RELIAS ED RN A UPDATED EXAM SCRIPT QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔You see a fellow nurse placing an opioid medication in their pocket rather than
administering it as ordered. What would you do NEXT? - ✔✔Tell your immediate
supervisor.
✔✔You are administering haloperidol (Haldol®) to a patient with acute symptoms of
Schizophrenia. What changes in the electrocardiogram (ECG) are possible as a result
of this medication? - ✔✔Prolonged QT interval
✔✔A patient presents with a 5-day history of runny nose, headache, and productive
cough. The patient is unable to speak full sentences, reports having a history of
moderate to severe COPD, and has a SpO2 reading of 89%. What intervention do you
anticipate implementing FIRST for this patient? - ✔✔Provide oxygen
✔✔A patient who is 24 weeks pregnant presents with fever and right upper quadrant
pain. The patient states that the pain is radiating to the right shoulder blade, and started
an hour after having a pizza for lunch. She is tachycardic, tachypneic, and diaphoretic
on the initial triage assessment. What is the MOST likely diagnosis for this patient? -
✔✔Cholecystitis
✔✔A patient arrives with acute onset of central chest pain. The patient is tachycardic
and tachypneic and appears very anxious and restless. What would be the MOST
important initial intervention for this patient? - ✔✔Administer oxygen
Answer is NOT Obtain electrocardiogram
✔✔A patient is being treated with an anticoagulant for pulmonary embolism (PE). What
patient assessment finding indicates that a heparin infusion would be stopped
IMMEDIATELY? - ✔✔Decreased level of consciousness
✔✔A new nurse observes their preceptor giving the incorrect dosage of a medication to
a patient. Implementing the ethical principle veracity, what action would the new nurse
take? - ✔✔Inform the charge nurse about what happened and document it.
✔✔What is the appropriate intervention for patients with Acute Respiratory Distress
Syndrome (ARDS)? - ✔✔Mechanical ventilation
✔✔What is a common assessment finding in a patient with a tension pneumothorax? -
✔✔Distended neck veins
✔✔What is the current recommended dose of intravenous or intraosseous epinephrine
in adult patients with cardiac arrest? - ✔✔1 mg every 3-5 minutes
, ✔✔What type of medication is used in the emergency care setting to help manage the
symptoms of alcohol withdrawal? - ✔✔Benzodiazepines
✔✔A patient who is 27 weeks pregnant presents with painless bright red vaginal
bleeding. What condition correlates with the presenting symptoms? - ✔✔Placenta
Previa
✔✔A patient who is 32 weeks pregnant presents with a three-day history of headache
and significant swelling of the lower extremities and face. The patient's vital signs are
BP: 160/90, HR: 105/min, RR: 19/min, Spo2: 94% on RA, Temp: 97.3 F. What
medication do you anticipate the provider to order FIRST? - ✔✔Labetalol (Trandate®)
✔✔You are assessing a patient who had an altercation involving a clenched fist injury.
You notice that his right hand is swollen significantly with pain and bruising. What would
you be MOST concerned about for the patient? - ✔✔Rheumatoid arthritis
Loss of function
Osteomyelitis
Active bleeding
✔✔A patient with a history of advanced-stage leukemia presents with a history of
increasing shortness of breath in the last 4 days. The patient is anemic and has multiple
bruises on their extremities. What is the MOST likely cause of bruising? -
✔✔Thrombocytopenia
✔✔A patient presents with a facial burn with significant facial swelling and acute
respiratory distress. Based on a 1-4 triage acuity scale with 1 being most critical, what is
the appropriate category based on the patient presentation? - ✔✔1
✔✔A patient is brought in after being struck by lightning during a heavy thunderstorm.
What would be the PRIORITY intervention for this patient upon arrival? - ✔✔Monitoring
cardiac rhythm
✔✔A patient is being treated in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for carbon monoxide
poisoning. What measurement is the BEST indicator of treatment success? - ✔✔Arterial
blood gas
✔✔What do you anticipate is the BEST indicator of adequate hydration in an adult
patient with 30% body surface area burn during initial fluid resuscitation? - ✔✔Urine
output of 0.5 mL/kg/hr
✔✔A patient with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is MOST likely to suffer from what
condition? - ✔✔Answer is NOT myxedema coma
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔You see a fellow nurse placing an opioid medication in their pocket rather than
administering it as ordered. What would you do NEXT? - ✔✔Tell your immediate
supervisor.
✔✔You are administering haloperidol (Haldol®) to a patient with acute symptoms of
Schizophrenia. What changes in the electrocardiogram (ECG) are possible as a result
of this medication? - ✔✔Prolonged QT interval
✔✔A patient presents with a 5-day history of runny nose, headache, and productive
cough. The patient is unable to speak full sentences, reports having a history of
moderate to severe COPD, and has a SpO2 reading of 89%. What intervention do you
anticipate implementing FIRST for this patient? - ✔✔Provide oxygen
✔✔A patient who is 24 weeks pregnant presents with fever and right upper quadrant
pain. The patient states that the pain is radiating to the right shoulder blade, and started
an hour after having a pizza for lunch. She is tachycardic, tachypneic, and diaphoretic
on the initial triage assessment. What is the MOST likely diagnosis for this patient? -
✔✔Cholecystitis
✔✔A patient arrives with acute onset of central chest pain. The patient is tachycardic
and tachypneic and appears very anxious and restless. What would be the MOST
important initial intervention for this patient? - ✔✔Administer oxygen
Answer is NOT Obtain electrocardiogram
✔✔A patient is being treated with an anticoagulant for pulmonary embolism (PE). What
patient assessment finding indicates that a heparin infusion would be stopped
IMMEDIATELY? - ✔✔Decreased level of consciousness
✔✔A new nurse observes their preceptor giving the incorrect dosage of a medication to
a patient. Implementing the ethical principle veracity, what action would the new nurse
take? - ✔✔Inform the charge nurse about what happened and document it.
✔✔What is the appropriate intervention for patients with Acute Respiratory Distress
Syndrome (ARDS)? - ✔✔Mechanical ventilation
✔✔What is a common assessment finding in a patient with a tension pneumothorax? -
✔✔Distended neck veins
✔✔What is the current recommended dose of intravenous or intraosseous epinephrine
in adult patients with cardiac arrest? - ✔✔1 mg every 3-5 minutes
, ✔✔What type of medication is used in the emergency care setting to help manage the
symptoms of alcohol withdrawal? - ✔✔Benzodiazepines
✔✔A patient who is 27 weeks pregnant presents with painless bright red vaginal
bleeding. What condition correlates with the presenting symptoms? - ✔✔Placenta
Previa
✔✔A patient who is 32 weeks pregnant presents with a three-day history of headache
and significant swelling of the lower extremities and face. The patient's vital signs are
BP: 160/90, HR: 105/min, RR: 19/min, Spo2: 94% on RA, Temp: 97.3 F. What
medication do you anticipate the provider to order FIRST? - ✔✔Labetalol (Trandate®)
✔✔You are assessing a patient who had an altercation involving a clenched fist injury.
You notice that his right hand is swollen significantly with pain and bruising. What would
you be MOST concerned about for the patient? - ✔✔Rheumatoid arthritis
Loss of function
Osteomyelitis
Active bleeding
✔✔A patient with a history of advanced-stage leukemia presents with a history of
increasing shortness of breath in the last 4 days. The patient is anemic and has multiple
bruises on their extremities. What is the MOST likely cause of bruising? -
✔✔Thrombocytopenia
✔✔A patient presents with a facial burn with significant facial swelling and acute
respiratory distress. Based on a 1-4 triage acuity scale with 1 being most critical, what is
the appropriate category based on the patient presentation? - ✔✔1
✔✔A patient is brought in after being struck by lightning during a heavy thunderstorm.
What would be the PRIORITY intervention for this patient upon arrival? - ✔✔Monitoring
cardiac rhythm
✔✔A patient is being treated in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for carbon monoxide
poisoning. What measurement is the BEST indicator of treatment success? - ✔✔Arterial
blood gas
✔✔What do you anticipate is the BEST indicator of adequate hydration in an adult
patient with 30% body surface area burn during initial fluid resuscitation? - ✔✔Urine
output of 0.5 mL/kg/hr
✔✔A patient with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is MOST likely to suffer from what
condition? - ✔✔Answer is NOT myxedema coma
