NCLEX-RN Practice Questions with
100% ACCURATE ANSWERS
A client is referred to a surgeon by the general practitioner. After meeting the surgeon,
the client decides to find a different surgeon to continue treatment. The nurse supports
the client's action, utilizing which ethical principle?
1. Beneficence
2. Veracity
3. Autonomy
4. Privacy - correct answerAnswer: 3
Rationale: Autonomy is the right of individuals to take action for themselves.
Beneficence is an ethical principle to do good and applies when the nurse has a city to
help others by doing what is best for them. Veracity refers to truthfulness. Privacy is the
nondisclosure of information by the health care team.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: The core issue of the question is the ability to interpret which ethical principle
is operating in a specific situation. Eliminate beneficence and veracity next because
they focus on the obligation of the nurse rather than on a right of the client.
A nurse forgets to administer a client's diuretic and the client experiences an episode of
pulmonary edema. The charge nurse would consider the medication error to constitute
negligence because the situation contains which element?
1. Purposeful failure to perform a health care procedure
2. Unintentional failure to perform a health care procedure
3. Act of substituting a different medication for the one ordered
4. Failure to follow a direct order by a physician - correct answerAnswer: 2
Rationale: Negligence is the unintentional failure of an individual to perform or not
perform an act that a reasonable person would or would not do in the same or similar
circumstances. A purposeful failure to perform a procedure would be the opposite of
negligence, which is unintentional. Substituting a different medication does not fit the
description of the situation in the question. Failure to follow a direct order does not fit the
description in the situation in the question.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Assessment
Content Area: Fundamentals
, Strategy: Two options are opposites, which is a clue that one of them may be correct.
Choose unintentional failure to carry out a procedure over purposeful failure because it
matches the definition of negligence.
A client asks why a diagnostic test has been ordered and the nurse replies, "I'm unsure
but will find out for you." When the nurse later returns and provides an explanation, the
nurse is acting under which principle?
1. Nonmaleficence
2. Veracity
3. Beneficence
4. Fidelity - correct answerAnswer: 4
Rationale: Fidelity means being faithful to agreements and promises. This nurse is
acting on the client's behalf to obtain needed information and report it back to the client.
Nonmaleficence is the duty to do no harm. Veracity refers to telling the truth for
example, not lying to a client about a serious prognosis. Beneficence means doing
good, such as by implementing actions (e.g. keeping a salt shaker out of sight) that
benefit a client (heart condition requiring sodium-restricted diet).
Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The correct answer is the one that matches
the description in the stem; that is, the nurse made a promise to a client and kept it,
which constitutes fidelity.
An individual has a seizure while walking down the street. During the seizure, a nurse
from a physician's office is noticed driving past without stopping to assist. The individual
sues the nurse for negligence but fails to win a judgement for which reason?
1. The nurse had no duty to the individual.
2. The nurse did what most nurses would do in the same circumstance.
3. The nurse did not cause the client's injuries.
4. The nurse was off-duty at the time. - correct answerAnswer: 1
Rationale: To be guilty of negligence, the nurse must have a relationship with the client
that involves a duty to provide care. The relationship is usually a component of
employment. The nurse did not necessarily do what others would do in this situation.
Although the nurse did not cause the client's injuries, it does not prevent the nurse from
assisting in this situation. Although the nurse was off-duty, the nurse could have
assisted if motivated to do so.
Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
100% ACCURATE ANSWERS
A client is referred to a surgeon by the general practitioner. After meeting the surgeon,
the client decides to find a different surgeon to continue treatment. The nurse supports
the client's action, utilizing which ethical principle?
1. Beneficence
2. Veracity
3. Autonomy
4. Privacy - correct answerAnswer: 3
Rationale: Autonomy is the right of individuals to take action for themselves.
Beneficence is an ethical principle to do good and applies when the nurse has a city to
help others by doing what is best for them. Veracity refers to truthfulness. Privacy is the
nondisclosure of information by the health care team.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: The core issue of the question is the ability to interpret which ethical principle
is operating in a specific situation. Eliminate beneficence and veracity next because
they focus on the obligation of the nurse rather than on a right of the client.
A nurse forgets to administer a client's diuretic and the client experiences an episode of
pulmonary edema. The charge nurse would consider the medication error to constitute
negligence because the situation contains which element?
1. Purposeful failure to perform a health care procedure
2. Unintentional failure to perform a health care procedure
3. Act of substituting a different medication for the one ordered
4. Failure to follow a direct order by a physician - correct answerAnswer: 2
Rationale: Negligence is the unintentional failure of an individual to perform or not
perform an act that a reasonable person would or would not do in the same or similar
circumstances. A purposeful failure to perform a procedure would be the opposite of
negligence, which is unintentional. Substituting a different medication does not fit the
description of the situation in the question. Failure to follow a direct order does not fit the
description in the situation in the question.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Assessment
Content Area: Fundamentals
, Strategy: Two options are opposites, which is a clue that one of them may be correct.
Choose unintentional failure to carry out a procedure over purposeful failure because it
matches the definition of negligence.
A client asks why a diagnostic test has been ordered and the nurse replies, "I'm unsure
but will find out for you." When the nurse later returns and provides an explanation, the
nurse is acting under which principle?
1. Nonmaleficence
2. Veracity
3. Beneficence
4. Fidelity - correct answerAnswer: 4
Rationale: Fidelity means being faithful to agreements and promises. This nurse is
acting on the client's behalf to obtain needed information and report it back to the client.
Nonmaleficence is the duty to do no harm. Veracity refers to telling the truth for
example, not lying to a client about a serious prognosis. Beneficence means doing
good, such as by implementing actions (e.g. keeping a salt shaker out of sight) that
benefit a client (heart condition requiring sodium-restricted diet).
Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The correct answer is the one that matches
the description in the stem; that is, the nurse made a promise to a client and kept it,
which constitutes fidelity.
An individual has a seizure while walking down the street. During the seizure, a nurse
from a physician's office is noticed driving past without stopping to assist. The individual
sues the nurse for negligence but fails to win a judgement for which reason?
1. The nurse had no duty to the individual.
2. The nurse did what most nurses would do in the same circumstance.
3. The nurse did not cause the client's injuries.
4. The nurse was off-duty at the time. - correct answerAnswer: 1
Rationale: To be guilty of negligence, the nurse must have a relationship with the client
that involves a duty to provide care. The relationship is usually a component of
employment. The nurse did not necessarily do what others would do in this situation.
Although the nurse did not cause the client's injuries, it does not prevent the nurse from
assisting in this situation. Although the nurse was off-duty, the nurse could have
assisted if motivated to do so.
Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
