NSG 3160
Final Comprehensive Exam
Health Assessment
Galen College of Nursing
2026/2027 |Newly Released
100 Verified questions & Answers with Detailed NCLEX-
Style Rationales
Graded A+
Q1: The nurse is preparing to document a patient’s assessment. Which of the following is an
example of subjective data?
A. Skin is warm and dry to touch.
B. Lungs are clear to auscultation bilaterally.
C. Patient states, "I feel dizzy when I stand up quickly."
D. Blood pressure is 130/82 mmHg
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Subjective data is what the patient tells you (symptoms). Options A, B, and D are
objective data (signs) that the nurse measures or observes directly.
Q2: A nurse observes a colleague documenting an incident report within the patient's electronic
health record (EHR). Which action by the nurse is most appropriate?
A. Report the colleague to the nursing supervisor immediately.
B. Advise the colleague that incident reports should not be referenced in the patient's chart.
C. Ignore the action because the colleague is senior.
D. Help the colleague finish the documentation in the EHR.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Incident reports are internal risk management documents and should never be placed
in the patient's legal medical record (EHR). Including them can be legally prejudicial. They
should be filed separately.
,Q3: A patient is admitted with acute alcohol intoxication. The nurse uses the CAGE
questionnaire to screen for alcoholism. What does the "G" in CAGE stand for?
A. Guilt
B. Gastritis
C. Guardianship
D. Gastrointestinal
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The acronym CAGE stands for Cut down, Annoyed, Guilt (feeling guilty about
drinking), and Eye-opener (drinking first thing in the morning).
Q4: During the admission health history, the patient states, "I have a pain right here." How
should the nurse document this in the record?
A. Patient reports right lower quadrant pain.
B. Patient indicates RLQ pain with hand gesture.
C. Patient states, "I have a pain right here."
D. Patient complains of abdominal tenderness.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: When documenting the chief complaint or specific patient statements, the nurse
should use the patient's own words verbatim in quotation marks. This preserves the accuracy of
the patient's perspective.
Q5: Which of the following actions by the nurse demonstrates the therapeutic communication
technique of clarification?
A. "I understand what you are going through."
B. "Can you tell me more about what you mean by 'nervous'?"
C. "Why did you wait so long to come to the hospital?"
D. "It sounds like you are worried about the surgery."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Clarification is used to check the meaning of the patient's words or to make vague
statements clearer. Option A is a general lead or false reassurance, Option C is a "why" question
which can be defensive, and Option D is reflection.
Q6: The nurse is performing a pain assessment. Which letter in the PQRSTU acronym represents
the question, "What were you doing when the pain started?"
A. P (Provocative/Palliative)
B. R (Region/Radiation)
C. T (Timing)
D. U (Understanding)
Correct Answer: A
, Rationale: "P" stands for Provocative/Palliative. It involves asking what triggers the pain
(provocative) or what makes it better (palliative). "What were you doing?" identifies the
provocative factor.
Q7: Which type of database is used when a patient presents to the Emergency Department with a
critical injury, such as a motor vehicle collision?
A. Complete database
B. Follow-up database
C. Emergency database
D. Focused database
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: An emergency database is rapid and collected simultaneously with lifesaving
measures. It focuses on essential data to stabilize the patient, unlike a complete or focused
database which requires more time and patient interaction.
Q8: The nurse is creating a genogram for a patient. Which information is best represented by this
tool?
A. The patient's current vital signs history.
B. A graphic representation of the family health history across at least three generations.
C. A list of the patient's allergies and reactions.
D. The patient's developmental milestones from infancy.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A genogram is a graphic family tree that outlines health history and relationships,
typically spanning three generations. It helps identify patterns of disease or genetic risks.
Final Comprehensive Exam
Health Assessment
Galen College of Nursing
2026/2027 |Newly Released
100 Verified questions & Answers with Detailed NCLEX-
Style Rationales
Graded A+
Q1: The nurse is preparing to document a patient’s assessment. Which of the following is an
example of subjective data?
A. Skin is warm and dry to touch.
B. Lungs are clear to auscultation bilaterally.
C. Patient states, "I feel dizzy when I stand up quickly."
D. Blood pressure is 130/82 mmHg
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Subjective data is what the patient tells you (symptoms). Options A, B, and D are
objective data (signs) that the nurse measures or observes directly.
Q2: A nurse observes a colleague documenting an incident report within the patient's electronic
health record (EHR). Which action by the nurse is most appropriate?
A. Report the colleague to the nursing supervisor immediately.
B. Advise the colleague that incident reports should not be referenced in the patient's chart.
C. Ignore the action because the colleague is senior.
D. Help the colleague finish the documentation in the EHR.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Incident reports are internal risk management documents and should never be placed
in the patient's legal medical record (EHR). Including them can be legally prejudicial. They
should be filed separately.
,Q3: A patient is admitted with acute alcohol intoxication. The nurse uses the CAGE
questionnaire to screen for alcoholism. What does the "G" in CAGE stand for?
A. Guilt
B. Gastritis
C. Guardianship
D. Gastrointestinal
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The acronym CAGE stands for Cut down, Annoyed, Guilt (feeling guilty about
drinking), and Eye-opener (drinking first thing in the morning).
Q4: During the admission health history, the patient states, "I have a pain right here." How
should the nurse document this in the record?
A. Patient reports right lower quadrant pain.
B. Patient indicates RLQ pain with hand gesture.
C. Patient states, "I have a pain right here."
D. Patient complains of abdominal tenderness.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: When documenting the chief complaint or specific patient statements, the nurse
should use the patient's own words verbatim in quotation marks. This preserves the accuracy of
the patient's perspective.
Q5: Which of the following actions by the nurse demonstrates the therapeutic communication
technique of clarification?
A. "I understand what you are going through."
B. "Can you tell me more about what you mean by 'nervous'?"
C. "Why did you wait so long to come to the hospital?"
D. "It sounds like you are worried about the surgery."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Clarification is used to check the meaning of the patient's words or to make vague
statements clearer. Option A is a general lead or false reassurance, Option C is a "why" question
which can be defensive, and Option D is reflection.
Q6: The nurse is performing a pain assessment. Which letter in the PQRSTU acronym represents
the question, "What were you doing when the pain started?"
A. P (Provocative/Palliative)
B. R (Region/Radiation)
C. T (Timing)
D. U (Understanding)
Correct Answer: A
, Rationale: "P" stands for Provocative/Palliative. It involves asking what triggers the pain
(provocative) or what makes it better (palliative). "What were you doing?" identifies the
provocative factor.
Q7: Which type of database is used when a patient presents to the Emergency Department with a
critical injury, such as a motor vehicle collision?
A. Complete database
B. Follow-up database
C. Emergency database
D. Focused database
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: An emergency database is rapid and collected simultaneously with lifesaving
measures. It focuses on essential data to stabilize the patient, unlike a complete or focused
database which requires more time and patient interaction.
Q8: The nurse is creating a genogram for a patient. Which information is best represented by this
tool?
A. The patient's current vital signs history.
B. A graphic representation of the family health history across at least three generations.
C. A list of the patient's allergies and reactions.
D. The patient's developmental milestones from infancy.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A genogram is a graphic family tree that outlines health history and relationships,
typically spanning three generations. It helps identify patterns of disease or genetic risks.
