HESI Comprehensive Exam / HESI
Comprehensive Exam | 2025 Updated |
Practice Questions & Detailed Rationales
Enalapril maleate is prescribed for a hospitalized client. Which assessment does
the nurse perform as a priority before administering the medication?
Checking the client's blood pressure
Checking the client's peripheral pulses
Checking the most recent potassium level
Checking the client's intake-and-output record for the last 24 hours - ---
✔✔✔ANSWER----Checking the client's blood pressure
Rationale: Enalapril maleate is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor
used to treat hypertension. One common side effect is postural hypotension.
Therefore the nurse would check the client's blood pressure immediately before
,administering each dose. Checking the client's peripheral pulses, the results of the
most recent potassium level, and the intake and output for the previous 24 hours
are not specifically associated with this mediation.
A client is scheduled to undergo an upper gastrointestinal (GI) series, and the
nurse provides instructions to the client about the test. Which statement by the
client indicates a need for further instruction?
"The test will take about 30 minutes."
"I need to fast for 8 hours before the test."
"I need to drink citrate of magnesia the night before the test and give myself a
Fleet enema on the morning of the test."
"I need to take a laxative after the test is completed, because the liquid that I'll
have to drink for the test can be constipating." - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----"I
need to drink citrate of magnesia the night before the test and give myself a Fleet
enema on the morning of the test."
Rationale: No special preparation is necessary before a GI series, except that NPO
(nothing by mouth) status must be maintained for 8 hours before the test. An
upper GI series involves visualization of the esophagus, duodenum, and upper
jejunum by means of the use of a contrast medium. It involves swallowing a
contrast medium (usually barium), which is administered in a flavored milkshake.
Films are taken at intervals during the test, which takes about 30 minutes. After an
upper GI series, the client is prescribed a laxative to hasten elimination of the
barium. Barium that remains in the colon may become hard and difficult to expel,
leading to fecal impaction.
,A nurse on the evening shift checks a primary health care provider's prescriptions
and notes that the dose of a prescribed medication is higher than the normal
dose. The nurse calls the primary health care provider's answering service and is
told that the primary health care provider is off for the night and will be available
in the morning. What should the nurse do next?
Call the nursing supervisor
Ask the answering service to contact the on-call primary health care provider
Withhold the medication until the primary health care provider can be reached in
the morning
Administer the medication but consult the primary health care provider when he
becomes available - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----Ask the answering service to
contact the on-call primary health care provider
Rationale: The nurse has a duty to protect the client from harm. A nurse who
believes that a primary health care provider's prescription may be in error is
responsible for clarifying the prescription before carrying it out. Therefore the
nurse would not administer the medication; instead, the nurse would withhold
the medication until the dose can be clarified. The nurse would not wait until the
next morning to obtain clarification. It is premature to call the nursing supervisor.
An emergency department (ED) nurse is monitoring a client with suspected acute
myocardial infarction (MI) who is awaiting transfer to the coronary intensive care
unit. The nurse notes the sudden onset of premature ventricular contractions
(PVCs) on the monitor, checks the client's carotid pulse, and determines that the
PVCs are not perfusing. What is the nurse's most appropriate action?
Document the findings
, Ask the ED primary health care provider to check the client
Continue to monitor the client's cardiac status
Inform the client that PVCs are expected after an MI - ---✔✔✔ANSWER---
-Ask the ED primary health care provider to check the client
Rationale: The most appropriate action by the nurse would be to ask the ED
health care provider to check the client. PVCs are a result of increased irritability
of ventricular cells. Peripheral pulses may be absent or diminished with the PVCs
themselves because the decreased stroke volume of the premature beats may in
turn decrease peripheral perfusion. Because other rhythms also cause widened
QRS complexes, it is essential that the nurse determine whether the premature
beats are resulting in perfusion of the extremities. This is done by palpating the
carotid, brachial, or femoral artery while observing the monitor for widened
complexes or by auscultating for apical heart sounds. In the situation of acute MI,
PVCs may be considered warning dysrhythmias, possibly heralding the onset of
ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Therefore, the nurse would not
tell the client that the PVCs are expected. Although the nurse will continue to
monitor the client and document the findings, these are not the most appropriate
actions of those provided.
NPO status is imposed 8 hours before the procedure on a client scheduled to
undergo electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at 1 p.m. On the morning of the
procedure, the nurse checks the client's record and notes that the client routinely
takes an oral antihypertensive medication each morning. What action should the
nurse take?
Administer the antihypertensive with a small sip of water
Withhold the antihypertensive and administer it at bedtime
Comprehensive Exam | 2025 Updated |
Practice Questions & Detailed Rationales
Enalapril maleate is prescribed for a hospitalized client. Which assessment does
the nurse perform as a priority before administering the medication?
Checking the client's blood pressure
Checking the client's peripheral pulses
Checking the most recent potassium level
Checking the client's intake-and-output record for the last 24 hours - ---
✔✔✔ANSWER----Checking the client's blood pressure
Rationale: Enalapril maleate is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor
used to treat hypertension. One common side effect is postural hypotension.
Therefore the nurse would check the client's blood pressure immediately before
,administering each dose. Checking the client's peripheral pulses, the results of the
most recent potassium level, and the intake and output for the previous 24 hours
are not specifically associated with this mediation.
A client is scheduled to undergo an upper gastrointestinal (GI) series, and the
nurse provides instructions to the client about the test. Which statement by the
client indicates a need for further instruction?
"The test will take about 30 minutes."
"I need to fast for 8 hours before the test."
"I need to drink citrate of magnesia the night before the test and give myself a
Fleet enema on the morning of the test."
"I need to take a laxative after the test is completed, because the liquid that I'll
have to drink for the test can be constipating." - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----"I
need to drink citrate of magnesia the night before the test and give myself a Fleet
enema on the morning of the test."
Rationale: No special preparation is necessary before a GI series, except that NPO
(nothing by mouth) status must be maintained for 8 hours before the test. An
upper GI series involves visualization of the esophagus, duodenum, and upper
jejunum by means of the use of a contrast medium. It involves swallowing a
contrast medium (usually barium), which is administered in a flavored milkshake.
Films are taken at intervals during the test, which takes about 30 minutes. After an
upper GI series, the client is prescribed a laxative to hasten elimination of the
barium. Barium that remains in the colon may become hard and difficult to expel,
leading to fecal impaction.
,A nurse on the evening shift checks a primary health care provider's prescriptions
and notes that the dose of a prescribed medication is higher than the normal
dose. The nurse calls the primary health care provider's answering service and is
told that the primary health care provider is off for the night and will be available
in the morning. What should the nurse do next?
Call the nursing supervisor
Ask the answering service to contact the on-call primary health care provider
Withhold the medication until the primary health care provider can be reached in
the morning
Administer the medication but consult the primary health care provider when he
becomes available - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----Ask the answering service to
contact the on-call primary health care provider
Rationale: The nurse has a duty to protect the client from harm. A nurse who
believes that a primary health care provider's prescription may be in error is
responsible for clarifying the prescription before carrying it out. Therefore the
nurse would not administer the medication; instead, the nurse would withhold
the medication until the dose can be clarified. The nurse would not wait until the
next morning to obtain clarification. It is premature to call the nursing supervisor.
An emergency department (ED) nurse is monitoring a client with suspected acute
myocardial infarction (MI) who is awaiting transfer to the coronary intensive care
unit. The nurse notes the sudden onset of premature ventricular contractions
(PVCs) on the monitor, checks the client's carotid pulse, and determines that the
PVCs are not perfusing. What is the nurse's most appropriate action?
Document the findings
, Ask the ED primary health care provider to check the client
Continue to monitor the client's cardiac status
Inform the client that PVCs are expected after an MI - ---✔✔✔ANSWER---
-Ask the ED primary health care provider to check the client
Rationale: The most appropriate action by the nurse would be to ask the ED
health care provider to check the client. PVCs are a result of increased irritability
of ventricular cells. Peripheral pulses may be absent or diminished with the PVCs
themselves because the decreased stroke volume of the premature beats may in
turn decrease peripheral perfusion. Because other rhythms also cause widened
QRS complexes, it is essential that the nurse determine whether the premature
beats are resulting in perfusion of the extremities. This is done by palpating the
carotid, brachial, or femoral artery while observing the monitor for widened
complexes or by auscultating for apical heart sounds. In the situation of acute MI,
PVCs may be considered warning dysrhythmias, possibly heralding the onset of
ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Therefore, the nurse would not
tell the client that the PVCs are expected. Although the nurse will continue to
monitor the client and document the findings, these are not the most appropriate
actions of those provided.
NPO status is imposed 8 hours before the procedure on a client scheduled to
undergo electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at 1 p.m. On the morning of the
procedure, the nurse checks the client's record and notes that the client routinely
takes an oral antihypertensive medication each morning. What action should the
nurse take?
Administer the antihypertensive with a small sip of water
Withhold the antihypertensive and administer it at bedtime
