concerns, but the major issues appear to be the effects
caregiving has had on the family and their concerns about the client's future. NAMI offers
support, education, resources, and access to other families who have experience with the
issues now facing this family. NAMI can help address caregiver burden and planning for the
future needs of SMI persons. Improving the client's symptom control and general functioning
can help reduce caregiver burden but would likely be a slow process, whereas NAMI
involvement could benefit them on a number of fronts, possibly in a shorter time period. The
family will need more than financial planning; their issues go beyond financial. The family is
distressed but not in crisis. Crisis intervention is not an appropriate resource for the
longerterm issues and needs affecting this family.
A client diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI) lives independently and attends a
psychosocial rehabilitation program. The client presents at the emergency department
seeking hospitalization. The client has no acute symptoms but says, "I have no money to pay
my rent or refill my prescription." What is the nurse's best action?
a. Involve the client's case manager to provide crisis intervention.
b. Send the client to a homeless shelter until housing can be arranged.
c. Arrange for a short in-client admission and begin discharge planning.
d. Explain that one must have active psychiatric symptoms to be admitted –
Correct Answer :ANS: A
P 2
, • NSG 526 Exam 09/01/2026
Impaired stress tolerance and problem-solving abilities can cause persons with SMI to
experience relatively minor stressors as crises. This client has run out of money, and this has
overwhelmed her ability to cope, resulting in a crisis for which crisis intervention would be an
appropriate response. Inpatient care is not clinically indicated nor is the client homeless
(although she may fear she is). Telling the client that she is not symptomatic enough to be
admitted may prompt malingering.
The nurse wants to enroll a client with poor social skills in a training program for clients
diagnosed with schizophrenia. Which description accurately describes social skills training?
a. Clients learn to improve their attention and concentration.
b. Group leaders provide support without challenging clients to change.
c. Complex interpersonal skills are taught by breaking them into simpler behaviors.
d. Clients learn social skills by practicing them in a supported employment setting –
Correct Answer :ANS: C
In social skills training, complex interpersonal skills are taught by breaking them down into
component behaviors that are covered in a stepwise fashion. Social skills training is not based
in employment settings, although such skills can be addressed as part of supported
employment services. The other distracters are less relevant to social skills training
A client diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI) died suddenly at age 52. The client lived
in the community for 5 years without relapse and held supported employment the past 6
months. The distressed family asks, "How could this happen?" Which response by the nurse
accurately reflects research and addresses the family's question?
a. "A certain number of people die young from undetected diseases, and it's just one of those
sad things that sometimes happen."
P 3
, • NSG 526 Exam 09/01/2026
b. "Mentally ill people tend to die much younger than others, perhaps because they do not
take as good care of their health, smoke more, or are overweight."
c. "We will have to wait for the autopsy to know what happened. There were some medical
problems, but we were not expecting death."
d. "We are all surprised. The client had been doing so well and saw the nurse every other
week." –
Correct Answer :ANS: B
The family is in distress. Because they do not understand his death, they are less able to
accept it and seek specific information to help them understand what happened. Persons
with SMI die an average of 25 years prematurely. Contributing factors include failing to
provide for their own health needs (e.g., forgetting to take medicine), inability to access or
pay for care, higher rates of smoking, poor diet, criminal victimization, and stigma. The most
accurate answer indicates that seriously mentally ill people are at much higher risk of
premature death for a variety of reasons. Staff would not have been surprised that the client
died prematurely, and they would not attribute his death to random, undetected medical
problems. Although the cause of death will not be reliably established until the autopsy, this
response fails to address the family's need for information.
Many persons brought before a criminal court have mental illness, have committed minor
offenses, and are non-medication adherent. The judge consults the nurse at the local
community mental health center for guidance about how to respond when handling such
cases. Which advice from the nurse would be most appropriate?
a. "Sometimes a little time in jail makes a person rethink what they've been doing and puts
them back on the right track."
b. "Sentencing such persons to participate in treatment instead of incarcerating them has
been shown to reduce repeat offenses."
c. "Arresting these people helps them in the long run. Sometimes we cannot hospitalize
them, but in jail they will get their medication."
d. "Research suggests that special mental health courts do not make much difference so far,
but outpatient commitment does seem to help." - Correct Answer :ANS: B
P 4
Wilkes NSG 526 Exam 1 | Clinical
Modalities in Advanced Psych | Questions
& Correct Verified Answers with Rationales
| Latest 2026/2027 Update | Graded A+|
A family discusses the impact of a seriously mental ill member. Insurance partially covers
treatment expenses, but the family spends much of their savings for care. The client's sibling
says, "My parents have no time for me." The parents are concerned that when they are older,
there will be no one to care for the client. Which response by the nurse would be most
helpful?
a. Acknowledge their concerns and consult with the treatment team about ways to bring the
client's symptoms under better control.
b. Give them names of financial advisors that could help them save or borrow sufficient funds
to leave a trust fund to care for their loved one.
P 1
, • NSG 526 Exam 09/01/2026
c. Refer them to crisis intervention services to learn ways to manage caregiver stress and
provide titles of some helpful books for families.
d. Discuss benefits of participating in National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) programs and
ways to help the client become more indepen –
Correct Answer :ANS: D
The family has raised a number of concerns, but the major issues appear to be the effects
caregiving has had on the family and their concerns about the client's future. NAMI offers
support, education, resources, and access to other families who have experience with the
issues now facing this family. NAMI can help address caregiver burden and planning for the
future needs of SMI persons. Improving the client's symptom control and general functioning
can help reduce caregiver burden but would likely be a slow process, whereas NAMI
involvement could benefit them on a number of fronts, possibly in a shorter time period. The
family will need more than financial planning; their issues go beyond financial. The family is
distressed but not in crisis. Crisis intervention is not an appropriate resource for the
longerterm issues and needs affecting this family.
A client diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI) lives independently and attends a
psychosocial rehabilitation program. The client presents at the emergency department
seeking hospitalization. The client has no acute symptoms but says, "I have no money to pay
my rent or refill my prescription." What is the nurse's best action?
a. Involve the client's case manager to provide crisis intervention.
b. Send the client to a homeless shelter until housing can be arranged.
c. Arrange for a short in-client admission and begin discharge planning.
d. Explain that one must have active psychiatric symptoms to be admitted –
Correct Answer :ANS: A
P 2
, • NSG 526 Exam 09/01/2026
Impaired stress tolerance and problem-solving abilities can cause persons with SMI to
experience relatively minor stressors as crises. This client has run out of money, and this has
overwhelmed her ability to cope, resulting in a crisis for which crisis intervention would be an
appropriate response. Inpatient care is not clinically indicated nor is the client homeless
(although she may fear she is). Telling the client that she is not symptomatic enough to be
admitted may prompt malingering.
The nurse wants to enroll a client with poor social skills in a training program for clients
diagnosed with schizophrenia. Which description accurately describes social skills training?
a. Clients learn to improve their attention and concentration.
b. Group leaders provide support without challenging clients to change.
c. Complex interpersonal skills are taught by breaking them into simpler behaviors.
d. Clients learn social skills by practicing them in a supported employment setting –
Correct Answer :ANS: C
In social skills training, complex interpersonal skills are taught by breaking them down into
component behaviors that are covered in a stepwise fashion. Social skills training is not based
in employment settings, although such skills can be addressed as part of supported
employment services. The other distracters are less relevant to social skills training
A client diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI) died suddenly at age 52. The client lived
in the community for 5 years without relapse and held supported employment the past 6
months. The distressed family asks, "How could this happen?" Which response by the nurse
accurately reflects research and addresses the family's question?
a. "A certain number of people die young from undetected diseases, and it's just one of those
sad things that sometimes happen."
P 3
, • NSG 526 Exam 09/01/2026
b. "Mentally ill people tend to die much younger than others, perhaps because they do not
take as good care of their health, smoke more, or are overweight."
c. "We will have to wait for the autopsy to know what happened. There were some medical
problems, but we were not expecting death."
d. "We are all surprised. The client had been doing so well and saw the nurse every other
week." –
Correct Answer :ANS: B
The family is in distress. Because they do not understand his death, they are less able to
accept it and seek specific information to help them understand what happened. Persons
with SMI die an average of 25 years prematurely. Contributing factors include failing to
provide for their own health needs (e.g., forgetting to take medicine), inability to access or
pay for care, higher rates of smoking, poor diet, criminal victimization, and stigma. The most
accurate answer indicates that seriously mentally ill people are at much higher risk of
premature death for a variety of reasons. Staff would not have been surprised that the client
died prematurely, and they would not attribute his death to random, undetected medical
problems. Although the cause of death will not be reliably established until the autopsy, this
response fails to address the family's need for information.
Many persons brought before a criminal court have mental illness, have committed minor
offenses, and are non-medication adherent. The judge consults the nurse at the local
community mental health center for guidance about how to respond when handling such
cases. Which advice from the nurse would be most appropriate?
a. "Sometimes a little time in jail makes a person rethink what they've been doing and puts
them back on the right track."
b. "Sentencing such persons to participate in treatment instead of incarcerating them has
been shown to reduce repeat offenses."
c. "Arresting these people helps them in the long run. Sometimes we cannot hospitalize
them, but in jail they will get their medication."
d. "Research suggests that special mental health courts do not make much difference so far,
but outpatient commitment does seem to help." - Correct Answer :ANS: B
P 4
