RELIAS ED RN A |ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED ANSWERS|BRAND NEW 2026-2027
UPDATE|GRADED A+
Question 1
A hospital responds to a local mass casualty event. Which action should the nurse
supervisor take to prevent staff post-traumatic stress disorder during a mass casualty
event?
a. Provide water and healthy snacks for energy throughout the event.
b. Schedule 16-hour shifts to allow for greater rest between shifts.
c. Encourage counseling upon deactivation of the emergency response plan.
d. Assign staff to different roles and units within the medical facility.
CORRECT ANSWER
A
To prevent staff post-traumatic stress disorder during a mass casualty event, the nurses
should use available counseling, encourage and support co-workers, monitor each others
stress level and performance, take breaks when needed, talk about feelings with staff and
managers, and drink plenty of water and eat healthy snacks for energy. Nurses should also
keep in touch with family, friends, and significant others, and not work for more than 12
hours per day. Encouraging counseling upon deactivation of the plan, or after the
emergency response is over, does not prevent stress during the casualty event. Assigning
staff to unfamiliar roles or units may increase situational stress and is not an approach to
prevent post-traumatic stress disorder.
Question 2
A client who is hospitalized with burns after losing the family home in a fire becomes
angry and screams at a nurse when dinner is served late. How should the nurse respond?
a. Do you need something for pain right now?
b. Please stop yelling. I brought dinner as soon as I could.
1
,c. I suggest that you get control of yourself.
d. You seem upset. I have time to talk if you'd like.
CORRECT ANSWER
D
Clients should be allowed to ventilate their feelings of anger and despair after a
catastrophic event. The nurse establishes rapport through active listening and honest
communication and by recognizing cues that the client wishes to talk. Asking whether the
client is in pain as the first response closes the door to open communication and limits the
clients options. Simply telling the client to stop yelling and to gain control does nothing to
promote therapeutic communication.
Question 3
A nurse is field-triaging clients after an industrial accident. Which client condition should
the nurse triage with a red tag?
a. Dislocated right hip and an open fracture of the right lower leg
b. Large contusion to the forehead and a bloody nose
c. Closed fracture of the right clavicle and arm numbness
d. Multiple fractured ribs and shortness of breath
CORRECT ANSWER
D
Clients who have an immediate threat to life are given the highest priority, are placed in
the emergent or class I category, and are given a red triage tag. The client with multiple rib
fractures and shortness of breath most likely has developed a pneumothorax, which may
be fatal if not treated immediately. The client with the hip and leg problem and the client
with the clavicle fracture would be classified as class II; these major but stable injuries can
wait 30 minutes to 2 hours for definitive care. The client with facial wounds would be
considered the walking wounded and classified as nonurgent.
2
,Question 4
An emergency department (ED) charge nurse prepares to receive clients from a mass
casualty within the community. What is the role of this nurse during the event?
a. Ask ED staff to discharge clients from the medical-surgical units in order to make room for
critically injured victims.
b. Call additional medical-surgical and critical care nursing staff to come to the hospital to
assist when victims are brought in.
c. Inform the incident commander at the mass casualty scene about how many victims may
be handled by the ED.
d. Direct medical-surgical and critical care nurses to assist with clients currently in the ED
while emergency staff prepare to receive the mass casualty victims.
CORRECT ANSWER
D
The ED charge nurse should direct additional nursing staff to help care for current ED
clients while the ED staff prepares to receive mass casualty victims; however, they should
not be assigned to the most critically ill or injured clients. The house supervisor and unit
directors would collaborate to discharge stable clients. The hospital incident commander is
responsible for mobilizing resources and would have the responsibility for calling in staff.
The medical command physician would be the person best able to communicate with on-
scene personnel regarding the ability to take more clients.
Question 5
The hospital administration arranges for critical incident stress debriefing for the staff after
a mass casualty incident. Which statement by the debriefing team leader is most
appropriate for this situation?
a. You are free to express your feelings; whatever is said here stays here.
b. Lets evaluate what went wrong and develop policies for future incidents.
c. This session is only for nursing and medical staff, not for ancillary personnel.
3
, d. Lets pass around the written policy compliance form for everyone.
CORRECT ANSWER
A
Strict confidentiality during stress debriefing is essential so that staff members can feel
comfortable sharing their feelings, which should be accepted unconditionally.
Brainstorming improvements and discussing policies would occur during an administrative
review. Any employee present during a mass casualty situation is eligible for critical
incident stress management services.
Question 6
A nurse cares for clients during a community-wide disaster drill. Once of the clients asks,
"Why are the individuals with black tags not receiving any care?" How should the nurse
respond?
a. To do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, it is necessary to sacrifice
some.
b. Not everyone will survive a disaster, so it is best to identify those people early and move
on.
c. In a disaster, extensive resources are not used for one person at the expense of many
others.
d. With black tags, volunteers can identify those who are dying and can give them comfort
care.
CORRECT ANSWER
C
In a disaster, military-style triage is used; this approach identifies the dead or expectant
dead with black tags. This practice helps to maintain the goal of triage, which is doing the
most good for the most people. Precious resources are not used for those with
overwhelming critical injury or illness, so that they can be allocated to others who have a
reasonable expectation of survival. Clients are not sacrificed. Telling students to move on
after identifying the expectant dead belittles their feelings and does not provide an
4
VERIFIED ANSWERS|BRAND NEW 2026-2027
UPDATE|GRADED A+
Question 1
A hospital responds to a local mass casualty event. Which action should the nurse
supervisor take to prevent staff post-traumatic stress disorder during a mass casualty
event?
a. Provide water and healthy snacks for energy throughout the event.
b. Schedule 16-hour shifts to allow for greater rest between shifts.
c. Encourage counseling upon deactivation of the emergency response plan.
d. Assign staff to different roles and units within the medical facility.
CORRECT ANSWER
A
To prevent staff post-traumatic stress disorder during a mass casualty event, the nurses
should use available counseling, encourage and support co-workers, monitor each others
stress level and performance, take breaks when needed, talk about feelings with staff and
managers, and drink plenty of water and eat healthy snacks for energy. Nurses should also
keep in touch with family, friends, and significant others, and not work for more than 12
hours per day. Encouraging counseling upon deactivation of the plan, or after the
emergency response is over, does not prevent stress during the casualty event. Assigning
staff to unfamiliar roles or units may increase situational stress and is not an approach to
prevent post-traumatic stress disorder.
Question 2
A client who is hospitalized with burns after losing the family home in a fire becomes
angry and screams at a nurse when dinner is served late. How should the nurse respond?
a. Do you need something for pain right now?
b. Please stop yelling. I brought dinner as soon as I could.
1
,c. I suggest that you get control of yourself.
d. You seem upset. I have time to talk if you'd like.
CORRECT ANSWER
D
Clients should be allowed to ventilate their feelings of anger and despair after a
catastrophic event. The nurse establishes rapport through active listening and honest
communication and by recognizing cues that the client wishes to talk. Asking whether the
client is in pain as the first response closes the door to open communication and limits the
clients options. Simply telling the client to stop yelling and to gain control does nothing to
promote therapeutic communication.
Question 3
A nurse is field-triaging clients after an industrial accident. Which client condition should
the nurse triage with a red tag?
a. Dislocated right hip and an open fracture of the right lower leg
b. Large contusion to the forehead and a bloody nose
c. Closed fracture of the right clavicle and arm numbness
d. Multiple fractured ribs and shortness of breath
CORRECT ANSWER
D
Clients who have an immediate threat to life are given the highest priority, are placed in
the emergent or class I category, and are given a red triage tag. The client with multiple rib
fractures and shortness of breath most likely has developed a pneumothorax, which may
be fatal if not treated immediately. The client with the hip and leg problem and the client
with the clavicle fracture would be classified as class II; these major but stable injuries can
wait 30 minutes to 2 hours for definitive care. The client with facial wounds would be
considered the walking wounded and classified as nonurgent.
2
,Question 4
An emergency department (ED) charge nurse prepares to receive clients from a mass
casualty within the community. What is the role of this nurse during the event?
a. Ask ED staff to discharge clients from the medical-surgical units in order to make room for
critically injured victims.
b. Call additional medical-surgical and critical care nursing staff to come to the hospital to
assist when victims are brought in.
c. Inform the incident commander at the mass casualty scene about how many victims may
be handled by the ED.
d. Direct medical-surgical and critical care nurses to assist with clients currently in the ED
while emergency staff prepare to receive the mass casualty victims.
CORRECT ANSWER
D
The ED charge nurse should direct additional nursing staff to help care for current ED
clients while the ED staff prepares to receive mass casualty victims; however, they should
not be assigned to the most critically ill or injured clients. The house supervisor and unit
directors would collaborate to discharge stable clients. The hospital incident commander is
responsible for mobilizing resources and would have the responsibility for calling in staff.
The medical command physician would be the person best able to communicate with on-
scene personnel regarding the ability to take more clients.
Question 5
The hospital administration arranges for critical incident stress debriefing for the staff after
a mass casualty incident. Which statement by the debriefing team leader is most
appropriate for this situation?
a. You are free to express your feelings; whatever is said here stays here.
b. Lets evaluate what went wrong and develop policies for future incidents.
c. This session is only for nursing and medical staff, not for ancillary personnel.
3
, d. Lets pass around the written policy compliance form for everyone.
CORRECT ANSWER
A
Strict confidentiality during stress debriefing is essential so that staff members can feel
comfortable sharing their feelings, which should be accepted unconditionally.
Brainstorming improvements and discussing policies would occur during an administrative
review. Any employee present during a mass casualty situation is eligible for critical
incident stress management services.
Question 6
A nurse cares for clients during a community-wide disaster drill. Once of the clients asks,
"Why are the individuals with black tags not receiving any care?" How should the nurse
respond?
a. To do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, it is necessary to sacrifice
some.
b. Not everyone will survive a disaster, so it is best to identify those people early and move
on.
c. In a disaster, extensive resources are not used for one person at the expense of many
others.
d. With black tags, volunteers can identify those who are dying and can give them comfort
care.
CORRECT ANSWER
C
In a disaster, military-style triage is used; this approach identifies the dead or expectant
dead with black tags. This practice helps to maintain the goal of triage, which is doing the
most good for the most people. Precious resources are not used for those with
overwhelming critical injury or illness, so that they can be allocated to others who have a
reasonable expectation of survival. Clients are not sacrificed. Telling students to move on
after identifying the expectant dead belittles their feelings and does not provide an
4
