Final Exams: NR 509 / NR509 | Latest UPDATES BUNDLED
TOGETHER | Advanced Physical Assessment Exam Reviews|
Grade A Guaranteed| Questions & Verified Answers -
Chamberlain
SECTION I: General Survey, History & Documentation
1. A nurse practitioner is documenting a patient's chief complaint. Which statement best
reflects a properly recorded chief complaint?
A. "Patient has pneumonia."
B. "I've been coughing up green spit for four days."
C. "Patient appears short of breath and febrile."
D. "Cough, productive, 4 days."
Rationale: The chief complaint should be recorded in the patient's own words and limited to
one or two symptoms with duration. "Pneumonia" is a medical diagnosis, not a symptom.
Option D is a clinical summary, not the patient's words. Option C is objective data.
2. Which of the following are components of the general survey? (Select All That Apply)
A. Apparent state of health
B. Level of consciousness
C. Signs of distress
D. Skin color and obvious lesions
E. Height and weight
F. Deep tendon reflexes
Rationale: The general survey includes apparent state of health, level of consciousness,
signs of distress, skin color/lesions, height, weight, and build/symmetry. Deep tendon reflexes
are part of the neurological exam, not the general survey.
3. During the health history, a patient states, "My mother had breast cancer at 52, and my
sister had ovarian cancer at 48." This information belongs in which section?
A. Chief complaint
B. Past medical history
,C. Family history
D. Functional assessment
Rationale: Family history documents the age and cause of death/illness of blood relatives,
including parents, siblings, and children. This is key for hereditary risk (e.g., BRCA).
4. A patient reports a penicillin allergy characterized by hives and swelling of the lips. This
should be documented as:
A. Past medical history
B. Allergies with the specific reaction
C. Chief complaint
D. Review of systems
Rationale: Allergies must be documented with the specific reaction, not just the drug name,
to guide safe prescribing. Hives + lip swelling suggests an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity.
5. Which technique correctly describes the order of physical examination techniques for the
abdomen?
A. Inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation
B. Inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation
C. Auscultation, inspection, palpation, percussion
D. Palpation, percussion, auscultation, inspection
Rationale: For the abdomen, auscultation precedes palpation and percussion because
manipulation can alter bowel sounds. For all other systems, the order is inspection, palpation,
percussion, auscultation.
6. The nurse is assessing a patient's pain using the OLDCARTS mnemonic. Which question
corresponds to the "R" component?
A. "What makes the pain worse?"
B. "How would you describe the pain?"
C. "Does the pain move anywhere?"
D. "When did the pain start?"
, Rationale: OLDCARTS = Onset, Location, Duration, Character, Aggravating/Alleviating,
Radiation, Timing, Severity. "Radiation" asks whether pain moves. Option A = Aggravating, B =
Character, D = Onset.
7. A patient's temperature is measured at 101.2°F orally. Which route would be most
appropriate to confirm a core temperature in an intubated, critically ill patient?
A. Oral
B. Axillary
C. Rectal or esophageal
D. Tympanic
Rationale: Rectal and esophageal (or bladder/pulmonary artery) routes best approximate
core temperature. Oral is unreliable in intubated patients; axillary is least accurate; tympanic
has variable accuracy.
8. Which of the following are appropriate elements of a complete health history? (Select All
That Apply)
A. Biographic data
B. Reason for seeking care
C. Present health or history of present illness
D. Past medical history
E. Family history
F. Review of systems
G. Complete blood count results
Rationale: A complete health history includes biographic data, reason for seeking care,
present illness, past history, family history, functional assessment, and review of systems. Lab
results are objective data from the physical exam/diagnostic workup, not the history.
9. A patient who speaks limited English is being interviewed. Which action is most
appropriate?
A. Ask a family member to interpret
B. Use a trained medical interpreter
, C. Speak loudly and slowly in English
D. Skip the history and proceed to the exam
Rationale: Trained medical interpreters are required to ensure accuracy and confidentiality.
Family members may mistranslate or omit sensitive information and create HIPAA concerns.
Speaking loudly does not overcome a language barrier.
10. The nurse notes a patient's blood pressure is 148/92 mm Hg on two separate occasions.
This finding is most consistent with:
A. Normal blood pressure
B. Elevated blood pressure
C. Stage 2 hypertension
D. Hypertensive crisis
Rationale: Per ACC/AHA, Stage 2 hypertension = systolic ≥140 or diastolic ≥90. Normal is
<120/<80; elevated is 120–129/<80; hypertensive crisis is >180/>120.
11. Which statement about the review of systems (ROS) is correct?
A. The ROS documents only positive findings
B. The ROS is a head-to-toe review of past and present health by body system
C. The ROS replaces the physical examination
D. The ROS is only performed on new patients
Rationale: The ROS is a systematic inquiry into past and present health by body system; it
documents both positive and pertinent negative findings and is distinct from the physical exam.
12. A nurse is using the SBAR communication tool. Which component is represented by "A"?
A. Action
B. Assessment
C. Antecedent
D. Allergy
Rationale: SBAR = Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. "A" is Assessment
(the nurse's clinical impression).
TOGETHER | Advanced Physical Assessment Exam Reviews|
Grade A Guaranteed| Questions & Verified Answers -
Chamberlain
SECTION I: General Survey, History & Documentation
1. A nurse practitioner is documenting a patient's chief complaint. Which statement best
reflects a properly recorded chief complaint?
A. "Patient has pneumonia."
B. "I've been coughing up green spit for four days."
C. "Patient appears short of breath and febrile."
D. "Cough, productive, 4 days."
Rationale: The chief complaint should be recorded in the patient's own words and limited to
one or two symptoms with duration. "Pneumonia" is a medical diagnosis, not a symptom.
Option D is a clinical summary, not the patient's words. Option C is objective data.
2. Which of the following are components of the general survey? (Select All That Apply)
A. Apparent state of health
B. Level of consciousness
C. Signs of distress
D. Skin color and obvious lesions
E. Height and weight
F. Deep tendon reflexes
Rationale: The general survey includes apparent state of health, level of consciousness,
signs of distress, skin color/lesions, height, weight, and build/symmetry. Deep tendon reflexes
are part of the neurological exam, not the general survey.
3. During the health history, a patient states, "My mother had breast cancer at 52, and my
sister had ovarian cancer at 48." This information belongs in which section?
A. Chief complaint
B. Past medical history
,C. Family history
D. Functional assessment
Rationale: Family history documents the age and cause of death/illness of blood relatives,
including parents, siblings, and children. This is key for hereditary risk (e.g., BRCA).
4. A patient reports a penicillin allergy characterized by hives and swelling of the lips. This
should be documented as:
A. Past medical history
B. Allergies with the specific reaction
C. Chief complaint
D. Review of systems
Rationale: Allergies must be documented with the specific reaction, not just the drug name,
to guide safe prescribing. Hives + lip swelling suggests an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity.
5. Which technique correctly describes the order of physical examination techniques for the
abdomen?
A. Inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation
B. Inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation
C. Auscultation, inspection, palpation, percussion
D. Palpation, percussion, auscultation, inspection
Rationale: For the abdomen, auscultation precedes palpation and percussion because
manipulation can alter bowel sounds. For all other systems, the order is inspection, palpation,
percussion, auscultation.
6. The nurse is assessing a patient's pain using the OLDCARTS mnemonic. Which question
corresponds to the "R" component?
A. "What makes the pain worse?"
B. "How would you describe the pain?"
C. "Does the pain move anywhere?"
D. "When did the pain start?"
, Rationale: OLDCARTS = Onset, Location, Duration, Character, Aggravating/Alleviating,
Radiation, Timing, Severity. "Radiation" asks whether pain moves. Option A = Aggravating, B =
Character, D = Onset.
7. A patient's temperature is measured at 101.2°F orally. Which route would be most
appropriate to confirm a core temperature in an intubated, critically ill patient?
A. Oral
B. Axillary
C. Rectal or esophageal
D. Tympanic
Rationale: Rectal and esophageal (or bladder/pulmonary artery) routes best approximate
core temperature. Oral is unreliable in intubated patients; axillary is least accurate; tympanic
has variable accuracy.
8. Which of the following are appropriate elements of a complete health history? (Select All
That Apply)
A. Biographic data
B. Reason for seeking care
C. Present health or history of present illness
D. Past medical history
E. Family history
F. Review of systems
G. Complete blood count results
Rationale: A complete health history includes biographic data, reason for seeking care,
present illness, past history, family history, functional assessment, and review of systems. Lab
results are objective data from the physical exam/diagnostic workup, not the history.
9. A patient who speaks limited English is being interviewed. Which action is most
appropriate?
A. Ask a family member to interpret
B. Use a trained medical interpreter
, C. Speak loudly and slowly in English
D. Skip the history and proceed to the exam
Rationale: Trained medical interpreters are required to ensure accuracy and confidentiality.
Family members may mistranslate or omit sensitive information and create HIPAA concerns.
Speaking loudly does not overcome a language barrier.
10. The nurse notes a patient's blood pressure is 148/92 mm Hg on two separate occasions.
This finding is most consistent with:
A. Normal blood pressure
B. Elevated blood pressure
C. Stage 2 hypertension
D. Hypertensive crisis
Rationale: Per ACC/AHA, Stage 2 hypertension = systolic ≥140 or diastolic ≥90. Normal is
<120/<80; elevated is 120–129/<80; hypertensive crisis is >180/>120.
11. Which statement about the review of systems (ROS) is correct?
A. The ROS documents only positive findings
B. The ROS is a head-to-toe review of past and present health by body system
C. The ROS replaces the physical examination
D. The ROS is only performed on new patients
Rationale: The ROS is a systematic inquiry into past and present health by body system; it
documents both positive and pertinent negative findings and is distinct from the physical exam.
12. A nurse is using the SBAR communication tool. Which component is represented by "A"?
A. Action
B. Assessment
C. Antecedent
D. Allergy
Rationale: SBAR = Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. "A" is Assessment
(the nurse's clinical impression).
