PEDIATRIC NURSING NCLEX EXAM WITH
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS||
ALREADY GRADED A+|| LATEST UPDATE 2026
Section 1: Principles of Pediatric Nursing & Growth and Development
1. What is the primary goal of pediatric nursing?
A) To cure all childhood diseases.
B) To promote the highest possible level of health for infants, children, and
adolescents.
C) To provide care only for sick children in a hospital setting.
D) To replace the role of the parents in a child's life.
Answer: B) To promote the highest possible level of health for infants,
children, and adolescents.
Rationale: Pediatric nursing is holistic. It focuses on health promotion, disease
prevention, and caring for the child and family as a unit, not just on curing
illness.
2. The nurse is assessing a 6-month-old infant. Which developmental
milestone should the nurse expect the infant to have achieved?
A) Sitting without support
B) Rolling from back to stomach
C) Walking with assistance
D) Saying "mama" and "dada" specifically
Answer: B) Rolling from back to stomach.
Rationale: A 6-month-old infant typically can roll from back to stomach and
stomach to back. Sitting without support is usually achieved by 8-9 months.
3. According to Piaget, a 4-year-old child is in which stage of cognitive
development?
A) Sensorimotor
B) Preoperational
C) Concrete operational
D) Formal operational
,Answer: B) Preoperational.
Rationale: The preoperational stage (ages 2-7) is characterized by egocentrism,
magical thinking, and a focus on the present.
4. Which of the following is a key principle of atraumatic care?
A) Restraining the child during all procedures.
B) Separating the child from their parents to promote independence.
C) Preventing or minimizing the child's physical and psychological distress.
D) Performing all procedures in the child's room to keep them in bed.
Answer: C) Preventing or minimizing the child's physical and
psychological distress.
Rationale: Atraumatic care is a philosophy of care that aims to minimize the
stress and negative effects of the healthcare experience for the child and family.
5. What is the most accurate way to assess a child's pain?
A) Observing for crying and grimacing.
B) Asking the parents how they think the child feels.
C) Using a developmentally appropriate self-report scale.
D) Assuming the child is not in pain if they are playing.
Answer: C) Using a developmentally appropriate self-report scale.
Rationale: A child's self-report is the gold standard for pain assessment. For
pre-verbal or cognitively impaired children, behavioral scales (like FLACC) are
used.
6. The nurse is teaching a parent about car seat safety. What is the correct
recommendation for a 2-year-old child?
A) Forward-facing in the back seat.
B) Rear-facing in the back seat until they reach the highest weight/height
allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
C) In a booster seat in the back seat.
D) In the front seat with the seat belt.
Answer: B) Rear-facing in the back seat until they reach the highest
weight/height allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
Rationale: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping children
rear-facing as long as possible, until they reach the maximum height or weight
for their car seat.
7. The family is the primary unit of care in pediatrics. What does this mean
for the nurse?
A) The nurse should only speak to the parents, not the child.
B) The nurse must consider the child's health within the context of their family
and culture.
,C) The parents are responsible for all care while in the hospital.
D) The nurse's authority overrides the parents' wishes.
Answer: B) The nurse must consider the child's health within the context of
their family and culture.
Rationale: Family-centered care recognizes that the family is the constant in a
child's life, and the nurse must collaborate with them.
8. A 10-year-old child is in the concrete operational stage of Piaget's theory.
What does this mean for how they understand their illness?
A) They believe their illness is a punishment for a bad thought.
B) They can understand the cause and effect of their illness if explained
logically.
C) They can think abstractly about their future with the illness.
D) They cannot understand anything about their illness.
Answer: B) They can understand the cause and effect of their illness if
explained logically.
Rationale: In the concrete operational stage (ages 7-11), children can think
logically about concrete events and can understand sequences and cause-and-
effect relationships.
9. Which of the following is an example of a fine motor skill in a 3-year-
old?
A) Hopping on one foot.
B) Drawing a circle.
C) Throwing a ball overhand.
D) Riding a tricycle.
Answer: B) Drawing a circle.
Rationale: Fine motor skills involve small muscle movements, like drawing,
buttoning, and using utensils. Hopping and riding a tricycle are gross motor
skills.
10. What is the primary purpose of a "medical home" for a child?
A) A place where a child lives if they are abandoned.
B) A single, continuous source of comprehensive and coordinated primary care.
C) An emergency room that is always open.
D) A specialty clinic for a specific disease.
Answer: B) A single, continuous source of comprehensive and coordinated
primary care.
Rationale: The medical home model provides accessible, family-centered,
continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally
effective care.
, Section 2: The Newborn & Infant
11. A newborn has a heart rate of 110 bpm and a respiratory rate of 50
breaths per minute. What is the nurse's interpretation?
A) These are normal vital signs for a newborn.
B) The heart rate is low, and the respiratory rate is high.
C) The heart rate is high, and the respiratory rate is low.
D) Both are abnormal and require immediate intervention.
Answer: A) These are normal vital signs for a newborn.
Rationale: Normal newborn heart rate is 110-160 bpm, and normal respiratory
rate is 30-60 breaths/min.
12. The nurse notes a soft, high-pitched murmur in a 2-day-old newborn.
What is the most appropriate initial action?
A) Immediately call the physician for an emergency echocardiogram.
B) Document the finding as a normal, transient murmur.
C) Continue to monitor and report to the physician on rounds.
D) Tell the parents their child has a heart defect.
Answer: C) Continue to monitor and report to the physician on rounds.
Rationale: Many newborns have transient murmurs as the ductus arteriosus
closes. However, all murmurs should be reported to the provider for evaluation.
13. What is the primary purpose of the Apgar score?
A) To predict the child's future intelligence.
B) To assess the newborn's immediate transition to extrauterine life.
C) To diagnose chronic health conditions.
D) To determine the need for a circumcision.
Answer: B) To assess the newborn's immediate transition to extrauterine
life.
Rationale: The Apgar score (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity,
Respiration) is a quick assessment tool used at 1 and 5 minutes after birth.
14. A new mother asks how to care for the umbilical cord stump. What is
the correct advice?
A) Apply alcohol to the stump with every diaper change.
B) Keep the stump clean and dry, and fold the diaper below it.
C) Cover the stump with a tight bandage.
D) Submerge the stump in water during baths.
Answer: B) Keep the stump clean and dry, and fold the diaper below it.
Rationale: The stump should be allowed to dry and fall off naturally. Keeping it
dry and exposed to air helps prevent infection. Alcohol is no longer routinely
recommended.
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS||
ALREADY GRADED A+|| LATEST UPDATE 2026
Section 1: Principles of Pediatric Nursing & Growth and Development
1. What is the primary goal of pediatric nursing?
A) To cure all childhood diseases.
B) To promote the highest possible level of health for infants, children, and
adolescents.
C) To provide care only for sick children in a hospital setting.
D) To replace the role of the parents in a child's life.
Answer: B) To promote the highest possible level of health for infants,
children, and adolescents.
Rationale: Pediatric nursing is holistic. It focuses on health promotion, disease
prevention, and caring for the child and family as a unit, not just on curing
illness.
2. The nurse is assessing a 6-month-old infant. Which developmental
milestone should the nurse expect the infant to have achieved?
A) Sitting without support
B) Rolling from back to stomach
C) Walking with assistance
D) Saying "mama" and "dada" specifically
Answer: B) Rolling from back to stomach.
Rationale: A 6-month-old infant typically can roll from back to stomach and
stomach to back. Sitting without support is usually achieved by 8-9 months.
3. According to Piaget, a 4-year-old child is in which stage of cognitive
development?
A) Sensorimotor
B) Preoperational
C) Concrete operational
D) Formal operational
,Answer: B) Preoperational.
Rationale: The preoperational stage (ages 2-7) is characterized by egocentrism,
magical thinking, and a focus on the present.
4. Which of the following is a key principle of atraumatic care?
A) Restraining the child during all procedures.
B) Separating the child from their parents to promote independence.
C) Preventing or minimizing the child's physical and psychological distress.
D) Performing all procedures in the child's room to keep them in bed.
Answer: C) Preventing or minimizing the child's physical and
psychological distress.
Rationale: Atraumatic care is a philosophy of care that aims to minimize the
stress and negative effects of the healthcare experience for the child and family.
5. What is the most accurate way to assess a child's pain?
A) Observing for crying and grimacing.
B) Asking the parents how they think the child feels.
C) Using a developmentally appropriate self-report scale.
D) Assuming the child is not in pain if they are playing.
Answer: C) Using a developmentally appropriate self-report scale.
Rationale: A child's self-report is the gold standard for pain assessment. For
pre-verbal or cognitively impaired children, behavioral scales (like FLACC) are
used.
6. The nurse is teaching a parent about car seat safety. What is the correct
recommendation for a 2-year-old child?
A) Forward-facing in the back seat.
B) Rear-facing in the back seat until they reach the highest weight/height
allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
C) In a booster seat in the back seat.
D) In the front seat with the seat belt.
Answer: B) Rear-facing in the back seat until they reach the highest
weight/height allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
Rationale: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping children
rear-facing as long as possible, until they reach the maximum height or weight
for their car seat.
7. The family is the primary unit of care in pediatrics. What does this mean
for the nurse?
A) The nurse should only speak to the parents, not the child.
B) The nurse must consider the child's health within the context of their family
and culture.
,C) The parents are responsible for all care while in the hospital.
D) The nurse's authority overrides the parents' wishes.
Answer: B) The nurse must consider the child's health within the context of
their family and culture.
Rationale: Family-centered care recognizes that the family is the constant in a
child's life, and the nurse must collaborate with them.
8. A 10-year-old child is in the concrete operational stage of Piaget's theory.
What does this mean for how they understand their illness?
A) They believe their illness is a punishment for a bad thought.
B) They can understand the cause and effect of their illness if explained
logically.
C) They can think abstractly about their future with the illness.
D) They cannot understand anything about their illness.
Answer: B) They can understand the cause and effect of their illness if
explained logically.
Rationale: In the concrete operational stage (ages 7-11), children can think
logically about concrete events and can understand sequences and cause-and-
effect relationships.
9. Which of the following is an example of a fine motor skill in a 3-year-
old?
A) Hopping on one foot.
B) Drawing a circle.
C) Throwing a ball overhand.
D) Riding a tricycle.
Answer: B) Drawing a circle.
Rationale: Fine motor skills involve small muscle movements, like drawing,
buttoning, and using utensils. Hopping and riding a tricycle are gross motor
skills.
10. What is the primary purpose of a "medical home" for a child?
A) A place where a child lives if they are abandoned.
B) A single, continuous source of comprehensive and coordinated primary care.
C) An emergency room that is always open.
D) A specialty clinic for a specific disease.
Answer: B) A single, continuous source of comprehensive and coordinated
primary care.
Rationale: The medical home model provides accessible, family-centered,
continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally
effective care.
, Section 2: The Newborn & Infant
11. A newborn has a heart rate of 110 bpm and a respiratory rate of 50
breaths per minute. What is the nurse's interpretation?
A) These are normal vital signs for a newborn.
B) The heart rate is low, and the respiratory rate is high.
C) The heart rate is high, and the respiratory rate is low.
D) Both are abnormal and require immediate intervention.
Answer: A) These are normal vital signs for a newborn.
Rationale: Normal newborn heart rate is 110-160 bpm, and normal respiratory
rate is 30-60 breaths/min.
12. The nurse notes a soft, high-pitched murmur in a 2-day-old newborn.
What is the most appropriate initial action?
A) Immediately call the physician for an emergency echocardiogram.
B) Document the finding as a normal, transient murmur.
C) Continue to monitor and report to the physician on rounds.
D) Tell the parents their child has a heart defect.
Answer: C) Continue to monitor and report to the physician on rounds.
Rationale: Many newborns have transient murmurs as the ductus arteriosus
closes. However, all murmurs should be reported to the provider for evaluation.
13. What is the primary purpose of the Apgar score?
A) To predict the child's future intelligence.
B) To assess the newborn's immediate transition to extrauterine life.
C) To diagnose chronic health conditions.
D) To determine the need for a circumcision.
Answer: B) To assess the newborn's immediate transition to extrauterine
life.
Rationale: The Apgar score (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity,
Respiration) is a quick assessment tool used at 1 and 5 minutes after birth.
14. A new mother asks how to care for the umbilical cord stump. What is
the correct advice?
A) Apply alcohol to the stump with every diaper change.
B) Keep the stump clean and dry, and fold the diaper below it.
C) Cover the stump with a tight bandage.
D) Submerge the stump in water during baths.
Answer: B) Keep the stump clean and dry, and fold the diaper below it.
Rationale: The stump should be allowed to dry and fall off naturally. Keeping it
dry and exposed to air helps prevent infection. Alcohol is no longer routinely
recommended.
