G A LE N C O LLE G E O F N U RSI N G | MATE RN A L-
CHILD NURSING
NUR 254
Exam 1 Guide
75 NCLEX-style examination questions with verified
answers and detailed rationales, mapped to the
2026/2027 NUR 254 Maternal-Child Nursing course
objectives across foundations, prenatal care,
intrapartum care, postpartum and newborn care,
psychosocial and ethical issues, and pediatric growth
and development.
Maternal-Child Nursing Examination Preparation
2026/2027 Edition — Exam Questions with 100%
Verified Correct Answers
75 Q U E STI O N S | V E RI F I E D A N SW E RS & RATI O N A L E S |
GAL EN COL L EGE OF NURSI NG
,NUR 254 EXAM 1 GUIDE | GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | 2026-2027 EDITION 75 QUESTIONS
GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | NUR 254
NUR 254 Exam 1 Guide
Maternal-Child Nursing | 2026/2027 Exam Questions with 100% Verified Correct Answers
75 Questions | Six Content Sections | NCLEX-Style Items with Detailed Rationales
SECTION 1
Foundations of Maternal-Child Nursing
Questions 1-12
Family-Centered Care, Reproductive Anatomy and Physiology, the Menstrual Cycle, and Conception and Fertilization
Q1: A nurse on a mother-baby unit is caring for a 26-year-old gravida 1 who gave birth to a healthy term
newborn 8 hours ago. Which nursing action BEST demonstrates the principles of family-centered care?
A. Performing the newborn's first bath quickly at the warmer to spare the parents anxiety
B. Inviting the parents to participate in the newborn's first bath and teaching them to recognize hunger
cues [CORRECT]
C. Completing all newborn assessments quietly in the nursery so the parents can rest undisturbed
D. Delaying all newborn teaching until discharge day when a printed handout can be provided
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Family-centered care treats the family as partners and constant participants in care, so involving the
parents directly in the first bath while teaching them to recognize infant cues strengthens bonding, builds
competence, and supports safe transition home. Performing care for the parents or secluding the newborn in the
nursery excludes the family and undermines confidence. Reserving teaching for a single discharge handout is
task-focused rather than individualized and contradicts family-centered practice.
Q2: During a prenatal visit, a pregnant patient tells the nurse that her mother experienced a severe mental
illness while pregnant and that she fears the same will happen to her. Which action by the nurse BEST
reflects cultural humility and therapeutic communication?
A. Reassuring the patient that mental illness during pregnancy is extremely rare and nothing to worry
about
B. Changing the subject to the scheduled laboratory work to reduce the patient's obvious distress
C. Exploring the patient's beliefs about her family history and her expectations of care without
judgment [CORRECT]
D. Advising the patient that her fears are unfounded because she does not resemble her mother
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Cultural humility requires openness, curiosity, and respect for the patient's own explanatory beliefs,
and exploring her family history perception builds trust while generating data for an individualized plan of care.
False reassurance dismisses the concern and closes communication, and changing the subject avoids rather than
addresses the distress. Declaring the fears unfounded is judgmental and invalidates the patient's lived experience.
Maternal-Child Nursing | NUR 254 Exam 1 Preparation 1
, NUR 254 EXAM 1 GUIDE | GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | 2026-2027 EDITION 75 QUESTIONS
Q3: A nursing student is reviewing the anatomy of the female reproductive tract. Which location should the
student identify as the NORMAL site of fertilization?
A. The body of the uterus
B. The ampulla of the fallopian tube [CORRECT]
C. The ovary itself
D. The cervix
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Fertilization normally occurs in the ampulla, the widest outer third of the fallopian tube, where the
sperm meets the ovulated oocyte before the zygote travels to the uterus over 3 to 4 days. Implantation in the
uterine body occurs later and is not fertilization itself. The oocyte is released from the ovary but is not fertilized
there, and the cervix is the site of sperm deposit and capacitance rather than fertilization.
Q4: A nurse is teaching a group of nursing students about the layers of the uterus. Which statement
accurately describes the function of the myometrium?
A. It is the serosal layer that anchors the uterus within the pelvic cavity
B. It is the thick muscular middle layer responsible for the contractions of labor [CORRECT]
C. It is the inner vascular lining that is shed with each menstrual period
D. It is the layer that secretes mucus to lubricate the vaginal canal
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The myometrium is the thick middle muscular layer composed of interlacing smooth muscle fibers
that contract during labor and compress spiral vessels after birth to limit postpartum hemorrhage. The
endometrium, not the myometrium, is the inner lining that proliferates and sheds with menstruation. The serosa or
perimetrium is the outer anchoring covering, and mucus-secreting tissue belongs to the cervix.
Q5: A patient with a regular 28-day menstrual cycle asks which hormone triggers the release of the egg from
the ovary. Which response by the nurse is accurate?
A. A surge of luteinizing hormone released around day 14 of the cycle [CORRECT]
B. A rise in follicle-stimulating hormone during the luteal phase
C. A steady decline of estrogen during the follicular phase
D. A surge of progesterone released by the developing follicle
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Ovulation is triggered by a sharp midcycle surge of luteinizing hormone, typically around day 14 of a
28-day cycle, which ruptures the mature Graafian follicle. Follicle-stimulating hormone stimulates follicle growth
earlier in the follicular phase but does not trigger rupture. Progesterone is secreted by the corpus luteum only after
ovulation, and estrogen rises rather than declines during the follicular phase.
Maternal-Child Nursing | NUR 254 Exam 1 Preparation 2
CHILD NURSING
NUR 254
Exam 1 Guide
75 NCLEX-style examination questions with verified
answers and detailed rationales, mapped to the
2026/2027 NUR 254 Maternal-Child Nursing course
objectives across foundations, prenatal care,
intrapartum care, postpartum and newborn care,
psychosocial and ethical issues, and pediatric growth
and development.
Maternal-Child Nursing Examination Preparation
2026/2027 Edition — Exam Questions with 100%
Verified Correct Answers
75 Q U E STI O N S | V E RI F I E D A N SW E RS & RATI O N A L E S |
GAL EN COL L EGE OF NURSI NG
,NUR 254 EXAM 1 GUIDE | GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | 2026-2027 EDITION 75 QUESTIONS
GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | NUR 254
NUR 254 Exam 1 Guide
Maternal-Child Nursing | 2026/2027 Exam Questions with 100% Verified Correct Answers
75 Questions | Six Content Sections | NCLEX-Style Items with Detailed Rationales
SECTION 1
Foundations of Maternal-Child Nursing
Questions 1-12
Family-Centered Care, Reproductive Anatomy and Physiology, the Menstrual Cycle, and Conception and Fertilization
Q1: A nurse on a mother-baby unit is caring for a 26-year-old gravida 1 who gave birth to a healthy term
newborn 8 hours ago. Which nursing action BEST demonstrates the principles of family-centered care?
A. Performing the newborn's first bath quickly at the warmer to spare the parents anxiety
B. Inviting the parents to participate in the newborn's first bath and teaching them to recognize hunger
cues [CORRECT]
C. Completing all newborn assessments quietly in the nursery so the parents can rest undisturbed
D. Delaying all newborn teaching until discharge day when a printed handout can be provided
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Family-centered care treats the family as partners and constant participants in care, so involving the
parents directly in the first bath while teaching them to recognize infant cues strengthens bonding, builds
competence, and supports safe transition home. Performing care for the parents or secluding the newborn in the
nursery excludes the family and undermines confidence. Reserving teaching for a single discharge handout is
task-focused rather than individualized and contradicts family-centered practice.
Q2: During a prenatal visit, a pregnant patient tells the nurse that her mother experienced a severe mental
illness while pregnant and that she fears the same will happen to her. Which action by the nurse BEST
reflects cultural humility and therapeutic communication?
A. Reassuring the patient that mental illness during pregnancy is extremely rare and nothing to worry
about
B. Changing the subject to the scheduled laboratory work to reduce the patient's obvious distress
C. Exploring the patient's beliefs about her family history and her expectations of care without
judgment [CORRECT]
D. Advising the patient that her fears are unfounded because she does not resemble her mother
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Cultural humility requires openness, curiosity, and respect for the patient's own explanatory beliefs,
and exploring her family history perception builds trust while generating data for an individualized plan of care.
False reassurance dismisses the concern and closes communication, and changing the subject avoids rather than
addresses the distress. Declaring the fears unfounded is judgmental and invalidates the patient's lived experience.
Maternal-Child Nursing | NUR 254 Exam 1 Preparation 1
, NUR 254 EXAM 1 GUIDE | GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING | 2026-2027 EDITION 75 QUESTIONS
Q3: A nursing student is reviewing the anatomy of the female reproductive tract. Which location should the
student identify as the NORMAL site of fertilization?
A. The body of the uterus
B. The ampulla of the fallopian tube [CORRECT]
C. The ovary itself
D. The cervix
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Fertilization normally occurs in the ampulla, the widest outer third of the fallopian tube, where the
sperm meets the ovulated oocyte before the zygote travels to the uterus over 3 to 4 days. Implantation in the
uterine body occurs later and is not fertilization itself. The oocyte is released from the ovary but is not fertilized
there, and the cervix is the site of sperm deposit and capacitance rather than fertilization.
Q4: A nurse is teaching a group of nursing students about the layers of the uterus. Which statement
accurately describes the function of the myometrium?
A. It is the serosal layer that anchors the uterus within the pelvic cavity
B. It is the thick muscular middle layer responsible for the contractions of labor [CORRECT]
C. It is the inner vascular lining that is shed with each menstrual period
D. It is the layer that secretes mucus to lubricate the vaginal canal
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The myometrium is the thick middle muscular layer composed of interlacing smooth muscle fibers
that contract during labor and compress spiral vessels after birth to limit postpartum hemorrhage. The
endometrium, not the myometrium, is the inner lining that proliferates and sheds with menstruation. The serosa or
perimetrium is the outer anchoring covering, and mucus-secreting tissue belongs to the cervix.
Q5: A patient with a regular 28-day menstrual cycle asks which hormone triggers the release of the egg from
the ovary. Which response by the nurse is accurate?
A. A surge of luteinizing hormone released around day 14 of the cycle [CORRECT]
B. A rise in follicle-stimulating hormone during the luteal phase
C. A steady decline of estrogen during the follicular phase
D. A surge of progesterone released by the developing follicle
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Ovulation is triggered by a sharp midcycle surge of luteinizing hormone, typically around day 14 of a
28-day cycle, which ruptures the mature Graafian follicle. Follicle-stimulating hormone stimulates follicle growth
earlier in the follicular phase but does not trigger rupture. Progesterone is secreted by the corpus luteum only after
ovulation, and estrogen rises rather than declines during the follicular phase.
Maternal-Child Nursing | NUR 254 Exam 1 Preparation 2
