HESI PN Exit Exam Mastery-Practice
Questions with Comprehensive
Rationales
## Questions 1-50: Fundamentals & Patient Safety
**1. The practical nurse enters a male client's room to administer
routine morning medications, but the client is on the phone. Which
action is best for the PN to take?**
A. Ask another nurse to return with the medication when the client's
phone call ends
B. **Wait for the client to excuse himself from the telephone
conversation and observe the client taking the medication**
C. Return the medication to the client's drawer and document the client
refused the dose
D. Leave the medication with the client and let him take it when he
finishes
,**Rationale:** The PN must observe the client taking medication to
ensure safety and proper administration. Waiting respects the client's
privacy while fulfilling the nurse's responsibility to verify medication
ingestion .
---
**2. A disoriented resident in a long-term care facility has no ID band or
picture. What is the best action for the PN before administering
medications?**
A. Ask a regular staff member to confirm the resident's identity
B. Hold the medication until a family member arrives
C. Reorient the resident to name, place, and situation
D. **Confirm the room and bed number match the medication
record**
**Rationale:** Confirming multiple identifiers, including room and bed
number per facility policy, is essential for patient safety before
medication administration. Reliance solely on staff or family
confirmation risks error .
---
,**3. An adult client weighing 150 pounds with 40% total body surface
area burns has been admitted. Which finding requires immediate
reporting?**
A. Poor appetite and refusal to eat
B. Systolic blood pressure of 102 mmHg
C. Painful moaning and crying
D. **Urine output of 20 ml/hr**
**Rationale:** Adequate urine output (>30 ml/hr) is a key indicator of
adequate renal perfusion and fluid status after burns. Output of 20
ml/hr signals hypovolemia/shock and requires immediate intervention .
---
**4. A school-age client with diabetes is placed on intermediate-acting
insulin and regular insulin before breakfast and before dinner. She will
receive a snack of milk and cereal at bedtime. What does the nurse tell
the client the snack is intended to do?**
A. Prevent early morning hyperglycemia
B. **Prevent late night hypoglycemia**
C. Provide extra calories for growth
D. Help with weight gain
, **Rationale:** The bedtime snack of carbohydrates with protein helps
prevent nocturnal hypoglycemia from the peak action of intermediate-
acting insulin .
---
**5. Several nurses from the medical unit access a well-known public
official's electronic medical record after admission for chest pain. What
is the best response for the nurse manager?**
A. "You should have asked permission first"
B. **"Accessing the official's medical record is a breach of
confidentiality"**
C. "Only document if you were involved in care"
D. "Please complete an incident report"
**Rationale:** Accessing a patient's medical record without a direct
need for patient care constitutes a breach of confidentiality, regardless
of the patient's status .
---
Questions with Comprehensive
Rationales
## Questions 1-50: Fundamentals & Patient Safety
**1. The practical nurse enters a male client's room to administer
routine morning medications, but the client is on the phone. Which
action is best for the PN to take?**
A. Ask another nurse to return with the medication when the client's
phone call ends
B. **Wait for the client to excuse himself from the telephone
conversation and observe the client taking the medication**
C. Return the medication to the client's drawer and document the client
refused the dose
D. Leave the medication with the client and let him take it when he
finishes
,**Rationale:** The PN must observe the client taking medication to
ensure safety and proper administration. Waiting respects the client's
privacy while fulfilling the nurse's responsibility to verify medication
ingestion .
---
**2. A disoriented resident in a long-term care facility has no ID band or
picture. What is the best action for the PN before administering
medications?**
A. Ask a regular staff member to confirm the resident's identity
B. Hold the medication until a family member arrives
C. Reorient the resident to name, place, and situation
D. **Confirm the room and bed number match the medication
record**
**Rationale:** Confirming multiple identifiers, including room and bed
number per facility policy, is essential for patient safety before
medication administration. Reliance solely on staff or family
confirmation risks error .
---
,**3. An adult client weighing 150 pounds with 40% total body surface
area burns has been admitted. Which finding requires immediate
reporting?**
A. Poor appetite and refusal to eat
B. Systolic blood pressure of 102 mmHg
C. Painful moaning and crying
D. **Urine output of 20 ml/hr**
**Rationale:** Adequate urine output (>30 ml/hr) is a key indicator of
adequate renal perfusion and fluid status after burns. Output of 20
ml/hr signals hypovolemia/shock and requires immediate intervention .
---
**4. A school-age client with diabetes is placed on intermediate-acting
insulin and regular insulin before breakfast and before dinner. She will
receive a snack of milk and cereal at bedtime. What does the nurse tell
the client the snack is intended to do?**
A. Prevent early morning hyperglycemia
B. **Prevent late night hypoglycemia**
C. Provide extra calories for growth
D. Help with weight gain
, **Rationale:** The bedtime snack of carbohydrates with protein helps
prevent nocturnal hypoglycemia from the peak action of intermediate-
acting insulin .
---
**5. Several nurses from the medical unit access a well-known public
official's electronic medical record after admission for chest pain. What
is the best response for the nurse manager?**
A. "You should have asked permission first"
B. **"Accessing the official's medical record is a breach of
confidentiality"**
C. "Only document if you were involved in care"
D. "Please complete an incident report"
**Rationale:** Accessing a patient's medical record without a direct
need for patient care constitutes a breach of confidentiality, regardless
of the patient's status .
---
