Musculoskeletal NCLEX Questions
1. A nurse is performing a musculoskeletal assessment A,B,D,E
on an older adult living independently. What normal
physiologic changes of aging does the nurse expect?
(Select all that apply.)
a. Muscle atrophy
b. Slowed movement
c. Scoliosis
d. Arthritis
e. Widened gait
2. A client returns to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) D
after an arthroscopy to prepare a knee injury. What is
the nurse's priority when caring for this client?
a. Perform passive range-of-motion exercises.
b. Keep the affected leg immobilized.
c. Ensure that the patient uses the patient-controlled
analgesia (PCA) pump.
d. Check the neurovascular status of the affected leg
and foot.
3. A client who has a plaster leg splint reports a painful B.
pressure sensation under the elastic wrap that is hold-
ing the splint in place. What is the nurse's best initial
action?
a. Remove the splint to reduce skin pressure.
b. Perform a neurovascular assessment.
c. Report the client's concern to the primary health
care provider.
d. Inspect the skin under the elastic bandage.
, Musculoskeletal NCLEX Questions
4. A client has a synthetic cast placed for a right wrist B,C,D,E
fracture in the emergency room. What priority health
teaching is important for the nurse to provide for this
client before returning home? (Select all that apply.)
a. "Keep your right arm below the level of your heart
as often as possible."
b. "Use an ice pack for the first 24 hours to decrease
tissue swelling."
c. "Move the fingers of the right hand frequently to
promote blood flow."
d. "Report coolness or discoloration of your right hand
to your doctor."
e. "Don't place any device under the case to scratch the
skin if it itches."
5. A client who had an elective below-the-knee amputa- D.
tion (BKA) reports pain in the foot that was amputated
last week. What is the nurse's most appropriate re-
sponse to the client's pain?
a. "The pain will go away after the swelling decreases."
b. "That's phantom limb pain and every amputee has
that."
c. "Your foot has been amputated, so it's in your
head."
d. "On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your
pain?"
6. What is the nurse's priority when doing an admission A.
for a client who returned directly from the operating
suite after a carpal tunnel repair?
, Musculoskeletal NCLEX Questions
a. Monitor vital signs, including pulse oximetry.
b. Check the surgical dressing to ensure it is intact.
c. Assess neurovascular assessment in the affected
arm.
d. Monitor intake and output.
7. The nurse plans to use which tool to measure joint B.
range of motion (ROM)?
A. Doppler device
B. Goniometer
C.Reflex hammer
D. Tonometer
8. A nursing student is studying the skeletal system. D.
Which statement best indicates to the nursing instruc-
tor that the student understands a normal physiologic
function of the skeletal system?
A."Volkmann's canals connect osteoblasts and osteo-
clasts."
B. "In the deepest layer of the periosteum is the cortex,
which consists of dense, compact bone tissue."
C. "The matrix of the bone is where deposits of calcium
and magnesium are present."
D. "Hematopoiesis occurs in the red marrow, which is
where blood cells are produced."
9. The nurse is completing an admission assessment on a B.
client scheduled for arthroscopic knee surgery. Which
information will be most essential for the nurse to
report to the health care provider?
A. Knee pain at a level of 9 (0-to-10 scale)
B. Warm, red, and swollen knee
1. A nurse is performing a musculoskeletal assessment A,B,D,E
on an older adult living independently. What normal
physiologic changes of aging does the nurse expect?
(Select all that apply.)
a. Muscle atrophy
b. Slowed movement
c. Scoliosis
d. Arthritis
e. Widened gait
2. A client returns to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) D
after an arthroscopy to prepare a knee injury. What is
the nurse's priority when caring for this client?
a. Perform passive range-of-motion exercises.
b. Keep the affected leg immobilized.
c. Ensure that the patient uses the patient-controlled
analgesia (PCA) pump.
d. Check the neurovascular status of the affected leg
and foot.
3. A client who has a plaster leg splint reports a painful B.
pressure sensation under the elastic wrap that is hold-
ing the splint in place. What is the nurse's best initial
action?
a. Remove the splint to reduce skin pressure.
b. Perform a neurovascular assessment.
c. Report the client's concern to the primary health
care provider.
d. Inspect the skin under the elastic bandage.
, Musculoskeletal NCLEX Questions
4. A client has a synthetic cast placed for a right wrist B,C,D,E
fracture in the emergency room. What priority health
teaching is important for the nurse to provide for this
client before returning home? (Select all that apply.)
a. "Keep your right arm below the level of your heart
as often as possible."
b. "Use an ice pack for the first 24 hours to decrease
tissue swelling."
c. "Move the fingers of the right hand frequently to
promote blood flow."
d. "Report coolness or discoloration of your right hand
to your doctor."
e. "Don't place any device under the case to scratch the
skin if it itches."
5. A client who had an elective below-the-knee amputa- D.
tion (BKA) reports pain in the foot that was amputated
last week. What is the nurse's most appropriate re-
sponse to the client's pain?
a. "The pain will go away after the swelling decreases."
b. "That's phantom limb pain and every amputee has
that."
c. "Your foot has been amputated, so it's in your
head."
d. "On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your
pain?"
6. What is the nurse's priority when doing an admission A.
for a client who returned directly from the operating
suite after a carpal tunnel repair?
, Musculoskeletal NCLEX Questions
a. Monitor vital signs, including pulse oximetry.
b. Check the surgical dressing to ensure it is intact.
c. Assess neurovascular assessment in the affected
arm.
d. Monitor intake and output.
7. The nurse plans to use which tool to measure joint B.
range of motion (ROM)?
A. Doppler device
B. Goniometer
C.Reflex hammer
D. Tonometer
8. A nursing student is studying the skeletal system. D.
Which statement best indicates to the nursing instruc-
tor that the student understands a normal physiologic
function of the skeletal system?
A."Volkmann's canals connect osteoblasts and osteo-
clasts."
B. "In the deepest layer of the periosteum is the cortex,
which consists of dense, compact bone tissue."
C. "The matrix of the bone is where deposits of calcium
and magnesium are present."
D. "Hematopoiesis occurs in the red marrow, which is
where blood cells are produced."
9. The nurse is completing an admission assessment on a B.
client scheduled for arthroscopic knee surgery. Which
information will be most essential for the nurse to
report to the health care provider?
A. Knee pain at a level of 9 (0-to-10 scale)
B. Warm, red, and swollen knee
