CNOR EXAM AND PRACTICE QUESTIONS 2026 UPDATE|
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS|
ALREADY GRADED A+
The perioperative nurse receives a patient from the emergency room.
The operative consent was signed for a craniotomy by the patient's
husband, who is no longer immediately available. The patient is
unstable and disoriented. To identify the operative site, the nurse's
most appropriate action in this situation would be to:
A. confirm the diagnosis from the emergency room physician's notes
B. consult the surgeon for confirmation of the operative site
C. evaluate the computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan
D. request advice from the manager
B
During an exploratory laparotomy on a blunt force trauma patient the
patient's BP is 97/40, HR 122, RR, 16 on the ventilator. The patient's
ABG is as follows: pH 7.32, CO2 35, HCO3 19. The circulating nurse
understands the appropriate treatment for this ABG is to:
A. increase the respiratory ventilation rate.
B. stop the bleeding and treat with sodium bicarbonate IV
C. decrease the respiratory ventilation rate
D. perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation
B
During a mass casualty situation which patients will you treat in
surgery first?
A. Red tagged patients
B. Only patient who require surgical procedures
pg. 1
,C. Orthopedic trauma patients
D. Black tagged patients
a
The trauma patient needs emergency released uncrossmatched blood.
What blood type will the patient receive?
A. AB Positive
B. O Negative
C. A Negative
D. O Positive
b
During a procedure under local anesthesia, the patient complains of
circumoral numbness, blurred vision, and dizziness. What should be
the immediate action of the perioperative nurse monitoring this
patient?
a. Recheck the dose of local anesthesia given
b. Ensure an airway
c. Set the IV line to full flow
d. Call for 20% lipid emulsion to be brought to the room
b
The circulating nurse reports that the needle count is incorrect. The
surgeon continues to close the wound, stating, "I know it is not in the
wound and I am not going to stop to look for it." The best plan of
action is to:
a. Accept the surgeon's response without comment and fill out an
incident report
pg. 2
,b. Inform the surgeon of hospital policy and document subsequent
actions
c. Order X-rays regardless of the surgeon's wishes
d. Notify the OR supervisor and ask for advice
b
A new employee unknowingly dispensed an unsterile solution to the
sterile field. The following day, the supervisor learns of the incident.
The supervisor's first action would be to:
a. Initiate an incident report
b. Instruct the employee on the technique of reading labels
c. Counsel the employee verbally
d. Notify the surgeon of the break in technique
d
Due to an emergency, the perioperative nurse is unable to conduct the
sponge, sharps, and instrument counts. At the conclusion of the
surgery, the nurse should:
a. Ask the surgeon to sign the count
b. Immediately notify the OR supervisor
c. Document the absence of counts
d. Refuse to sign the sponge count record
c
The optimum patient position provides:
a. Access and exposure, maintains circulatory and respiratory
functions, and does not compromise neuromuscular structures.
pg. 3
, b. Optimum access and exposure to surgical site, with no permanent
compromise to neuromuscular structures.
c. Access for the surgeon, does not compromise the neuromuscular
structures, and maintains an adequate airway for the anesthetist.
d. Sustained circulatory and respiratory functions, does not
compromise neuromuscular structures, and maintains body alignment.
A
A patient who is 8 months pregnant is to undergo an emergency
laparotomy. In planning nursing care for this patient, the perioperative
nurse should have available a wedge cushion or pillow to place under
the patient's:
a. Knees
b. Left side
c. Right side
d. Shoulders
c
You're loading the sterilizer with trays and wrapped towels. The
correct configuration would be:
a. The towels are on the bottom shelf and the trays on the top shelf
b. The towels are on the top shelf and the trays are on the bottom shelf
c. The trays and towels go on the top shelf and leave the bottom shelf
empty
d. There is no specific configuration when there is a mixed load of
trays and wrapped textiles
b
pg. 4
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS|
ALREADY GRADED A+
The perioperative nurse receives a patient from the emergency room.
The operative consent was signed for a craniotomy by the patient's
husband, who is no longer immediately available. The patient is
unstable and disoriented. To identify the operative site, the nurse's
most appropriate action in this situation would be to:
A. confirm the diagnosis from the emergency room physician's notes
B. consult the surgeon for confirmation of the operative site
C. evaluate the computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan
D. request advice from the manager
B
During an exploratory laparotomy on a blunt force trauma patient the
patient's BP is 97/40, HR 122, RR, 16 on the ventilator. The patient's
ABG is as follows: pH 7.32, CO2 35, HCO3 19. The circulating nurse
understands the appropriate treatment for this ABG is to:
A. increase the respiratory ventilation rate.
B. stop the bleeding and treat with sodium bicarbonate IV
C. decrease the respiratory ventilation rate
D. perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation
B
During a mass casualty situation which patients will you treat in
surgery first?
A. Red tagged patients
B. Only patient who require surgical procedures
pg. 1
,C. Orthopedic trauma patients
D. Black tagged patients
a
The trauma patient needs emergency released uncrossmatched blood.
What blood type will the patient receive?
A. AB Positive
B. O Negative
C. A Negative
D. O Positive
b
During a procedure under local anesthesia, the patient complains of
circumoral numbness, blurred vision, and dizziness. What should be
the immediate action of the perioperative nurse monitoring this
patient?
a. Recheck the dose of local anesthesia given
b. Ensure an airway
c. Set the IV line to full flow
d. Call for 20% lipid emulsion to be brought to the room
b
The circulating nurse reports that the needle count is incorrect. The
surgeon continues to close the wound, stating, "I know it is not in the
wound and I am not going to stop to look for it." The best plan of
action is to:
a. Accept the surgeon's response without comment and fill out an
incident report
pg. 2
,b. Inform the surgeon of hospital policy and document subsequent
actions
c. Order X-rays regardless of the surgeon's wishes
d. Notify the OR supervisor and ask for advice
b
A new employee unknowingly dispensed an unsterile solution to the
sterile field. The following day, the supervisor learns of the incident.
The supervisor's first action would be to:
a. Initiate an incident report
b. Instruct the employee on the technique of reading labels
c. Counsel the employee verbally
d. Notify the surgeon of the break in technique
d
Due to an emergency, the perioperative nurse is unable to conduct the
sponge, sharps, and instrument counts. At the conclusion of the
surgery, the nurse should:
a. Ask the surgeon to sign the count
b. Immediately notify the OR supervisor
c. Document the absence of counts
d. Refuse to sign the sponge count record
c
The optimum patient position provides:
a. Access and exposure, maintains circulatory and respiratory
functions, and does not compromise neuromuscular structures.
pg. 3
, b. Optimum access and exposure to surgical site, with no permanent
compromise to neuromuscular structures.
c. Access for the surgeon, does not compromise the neuromuscular
structures, and maintains an adequate airway for the anesthetist.
d. Sustained circulatory and respiratory functions, does not
compromise neuromuscular structures, and maintains body alignment.
A
A patient who is 8 months pregnant is to undergo an emergency
laparotomy. In planning nursing care for this patient, the perioperative
nurse should have available a wedge cushion or pillow to place under
the patient's:
a. Knees
b. Left side
c. Right side
d. Shoulders
c
You're loading the sterilizer with trays and wrapped towels. The
correct configuration would be:
a. The towels are on the bottom shelf and the trays on the top shelf
b. The towels are on the top shelf and the trays are on the bottom shelf
c. The trays and towels go on the top shelf and leave the bottom shelf
empty
d. There is no specific configuration when there is a mixed load of
trays and wrapped textiles
b
pg. 4
