Pediatric HESI Practice Questions
Exam Question & Answers 2025/2026
The nurse is preparing a child with an intussusception for a prescribed
barium enema. What is the main purpose of conducting this procedure
prior to surgical intervention?
A.Evacuate the bowel of impacted feces.
B.Reduce the invaginated bowel segment.
C.Locate the presence of diverticula.
D.Identify the area of esophageal atresia. - CORRECT ANSWERS
✔✔ANS: B
Intussusception, an invagination or telescoping of one portion of the
intestine into another, causes intestinal obstruction in children (usually
occurs between 3 months and 5 years of age). Nonsurgical treatment is
attempted with hydrostatic pressure created by barium instillation,
which often reduces the area of bowel intussusception (B), thereby
negating the need for surgical intervention. A barium enema is likely to
cause (A). A barium enema could be used to detect (C), but this is not
the reason for its use with intussusception. (D) is not a use for a barium
enema.
,Pediatric HESI Practice Questions
Exam Question & Answers 2025/2026
The nurse is teaching an adolescent girl with scoliosis about a
Milwaukee brace that her health care provider has prescribed. Which
instruction should the nurse provide to this client?
A.Remove the brace 1 hour each day for bathing only.
B.Remove the brace only for back range-of-motion exercises.
C.Wear the brace against the bare skin to ensure a good fit.
D.Wearing the brace will cure the spinal curvature. - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✔✔ANS: A
The Milwaukee brace is designed to slow the progression in spinal
curvature while the adolescent is growing. The brace should be worn 23
hours a day and removed a total of 1 hour a day for hygiene (A). There
are no specific exercises for increasing the range of motion in the back
that should be performed (B). A T shirt should be worn next to the body
and the brace put on over the T shirt to protect the skin (C). The brace
will not cure the spinal curvature (D) but should slow the progression of
the scoliosis.
The nurse should teach the parents of a child with a cyanotic heart
defect to perform which action when a hypercyanotic spell occurs?
,Pediatric HESI Practice Questions
Exam Question & Answers 2025/2026
A.Place the child's head flat, with the knees on pillows above the level
of the heart.
B.Have the child lie on the right side, with the head elevated on one
pillow.
C.Allow the child to assume a knee-chest position, with the head and
chest slightly elevated.
D.Encourage the child to sit up at a 45-degree angle, drink cold water,
and take deep breaths. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔ANS: C
Assuming a knee-chest position with the head and chest slightly
elevated (C) will help restore hemodynamic equilibrium. (A and B) are
incorrect positions and may hinder the child's condition. (D) may cause
chest pain or a vasovagal response, with resulting hypotension.
During routine screening at a school clinic, an otoscope examination of
a child's ear reveals a tympanic membrane that is pearly gray, slightly
bulging, and not movable. Based on these findings, what action should
the nurse take?
A.No action is required, because this is an expected finding for a school-
aged child.
, Pediatric HESI Practice Questions
Exam Question & Answers 2025/2026
B.Ask if the child has had a cold, runny nose, or any ear pain lately.
C.Send a note home advising parents to have the child evaluated by a
health care provider.
D.Call the parents and have them take the child home from school for
the rest of the day. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔ANS: B
More information is needed to interpret these findings (B). The
tympanic membrane is normally pearly gray, not bulging, and moves
when a client blows against resistance or when a small puff of air is
blown into the ear canal. Because these findings are not completely
normal, further assessment of history and related signs and symptoms
are needed to interpret the findings accurately. Based on the data
obtained from the otoscope examination, (A, C, and D) are not
indicated.
A newborn female whose mother is HIV-positive is scheduled for the
first follow-up assessment with the nurse. If the child is HIV-positive,
which initial symptom is she most likely to exhibit?
A.Shortness of breath
B.Joint pain
Exam Question & Answers 2025/2026
The nurse is preparing a child with an intussusception for a prescribed
barium enema. What is the main purpose of conducting this procedure
prior to surgical intervention?
A.Evacuate the bowel of impacted feces.
B.Reduce the invaginated bowel segment.
C.Locate the presence of diverticula.
D.Identify the area of esophageal atresia. - CORRECT ANSWERS
✔✔ANS: B
Intussusception, an invagination or telescoping of one portion of the
intestine into another, causes intestinal obstruction in children (usually
occurs between 3 months and 5 years of age). Nonsurgical treatment is
attempted with hydrostatic pressure created by barium instillation,
which often reduces the area of bowel intussusception (B), thereby
negating the need for surgical intervention. A barium enema is likely to
cause (A). A barium enema could be used to detect (C), but this is not
the reason for its use with intussusception. (D) is not a use for a barium
enema.
,Pediatric HESI Practice Questions
Exam Question & Answers 2025/2026
The nurse is teaching an adolescent girl with scoliosis about a
Milwaukee brace that her health care provider has prescribed. Which
instruction should the nurse provide to this client?
A.Remove the brace 1 hour each day for bathing only.
B.Remove the brace only for back range-of-motion exercises.
C.Wear the brace against the bare skin to ensure a good fit.
D.Wearing the brace will cure the spinal curvature. - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✔✔ANS: A
The Milwaukee brace is designed to slow the progression in spinal
curvature while the adolescent is growing. The brace should be worn 23
hours a day and removed a total of 1 hour a day for hygiene (A). There
are no specific exercises for increasing the range of motion in the back
that should be performed (B). A T shirt should be worn next to the body
and the brace put on over the T shirt to protect the skin (C). The brace
will not cure the spinal curvature (D) but should slow the progression of
the scoliosis.
The nurse should teach the parents of a child with a cyanotic heart
defect to perform which action when a hypercyanotic spell occurs?
,Pediatric HESI Practice Questions
Exam Question & Answers 2025/2026
A.Place the child's head flat, with the knees on pillows above the level
of the heart.
B.Have the child lie on the right side, with the head elevated on one
pillow.
C.Allow the child to assume a knee-chest position, with the head and
chest slightly elevated.
D.Encourage the child to sit up at a 45-degree angle, drink cold water,
and take deep breaths. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔ANS: C
Assuming a knee-chest position with the head and chest slightly
elevated (C) will help restore hemodynamic equilibrium. (A and B) are
incorrect positions and may hinder the child's condition. (D) may cause
chest pain or a vasovagal response, with resulting hypotension.
During routine screening at a school clinic, an otoscope examination of
a child's ear reveals a tympanic membrane that is pearly gray, slightly
bulging, and not movable. Based on these findings, what action should
the nurse take?
A.No action is required, because this is an expected finding for a school-
aged child.
, Pediatric HESI Practice Questions
Exam Question & Answers 2025/2026
B.Ask if the child has had a cold, runny nose, or any ear pain lately.
C.Send a note home advising parents to have the child evaluated by a
health care provider.
D.Call the parents and have them take the child home from school for
the rest of the day. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔ANS: B
More information is needed to interpret these findings (B). The
tympanic membrane is normally pearly gray, not bulging, and moves
when a client blows against resistance or when a small puff of air is
blown into the ear canal. Because these findings are not completely
normal, further assessment of history and related signs and symptoms
are needed to interpret the findings accurately. Based on the data
obtained from the otoscope examination, (A, C, and D) are not
indicated.
A newborn female whose mother is HIV-positive is scheduled for the
first follow-up assessment with the nurse. If the child is HIV-positive,
which initial symptom is she most likely to exhibit?
A.Shortness of breath
B.Joint pain
