NCLEX-RN Practice Questions
1. A client is referred to a surgeon by the general practitioner. After meeting
the surgeon, the client decides to find a different surgeon to continue
treatment. The nurse supports the client's action, utilizing which ethical
principle?
1. Beneficence
2. Veracity
3. Autonomy
4. Privacy: Answer: 3
Rationale: Autonomy is the right of individuals to take action for themselves.
Beneficence is an ethical principle to do good and applies when the nurse has a
city to help others by doing what is best for them. Veracity refers to truthfulness.
Privacy is the nondisclosure of information by the health care team.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: The core issue of the question is the ability to interpret which ethical
principle is operating in a specific situation. Eliminate beneficence and veracity next
because they focus on the obligation of the nurse rather than on a right of the client.
2. A nurse forgets to administer a client's diuretic and the client experiences
an episode of pulmonary edema. The charge nurse would consider the
medication error to constitute negligence because the situation contains
which element?
1. Purposeful failure to perform a health care procedure
2. Unintentional failure to perform a health care procedure
3. Act of substituting a different medication for the one ordered
4. Failure to follow a direct order by a physician: Answer: 2
Rationale: Negligence is the unintentional failure of an individual to perform or not
perform an act that a reasonable person would or would not do in the same or similar
circumstances. A purposeful failure to perform a procedure would be the opposite
of negligence, which is unintentional. Substituting a different medication does not fit
, NCLEX-RN Practice Questions
the description of the situation in the question. Failure to follow a direct order does
not fit the description in the situation in the question.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Assessment
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Two options are opposites, which is a clue that one of them may be
correct. Choose unintentional failure to carry out a procedure over purposeful
failure because it matches the definition of negligence.
3. A client asks why a diagnostic test has been ordered and the nurse replies,
"I'm unsure but will find out for you." When the nurse later returns and
provides an explanation, the nurse is acting under which principle?
1. Nonmaleficence
2. Veracity
3. Beneficence
4. Fidelity: Answer: 4
Rationale: Fidelity means being faithful to agreements and promises. This nurse is
acting on the client's behalf to obtain needed information and report it back to the
client. Nonmaleficence is the duty to do no harm. Veracity refers to telling the truth
for example, not lying to a client about a serious prognosis. Beneficence means
doing good, such as by implementing actions (e.g. keeping a salt shaker out of
sight) that benefit a client (heart condition requiring sodium-restricted diet).
Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The correct answer is the one that matches
the description in the stem; that is, the nurse made a promise to a client and kept it,
which constitutes fidelity.
4. An individual has a seizure while walking down the street. During the
seizure, a nurse from a physician's office is noticed driving past without
stopping to assist. The individual sues the nurse for negligence but fails to
win a judgement for which reason?
, NCLEX-RN Practice Questions
1. The nurse had no duty to the individual.
2. The nurse did what most nurses would do in the same circumstance.
3. The nurse did not cause the client's injuries.
4. The nurse was off-duty at the time.: Answer: 1
Rationale: To be guilty of negligence, the nurse must have a relationship with the
client that involves a duty to provide care. The relationship is usually a component
of employment. The nurse did not necessarily do what others would do in this
situation. Although the nurse did not cause the client's injuries, it does not prevent
the nurse from assisting in this situation. Although the nurse was off-duty, the nurse
could have assisted if motivated to do so. Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination and nursing knowledge. The correct
answer is the one that recognizes that the nurse was not in the role of employee at
the time of the incident, removing the requirement of acting on the client's behalf.
5. An adult female ambulatory care client receiving an oral anticoagulant is
given aspirin for a headache while visiting a neighbor, who is a nurse. The
client subsequently has a bleeding episode because of a drug interaction. The
legal nurse consultant interprets that which necessary elements of
malpractice are missing from this case? Select all that apply.
1. Breech of duty
2. Duty owed
3. Injury experienced
4. Causation between nurse's action and injury
5. Intent to cause harm or injury: Answer: 2, 5
Rationale: There was no nurse-client relationship because the nurse was acting as
a neighbor and not in an employment capacity. Thus, there can be no duty owed.
Intent is not a necessary element of malpractice, because malpractice can occur
because of unintended actions as well. There was no breach of duty because there
was no official nurse-client relationship, which accompanies an employment
situation. There was injury experiences because of this event. The bleeding was
caused by the interaction of the aspirin with the anticoagulant.
1. A client is referred to a surgeon by the general practitioner. After meeting
the surgeon, the client decides to find a different surgeon to continue
treatment. The nurse supports the client's action, utilizing which ethical
principle?
1. Beneficence
2. Veracity
3. Autonomy
4. Privacy: Answer: 3
Rationale: Autonomy is the right of individuals to take action for themselves.
Beneficence is an ethical principle to do good and applies when the nurse has a
city to help others by doing what is best for them. Veracity refers to truthfulness.
Privacy is the nondisclosure of information by the health care team.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: The core issue of the question is the ability to interpret which ethical
principle is operating in a specific situation. Eliminate beneficence and veracity next
because they focus on the obligation of the nurse rather than on a right of the client.
2. A nurse forgets to administer a client's diuretic and the client experiences
an episode of pulmonary edema. The charge nurse would consider the
medication error to constitute negligence because the situation contains
which element?
1. Purposeful failure to perform a health care procedure
2. Unintentional failure to perform a health care procedure
3. Act of substituting a different medication for the one ordered
4. Failure to follow a direct order by a physician: Answer: 2
Rationale: Negligence is the unintentional failure of an individual to perform or not
perform an act that a reasonable person would or would not do in the same or similar
circumstances. A purposeful failure to perform a procedure would be the opposite
of negligence, which is unintentional. Substituting a different medication does not fit
, NCLEX-RN Practice Questions
the description of the situation in the question. Failure to follow a direct order does
not fit the description in the situation in the question.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Assessment
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Two options are opposites, which is a clue that one of them may be
correct. Choose unintentional failure to carry out a procedure over purposeful
failure because it matches the definition of negligence.
3. A client asks why a diagnostic test has been ordered and the nurse replies,
"I'm unsure but will find out for you." When the nurse later returns and
provides an explanation, the nurse is acting under which principle?
1. Nonmaleficence
2. Veracity
3. Beneficence
4. Fidelity: Answer: 4
Rationale: Fidelity means being faithful to agreements and promises. This nurse is
acting on the client's behalf to obtain needed information and report it back to the
client. Nonmaleficence is the duty to do no harm. Veracity refers to telling the truth
for example, not lying to a client about a serious prognosis. Beneficence means
doing good, such as by implementing actions (e.g. keeping a salt shaker out of
sight) that benefit a client (heart condition requiring sodium-restricted diet).
Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The correct answer is the one that matches
the description in the stem; that is, the nurse made a promise to a client and kept it,
which constitutes fidelity.
4. An individual has a seizure while walking down the street. During the
seizure, a nurse from a physician's office is noticed driving past without
stopping to assist. The individual sues the nurse for negligence but fails to
win a judgement for which reason?
, NCLEX-RN Practice Questions
1. The nurse had no duty to the individual.
2. The nurse did what most nurses would do in the same circumstance.
3. The nurse did not cause the client's injuries.
4. The nurse was off-duty at the time.: Answer: 1
Rationale: To be guilty of negligence, the nurse must have a relationship with the
client that involves a duty to provide care. The relationship is usually a component
of employment. The nurse did not necessarily do what others would do in this
situation. Although the nurse did not cause the client's injuries, it does not prevent
the nurse from assisting in this situation. Although the nurse was off-duty, the nurse
could have assisted if motivated to do so. Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination and nursing knowledge. The correct
answer is the one that recognizes that the nurse was not in the role of employee at
the time of the incident, removing the requirement of acting on the client's behalf.
5. An adult female ambulatory care client receiving an oral anticoagulant is
given aspirin for a headache while visiting a neighbor, who is a nurse. The
client subsequently has a bleeding episode because of a drug interaction. The
legal nurse consultant interprets that which necessary elements of
malpractice are missing from this case? Select all that apply.
1. Breech of duty
2. Duty owed
3. Injury experienced
4. Causation between nurse's action and injury
5. Intent to cause harm or injury: Answer: 2, 5
Rationale: There was no nurse-client relationship because the nurse was acting as
a neighbor and not in an employment capacity. Thus, there can be no duty owed.
Intent is not a necessary element of malpractice, because malpractice can occur
because of unintended actions as well. There was no breach of duty because there
was no official nurse-client relationship, which accompanies an employment
situation. There was injury experiences because of this event. The bleeding was
caused by the interaction of the aspirin with the anticoagulant.
