FLORIDA BOARD OF NURSING CERTIFIED
PERIOPERATIVE NURSE EXAM WITH
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS, PLUS EXPLAINED
RATIONALES/EXPERT VERIFIED FOR
GUARANTEED 100% PASS 2026/LATEST
UPDATE/INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
1. Preoperative Verification and Surgical Safety
A 67-year-old patient is scheduled for a right total knee arthroplasty.
During the preoperative assessment, the circulating nurse notices that the
consent form states "left total knee arthroplasty," while the surgeon's
schedule lists "right total knee arthroplasty." The patient verbally
confirms that the right knee is the operative site. What is the nurse's
priority action?
A. Proceed because the patient verbally confirmed the correct site
B. Ask the surgeon to correct the consent after anesthesia induction
C. Stop the process and resolve the discrepancy before proceeding
D. Allow the surgical technologist to determine which knee was
intended
Answer: C. Stop the process and resolve the discrepancy before
proceeding
Rationale: The discrepancy between the consent, surgical schedule,
and intended operative site represents a significant patient-safety
threat. The perioperative nurse must advocate for the patient and
prevent progression toward an incorrect procedure until the
discrepancy is completely resolved. The surgical team should reconcile
the documentation, patient identification, procedure, and operative site
1
,before surgery proceeds. Current perioperative safety guidance
emphasizes communication checkpoints and the importance of
addressing mismatches before the patient reaches the operative phase.
2. Surgical Time-Out
Immediately before incision, the surgeon is preparing to begin a
laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The anesthesiologist is adjusting the
ventilator, and the surgical technologist is opening additional
instruments. The circulating nurse announces that the time-out is
beginning. What is the most appropriate action by the team?
A. Continue preparation while the circulating nurse reads the checklist
B. Require active participation and attention from the relevant surgical
team members
C. Allow only the surgeon and circulating nurse to participate
D. Delay the time-out until after the first incision
Answer: B. Require active participation and attention from the
relevant surgical team members
Rationale: A time-out is intended to create a deliberate communication
pause before the procedure begins. The team should actively verify the
patient's identity, procedure, operative site, relevant imaging, allergies,
anticipated concerns, and other applicable safety elements. Treating
the time-out as background noise defeats its purpose. AORN
specifically emphasizes that time-outs provide one of the final
opportunities to identify discrepancies before surgery begins.
3. Sterile Field Contamination
A sterile instrument accidentally falls below the level of the sterile field
and then is returned to the back table by a scrubbed team member. What
should the perioperative nurse recognize?
2
,A. The instrument remains sterile because it never touched the floor
B. The instrument is considered contaminated and should not be
returned to the sterile field
C. The instrument can be wiped with alcohol and reused
D. The instrument is sterile if the scrub person does not observe visible
contamination
Answer: B. The instrument is considered contaminated and should
not be returned to the sterile field
Rationale: Sterility is not determined solely by visible contamination.
An item that leaves the sterile field or crosses into a nonsterile area
must be treated as contaminated. Maintaining sterile technique
requires constant attention to boundaries, handling, movement, and
potential contamination. AORN describes sterile technique as a
foundational component of preventing surgical-site infection and
stresses maintaining sterile-field integrity throughout the procedure.
4. Surgical Hand Antisepsis
Which action is most appropriate before a scrubbed perioperative nurse
dons a sterile surgical gown and gloves?
A. Apply sterile gloves before performing hand antisepsis
B. Perform surgical hand antisepsis according to facility protocol
C. Wash hands only if visibly contaminated
D. Apply alcohol-based hand rub after putting on sterile gloves
Answer: B. Perform surgical hand antisepsis according to facility
protocol
Rationale: Surgical hand antisepsis is performed before sterile
gowning and gloving to reduce microorganisms on the hands and
forearms. AORN identifies surgical hand antisepsis as a fundamental
step before donning the surgical gown and gloves. Gloves provide a
3
, barrier but do not eliminate the requirement for appropriate hand
antisepsis.
5. Sterile Field Setup
A circulating nurse enters an operating room and finds that a sterile
instrument table was prepared 90 minutes before the anticipated surgery.
The room has experienced frequent traffic and door openings. Which
concern is most appropriate?
A. The table is automatically sterile for 24 hours
B. The table's sterility may be compromised because of prolonged
exposure and environmental contamination
C. Sterility is guaranteed as long as no one touches the table
D. The table is sterile because all instruments were sterilized before
setup
Answer: B. The table's sterility may be compromised because of
prolonged exposure and environmental contamination
Rationale: AORN supports preparing sterile fields as close as possible
to the time of use to minimize exposure to airborne particles and
environmental contamination. Sterility is not simply guaranteed by the
original sterilization of individual instruments once those items are
exposed on an open field.
6. Surgical Count Discrepancy
At the conclusion of an abdominal procedure, the scrub person and
circulating nurse disagree about the final sponge count. The surgeon
says the incision should be closed immediately because the patient is
unstable. What should the nurse do first?
4
PERIOPERATIVE NURSE EXAM WITH
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS, PLUS EXPLAINED
RATIONALES/EXPERT VERIFIED FOR
GUARANTEED 100% PASS 2026/LATEST
UPDATE/INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
1. Preoperative Verification and Surgical Safety
A 67-year-old patient is scheduled for a right total knee arthroplasty.
During the preoperative assessment, the circulating nurse notices that the
consent form states "left total knee arthroplasty," while the surgeon's
schedule lists "right total knee arthroplasty." The patient verbally
confirms that the right knee is the operative site. What is the nurse's
priority action?
A. Proceed because the patient verbally confirmed the correct site
B. Ask the surgeon to correct the consent after anesthesia induction
C. Stop the process and resolve the discrepancy before proceeding
D. Allow the surgical technologist to determine which knee was
intended
Answer: C. Stop the process and resolve the discrepancy before
proceeding
Rationale: The discrepancy between the consent, surgical schedule,
and intended operative site represents a significant patient-safety
threat. The perioperative nurse must advocate for the patient and
prevent progression toward an incorrect procedure until the
discrepancy is completely resolved. The surgical team should reconcile
the documentation, patient identification, procedure, and operative site
1
,before surgery proceeds. Current perioperative safety guidance
emphasizes communication checkpoints and the importance of
addressing mismatches before the patient reaches the operative phase.
2. Surgical Time-Out
Immediately before incision, the surgeon is preparing to begin a
laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The anesthesiologist is adjusting the
ventilator, and the surgical technologist is opening additional
instruments. The circulating nurse announces that the time-out is
beginning. What is the most appropriate action by the team?
A. Continue preparation while the circulating nurse reads the checklist
B. Require active participation and attention from the relevant surgical
team members
C. Allow only the surgeon and circulating nurse to participate
D. Delay the time-out until after the first incision
Answer: B. Require active participation and attention from the
relevant surgical team members
Rationale: A time-out is intended to create a deliberate communication
pause before the procedure begins. The team should actively verify the
patient's identity, procedure, operative site, relevant imaging, allergies,
anticipated concerns, and other applicable safety elements. Treating
the time-out as background noise defeats its purpose. AORN
specifically emphasizes that time-outs provide one of the final
opportunities to identify discrepancies before surgery begins.
3. Sterile Field Contamination
A sterile instrument accidentally falls below the level of the sterile field
and then is returned to the back table by a scrubbed team member. What
should the perioperative nurse recognize?
2
,A. The instrument remains sterile because it never touched the floor
B. The instrument is considered contaminated and should not be
returned to the sterile field
C. The instrument can be wiped with alcohol and reused
D. The instrument is sterile if the scrub person does not observe visible
contamination
Answer: B. The instrument is considered contaminated and should
not be returned to the sterile field
Rationale: Sterility is not determined solely by visible contamination.
An item that leaves the sterile field or crosses into a nonsterile area
must be treated as contaminated. Maintaining sterile technique
requires constant attention to boundaries, handling, movement, and
potential contamination. AORN describes sterile technique as a
foundational component of preventing surgical-site infection and
stresses maintaining sterile-field integrity throughout the procedure.
4. Surgical Hand Antisepsis
Which action is most appropriate before a scrubbed perioperative nurse
dons a sterile surgical gown and gloves?
A. Apply sterile gloves before performing hand antisepsis
B. Perform surgical hand antisepsis according to facility protocol
C. Wash hands only if visibly contaminated
D. Apply alcohol-based hand rub after putting on sterile gloves
Answer: B. Perform surgical hand antisepsis according to facility
protocol
Rationale: Surgical hand antisepsis is performed before sterile
gowning and gloving to reduce microorganisms on the hands and
forearms. AORN identifies surgical hand antisepsis as a fundamental
step before donning the surgical gown and gloves. Gloves provide a
3
, barrier but do not eliminate the requirement for appropriate hand
antisepsis.
5. Sterile Field Setup
A circulating nurse enters an operating room and finds that a sterile
instrument table was prepared 90 minutes before the anticipated surgery.
The room has experienced frequent traffic and door openings. Which
concern is most appropriate?
A. The table is automatically sterile for 24 hours
B. The table's sterility may be compromised because of prolonged
exposure and environmental contamination
C. Sterility is guaranteed as long as no one touches the table
D. The table is sterile because all instruments were sterilized before
setup
Answer: B. The table's sterility may be compromised because of
prolonged exposure and environmental contamination
Rationale: AORN supports preparing sterile fields as close as possible
to the time of use to minimize exposure to airborne particles and
environmental contamination. Sterility is not simply guaranteed by the
original sterilization of individual instruments once those items are
exposed on an open field.
6. Surgical Count Discrepancy
At the conclusion of an abdominal procedure, the scrub person and
circulating nurse disagree about the final sponge count. The surgeon
says the incision should be closed immediately because the patient is
unstable. What should the nurse do first?
4
