HESI exit exam A Comprehensive
Exam Study Guide with 799 100%
Certified and Verified Questions
and Answers.
Latest Updated 2025/2026
Following discharge teaching, a male client with duodenal ulcer tells the nurse the he will
drink plenty of dairy products, such as milk, to help coat and protect his ulcer. What is the
best follow-up action by the nurse?
a. Remind the client that it is also important to switch to decaffeinated coffee and tea.
b. Suggest that the client also plan to eat frequent small meals to reduce discomfort
c. Review with the client the need to avoid foods that are rich in milk and cream.
d. Reinforce this teaching by asking the client to list a dairy food that he might select. - ansc.
Review with the client the need to avoid foods that are rich in milk and cream.
The nurse observes an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) positioning a newly admitted
client who has a seizure disorder. The client is supine and the UAP is placing soft pillows
along the side rails. What action should the nurse implement?
a. Ensure that the UAP has placed the pillows effectively to protect the client.
b. Instruct the UAP to obtain soft blankets to secure to the side rails instead of pillows.
c. Assume responsibility for placing the pillows while the UAP completes another task.
d. Ask the UAP to use some of the pillows to prop the client in a side lying position. - ansb.
Instruct the UAP to obtain soft blankets to secure to the side rails instead of pillows.
A male client with hypertension, who received new antihypertensive prescriptions at his last
visit returns to the clinic two weeks later to evaluate his blood pressure (BP). His BP is
158/106 and he admits that he has not been taking the prescribed medication because the
drugs make him "feel bad". In explaining the need for hypertension control, the nurse should
stress that an elevated BP places the client at risk for which pathophysiological condition?
a. Blindness secondary to cataracts
b. Acute kidney injury due to glomerular damage
c. Stroke secondary to hemorrhage
d. Heart block due to myocardial damage - ansc. Stroke secondary to hemorrhage
An adolescent with major depressive disorder has been taking duloxetine (Cymbalta) for the
past 12 days. Which assessment finding requires immediate follow-up
a. Describes life without purpose
b. Complains of nausea and loss of appetite
c. States is often fatigued and drowsy
d. Exhibits an increase in sweating. - ansa. Describes life without purpose
A 60-year-old female client with a positive family history of ovarian cancer has developed an
abdominal mass and is being evaluated for possible ovarian cancer. Her Papanicolau (Pap)
smear results are negative. What information should the nurse include in the client's teaching
plan
a. Further evaluation involving surgery may be needed
b. A pelvic exam is also needed before cancer is ruled out
c. Pap smear evaluation should be continued every six month
d. One additional negative pap smear in six months is needed. - ansa. Further evaluation
involving surgery may be needed
,HESI exit exam A Comprehensive
Exam Study Guide with 799 100%
Certified and Verified Questions
and Answers.
Latest Updated 2025/2026
A client who recently underwent a tracheostomy is being prepared for discharge to home.
Which instructions is most important for the nurse to include in the discharge plan?
a. Explain how to use communication tools.
b. Teach tracheal suctioning techniques
c. Encourage self-care and independence.
d. Demonstrate how to clean tracheostomy site. - ansb. Teach tracheal suctioning techniques
In assessing an adult client with a partial rebreather mask, the nurse notes that the oxygen
reservoir bag does not deflate completely during inspiration and the client's respiratory rate is
14 breaths / minute. What action should the nurse implement
a. Encourage the client to take deep breaths
b. Remove the mask to deflate the bag
c. Increase the liter flow of oxygen
d. Document the assessment data - ansd. Document the assessment data
During shift report, the central electrocardiogram (EKG) monitoring system alarms. Which
client alarm should the nurse investigate first?
a. Respiratory apnea of 30 seconds
b. Oxygen saturation rate of 88%
c. Eight premature ventricular beats every minute
d. Disconnected monitor signal for the last 6 minutes. - ansa. Respiratory apnea of 30 seconds
During a home visit, the nurse observed an elderly client with diabetes slip and fall. What
action should the nurse take first?
a. Give the client 4 ounces of orange juice
b. Call 911 to summon emergency assistance
c. Check the client for lacerations or fractures
d. Asses clients blood sugar level - ansc. Check the client for lacerations or fractures
At 0600 while admitting a woman for a schedule repeat cesarean section (C-Section), the
client tells the nurse that she drank a cup a coffee at 0400 because she wanted to avoid getting
a headache. Which action should the nurse take first?
a. Ensure preoperative lab results are available
b. Start prescribed IV with lactated Ringer's
c. Inform the anesthesia care provider
d. Contact the client's obstetrician. - ansc. Inform the anesthesia care provider
After placing a stethoscope as seen in the picture, the nurse auscultates S1 and S2 heart
sounds. To determine if an S3 heart sound is present, what action should the nurse take first
a. Side the stethoscope across the sternum.
b. Move the stethoscope to the mitral site
c. Listen with the bell at the same location
d. Observe the cardiac telemetry monitor - ansc. Listen with the bell at the same location
,HESI exit exam A Comprehensive
Exam Study Guide with 799 100%
Certified and Verified Questions
and Answers.
Latest Updated 2025/2026
A 66-year-old woman is retiring and will no longer have a health insurance through her place
of employment. Which agency should the client be referred to by the employee health nurse
for health insurance needs?
a. Woman, Infant, and Children program
b. Medicaid
c. Medicare
d. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act provision. - ansc. Medicare
A client who is taking an oral dose of a tetracycline complains of gastrointestinal upset. What
snack should the nurse instruct the client to take with the tetracycline?
a. Fruit-flavored yogurt.
b. Cheese and crackers.
c. Cold cereal with skim milk.
d. Toasted wheat bread and jelly - ansd. Toasted wheat bread and jelly
Following a lumbar puncture, a client voices several complaints. What complaint indicated to
the nurse that the client is experiencing a complication?
a. "I am having pain in my lower back when I move my legs"
b. "My throat hurts when I swallow"
c. "I feel sick to my stomach and am going to throw up"
d. I have a headache that gets worse when I sit up" - ansd. I have a headache that gets worse
when I sit up"
An elderly client seems confused and reports the onset of nausea, dysuria, and urgency with
incontinence. Which action should the nurse implement
a. Auscultate for renal bruits
b. Obtain a clean catch mid-stream specimen
c. Use a dipstick to measure for urinary ketone
d. Begin to strain the client's urine. - ansb. Obtain a clean catch mid-stream specimen
The nurse is assisting the mother of a child with phenylketonuria (PKU) to select foods that
are in keeping with the child's dietary restrictions. Which foods are contraindicated for this
child?
a. Wheat products
b. Foods sweetened with aspartame.
c. High fat foods
d. High calories foods. - ansb. Foods sweetened with aspartame.
Before preparing a client for the first surgical case of the day, a part-time scrub nurse asks the
circulating nurse if a 3 minute surgical hand scrub is adequate preparation for this client.
Which response should the circulating nurse provide?
a. Ask a more experience nurse to perform that scrub since it is the first time of the day
b. Validate the nurse is implementing the OR policy for surgical hand scrub
c. Inform the nurse that hand scrubs should be 3 minutes between cases.
, HESI exit exam A Comprehensive
Exam Study Guide with 799 100%
Certified and Verified Questions
and Answers.
Latest Updated 2025/2026
d. Direct the nurse to continue the surgical hand scrub for a 5-minute duration. - ansd. Direct
the nurse to continue the surgical hand scrub for a 5-minute duration.
Which breakfast selection indicates that the client understands the nurse's instructions about
the dietary management of osteoporosis?
a. Egg whites, toast and coffee.
b. Bran muffin, mixed fruits, and orange juice.
c. Granola and grapefruit juice
d. Bagel with jelly and skim milk. - ansd. Bagel with jelly and skim milk.
The charge nurse of a critical care unit is informed at the beginning of the shift that less than
the optimal number of registered nurses will be working that shift. In planning assignments,
which client should receive the most care hours by a registered nurse (RN)
a. A 34-year -old admitted today after an emergency appendendectomy who has a peripheral
intravenous catheter and a Foley catheter.
b. A 48-year-old marathon runner with a central venous catheter who is experiencing nausea
and vomiting due to electrolyte disturbance following a race.
c. A 63-year-old chain smoker admitted with chronic bronchitis who is receiving oxygen via
nasal cannula and has a saline-locked peripheral intravenous catheter.
d. An 82-year-old client with Alzheimer's disease newly-fractures femur who has a Foley
catheter and soft wrist restrains applied - ansd. An 82-year-old client with Alzheimer's
disease newly-fractures femur who has a Foley catheter and soft wrist restrains applied
A mother brings her 6-year-old child, who has just stepped on a rusty nail, to the
pediatrician's office. Upon inspection, the nurse notes that the nail went through the shoe and
pierced the bottom of the child's foot. Which action should the nurse implement first?
a. Cleanse the foot with soap and water and apply an antibiotic ointment
b. Provide teaching about the need for a tetanus booster within the next 72 hours.
c. have the mother check the child's temperature q4h for the next 24 hours
d. transfer the child to the emergency department to receive a gamma globulin injection -
ansa. Cleanse the foot with soap and water and apply an antibiotic ointment
The mother of an adolescent tells the clinic nurse, "My son has athlete's foot, I have been
applying triple antibiotic ointment for two days, but there has been no improvement." What
instruction should the nurse provide?
a. Antibiotics take two weeks to become effective against infections such as athlete's foot.
b. Continue using the ointment for a full week, even after the symptoms disappear.
c. Applying too much ointment can deter its effectiveness. Apply a thin layer to prevent
maceration.
d. Stop using the ointment and encourage complete drying of the feet and wearing clean
socks. - ansd. Stop using the ointment and encourage complete drying of the feet and wearing
clean socks.
Exam Study Guide with 799 100%
Certified and Verified Questions
and Answers.
Latest Updated 2025/2026
Following discharge teaching, a male client with duodenal ulcer tells the nurse the he will
drink plenty of dairy products, such as milk, to help coat and protect his ulcer. What is the
best follow-up action by the nurse?
a. Remind the client that it is also important to switch to decaffeinated coffee and tea.
b. Suggest that the client also plan to eat frequent small meals to reduce discomfort
c. Review with the client the need to avoid foods that are rich in milk and cream.
d. Reinforce this teaching by asking the client to list a dairy food that he might select. - ansc.
Review with the client the need to avoid foods that are rich in milk and cream.
The nurse observes an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) positioning a newly admitted
client who has a seizure disorder. The client is supine and the UAP is placing soft pillows
along the side rails. What action should the nurse implement?
a. Ensure that the UAP has placed the pillows effectively to protect the client.
b. Instruct the UAP to obtain soft blankets to secure to the side rails instead of pillows.
c. Assume responsibility for placing the pillows while the UAP completes another task.
d. Ask the UAP to use some of the pillows to prop the client in a side lying position. - ansb.
Instruct the UAP to obtain soft blankets to secure to the side rails instead of pillows.
A male client with hypertension, who received new antihypertensive prescriptions at his last
visit returns to the clinic two weeks later to evaluate his blood pressure (BP). His BP is
158/106 and he admits that he has not been taking the prescribed medication because the
drugs make him "feel bad". In explaining the need for hypertension control, the nurse should
stress that an elevated BP places the client at risk for which pathophysiological condition?
a. Blindness secondary to cataracts
b. Acute kidney injury due to glomerular damage
c. Stroke secondary to hemorrhage
d. Heart block due to myocardial damage - ansc. Stroke secondary to hemorrhage
An adolescent with major depressive disorder has been taking duloxetine (Cymbalta) for the
past 12 days. Which assessment finding requires immediate follow-up
a. Describes life without purpose
b. Complains of nausea and loss of appetite
c. States is often fatigued and drowsy
d. Exhibits an increase in sweating. - ansa. Describes life without purpose
A 60-year-old female client with a positive family history of ovarian cancer has developed an
abdominal mass and is being evaluated for possible ovarian cancer. Her Papanicolau (Pap)
smear results are negative. What information should the nurse include in the client's teaching
plan
a. Further evaluation involving surgery may be needed
b. A pelvic exam is also needed before cancer is ruled out
c. Pap smear evaluation should be continued every six month
d. One additional negative pap smear in six months is needed. - ansa. Further evaluation
involving surgery may be needed
,HESI exit exam A Comprehensive
Exam Study Guide with 799 100%
Certified and Verified Questions
and Answers.
Latest Updated 2025/2026
A client who recently underwent a tracheostomy is being prepared for discharge to home.
Which instructions is most important for the nurse to include in the discharge plan?
a. Explain how to use communication tools.
b. Teach tracheal suctioning techniques
c. Encourage self-care and independence.
d. Demonstrate how to clean tracheostomy site. - ansb. Teach tracheal suctioning techniques
In assessing an adult client with a partial rebreather mask, the nurse notes that the oxygen
reservoir bag does not deflate completely during inspiration and the client's respiratory rate is
14 breaths / minute. What action should the nurse implement
a. Encourage the client to take deep breaths
b. Remove the mask to deflate the bag
c. Increase the liter flow of oxygen
d. Document the assessment data - ansd. Document the assessment data
During shift report, the central electrocardiogram (EKG) monitoring system alarms. Which
client alarm should the nurse investigate first?
a. Respiratory apnea of 30 seconds
b. Oxygen saturation rate of 88%
c. Eight premature ventricular beats every minute
d. Disconnected monitor signal for the last 6 minutes. - ansa. Respiratory apnea of 30 seconds
During a home visit, the nurse observed an elderly client with diabetes slip and fall. What
action should the nurse take first?
a. Give the client 4 ounces of orange juice
b. Call 911 to summon emergency assistance
c. Check the client for lacerations or fractures
d. Asses clients blood sugar level - ansc. Check the client for lacerations or fractures
At 0600 while admitting a woman for a schedule repeat cesarean section (C-Section), the
client tells the nurse that she drank a cup a coffee at 0400 because she wanted to avoid getting
a headache. Which action should the nurse take first?
a. Ensure preoperative lab results are available
b. Start prescribed IV with lactated Ringer's
c. Inform the anesthesia care provider
d. Contact the client's obstetrician. - ansc. Inform the anesthesia care provider
After placing a stethoscope as seen in the picture, the nurse auscultates S1 and S2 heart
sounds. To determine if an S3 heart sound is present, what action should the nurse take first
a. Side the stethoscope across the sternum.
b. Move the stethoscope to the mitral site
c. Listen with the bell at the same location
d. Observe the cardiac telemetry monitor - ansc. Listen with the bell at the same location
,HESI exit exam A Comprehensive
Exam Study Guide with 799 100%
Certified and Verified Questions
and Answers.
Latest Updated 2025/2026
A 66-year-old woman is retiring and will no longer have a health insurance through her place
of employment. Which agency should the client be referred to by the employee health nurse
for health insurance needs?
a. Woman, Infant, and Children program
b. Medicaid
c. Medicare
d. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act provision. - ansc. Medicare
A client who is taking an oral dose of a tetracycline complains of gastrointestinal upset. What
snack should the nurse instruct the client to take with the tetracycline?
a. Fruit-flavored yogurt.
b. Cheese and crackers.
c. Cold cereal with skim milk.
d. Toasted wheat bread and jelly - ansd. Toasted wheat bread and jelly
Following a lumbar puncture, a client voices several complaints. What complaint indicated to
the nurse that the client is experiencing a complication?
a. "I am having pain in my lower back when I move my legs"
b. "My throat hurts when I swallow"
c. "I feel sick to my stomach and am going to throw up"
d. I have a headache that gets worse when I sit up" - ansd. I have a headache that gets worse
when I sit up"
An elderly client seems confused and reports the onset of nausea, dysuria, and urgency with
incontinence. Which action should the nurse implement
a. Auscultate for renal bruits
b. Obtain a clean catch mid-stream specimen
c. Use a dipstick to measure for urinary ketone
d. Begin to strain the client's urine. - ansb. Obtain a clean catch mid-stream specimen
The nurse is assisting the mother of a child with phenylketonuria (PKU) to select foods that
are in keeping with the child's dietary restrictions. Which foods are contraindicated for this
child?
a. Wheat products
b. Foods sweetened with aspartame.
c. High fat foods
d. High calories foods. - ansb. Foods sweetened with aspartame.
Before preparing a client for the first surgical case of the day, a part-time scrub nurse asks the
circulating nurse if a 3 minute surgical hand scrub is adequate preparation for this client.
Which response should the circulating nurse provide?
a. Ask a more experience nurse to perform that scrub since it is the first time of the day
b. Validate the nurse is implementing the OR policy for surgical hand scrub
c. Inform the nurse that hand scrubs should be 3 minutes between cases.
, HESI exit exam A Comprehensive
Exam Study Guide with 799 100%
Certified and Verified Questions
and Answers.
Latest Updated 2025/2026
d. Direct the nurse to continue the surgical hand scrub for a 5-minute duration. - ansd. Direct
the nurse to continue the surgical hand scrub for a 5-minute duration.
Which breakfast selection indicates that the client understands the nurse's instructions about
the dietary management of osteoporosis?
a. Egg whites, toast and coffee.
b. Bran muffin, mixed fruits, and orange juice.
c. Granola and grapefruit juice
d. Bagel with jelly and skim milk. - ansd. Bagel with jelly and skim milk.
The charge nurse of a critical care unit is informed at the beginning of the shift that less than
the optimal number of registered nurses will be working that shift. In planning assignments,
which client should receive the most care hours by a registered nurse (RN)
a. A 34-year -old admitted today after an emergency appendendectomy who has a peripheral
intravenous catheter and a Foley catheter.
b. A 48-year-old marathon runner with a central venous catheter who is experiencing nausea
and vomiting due to electrolyte disturbance following a race.
c. A 63-year-old chain smoker admitted with chronic bronchitis who is receiving oxygen via
nasal cannula and has a saline-locked peripheral intravenous catheter.
d. An 82-year-old client with Alzheimer's disease newly-fractures femur who has a Foley
catheter and soft wrist restrains applied - ansd. An 82-year-old client with Alzheimer's
disease newly-fractures femur who has a Foley catheter and soft wrist restrains applied
A mother brings her 6-year-old child, who has just stepped on a rusty nail, to the
pediatrician's office. Upon inspection, the nurse notes that the nail went through the shoe and
pierced the bottom of the child's foot. Which action should the nurse implement first?
a. Cleanse the foot with soap and water and apply an antibiotic ointment
b. Provide teaching about the need for a tetanus booster within the next 72 hours.
c. have the mother check the child's temperature q4h for the next 24 hours
d. transfer the child to the emergency department to receive a gamma globulin injection -
ansa. Cleanse the foot with soap and water and apply an antibiotic ointment
The mother of an adolescent tells the clinic nurse, "My son has athlete's foot, I have been
applying triple antibiotic ointment for two days, but there has been no improvement." What
instruction should the nurse provide?
a. Antibiotics take two weeks to become effective against infections such as athlete's foot.
b. Continue using the ointment for a full week, even after the symptoms disappear.
c. Applying too much ointment can deter its effectiveness. Apply a thin layer to prevent
maceration.
d. Stop using the ointment and encourage complete drying of the feet and wearing clean
socks. - ansd. Stop using the ointment and encourage complete drying of the feet and wearing
clean socks.
