NURS 311 EXAM 1 2025 VERIFIED QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
During the admissions process, the nurse initially assesses the patient's radial pulse
primarily for what purpose?
Establishment of a baseline as part of the patient's vital signs
What will the nurse instruct nursing assistive personal (NAP) to do when
measuring an adult patient's radial pulse?
Palpate the patient's inner wrist on the thumb side with the fingertips of your two
middle fingers.
What is the nurse's priority action if a patient's radial pulse has an irregular
rhythm?
Assess the patient for a pulse deficit.
What will the nurse instruct nursing assistive personnel (NAP) to do when
measuring a patient's rectal temperature using an electronic thermometer?
Use the probe with the red tip.
,what contraindicates taking a rectal temperature measurement
Patient has painful and swollen hemorrhoids.
Which nursing action best evaluates the effectiveness of an antipyretic medication
in a patient with an oral temperature of 101.6°F?
Assess oral temperature 30 minutes after the agent is administered.
Which instruction might the nurse give to nursing assistive personal (NAP) that is
applicable only to tympanic temperature assessment?
Gently tug the pinna backward, up, and out before inserting the probe.
Which instruction might the nurse give to nursing assistive personnel (NAP) that is
applicable only to temporal artery temperature assessment?
Place the sensor flush on the patient's forehead.
Inadequate oxygenation to the body will cause the radial pulse to become:
,Tachycardic
Which action would best assess the effect of exercise on a patient's radial pulse
measurement?
Measuring the patient's radial pulse before and after exercise
Which action can the nurse take to keep a patient from consciously controlling his
or her breathing during an assessment?
Assess respiration after measuring the pulse.
On the last assessment of a patient's respiration, her respiratory rate was 10 breaths
per minute. What should the nurse do when conducting the next assessment of this
patient's respiratory rate?
Count breaths for 60 seconds.
When measuring a patient's respiratory rate, the nurse will count the number of
completed respiratory cycles per minute. What is the definition of a respiratory
cycle?
, The number of inspirations and expirations per minute.
During the assessment of a patient's respiratory rate, when the second hand reaches
the 15-second mark, the respiratory count is 8. What should the nurse do at this
time?
Continue to count the patient's breaths for a full 60 seconds.
The nurse plans to assess a patient's respiratory rate; however, the patient has just
returned from ambulating to the bathroom. What should the nurse do to minimize
the effect of exercise on the patient's respiratory rate?
Encourage the patient to rest for 10 minutes before assessing respiration.
The nurse is preparing to assess a patient's blood pressure. What would cause the
blood pressure reading to be inaccurately high?
Blood pressure cuff is too loose around the arm
What would cause the nurse to delay the assessment of a patient's blood pressure?
AND ANSWERS
During the admissions process, the nurse initially assesses the patient's radial pulse
primarily for what purpose?
Establishment of a baseline as part of the patient's vital signs
What will the nurse instruct nursing assistive personal (NAP) to do when
measuring an adult patient's radial pulse?
Palpate the patient's inner wrist on the thumb side with the fingertips of your two
middle fingers.
What is the nurse's priority action if a patient's radial pulse has an irregular
rhythm?
Assess the patient for a pulse deficit.
What will the nurse instruct nursing assistive personnel (NAP) to do when
measuring a patient's rectal temperature using an electronic thermometer?
Use the probe with the red tip.
,what contraindicates taking a rectal temperature measurement
Patient has painful and swollen hemorrhoids.
Which nursing action best evaluates the effectiveness of an antipyretic medication
in a patient with an oral temperature of 101.6°F?
Assess oral temperature 30 minutes after the agent is administered.
Which instruction might the nurse give to nursing assistive personal (NAP) that is
applicable only to tympanic temperature assessment?
Gently tug the pinna backward, up, and out before inserting the probe.
Which instruction might the nurse give to nursing assistive personnel (NAP) that is
applicable only to temporal artery temperature assessment?
Place the sensor flush on the patient's forehead.
Inadequate oxygenation to the body will cause the radial pulse to become:
,Tachycardic
Which action would best assess the effect of exercise on a patient's radial pulse
measurement?
Measuring the patient's radial pulse before and after exercise
Which action can the nurse take to keep a patient from consciously controlling his
or her breathing during an assessment?
Assess respiration after measuring the pulse.
On the last assessment of a patient's respiration, her respiratory rate was 10 breaths
per minute. What should the nurse do when conducting the next assessment of this
patient's respiratory rate?
Count breaths for 60 seconds.
When measuring a patient's respiratory rate, the nurse will count the number of
completed respiratory cycles per minute. What is the definition of a respiratory
cycle?
, The number of inspirations and expirations per minute.
During the assessment of a patient's respiratory rate, when the second hand reaches
the 15-second mark, the respiratory count is 8. What should the nurse do at this
time?
Continue to count the patient's breaths for a full 60 seconds.
The nurse plans to assess a patient's respiratory rate; however, the patient has just
returned from ambulating to the bathroom. What should the nurse do to minimize
the effect of exercise on the patient's respiratory rate?
Encourage the patient to rest for 10 minutes before assessing respiration.
The nurse is preparing to assess a patient's blood pressure. What would cause the
blood pressure reading to be inaccurately high?
Blood pressure cuff is too loose around the arm
What would cause the nurse to delay the assessment of a patient's blood pressure?
