HESI Pediatric Practice Exam with
Answers
the nurse is preparing to assess several clients at a pediatric clinic. which client would require a
developmental screening versus developmental surveillance during a scheduled health
maintenance visit?
- a 9 month old infant
- a 2 week old newborn
- a 15 month old toddler
- a 4 year old preschooler - ✔✔a 9 month old infant
during which stage of development would the nurse anticipate sibling relationships that
fluctuate between open bickering and supportive relationships?
- preschool
- early school age
- late adolescence
- middle school age - ✔✔middle school age
at which stage of development would the nurse anticipate that pediatric clients will begin to
show differences in play activities that are related to gender?
- preschool
- adolescence
- late school age
- early school age - ✔✔late school age
a parent is worried about the infant's excessive dependence on nonnutritive sucking. which
intervention will help decrease this dependence?
- prolonging the feeding time
,- using infant formulas frequently
- offering pacifier as soon as the crying begins
- wrapping the infant snugly most of the time - ✔✔prolonging the feeding time
to which client would the nurse provide education regarding the pubertal growth spurt?
- an 8 year old school age male client
- a 16 year old adolescent male client
- a 12 year old school age female
- an 18 year old adolescent female client - ✔✔a 12 year old school age female
which statement correctly describes the initiative versus guilt stage?
- individuals like to pretend and try out new roles
- individuals are more accomplished in some basic self-care activities
- individuals show marked preoccupation with appearance and body image
- individuals are eager to apply themselves to learning socially productive skills and tools -
✔✔individuals like to pretend and try out new roles
which is the reason for calculating a body mass index (BMI)-for-age during a health
maintenance assessment for school-age clients?
- assessing for bulimia
- monitoring for failure to thrive
- monitoring for anorexia
- assessing for obesity or overweight - ✔✔assessing for obesity or overweight
which complication would the nurse recognize as the most serious in an infant with meningitis?
- epilepsy
- blindness
- peripheral circulatory collapse
,- communicating hydrocephalus - ✔✔peripheral circulatory collapse
which parent teaching would the nurse provide about signs of shunt failure in a 4-month-old
infant with a ventroperitoneal shunt? select all that apply. one, some, or all responses may be
correct
- vomiting
- dehydration
- sunken eyeballs
- distended fontanels
- abdominal distention - ✔✔- vomiting
- distended fontanels
in which position would the nurse place an infant who just underwent surgery for a cleft lip?
- prone
- low fowler
- left side lying
- caregiver's shoulder - ✔✔low fowler
(rationale: the low fowler or supine position prevents the incision from coming into contact
with the mattress and is the preferred position for infants)
which action would the nurse take to promote the social development of a 9-month-old infant?
- engaging in peek a boo
- offering soft clay to manipulate
- providing a pegboard for pounding
- demonstrating how to speak words - ✔✔engaging in peek a boo
, a 1-year-old infant has been admitted with a tentative diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. which
cerebrospinal fluid (csf) laboratory finding would support this diagnosis?
- decreased cell count
- increased protein level
- increased glucose level
- low spinal fluid pressure - ✔✔increased protein level
a 9-month-old infant is admitted to the pediatric unit. twelve hours later, the nurse determines
that the previous blood pressures were taken using a neonate-size cuff. which is the best action
for the nurse to take?
- removing all neonate size cuffs from the unit
- using the neonate size cuff for future measurement
- taking the next measurement with both a neonate and a child size cuff
- notifying the health care provider that the results were obtained with a neonate-size cuff -
✔✔taking the next measurement with both a neonate and a child size cuff
which strategy would the nurse use to soothe a 2-month-old infant who is crying?
- offering the infant a bottle of diluted juice
- holding and rocking the infant in a quiet room
- changing the diaper before returning the infant to the crib
- wrapping a blanket around the infant and placing him or her in a supine position - ✔✔holding
and rocking the infant in a quiet room
which age would a child be able to drink from a cup?
- 5 months
- 7 months
- 12 months
- 15 months - ✔✔12 months
Answers
the nurse is preparing to assess several clients at a pediatric clinic. which client would require a
developmental screening versus developmental surveillance during a scheduled health
maintenance visit?
- a 9 month old infant
- a 2 week old newborn
- a 15 month old toddler
- a 4 year old preschooler - ✔✔a 9 month old infant
during which stage of development would the nurse anticipate sibling relationships that
fluctuate between open bickering and supportive relationships?
- preschool
- early school age
- late adolescence
- middle school age - ✔✔middle school age
at which stage of development would the nurse anticipate that pediatric clients will begin to
show differences in play activities that are related to gender?
- preschool
- adolescence
- late school age
- early school age - ✔✔late school age
a parent is worried about the infant's excessive dependence on nonnutritive sucking. which
intervention will help decrease this dependence?
- prolonging the feeding time
,- using infant formulas frequently
- offering pacifier as soon as the crying begins
- wrapping the infant snugly most of the time - ✔✔prolonging the feeding time
to which client would the nurse provide education regarding the pubertal growth spurt?
- an 8 year old school age male client
- a 16 year old adolescent male client
- a 12 year old school age female
- an 18 year old adolescent female client - ✔✔a 12 year old school age female
which statement correctly describes the initiative versus guilt stage?
- individuals like to pretend and try out new roles
- individuals are more accomplished in some basic self-care activities
- individuals show marked preoccupation with appearance and body image
- individuals are eager to apply themselves to learning socially productive skills and tools -
✔✔individuals like to pretend and try out new roles
which is the reason for calculating a body mass index (BMI)-for-age during a health
maintenance assessment for school-age clients?
- assessing for bulimia
- monitoring for failure to thrive
- monitoring for anorexia
- assessing for obesity or overweight - ✔✔assessing for obesity or overweight
which complication would the nurse recognize as the most serious in an infant with meningitis?
- epilepsy
- blindness
- peripheral circulatory collapse
,- communicating hydrocephalus - ✔✔peripheral circulatory collapse
which parent teaching would the nurse provide about signs of shunt failure in a 4-month-old
infant with a ventroperitoneal shunt? select all that apply. one, some, or all responses may be
correct
- vomiting
- dehydration
- sunken eyeballs
- distended fontanels
- abdominal distention - ✔✔- vomiting
- distended fontanels
in which position would the nurse place an infant who just underwent surgery for a cleft lip?
- prone
- low fowler
- left side lying
- caregiver's shoulder - ✔✔low fowler
(rationale: the low fowler or supine position prevents the incision from coming into contact
with the mattress and is the preferred position for infants)
which action would the nurse take to promote the social development of a 9-month-old infant?
- engaging in peek a boo
- offering soft clay to manipulate
- providing a pegboard for pounding
- demonstrating how to speak words - ✔✔engaging in peek a boo
, a 1-year-old infant has been admitted with a tentative diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. which
cerebrospinal fluid (csf) laboratory finding would support this diagnosis?
- decreased cell count
- increased protein level
- increased glucose level
- low spinal fluid pressure - ✔✔increased protein level
a 9-month-old infant is admitted to the pediatric unit. twelve hours later, the nurse determines
that the previous blood pressures were taken using a neonate-size cuff. which is the best action
for the nurse to take?
- removing all neonate size cuffs from the unit
- using the neonate size cuff for future measurement
- taking the next measurement with both a neonate and a child size cuff
- notifying the health care provider that the results were obtained with a neonate-size cuff -
✔✔taking the next measurement with both a neonate and a child size cuff
which strategy would the nurse use to soothe a 2-month-old infant who is crying?
- offering the infant a bottle of diluted juice
- holding and rocking the infant in a quiet room
- changing the diaper before returning the infant to the crib
- wrapping a blanket around the infant and placing him or her in a supine position - ✔✔holding
and rocking the infant in a quiet room
which age would a child be able to drink from a cup?
- 5 months
- 7 months
- 12 months
- 15 months - ✔✔12 months
