HESI A2 Critical Thinking |
Practice Questions with
Answers and Rationales
Study Guide | Graded A+ |
Guaranteed Success
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive Rationales
Included
,1. The nurse is working in the emergency department (ED) Rationale
of a children's medical center. Which client should the
nurse assess first? Correct - 3-The child hit by a car should be assessed first because he or she may
1. The 1-month-old infant who has developed colic and is have life- threatening injuries that must be assessed and treated promptly.
crying.
2. The 2-year-old toddler who was bitten by another child
at the day-care center. 3. The 6-year-old school-age
child who was hit by a car while riding a bicycle.
4. The 14-year-old adolescent whose mother suspects
her child is sexually active.
1. In an interview, the nurse may find it necessary to take A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal
notes to aid his or her memory later. Which statement is behaviors.
true regarding note-taking?
Page: 31 Some use of history forms and note-taking may be unavoidable. But be
A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of aware that note-taking during the interview has disadvantages. It breaks eye
the patient's nonverbal behaviors. contact too often, and it shifts attention away from the patient, which diminishes
B) Note-taking allows the patient to continue at his or her his or her sense of importance. It also may interrupt the patient's narrative flow,
own pace as the nurse records what is said. and it impedes the observation of the patient's nonverbal behavior.
C) Note-taking allows the nurse to shift attention away
from the patient, resulting in an increased comfort level.
D) Note-taking allows the nurse to break eye contact
with the patient, which may increase his or her level of
comfort.
, 2. The 8-year-old client diagnosed with a vaso-occlusive Rationale
sickle cell crisis is complaining of a severe headache. Correct - 2-Because the client is complaining of a headache, the nurse should first
Which intervention should the nurse implement first? rule out cerebrovascular accident (CVA) by assess- ing the client's neurological
1. Administer 6 L of oxygen via nasal cannula. status and then determine whether it is a headache that can be treated with
2. Assess the client's neurological status. medication.
3. Administer a narcotic analgesic by intravenous push
(IVP). 4. Increase the client's intravenous (IV) rate.
2. During an interview, the nurse states, "You mentioned D) Open-ended question
shortness of breath. Tell me more about that." Which
verbal skill is used with this statement? Page: 32 The open-ended question asks for narrative information. It states the
topic to be discussed but only in general terms. The nurse should use it to begin
A) Reflection the interview, to introduce a new section of questions, and whenever the person
B) Facilitation introduces a new topic.
C) Direct question
D) Open-ended question
3. The 6-year-old client who has undergone abdominal Rationale
surgery is attempting to make a pinwheel spin by blowing
on it with the nurse's assistance. The child starts crying Correct -1. The nurse should always praise the child for attempts at cooperation
because the pinwheel won't spin. Which action should the even if the child did not accomplish what the nurse asked.
nurse implement first?
1. Praise the child for the attempt to make the pinwheel
spin.
2. Notify the respiratory therapist to implement incentive
spirometry. 3. Encourage the child to turn from side to
side and cough.
4. Demonstrate how to make the pinwheel spin by
blowing on it.
3. A nurse is taking complete health histories on all of the C) using biased or leading questions.
patients attending a wellness workshop. On the history
form, one of the written questions asks, "You don't smoke, Page: 36 This is an example of using leading or biased questions. Asking, "You
drink, or take drugs, do you?" This question is an example don't smoke, do you?" implies that one answer is "better" than another. If the
of: person wants to please someone, he or she is either forced to answer in a way
corresponding to their implied values or is made to feel guilty when admitting the
A) talking too much. other answer.
B) using confrontation.
C) using biased or leading questions.
D) using blunt language to deal with distasteful topics.
Practice Questions with
Answers and Rationales
Study Guide | Graded A+ |
Guaranteed Success
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive Rationales
Included
,1. The nurse is working in the emergency department (ED) Rationale
of a children's medical center. Which client should the
nurse assess first? Correct - 3-The child hit by a car should be assessed first because he or she may
1. The 1-month-old infant who has developed colic and is have life- threatening injuries that must be assessed and treated promptly.
crying.
2. The 2-year-old toddler who was bitten by another child
at the day-care center. 3. The 6-year-old school-age
child who was hit by a car while riding a bicycle.
4. The 14-year-old adolescent whose mother suspects
her child is sexually active.
1. In an interview, the nurse may find it necessary to take A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal
notes to aid his or her memory later. Which statement is behaviors.
true regarding note-taking?
Page: 31 Some use of history forms and note-taking may be unavoidable. But be
A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of aware that note-taking during the interview has disadvantages. It breaks eye
the patient's nonverbal behaviors. contact too often, and it shifts attention away from the patient, which diminishes
B) Note-taking allows the patient to continue at his or her his or her sense of importance. It also may interrupt the patient's narrative flow,
own pace as the nurse records what is said. and it impedes the observation of the patient's nonverbal behavior.
C) Note-taking allows the nurse to shift attention away
from the patient, resulting in an increased comfort level.
D) Note-taking allows the nurse to break eye contact
with the patient, which may increase his or her level of
comfort.
, 2. The 8-year-old client diagnosed with a vaso-occlusive Rationale
sickle cell crisis is complaining of a severe headache. Correct - 2-Because the client is complaining of a headache, the nurse should first
Which intervention should the nurse implement first? rule out cerebrovascular accident (CVA) by assess- ing the client's neurological
1. Administer 6 L of oxygen via nasal cannula. status and then determine whether it is a headache that can be treated with
2. Assess the client's neurological status. medication.
3. Administer a narcotic analgesic by intravenous push
(IVP). 4. Increase the client's intravenous (IV) rate.
2. During an interview, the nurse states, "You mentioned D) Open-ended question
shortness of breath. Tell me more about that." Which
verbal skill is used with this statement? Page: 32 The open-ended question asks for narrative information. It states the
topic to be discussed but only in general terms. The nurse should use it to begin
A) Reflection the interview, to introduce a new section of questions, and whenever the person
B) Facilitation introduces a new topic.
C) Direct question
D) Open-ended question
3. The 6-year-old client who has undergone abdominal Rationale
surgery is attempting to make a pinwheel spin by blowing
on it with the nurse's assistance. The child starts crying Correct -1. The nurse should always praise the child for attempts at cooperation
because the pinwheel won't spin. Which action should the even if the child did not accomplish what the nurse asked.
nurse implement first?
1. Praise the child for the attempt to make the pinwheel
spin.
2. Notify the respiratory therapist to implement incentive
spirometry. 3. Encourage the child to turn from side to
side and cough.
4. Demonstrate how to make the pinwheel spin by
blowing on it.
3. A nurse is taking complete health histories on all of the C) using biased or leading questions.
patients attending a wellness workshop. On the history
form, one of the written questions asks, "You don't smoke, Page: 36 This is an example of using leading or biased questions. Asking, "You
drink, or take drugs, do you?" This question is an example don't smoke, do you?" implies that one answer is "better" than another. If the
of: person wants to please someone, he or she is either forced to answer in a way
corresponding to their implied values or is made to feel guilty when admitting the
A) talking too much. other answer.
B) using confrontation.
C) using biased or leading questions.
D) using blunt language to deal with distasteful topics.
