HESI RN FUNDAMENTALS EXIT EXAM
(LATEST 2026 UPDATE) ACTUAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS WITH RATIOANLES ALREADY
GRADED A+|BRAND NEW!!!
The nurse identifies a potential for infection in a client with partial-
thickness (second-degree) and full-thickness (third-degree) burns.
What action 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
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 assesses a 2-year-old who is admitted for dehydration and
finds that the peripheral IV rate by gravity has slowed, even though
the venous access site is healthy. What should the nurse do next?
A.Apply a warm compress proximal to the site.
B.Check for kinks in the tubing and raise the IV pole.
C.Adjust the tape that stabilizes the needle.
D.Flush with normal saline and recount the drop rate.
pg. 1
,B
Rationale: The nurse should first check the tubing and height of the
bag on the IV pole, which are common factors that may slow the rate.
Gravity infusion rates are influenced by the height of the bag, tubing
clamp closure or kinks, needle size or position, fluid viscosity, client
blood pressure (crying in the pediatric client), and infiltration.
Venospasm can slow the rate and often responds to warmth over the
vessel, but the nurse should first adjust the IV pole height. The nurse
may need to adjust the stabilizing tape on a positional needle or flush
the venous access with normal saline, but less invasive actions should
be implemented first.
The nurse manager of a skilled nursing (chronic care) unit is
instructing UAPs on ways to prevent complications of immobility.
Which action should be included in this instruction?
A.Perform range-of-motion exercises to prevent contractures.
B.Decrease the client's fluid intake to prevent diarrhea.
C.Massage the client's legs to reduce embolism occurrence.
D.Turn the client from side to back every shift.
A
Rationale: Performing range-of-motion exercises is beneficial in
reducing contractures around joints. Options B, C, and D are all
potentially harmful practices that place the immobile client at risk of
complications.
The nurse administered 10 mg of diazepam to the preoperative client.
What steps will the nurse take next? (Select all that apply.)
A.Place the client in the bed next to the nurse's station.
B.Instruct the client not to get out of bed.
C.Place the call bell within the client's reach.
D.Place the side rails up, according to institutional policy.
pg. 2
,E.Assist the client to the bathroom
B, C, D
Rationale: Diazepam is a common preoperative medication. Close
observation by placing the client close to the nurse's station is not
necessary. The medication has a sedative effect and the client should
not get out of bed, even with assistance. The remaining selections are
correct.
A terminally ill client tells the nurse, "I am so tired and in so much
pain! Please help me to die." Which is the best response for the nurse
to provide?
A.Administer the prescribed maximum dose of pain medication.
B.Talk with the client about thoughts and feelings about death.
C.Collaborate with the health care provider about initiating
antidepressant therapy.
D.Refer the client to the ethics committee of her local health care
facility.
B
Rationale: The nurse should first assess the client's feelings about
death and determine the extent to which this statement expresses the
client's true feelings. The client may need additional pain
management, but further assessment is needed before implementing
option A. Options C and D are both premature interventions and
should not be implemented until further assessment is obtained.
A nurse stops at a motor vehicle collision site to render aid until the
emergency personnel arrive and applies pressure to a groin wound
that is bleeding profusely. Later the client has to have the leg
amputated and sues the nurse for malpractice. Which statement
reflects the likely outcome for the nurse?
pg. 3
, A.The Patient's Bill of Rights protects clients from malicious intents,
so the nurse could lose the case.
B.The lawsuit may be settled out of court, but the nurse's license is
likely to be revoked.
C.There will be no judgment against the nurse, whose actions are
protected under the Good Samaritan Act.
D.The client will win because the four elements of negligence (duty,
breach, causation, and damages) can be proved.
C
Rationale: The Good Samaritan Act protects health care professionals
who practice in good faith and provide reasonable care from
malpractice claims, regardless of the client outcome. Although the
Patient's Bill of Rights protects clients, this nurse is protected by the
Good Samaritan Act. The state Board of Nursing has no reason to
revoke a registered nurse's license unless there was evidence that
actions taken in the emergency were not done in good faith or that
reasonable care was not provided. All four elements of malpractice
were not shown.
An older client who had abdominal surgery 3 days earlier was given a
barbiturate for sleep and is now requesting to go to the bathroom.
What is the priority nursing action for this client?
A.Assist the client to walk to the bathroom and do not leave the client
alone.
B.Request that the UAP assist the client onto a bedpan.
C.Ask if the client needs to have a bowel movement or void.
D.Assess the client's bladder to determine if the client needs to
urinate.
A
Rationale: Barbiturates cause central nervous system (CNS)
depression, and individuals taking these medications are at greater
pg. 4
(LATEST 2026 UPDATE) ACTUAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS WITH RATIOANLES ALREADY
GRADED A+|BRAND NEW!!!
The nurse identifies a potential for infection in a client with partial-
thickness (second-degree) and full-thickness (third-degree) burns.
What action 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
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 assesses a 2-year-old who is admitted for dehydration and
finds that the peripheral IV rate by gravity has slowed, even though
the venous access site is healthy. What should the nurse do next?
A.Apply a warm compress proximal to the site.
B.Check for kinks in the tubing and raise the IV pole.
C.Adjust the tape that stabilizes the needle.
D.Flush with normal saline and recount the drop rate.
pg. 1
,B
Rationale: The nurse should first check the tubing and height of the
bag on the IV pole, which are common factors that may slow the rate.
Gravity infusion rates are influenced by the height of the bag, tubing
clamp closure or kinks, needle size or position, fluid viscosity, client
blood pressure (crying in the pediatric client), and infiltration.
Venospasm can slow the rate and often responds to warmth over the
vessel, but the nurse should first adjust the IV pole height. The nurse
may need to adjust the stabilizing tape on a positional needle or flush
the venous access with normal saline, but less invasive actions should
be implemented first.
The nurse manager of a skilled nursing (chronic care) unit is
instructing UAPs on ways to prevent complications of immobility.
Which action should be included in this instruction?
A.Perform range-of-motion exercises to prevent contractures.
B.Decrease the client's fluid intake to prevent diarrhea.
C.Massage the client's legs to reduce embolism occurrence.
D.Turn the client from side to back every shift.
A
Rationale: Performing range-of-motion exercises is beneficial in
reducing contractures around joints. Options B, C, and D are all
potentially harmful practices that place the immobile client at risk of
complications.
The nurse administered 10 mg of diazepam to the preoperative client.
What steps will the nurse take next? (Select all that apply.)
A.Place the client in the bed next to the nurse's station.
B.Instruct the client not to get out of bed.
C.Place the call bell within the client's reach.
D.Place the side rails up, according to institutional policy.
pg. 2
,E.Assist the client to the bathroom
B, C, D
Rationale: Diazepam is a common preoperative medication. Close
observation by placing the client close to the nurse's station is not
necessary. The medication has a sedative effect and the client should
not get out of bed, even with assistance. The remaining selections are
correct.
A terminally ill client tells the nurse, "I am so tired and in so much
pain! Please help me to die." Which is the best response for the nurse
to provide?
A.Administer the prescribed maximum dose of pain medication.
B.Talk with the client about thoughts and feelings about death.
C.Collaborate with the health care provider about initiating
antidepressant therapy.
D.Refer the client to the ethics committee of her local health care
facility.
B
Rationale: The nurse should first assess the client's feelings about
death and determine the extent to which this statement expresses the
client's true feelings. The client may need additional pain
management, but further assessment is needed before implementing
option A. Options C and D are both premature interventions and
should not be implemented until further assessment is obtained.
A nurse stops at a motor vehicle collision site to render aid until the
emergency personnel arrive and applies pressure to a groin wound
that is bleeding profusely. Later the client has to have the leg
amputated and sues the nurse for malpractice. Which statement
reflects the likely outcome for the nurse?
pg. 3
, A.The Patient's Bill of Rights protects clients from malicious intents,
so the nurse could lose the case.
B.The lawsuit may be settled out of court, but the nurse's license is
likely to be revoked.
C.There will be no judgment against the nurse, whose actions are
protected under the Good Samaritan Act.
D.The client will win because the four elements of negligence (duty,
breach, causation, and damages) can be proved.
C
Rationale: The Good Samaritan Act protects health care professionals
who practice in good faith and provide reasonable care from
malpractice claims, regardless of the client outcome. Although the
Patient's Bill of Rights protects clients, this nurse is protected by the
Good Samaritan Act. The state Board of Nursing has no reason to
revoke a registered nurse's license unless there was evidence that
actions taken in the emergency were not done in good faith or that
reasonable care was not provided. All four elements of malpractice
were not shown.
An older client who had abdominal surgery 3 days earlier was given a
barbiturate for sleep and is now requesting to go to the bathroom.
What is the priority nursing action for this client?
A.Assist the client to walk to the bathroom and do not leave the client
alone.
B.Request that the UAP assist the client onto a bedpan.
C.Ask if the client needs to have a bowel movement or void.
D.Assess the client's bladder to determine if the client needs to
urinate.
A
Rationale: Barbiturates cause central nervous system (CNS)
depression, and individuals taking these medications are at greater
pg. 4
