NURA 303 EXAM 1 2026 UPDATE QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS ALREADY
GRADED A+ (BRAND NEW VISION)
Read the following patient scenario and identify the step of the nursing process
represented by each numbered and boldfaced nursing activity.
Annie seeks the help of the nurse in the student health clinic because she suspects that
her roommate, Angela, suffered date rape. She is concerned because Angela chose not
to report the rape and does not seem to be coping well. (1) After talking with Annie, the
nurse learns that although Angela blurted out that she had been raped when she first
came home, since then she has refused verbalization about the rape ("I don't want to
think or talk about it"), has stopped attending all college social activities (a marked
change in behavior), and seems to be having nightmares. After analyzing the data, the
nurse believes that Angela might be experiencing (2) rape-trauma syndrome: silent
reaction. Fortunately, Angela trusts Annie and is willing to come to the student health
center for - ANS-(1) is an illustration of assessing: the collection of patient data.
(2) is an illustration of the identification of a nursing diagnosis: a health problem
that independent nursing intervention can resolve. (3) is an illustration of
planning: outcome identification and related nursing interventions. (4) is an
illustration of implementing: carrying out the care plan. (5) is an illustration of
evaluating: measuring the extent to which Angela has achieved targeted
outcomes.
A female patient who is receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer tells the nurse, "The
treatment for this cancer is worse than the disease itself. I'm not going to come for my
therapy anymore." The nurse responds by using critical thinking skills to address this
patient problem. Which action is the first step the nurse would take in this process?
A. The nurse judges whether the patient database is adequate to address the problem.
B. The nurse considers whether or not to suggest a counseling session for the patient.
C. The nurse reassesses the patient and decides how best to intervene in her care.
D. The nurse identifies several options for intervening in the patient's care and critiques
the merit of each option. - ANS-c. The first step when thinking critically about a
situation is to identify the purpose or goal of your thinking. Reassessing the
patient helps to discipline thinking by directing all thoughts toward the goal.
Once the problem is addressed, it is important for the nurse to judge the
adequacy of the knowledge, identify potential problems, use helpful resources,
and critique the decision.
The nursing process ensures that nurses are person centered rather than task
centered. Rather than simply approaching a patient to take vital signs, the nurse thinks,
"How is Mrs. Barclay today? Are our nursing actions helping her to achieve her goals?
,How can we better help her?" This demonstrates which characteristic of the nursing
process?
A. Systematic
B. Interpersonal
C. Dynamic
D. Universally applicable in nursing situations - ANS-b. Interpersonal. All of the other
options are characteristics of the nursing process, but the conversation and
thinking quoted best illustrates the interpersonal dimension of the nursing
process.
An experienced nurse tells a beginning nurse not to bother studying too hard, since
most clinical reasoning becomes "second nature" and "intuitive" once you start
practicing. What thinking below should underlie the beginning nurse's response?
A. Intuitive problem solving comes with years of practice and observation, and novice
nurses should base their care on scientific problem solving.
B. For nursing to remain a science, nurses must continue to be vigilant about stamping
out intuitive reasoning.
C. The emphasis on logical, scientific, evidence-based reasoning has held nursing back
for years; it is time to champion intuitive, creative thinking!
D. It is simply a matter of preference; some nurses are logical, scientific thinkers, and
some are intuitive, creative thinkers. - ANS-a. Beginning nurses must use nursing
knowledge and scientific problem solving as the basis of care they give; intuitive
problem solving comes with years of practice and observation. If the beginning
nurse has an intuition about a patient, that information should be discussed with
the faculty member, preceptor, or supervisor. Answer b is incorrect because
there is a place for intuitive reasoning in nursing, but it will never replace logical,
scientific reasoning. Critical thinking is contextual and changes depending on the
circumstances, not on personal preference.
The nurse uses blended competencies when caring for patients in a rehabilitation
facility. Which examples of interventions involve cognitive skills? Select all that apply.
A. The nurse uses critical thinking skills to plan care for a patient.
B. The nurse correctly administers IV saline to a patient who is dehydrated.
C. The nurse assists a patient to fill out an informed consent form.
D. The nurse learns the correct dosages for patient pain medications.
E. The nurse comforts a mother whose baby was born with Down syndrome.
F. The nurse uses the proper procedure to catheterize a female patient. - ANS-a, d.
Using critical thinking and learning medication dosages are cognitive
competencies. Performing procedures correctly is a technical skill, helping a
patient with an informed consent form is a legal/ethical issue, and comforting a
patient is an interpersonal skill.
A nurse uses critical thinking skills to focus on the care plan of an older adult who has
dementia and needs placement in a long-term care facility. Which statements describe
characteristics of this type of critical thinking applied to clinical reasoning? Select all that
apply.
,A. It functions independently of nursing standards, ethics, and state practice acts.
B. It is based on the principles of the nursing process, problem solving, and the
scientific method.
C. It is driven by patient, family, and community needs as well as nurses' needs to give
competent, efficient care.
D. It is not designed to compensate for problems created by human nature, such as
medication errors.
E. It is constantly re-evaluating, self-correcting, and striving for improvement.
F. It focuses on the big picture rather than identifying the key problems, issues, and
risks involved with patient care. - ANS-b, c, e. Critical thinking applied to clinical
reasoning and judgment in nursing practice is guided by standards, policies and
procedures, and ethics codes. It is based on principles of nursing process,
problem solving, and the scientific method. It carefully identifies the key
problems, issues, and risks involved, and is driven by patient, family, and
community needs, as well as nurses' needs to give competent, efficient care. It
also calls for strategies that make the most of human potential and compensate
for problems created by human nature. It is constantly re-evaluating, self-
correcting, and striving to improve (Alfaro-LeFevre, 2014).
A nurse is caring for a patient who has complications related to type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The nurse researches new procedures to care for foot ulcers when developing a care
plan for this patient. Which QSEN competency does this action represent?
A. Patient-centered care
B. Evidence-based practice
C. Quality improvement
D. Informatics - ANS-c. Quality improvement involves routinely updating nursing
policies and procedures. Providing patient-centered care involves listening to the
patient and demonstrating respect and compassion. Evidence-based practice is
used when adhering to internal policies and standardized skills. The nurse is
employing informatics by using information and technology to communicate,
manage knowledge, and support decision making.
A nurse is assessing a patient who is diagnosed with anorexia. Following the
assessment, the nurse recommends that the patient meet with a nutritionist. This action
best exemplifies the use of:
A. Clinical judgment
B. Clinical reasoning
C. Critical thinking
D. Blended competencies - ANS-a. Although all the options refer to the skills used
by nurses in practice, the best choice is clinical judgment as it refers to the result
or outcome of critical thinking or clinical reasoning—in this case, the
recommendation to meet with a nutritionist. Clinical reasoning usually refers to
ways of thinking about patient care issues (determining, preventing, and
managing patient problems). Critical thinking is a broad term that includes
reasoning both outside and inside of the clinical setting. Blended competencies
are the cognitive, technical, interpersonal, and ethical and legal skills combined
, with the willingness to use them creatively and critically when working with
patients.
A nurse working in a long-term care facility bases patient care on five caring processes:
knowing, being with, doing for, enabling, and maintaining belief. This approach to
patient care best describes whose theory?
A. Travelbee's
B. Watson's
C. Benner's
D. Swanson's - ANS-d. Swanson (1991) identifies five caring processes and
defines caring as "a nurturing way of relating to a valued other toward whom one
feels a personal sense of commitment and responsibility." Travelbee (1971), an
early nurse theorist, developed the Human-to-Human Relationship Model, and
defined nursing as an interpersonal process whereby the professional nurse
practitioner assists an individual, family, or community to prevent or cope with
the experience of illness and suffering, and if necessary to find meaning in these
experiences. Benner and Wrubel (1989) wrote that caring is a basic way of being
in the world, and that caring is central to human expertise, curing, and healing.
Watson's theory is based on the belief that all humans are to be valued, cared for,
respected, nurtured, understood, and assisted.
The nurse practices using critical thinking indicators (CTIs) when caring for patients in
the hospital setting. The best description of CTIs is:
Evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge that
promotes critical thinking in clinical practice
Evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge and skills
that promote critical thinking in clinical practice
Evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge,
characteristics, and skills that promote critical thinking in clinical practice
Evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge,
characteristics, standards, and skills that promote critical thinking in clinical practice -
ANS-c. Evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge,
characteristics, and skills that promote critical thinking in clinical practice.
Read the following scenario and identify the adjective used to describe the
characteristics of patient data that are numbered below. Place your answers on the
lines provided.
The nurse is conducting an initial assessment of a 79-year-old female patient admitted
to the hospital with a diagnosis of dehydration. The nurse (1) uses clinical reasoning to
identify the need to perform a comprehensive assessment and gather the appropriate
patient data. (2) First the nurse asks the patient about the most important details leading
up to her diagnosis. Then the nurse (3) collects as much information as possible to
understand the patient's health problems; (4) collects the patient data in an organized
manner; (5) verifies that the data obtained is pertinent to the patient care plan; and (6)
records the data according to facility's policy. - ANS-(1) Purposeful: The nurse identifies
AND CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS ALREADY
GRADED A+ (BRAND NEW VISION)
Read the following patient scenario and identify the step of the nursing process
represented by each numbered and boldfaced nursing activity.
Annie seeks the help of the nurse in the student health clinic because she suspects that
her roommate, Angela, suffered date rape. She is concerned because Angela chose not
to report the rape and does not seem to be coping well. (1) After talking with Annie, the
nurse learns that although Angela blurted out that she had been raped when she first
came home, since then she has refused verbalization about the rape ("I don't want to
think or talk about it"), has stopped attending all college social activities (a marked
change in behavior), and seems to be having nightmares. After analyzing the data, the
nurse believes that Angela might be experiencing (2) rape-trauma syndrome: silent
reaction. Fortunately, Angela trusts Annie and is willing to come to the student health
center for - ANS-(1) is an illustration of assessing: the collection of patient data.
(2) is an illustration of the identification of a nursing diagnosis: a health problem
that independent nursing intervention can resolve. (3) is an illustration of
planning: outcome identification and related nursing interventions. (4) is an
illustration of implementing: carrying out the care plan. (5) is an illustration of
evaluating: measuring the extent to which Angela has achieved targeted
outcomes.
A female patient who is receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer tells the nurse, "The
treatment for this cancer is worse than the disease itself. I'm not going to come for my
therapy anymore." The nurse responds by using critical thinking skills to address this
patient problem. Which action is the first step the nurse would take in this process?
A. The nurse judges whether the patient database is adequate to address the problem.
B. The nurse considers whether or not to suggest a counseling session for the patient.
C. The nurse reassesses the patient and decides how best to intervene in her care.
D. The nurse identifies several options for intervening in the patient's care and critiques
the merit of each option. - ANS-c. The first step when thinking critically about a
situation is to identify the purpose or goal of your thinking. Reassessing the
patient helps to discipline thinking by directing all thoughts toward the goal.
Once the problem is addressed, it is important for the nurse to judge the
adequacy of the knowledge, identify potential problems, use helpful resources,
and critique the decision.
The nursing process ensures that nurses are person centered rather than task
centered. Rather than simply approaching a patient to take vital signs, the nurse thinks,
"How is Mrs. Barclay today? Are our nursing actions helping her to achieve her goals?
,How can we better help her?" This demonstrates which characteristic of the nursing
process?
A. Systematic
B. Interpersonal
C. Dynamic
D. Universally applicable in nursing situations - ANS-b. Interpersonal. All of the other
options are characteristics of the nursing process, but the conversation and
thinking quoted best illustrates the interpersonal dimension of the nursing
process.
An experienced nurse tells a beginning nurse not to bother studying too hard, since
most clinical reasoning becomes "second nature" and "intuitive" once you start
practicing. What thinking below should underlie the beginning nurse's response?
A. Intuitive problem solving comes with years of practice and observation, and novice
nurses should base their care on scientific problem solving.
B. For nursing to remain a science, nurses must continue to be vigilant about stamping
out intuitive reasoning.
C. The emphasis on logical, scientific, evidence-based reasoning has held nursing back
for years; it is time to champion intuitive, creative thinking!
D. It is simply a matter of preference; some nurses are logical, scientific thinkers, and
some are intuitive, creative thinkers. - ANS-a. Beginning nurses must use nursing
knowledge and scientific problem solving as the basis of care they give; intuitive
problem solving comes with years of practice and observation. If the beginning
nurse has an intuition about a patient, that information should be discussed with
the faculty member, preceptor, or supervisor. Answer b is incorrect because
there is a place for intuitive reasoning in nursing, but it will never replace logical,
scientific reasoning. Critical thinking is contextual and changes depending on the
circumstances, not on personal preference.
The nurse uses blended competencies when caring for patients in a rehabilitation
facility. Which examples of interventions involve cognitive skills? Select all that apply.
A. The nurse uses critical thinking skills to plan care for a patient.
B. The nurse correctly administers IV saline to a patient who is dehydrated.
C. The nurse assists a patient to fill out an informed consent form.
D. The nurse learns the correct dosages for patient pain medications.
E. The nurse comforts a mother whose baby was born with Down syndrome.
F. The nurse uses the proper procedure to catheterize a female patient. - ANS-a, d.
Using critical thinking and learning medication dosages are cognitive
competencies. Performing procedures correctly is a technical skill, helping a
patient with an informed consent form is a legal/ethical issue, and comforting a
patient is an interpersonal skill.
A nurse uses critical thinking skills to focus on the care plan of an older adult who has
dementia and needs placement in a long-term care facility. Which statements describe
characteristics of this type of critical thinking applied to clinical reasoning? Select all that
apply.
,A. It functions independently of nursing standards, ethics, and state practice acts.
B. It is based on the principles of the nursing process, problem solving, and the
scientific method.
C. It is driven by patient, family, and community needs as well as nurses' needs to give
competent, efficient care.
D. It is not designed to compensate for problems created by human nature, such as
medication errors.
E. It is constantly re-evaluating, self-correcting, and striving for improvement.
F. It focuses on the big picture rather than identifying the key problems, issues, and
risks involved with patient care. - ANS-b, c, e. Critical thinking applied to clinical
reasoning and judgment in nursing practice is guided by standards, policies and
procedures, and ethics codes. It is based on principles of nursing process,
problem solving, and the scientific method. It carefully identifies the key
problems, issues, and risks involved, and is driven by patient, family, and
community needs, as well as nurses' needs to give competent, efficient care. It
also calls for strategies that make the most of human potential and compensate
for problems created by human nature. It is constantly re-evaluating, self-
correcting, and striving to improve (Alfaro-LeFevre, 2014).
A nurse is caring for a patient who has complications related to type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The nurse researches new procedures to care for foot ulcers when developing a care
plan for this patient. Which QSEN competency does this action represent?
A. Patient-centered care
B. Evidence-based practice
C. Quality improvement
D. Informatics - ANS-c. Quality improvement involves routinely updating nursing
policies and procedures. Providing patient-centered care involves listening to the
patient and demonstrating respect and compassion. Evidence-based practice is
used when adhering to internal policies and standardized skills. The nurse is
employing informatics by using information and technology to communicate,
manage knowledge, and support decision making.
A nurse is assessing a patient who is diagnosed with anorexia. Following the
assessment, the nurse recommends that the patient meet with a nutritionist. This action
best exemplifies the use of:
A. Clinical judgment
B. Clinical reasoning
C. Critical thinking
D. Blended competencies - ANS-a. Although all the options refer to the skills used
by nurses in practice, the best choice is clinical judgment as it refers to the result
or outcome of critical thinking or clinical reasoning—in this case, the
recommendation to meet with a nutritionist. Clinical reasoning usually refers to
ways of thinking about patient care issues (determining, preventing, and
managing patient problems). Critical thinking is a broad term that includes
reasoning both outside and inside of the clinical setting. Blended competencies
are the cognitive, technical, interpersonal, and ethical and legal skills combined
, with the willingness to use them creatively and critically when working with
patients.
A nurse working in a long-term care facility bases patient care on five caring processes:
knowing, being with, doing for, enabling, and maintaining belief. This approach to
patient care best describes whose theory?
A. Travelbee's
B. Watson's
C. Benner's
D. Swanson's - ANS-d. Swanson (1991) identifies five caring processes and
defines caring as "a nurturing way of relating to a valued other toward whom one
feels a personal sense of commitment and responsibility." Travelbee (1971), an
early nurse theorist, developed the Human-to-Human Relationship Model, and
defined nursing as an interpersonal process whereby the professional nurse
practitioner assists an individual, family, or community to prevent or cope with
the experience of illness and suffering, and if necessary to find meaning in these
experiences. Benner and Wrubel (1989) wrote that caring is a basic way of being
in the world, and that caring is central to human expertise, curing, and healing.
Watson's theory is based on the belief that all humans are to be valued, cared for,
respected, nurtured, understood, and assisted.
The nurse practices using critical thinking indicators (CTIs) when caring for patients in
the hospital setting. The best description of CTIs is:
Evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge that
promotes critical thinking in clinical practice
Evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge and skills
that promote critical thinking in clinical practice
Evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge,
characteristics, and skills that promote critical thinking in clinical practice
Evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge,
characteristics, standards, and skills that promote critical thinking in clinical practice -
ANS-c. Evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge,
characteristics, and skills that promote critical thinking in clinical practice.
Read the following scenario and identify the adjective used to describe the
characteristics of patient data that are numbered below. Place your answers on the
lines provided.
The nurse is conducting an initial assessment of a 79-year-old female patient admitted
to the hospital with a diagnosis of dehydration. The nurse (1) uses clinical reasoning to
identify the need to perform a comprehensive assessment and gather the appropriate
patient data. (2) First the nurse asks the patient about the most important details leading
up to her diagnosis. Then the nurse (3) collects as much information as possible to
understand the patient's health problems; (4) collects the patient data in an organized
manner; (5) verifies that the data obtained is pertinent to the patient care plan; and (6)
records the data according to facility's policy. - ANS-(1) Purposeful: The nurse identifies
