BSN 246 HESI Health Assessment Exams Study
Bundle Package Nightingale College Actual
Exam 2026/2027 Complete Exam-Style Questions
with Detailed Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass
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EXAM V1 (Questions 1-60)
Part I: Foundations of Health Assessment & History Taking
(Questions 1-15)
Q1: A nurse is preparing to conduct an initial health history
interview with a new patient admitted to the medical-surgical
unit. The patient appears anxious and is looking around the
room frequently. What is the nurse's best initial action before
beginning the formal health history?
A. Immediately begin collecting demographic data and chief
complaint to be efficient with time
B. Sit at eye level with the patient, introduce yourself clearly,
and establish rapport before proceeding
C. Hand the patient a written health history form to complete
independently while you gather equipment
D. Ask the patient's family member to provide the history since
the patient seems distracted
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Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B because establishing therapeutic
rapport and creating a comfortable environment is always the
first step in any health assessment interaction. This aligns with
Nightingale College BSN 246 curriculum principles that
emphasize building trust before data collection. Starting with
introductions and sitting at eye level shows respect and helps
reduce patient anxiety, which leads to more accurate information
gathering.
Q2: Which component of the health history is considered the
primary reason the patient is seeking healthcare at this particular
time?
A. Past medical history
B. Review of systems
C. Chief complaint
D. Family history
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: This choice is correct because the chief complaint is
defined as the main reason the patient is seeking care, usually
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expressed in the patient's own words. It's the starting point that
guides the rest of the assessment process. The other components
are important parts of a complete health history, but they serve
different purposes in understanding the patient's overall health
status.
Q3: During a health history interview, a patient states, "I've been
having this pain in my chest for about three days now." Using
effective interviewing techniques, what is the nurse's best
response to gather more specific information?
A. "Tell me more about that chest pain."
B. "Does it hurt when you breathe deeply?"
C. "Can you describe what the pain feels like, when it started
exactly, and what makes it better or worse?"
D. "Have you had any heart problems before?"
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: This choice is correct because it uses open-ended
questioning combined with specific prompts about pain
characteristics (OLDCARS or PQRST approach), which
matches the assessment principle that comprehensive symptom
exploration yields the most useful clinical data. Option A is too
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vague, while options B and D are closed-ended questions that
limit the patient's response and might miss important details.
Q4: A nurse is documenting a patient's health history using
Gordon's Functional Health Patterns. Under which pattern
would the nurse document information about the patient's
typical daily diet, appetite changes, and swallowing difficulties?
A. Activity-Exercise Pattern
B. Nutritional-Metabolic Pattern
C. Cognitive-Perceptual Pattern
D. Self-Perception-Self-Concept Pattern
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B because the Nutritional-
Metabolic Pattern specifically addresses food intake, fluid
consumption, appetite, swallowing function, and metabolic
indicators. This organizational framework helps nurses
systematically collect and document health history information
without missing important areas. The other patterns focus on
different aspects of patient functioning.