Certified Medical-Surgical Registered
Nurse Sample Questions
A 30-year old patient has been diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. The patient
says, "This is all my fault." Which of Kubler-Ross's five stages of grief is the patient
probably experiencing?
A.Denial
B.Anger
C.Depression
D.Acceptance - ------------ANSWER: B. The patient is experiencing the stage of
anger. People grieve individually and may not go through all stages, but most go
through at least 2 stages. Kubler-Ross's 5 stages of grief include:
Denial: Refusal to believe, confused, stunned, detached.
Anger: Directed inward (self-blame) or outward.
Bargaining: If - then thinking. ("If I go to church, then I will heal.")
Depression: Sad, withdrawn.
Acceptance: Resolution.
A 50-year-old male with a diagnosis of leukemia is responding poorly to treatment.
He is tearful and trying
to express his feelings, but he is having difficulty. The nurse should first:
A. tell him that she will leave for now but she will be back.
B. offer to call pastoral care.
C. ask if he would like her to sit with him while he collects his thoughts.
D. tell him that she can understand how he is feeling. - ------------ANSWER: C. ask if
he would like her to sit with him while he collects his thoughts.
Rationale: The patient needs to feel that people are concerned with his situation.
Option A
is incorrect because leaving the patient doesn't show acceptance of his feelings.
Option B is incorrect because offering to call pastoral care may be helpful for some
patients but should be done after the nurse has spent time with the patient. Option D
is incorrect because telling the patient that she understands how he's feeling is
inappropriate because it doesn't help him express his feelings.
A 55-year-old black male is found to have a blood pressure of 150/90 mm Hg during
a work site health
screening. What should the nurse do?
A. Consider this to be a normal finding for his age and race.
,B. Recommend he have his blood pressure rechecked in 1 year.
C. Recommend he have his blood pressure rechecked within 2 weeks.
D. Recommend he go to the emergency department for further evaluation. -
------------ANSWER: C. Recommend he have his blood pressure rechecked within 2
weeks.
Rationale: A BP of 150/90 mm Hg should be rechecked within 2 weeks according to
current recommendations. If confirmed, assessment and treatment should be
initiated by the practitioner.
Option A is incorrect because although hypertension is more prevalent among
blacks, a BP of 150/90 mm Hg isn't considered normal. Option B is incorrect
because a person with a BP
of 150/90 mm Hg shouldn't wait as long as 1 year to have it rechecked.
Option D is incorrect because he doesn't need to be treated on an emergency basis,
but he should have his BP monitored.
A 60-year-old male patient is suspected of having coronary artery disease. Which
noninvasive diagnostic
method would the nurse expect to be ordered to evaluate cardiac changes?
A. Cardiac biopsy
B. Cardiac catheterization
C. MRI
D. Pericardiocentesis - ------------ANSWER: C. MRI
Rationale: MRI is a noninvasive procedure that aids in the diagnosis and detection of
thoracic
aortic aneurysm and evaluation of coronary artery disease, pericardial disease, and
cardiac masses.
Cardiac biopsy (Option A), cardiac catheterization (Option B), and pericardiocentesis
(Option D) are invasive
techniques used to evaluate cardiac changes.
A 66-year-old patient has marked dyspnea at rest, is thin, and uses accessory
muscles to breathe. He is
tachypneic, with a prolonged expiratory phase. He has no cough. He leans forward
with his arms braced on his
knees to support his chest and shoulders for breathing. This patient has signs and
symptoms of which respiratory
disorder?
A. ARDS
B. Asthma
C. Chronic obstructive bronchitis
D. Emphysema - ------------ANSWER: D. Emphysema
,Rationale: These are classic signs and symptoms of a patient with emphysema.
Patients with ARDS (Option A) are acutely short of breath and require emergency
care; those with asthma (option B) are also acutely short of breath during an attack
and appear very frightened. Patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis (Option C)
appear bloated and cyanotic
A 68-year old man with mild COPD refuses to exercise because he tires easily. He
spends most of every day sitting in a chair watching television. What is the most
appropriate nursing diagnosis?
A.Ineffective health maintenance
B.Impaired physical mobility
C.Risk for disuse syndrome
D.Activity intolerance - ------------ANSWER: C. The most appropriate nursing
diagnosis for a person who is able to exercise but remains sedentary is risk of disuse
syndrome because the patient is putting himself at risk for the development of
circulatory impairment and muscle atrophy. Failure to exercise may also exacerbate
his condition. While his health maintenance may be ineffective, it is directly due to of
his lack of activity. He does not have impaired physical mobility or activity intolerance
that precludes exercise.
A 78-year-old patient is scheduled for transition to home after treatment for heart
disease. The patient's spouse, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
plans to care for the patient at home. The spouse says that their grown children, who
live nearby, will help. The best approach to discharge planning is to:
1. Arrange nursing home placement for the couple.
2. Consult the spouse's healthcare provider about the spouse's ability to care for the
patient.
3. Contact the children to ascertain their commitment to help.
4. Discuss community resources with the spouse and offer to make referrals. -
------------ANSWER: 4. Discuss community resources with the spouse and offer to
make referrals.
A medical-surgical nurse, who is caring for a patient with a new diagnosis of cancer,
observes the patient becoming angry with the physicians and nursing staff. The best
approach to diffuse the emotionally charged discussion is to:
1. Allow the patient and family members time to be alone.
2. Arrange time for the patient to speak with another patient with cancer.
3. Direct the discussion and validation of emotion, without false reassurance.
4. Request a consultation from a social worker on the oncology unit. -
------------ANSWER: 3. Direct the discussion and validation of emotion, without false
reassurance.
, A nurse failed to administer a medication to a patient according to accepted
standards. Consequently, the
patient suffered adverse effects. Failure to provide patient care and to follow
appropriate standards is called:
A. breach of duty.
B. breach of contract.
C. battery.
D. tort - ------------ANSWER: A. breach of duty.
Rationale: Breach of duty means that the nurse provided care that didn't meet the
accepted
standard. When investigating breach of duty, the court asks: How would a
reasonable, prudent nurse with comparable training and experience have acted in
comparable circumstances?
A breach of contract (Option B) results when one party fails to perform as required
by a contract. Battery (Option C) is touching a patient without justification or
permission.
A tort (Option D) is a civil action for damages for injury to a person, property, or
reputation
A nurse is preparing to reinforce the teaching plan for a patient who has recently
been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the left lung. Which statement by
the nurse is correct?
A. "You have a slow-growing cancer that rarely spreads."
B. "In terms of prognosis, you may have only a few months to live."
C. "Squamous cell cancer is a very rapidly growing cancer."
D. "The cancer has generally metastasized by the time diagnosis is made." -
------------ANSWER: A. "You have a slow-growing cancer that rarely spreads."
Rationale: Squamous cell carcinoma is a type of cancer that grows slowly and rarely
metastasizes.
It has the best prognosis of all lung cancer types. It's not appropriate for the nurse to
tell the patient how long he has to live (Option B). Squamous cell carcinoma does
not grow rapidly (Option C) and rarely metastasizes (Option D).
A nursing department in an acute care setting decides to redesign its nursing
practice based on a theoretical framework. The feedback from patients, families, and
staff reflects that caring is a key element. Which theorist best supports this concept?
1. Erikson
2. Maslow
3. Rogers
4. Watson - ------------ANSWER: 4. Watson
Nurse Sample Questions
A 30-year old patient has been diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. The patient
says, "This is all my fault." Which of Kubler-Ross's five stages of grief is the patient
probably experiencing?
A.Denial
B.Anger
C.Depression
D.Acceptance - ------------ANSWER: B. The patient is experiencing the stage of
anger. People grieve individually and may not go through all stages, but most go
through at least 2 stages. Kubler-Ross's 5 stages of grief include:
Denial: Refusal to believe, confused, stunned, detached.
Anger: Directed inward (self-blame) or outward.
Bargaining: If - then thinking. ("If I go to church, then I will heal.")
Depression: Sad, withdrawn.
Acceptance: Resolution.
A 50-year-old male with a diagnosis of leukemia is responding poorly to treatment.
He is tearful and trying
to express his feelings, but he is having difficulty. The nurse should first:
A. tell him that she will leave for now but she will be back.
B. offer to call pastoral care.
C. ask if he would like her to sit with him while he collects his thoughts.
D. tell him that she can understand how he is feeling. - ------------ANSWER: C. ask if
he would like her to sit with him while he collects his thoughts.
Rationale: The patient needs to feel that people are concerned with his situation.
Option A
is incorrect because leaving the patient doesn't show acceptance of his feelings.
Option B is incorrect because offering to call pastoral care may be helpful for some
patients but should be done after the nurse has spent time with the patient. Option D
is incorrect because telling the patient that she understands how he's feeling is
inappropriate because it doesn't help him express his feelings.
A 55-year-old black male is found to have a blood pressure of 150/90 mm Hg during
a work site health
screening. What should the nurse do?
A. Consider this to be a normal finding for his age and race.
,B. Recommend he have his blood pressure rechecked in 1 year.
C. Recommend he have his blood pressure rechecked within 2 weeks.
D. Recommend he go to the emergency department for further evaluation. -
------------ANSWER: C. Recommend he have his blood pressure rechecked within 2
weeks.
Rationale: A BP of 150/90 mm Hg should be rechecked within 2 weeks according to
current recommendations. If confirmed, assessment and treatment should be
initiated by the practitioner.
Option A is incorrect because although hypertension is more prevalent among
blacks, a BP of 150/90 mm Hg isn't considered normal. Option B is incorrect
because a person with a BP
of 150/90 mm Hg shouldn't wait as long as 1 year to have it rechecked.
Option D is incorrect because he doesn't need to be treated on an emergency basis,
but he should have his BP monitored.
A 60-year-old male patient is suspected of having coronary artery disease. Which
noninvasive diagnostic
method would the nurse expect to be ordered to evaluate cardiac changes?
A. Cardiac biopsy
B. Cardiac catheterization
C. MRI
D. Pericardiocentesis - ------------ANSWER: C. MRI
Rationale: MRI is a noninvasive procedure that aids in the diagnosis and detection of
thoracic
aortic aneurysm and evaluation of coronary artery disease, pericardial disease, and
cardiac masses.
Cardiac biopsy (Option A), cardiac catheterization (Option B), and pericardiocentesis
(Option D) are invasive
techniques used to evaluate cardiac changes.
A 66-year-old patient has marked dyspnea at rest, is thin, and uses accessory
muscles to breathe. He is
tachypneic, with a prolonged expiratory phase. He has no cough. He leans forward
with his arms braced on his
knees to support his chest and shoulders for breathing. This patient has signs and
symptoms of which respiratory
disorder?
A. ARDS
B. Asthma
C. Chronic obstructive bronchitis
D. Emphysema - ------------ANSWER: D. Emphysema
,Rationale: These are classic signs and symptoms of a patient with emphysema.
Patients with ARDS (Option A) are acutely short of breath and require emergency
care; those with asthma (option B) are also acutely short of breath during an attack
and appear very frightened. Patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis (Option C)
appear bloated and cyanotic
A 68-year old man with mild COPD refuses to exercise because he tires easily. He
spends most of every day sitting in a chair watching television. What is the most
appropriate nursing diagnosis?
A.Ineffective health maintenance
B.Impaired physical mobility
C.Risk for disuse syndrome
D.Activity intolerance - ------------ANSWER: C. The most appropriate nursing
diagnosis for a person who is able to exercise but remains sedentary is risk of disuse
syndrome because the patient is putting himself at risk for the development of
circulatory impairment and muscle atrophy. Failure to exercise may also exacerbate
his condition. While his health maintenance may be ineffective, it is directly due to of
his lack of activity. He does not have impaired physical mobility or activity intolerance
that precludes exercise.
A 78-year-old patient is scheduled for transition to home after treatment for heart
disease. The patient's spouse, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
plans to care for the patient at home. The spouse says that their grown children, who
live nearby, will help. The best approach to discharge planning is to:
1. Arrange nursing home placement for the couple.
2. Consult the spouse's healthcare provider about the spouse's ability to care for the
patient.
3. Contact the children to ascertain their commitment to help.
4. Discuss community resources with the spouse and offer to make referrals. -
------------ANSWER: 4. Discuss community resources with the spouse and offer to
make referrals.
A medical-surgical nurse, who is caring for a patient with a new diagnosis of cancer,
observes the patient becoming angry with the physicians and nursing staff. The best
approach to diffuse the emotionally charged discussion is to:
1. Allow the patient and family members time to be alone.
2. Arrange time for the patient to speak with another patient with cancer.
3. Direct the discussion and validation of emotion, without false reassurance.
4. Request a consultation from a social worker on the oncology unit. -
------------ANSWER: 3. Direct the discussion and validation of emotion, without false
reassurance.
, A nurse failed to administer a medication to a patient according to accepted
standards. Consequently, the
patient suffered adverse effects. Failure to provide patient care and to follow
appropriate standards is called:
A. breach of duty.
B. breach of contract.
C. battery.
D. tort - ------------ANSWER: A. breach of duty.
Rationale: Breach of duty means that the nurse provided care that didn't meet the
accepted
standard. When investigating breach of duty, the court asks: How would a
reasonable, prudent nurse with comparable training and experience have acted in
comparable circumstances?
A breach of contract (Option B) results when one party fails to perform as required
by a contract. Battery (Option C) is touching a patient without justification or
permission.
A tort (Option D) is a civil action for damages for injury to a person, property, or
reputation
A nurse is preparing to reinforce the teaching plan for a patient who has recently
been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the left lung. Which statement by
the nurse is correct?
A. "You have a slow-growing cancer that rarely spreads."
B. "In terms of prognosis, you may have only a few months to live."
C. "Squamous cell cancer is a very rapidly growing cancer."
D. "The cancer has generally metastasized by the time diagnosis is made." -
------------ANSWER: A. "You have a slow-growing cancer that rarely spreads."
Rationale: Squamous cell carcinoma is a type of cancer that grows slowly and rarely
metastasizes.
It has the best prognosis of all lung cancer types. It's not appropriate for the nurse to
tell the patient how long he has to live (Option B). Squamous cell carcinoma does
not grow rapidly (Option C) and rarely metastasizes (Option D).
A nursing department in an acute care setting decides to redesign its nursing
practice based on a theoretical framework. The feedback from patients, families, and
staff reflects that caring is a key element. Which theorist best supports this concept?
1. Erikson
2. Maslow
3. Rogers
4. Watson - ------------ANSWER: 4. Watson
