HESI - Fundamentals practice ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
- When turning an immobile bedridden client without assistance,
which action by the nurse best ensures client safety?
A. Securely grasp the client's arm and leg.
B. Put bed rails up on the side of bed opposite from the nurse.
C. Correctly position and use a turn sheet.
D. Lower the head of the client's bed slowly. - CORRECT
ANSWERS B
Rationale: Because the nurse can only stand on one side of the bed,
bed rails should be up on the opposite side to ensure that the client
does not fall out of bed. Option A can cause client injury to the skin or
joint. Options C and D are useful techniques while turning a client but
have less priority in terms of safety than use of the bed rails.
The nurse identifies a potential for infection in a client with partial-
thickness (second-degree) and full-thickness (third-degree) burns.
What intervention has the highest priority in decreasing the client's
risk of infection?
A. Administration of plasma expanders
B. Use of careful handwashing technique
C. Application of a topical antibacterial cream
D. Limiting visitors to the client with burns - CORRECT ANSWERS
B
Rationale: Careful handwashing technique is the single most effective
intervention for the prevention of contamination to all clients. Option
A reverses the hypovolemia that initially accompanies burn trauma
but is not related to decreasing the proliferation of infective
,organisms. Options C and D are recommended by various burn
centers as possible ways to reduce the chance of infection. Option B is
a proven technique to prevent infection.
The nurse is aware that malnutrition is a common problem among
clients served by a community health clinic for the homeless. Which
laboratory value is the most reliable indicator of chronic protein
malnutrition?
A. Low serum albumin level
B. Low serum transferrin level
C. High hemoglobin level
D. High cholesterol level - CORRECT ANSWERS A
Rationale: Long-term protein deficiency is required to cause
significantly lowered serum albumin levels. Albumin is made by the
liver only when adequate amounts of amino acids (from protein
breakdown) are available. Albumin has a long half-life, so acute
protein loss does not significantly alter serum levels. Option B is a
serum protein with a half-life of only 8 to 10 days, so it will drop with
an acute protein deficiency. Options C and D are not clinical measures
of protein malnutrition.
In completing a client's preoperative routine, the nurse finds that the
operative permit is not signed. The client begins to ask more questions
about the surgical procedure. Which action should the nurse take
next?
A. Witness the client's signature to the permit.
B. Answer the client's questions about the surgery.
C. Inform the surgeon that the operative permit is not signed and the
client has questions about the surgery.
,D. Reassure the client that the surgeon will answer any questions
before the anesthesia is administered. - CORRECT ANSWERS
C
Rationale: The surgeon should be informed immediately that the
permit is not signed. It is the surgeon's responsibility to explain the
procedure to the client and obtain the client's signature on the permit.
Although the nurse can witness an operative permit, the procedure
must first be explained by the health care provider or surgeon,
including answering the client's questions. The client's questions
should be addressed before the permit is signed.
The nurse is assessing several clients prior to surgery. Which factor in
a client's history poses the greatest threat for complications to occur
during surgery?
A. Taking birth control pills for the past 2 years
B. Taking anticoagulants for the past year
C. Recently completing antibiotic therapy
D. Having taken laxatives PRN for the last 6 months - CORRECT
ANSWERS B
Rationale:
Anticoagulants increase the risk for bleeding during surgery, which
can pose a threat for the development of surgical complications. The
health care provider should be informed that the client is taking these
drugs. Although clients who take birth control pills may be more
susceptible to the development of thrombi, such problems usually
occur postoperatively. A client with option C or D is at less of a
surgical risk than with option B.
When assisting a client from the bed to a chair, which procedure is
best for the nurse to follow?
, A. Place the chair parallel to the bed, with its back toward the head of
the bed and assist the client in moving to the chair.
B. With the nurse's feet spread apart and knees aligned with the
client's knees, stand and pivot the client into the chair.
C. Assist the client to a standing position by gently lifting upward,
underneath the axillae.
D. Stand beside the client, place the client's arms around the nurse's
neck, and gently move the client to the chair. - CORRECT
ANSWERS B
Rationale: Option B describes the correct positioning of the nurse and
affords the nurse a wide base of support while stabilizing the client's
knees when assisting to a standing position. The chair should be
placed at a 45-degree angle to the bed, with the back of the chair
toward the head of the bed. Clients should never be lifted under the
axillae; this could damage nerves and strain the nurse's back. The
client should be instructed to use the arms of the chair and should
never place his or her arms around the nurse's neck; this places undue
stress on the nurse's neck and back and increases the risk for a fall.
Which step(s) should the nurse take when administering ear drops to
an adult client? (Select all that apply.)
A. Place the client in a side-lying position.
B. Pull the auricle upward and outward.
C. Hold the dropper 6 cm above the ear canal.
D. Place a cotton ball into the inner canal.
E. Pull the auricle down and back. - CORRECT ANSWERS
A, B
Rationale: The correct answers (A and B) are the appropriate
administration of ear drops. The dropper should be held 1 cm (½ inch)
above the ear canal (C). A cotton ball should be placed in the
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
- When turning an immobile bedridden client without assistance,
which action by the nurse best ensures client safety?
A. Securely grasp the client's arm and leg.
B. Put bed rails up on the side of bed opposite from the nurse.
C. Correctly position and use a turn sheet.
D. Lower the head of the client's bed slowly. - CORRECT
ANSWERS B
Rationale: Because the nurse can only stand on one side of the bed,
bed rails should be up on the opposite side to ensure that the client
does not fall out of bed. Option A can cause client injury to the skin or
joint. Options C and D are useful techniques while turning a client but
have less priority in terms of safety than use of the bed rails.
The nurse identifies a potential for infection in a client with partial-
thickness (second-degree) and full-thickness (third-degree) burns.
What intervention has the highest priority in decreasing the client's
risk of infection?
A. Administration of plasma expanders
B. Use of careful handwashing technique
C. Application of a topical antibacterial cream
D. Limiting visitors to the client with burns - CORRECT ANSWERS
B
Rationale: Careful handwashing technique is the single most effective
intervention for the prevention of contamination to all clients. Option
A reverses the hypovolemia that initially accompanies burn trauma
but is not related to decreasing the proliferation of infective
,organisms. Options C and D are recommended by various burn
centers as possible ways to reduce the chance of infection. Option B is
a proven technique to prevent infection.
The nurse is aware that malnutrition is a common problem among
clients served by a community health clinic for the homeless. Which
laboratory value is the most reliable indicator of chronic protein
malnutrition?
A. Low serum albumin level
B. Low serum transferrin level
C. High hemoglobin level
D. High cholesterol level - CORRECT ANSWERS A
Rationale: Long-term protein deficiency is required to cause
significantly lowered serum albumin levels. Albumin is made by the
liver only when adequate amounts of amino acids (from protein
breakdown) are available. Albumin has a long half-life, so acute
protein loss does not significantly alter serum levels. Option B is a
serum protein with a half-life of only 8 to 10 days, so it will drop with
an acute protein deficiency. Options C and D are not clinical measures
of protein malnutrition.
In completing a client's preoperative routine, the nurse finds that the
operative permit is not signed. The client begins to ask more questions
about the surgical procedure. Which action should the nurse take
next?
A. Witness the client's signature to the permit.
B. Answer the client's questions about the surgery.
C. Inform the surgeon that the operative permit is not signed and the
client has questions about the surgery.
,D. Reassure the client that the surgeon will answer any questions
before the anesthesia is administered. - CORRECT ANSWERS
C
Rationale: The surgeon should be informed immediately that the
permit is not signed. It is the surgeon's responsibility to explain the
procedure to the client and obtain the client's signature on the permit.
Although the nurse can witness an operative permit, the procedure
must first be explained by the health care provider or surgeon,
including answering the client's questions. The client's questions
should be addressed before the permit is signed.
The nurse is assessing several clients prior to surgery. Which factor in
a client's history poses the greatest threat for complications to occur
during surgery?
A. Taking birth control pills for the past 2 years
B. Taking anticoagulants for the past year
C. Recently completing antibiotic therapy
D. Having taken laxatives PRN for the last 6 months - CORRECT
ANSWERS B
Rationale:
Anticoagulants increase the risk for bleeding during surgery, which
can pose a threat for the development of surgical complications. The
health care provider should be informed that the client is taking these
drugs. Although clients who take birth control pills may be more
susceptible to the development of thrombi, such problems usually
occur postoperatively. A client with option C or D is at less of a
surgical risk than with option B.
When assisting a client from the bed to a chair, which procedure is
best for the nurse to follow?
, A. Place the chair parallel to the bed, with its back toward the head of
the bed and assist the client in moving to the chair.
B. With the nurse's feet spread apart and knees aligned with the
client's knees, stand and pivot the client into the chair.
C. Assist the client to a standing position by gently lifting upward,
underneath the axillae.
D. Stand beside the client, place the client's arms around the nurse's
neck, and gently move the client to the chair. - CORRECT
ANSWERS B
Rationale: Option B describes the correct positioning of the nurse and
affords the nurse a wide base of support while stabilizing the client's
knees when assisting to a standing position. The chair should be
placed at a 45-degree angle to the bed, with the back of the chair
toward the head of the bed. Clients should never be lifted under the
axillae; this could damage nerves and strain the nurse's back. The
client should be instructed to use the arms of the chair and should
never place his or her arms around the nurse's neck; this places undue
stress on the nurse's neck and back and increases the risk for a fall.
Which step(s) should the nurse take when administering ear drops to
an adult client? (Select all that apply.)
A. Place the client in a side-lying position.
B. Pull the auricle upward and outward.
C. Hold the dropper 6 cm above the ear canal.
D. Place a cotton ball into the inner canal.
E. Pull the auricle down and back. - CORRECT ANSWERS
A, B
Rationale: The correct answers (A and B) are the appropriate
administration of ear drops. The dropper should be held 1 cm (½ inch)
above the ear canal (C). A cotton ball should be placed in the
