HESI PEDIATRIC EXAM 10 STUDY GUIDE 2026
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ The nurse is triaging a child with a fever brought to the
emergency department by the parents. Which finding requires the
nurse's immediate intervention?
Prolonged exhalations.
Thick yellow rhinorrhea.
Frequent nonproductive cough.
Oxygen saturation is 95% by pulse oximeter.
Answer: Prolonged exhalations.
Prolonged exhalation indicates breathing difficulty and requires
immediate intervention. According to the American Heart
Association's Pediatric Advance Life Support (PALS) algorithm, a
prolonged expiration in a pediatric client is indicative of lower
airway obstruction.
,◉ The nurse is assessing the coping behaviors of the parents whose
child has been recently diagnosed with a chronic illness. What
reaction by the parents is a positive step in the ability to cope with
this new situation?
Endowing the illness with meaning.
Refusing to believe the child is ill.
Entertaining an unrealistic future plan for the child.
Placing complete faith in religion to the point of relinquishing own
responsibility.
Answer: Endowing the illness with meaning.
Coping mechanisms are behaviors directed at reducing the tension
elicited by a crisis. Approach behaviors are coping mechanisms
resulting in movement toward adjustment and resolution of the
crisis. The parents' ability to assign the illness meaning within an
existing medical, scientific, or spiritual philosophy of life is a long-
term coping strategy significantly related to successful family
functioning.
◉ A 15-year-old girl tells the school nurse that she wants to have a
baby. How should the nurse respond?
,"Will you be able to support the baby?"
"Do you have plans to continue school?"
"Have you talked with your parents about this?"
"Can you tell me how your life will be if you have an infant?"
Answer: "Can you tell me how your life will be if you have an infant?"
Developing a dialogue with the teen is important. By using an open-
ended question the nurse will encourage communication and
explanation. This question directs the teen to consider real life
experiences and allows the nurse to assess the teen's perception and
reality orientation.
◉ The nurse is caring for a premature infant who needs an IV access
restarted. What action should the nurse take when using adhesive
tape?
Use solvents such as water, mineral oil, or petrolatum to remove
adhesives instead of pulling on skin.
Avoid using tape and adhesives until skin is more mature.
, Use scissors carefully to remove tape instead of pulling tape off.
Use alcohol to remove the adhesives.
Answer: Remove adhesives with water, mineral oil, or petrolatum.
The use of adhesives should be minimized as much as possible in the
treatment of preterm neonates. They should be removed using
water, mineral oil, or petrolatum. The skin of the premature infant is
fragile, delicate, and thinner compared to a full-term infant, and is
easily traumatized. Alcohol should not be used to remove adhesives.
◉ The nurse calculates a 4 ml dose of prescribed digoxin a 9-month-
old infant. What action should the nurse implement?
Mix dose with juice to disguise its taste.
Suspect dosage error and do not give dose.
Check heart rate and administer dose by placing it to the back and
side of mouth.
Check heart rate and administer dose by letting the infant suck it
through a nipple.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ The nurse is triaging a child with a fever brought to the
emergency department by the parents. Which finding requires the
nurse's immediate intervention?
Prolonged exhalations.
Thick yellow rhinorrhea.
Frequent nonproductive cough.
Oxygen saturation is 95% by pulse oximeter.
Answer: Prolonged exhalations.
Prolonged exhalation indicates breathing difficulty and requires
immediate intervention. According to the American Heart
Association's Pediatric Advance Life Support (PALS) algorithm, a
prolonged expiration in a pediatric client is indicative of lower
airway obstruction.
,◉ The nurse is assessing the coping behaviors of the parents whose
child has been recently diagnosed with a chronic illness. What
reaction by the parents is a positive step in the ability to cope with
this new situation?
Endowing the illness with meaning.
Refusing to believe the child is ill.
Entertaining an unrealistic future plan for the child.
Placing complete faith in religion to the point of relinquishing own
responsibility.
Answer: Endowing the illness with meaning.
Coping mechanisms are behaviors directed at reducing the tension
elicited by a crisis. Approach behaviors are coping mechanisms
resulting in movement toward adjustment and resolution of the
crisis. The parents' ability to assign the illness meaning within an
existing medical, scientific, or spiritual philosophy of life is a long-
term coping strategy significantly related to successful family
functioning.
◉ A 15-year-old girl tells the school nurse that she wants to have a
baby. How should the nurse respond?
,"Will you be able to support the baby?"
"Do you have plans to continue school?"
"Have you talked with your parents about this?"
"Can you tell me how your life will be if you have an infant?"
Answer: "Can you tell me how your life will be if you have an infant?"
Developing a dialogue with the teen is important. By using an open-
ended question the nurse will encourage communication and
explanation. This question directs the teen to consider real life
experiences and allows the nurse to assess the teen's perception and
reality orientation.
◉ The nurse is caring for a premature infant who needs an IV access
restarted. What action should the nurse take when using adhesive
tape?
Use solvents such as water, mineral oil, or petrolatum to remove
adhesives instead of pulling on skin.
Avoid using tape and adhesives until skin is more mature.
, Use scissors carefully to remove tape instead of pulling tape off.
Use alcohol to remove the adhesives.
Answer: Remove adhesives with water, mineral oil, or petrolatum.
The use of adhesives should be minimized as much as possible in the
treatment of preterm neonates. They should be removed using
water, mineral oil, or petrolatum. The skin of the premature infant is
fragile, delicate, and thinner compared to a full-term infant, and is
easily traumatized. Alcohol should not be used to remove adhesives.
◉ The nurse calculates a 4 ml dose of prescribed digoxin a 9-month-
old infant. What action should the nurse implement?
Mix dose with juice to disguise its taste.
Suspect dosage error and do not give dose.
Check heart rate and administer dose by placing it to the back and
side of mouth.
Check heart rate and administer dose by letting the infant suck it
through a nipple.
