HESI NCLEX PRACTICE QUESTIONS FOR
FOUNDATIONS EXAM WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS 100% CORRECT!
, 1. A patient with a diagnosis of major depression who has attenpted suicide says to the
nurse, "I should have died. I've always been a failure. Nothing ever goes right for me."
Which response demonstrates therapeutic communication?
a. "You have everything to live for"
b. "Why do you see yourself as a failiure?"
c. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed."
d. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?" - ANSWER (D) "You've been feeling
like a failure for a while?"
RATIONALE: Responding to the feelings expressed by a patient is an effective
therapeutic communication technique. The correct option is an example of the use of
restating. The remaining options block communication because they minimize the
patient's experience and do not facilitate exploration of the patient's expressed feelings.
In additions, use of the word "why" is nontherapeutic.
2. When the community health nurse visits a patient at home, the patitent states, "I
haven't slept at all the last cople of nights. Which response by the nurse illustrates a
therapeutic communication response to this patient."
a. "I see."
b. "Really?"
c. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
d. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too." - ANSWER (C) "You're having difficulty
sleeping?"
RATIONALE: The correct option uses the therapeutic communication technique of
restatement. Although restatement is a technique that has a prompting component to it,
it repeats the patients major theme, which assists the nurse to obtain a more specific
perception of the problem from the patient. The remaining options are not therapeutic
responses since none encourage the patient to expand on the problem. Offering
personal experiences moves the focus away from the patient and onto the nurse.
3. A patient experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that his food is being
poisoned. Which communication technique should the use to encourage the patient to
eat?
a. Using open-ended questions and silence
b. Sharing personal prefernce regarding food choices
c. Documenting reasons why the patient does not wat to eat
d. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition - ANSWER (A) Using
open-ended questions and silence
FOUNDATIONS EXAM WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS 100% CORRECT!
, 1. A patient with a diagnosis of major depression who has attenpted suicide says to the
nurse, "I should have died. I've always been a failure. Nothing ever goes right for me."
Which response demonstrates therapeutic communication?
a. "You have everything to live for"
b. "Why do you see yourself as a failiure?"
c. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed."
d. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?" - ANSWER (D) "You've been feeling
like a failure for a while?"
RATIONALE: Responding to the feelings expressed by a patient is an effective
therapeutic communication technique. The correct option is an example of the use of
restating. The remaining options block communication because they minimize the
patient's experience and do not facilitate exploration of the patient's expressed feelings.
In additions, use of the word "why" is nontherapeutic.
2. When the community health nurse visits a patient at home, the patitent states, "I
haven't slept at all the last cople of nights. Which response by the nurse illustrates a
therapeutic communication response to this patient."
a. "I see."
b. "Really?"
c. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
d. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too." - ANSWER (C) "You're having difficulty
sleeping?"
RATIONALE: The correct option uses the therapeutic communication technique of
restatement. Although restatement is a technique that has a prompting component to it,
it repeats the patients major theme, which assists the nurse to obtain a more specific
perception of the problem from the patient. The remaining options are not therapeutic
responses since none encourage the patient to expand on the problem. Offering
personal experiences moves the focus away from the patient and onto the nurse.
3. A patient experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that his food is being
poisoned. Which communication technique should the use to encourage the patient to
eat?
a. Using open-ended questions and silence
b. Sharing personal prefernce regarding food choices
c. Documenting reasons why the patient does not wat to eat
d. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition - ANSWER (A) Using
open-ended questions and silence
