,NSG3130/NSG 3130 Exam 3 | Fundamental Concepts &
Skills II | Galen College | 2026/2027 Updated (PDF)
1. What is the primary focus of palliative care for a patient with a serious, chronic illness?
A) Providing curative treatments to eliminate the underlying disease
B) Preventing and relieving suffering while supporting the best possible quality of life
C) Offering temporary relief for family caregivers to prevent burnout
D) Transitioning the patient to end-of-life care when curative options are exhausted
Correct Answer: Preventing and relieving suffering while supporting the best possible quality of life
Rationale: Palliative care is specialized medical care focused on providing relief from the symptoms
and stress of a serious illness. Its goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Curative treatments can continue alongside palliative care. Hospice care is a specific type of palliative
care for end-of-life.
2. A patient with a terminal diagnosis tells the nurse, "If I had just gone to the doctor sooner, this
wouldn't have happened." This statement most clearly reflects which stage of grief as described by
Kübler-Ross?
A) Denial
B) Anger
C) Bargaining
D) Depression
Correct Answer: Anger
Rationale: The patient's statement directs blame and frustration toward themselves, a characteristic
of the anger stage of grief. Bargaining involves attempts to negotiate for more time or a different
outcome. Denial is a refusal to accept the reality of the situation, and depression is characterized by
sadness and hopelessness.
,3. A nurse is caring for a patient who is actively dying. Which nursing action is the highest priority for
promoting the patient's dignity and comfort?
A) Maintaining a strictly optimistic and cheerful environment
B) Allowing the patient to be alone to process their emotions privately
C) Ensuring the patient's physical symptoms are managed and personal preferences are respected
D) Encouraging the family to remain at the bedside at all times
Correct Answer: Ensuring the patient's physical symptoms are managed and personal preferences are
respected
Rationale: Promoting dignity involves managing distressing symptoms like pain and dyspnea and
respecting the patient's wishes regarding their care. While emotional support is important, a cheerful
environment is not always appropriate. The patient should have control over their environment and
visitors.
4. A patient is experiencing severe, unrelieved pain. The nurse recognizes this pain as a complex
experience involving physical, emotional, and social factors. Which model best explains this
multifaceted nature of pain?
A) The Gate Control Theory
B) The Biomedical Model
C) The Biopsychosocial Model
D) The General Adaptation Syndrome
Correct Answer: The Biopsychosocial Model
Rationale: The biopsychosocial model posits that pain is a dynamic interaction among biological,
psychological, and social factors. The Gate Control Theory explains the neurological mechanism of
pain transmission. The biomedical model focuses only on physical pathology. General Adaptation
Syndrome describes the body's physiological response to stress.
5. According to the Gate Control Theory of pain, which nursing intervention is most likely to "close the
gate" and reduce the patient's perception of pain?
A) Administering a prescribed opioid analgesic
, B) Positioning the patient to reduce muscle tension
C) Using guided imagery to distract the patient
D) Applying a cold compress to the painful area
Correct Answer: Using guided imagery to distract the patient
Rationale: The Gate Control Theory suggests that non-painful stimuli or cognitive processes, such as
distraction and guided imagery, can close the neural "gate" in the spinal cord, blocking pain signals
from reaching the brain. Medications and physical interventions work through other mechanisms.
6. A patient with chronic pain has been taking an opioid analgesic for several months and now reports
that the medication is no longer providing the same level of relief. The nurse understands that this is
most likely due to which phenomenon?
A) Addiction
B) Tolerance
C) Physical Dependence
D) Pseudoaddiction
Correct Answer: Tolerance
Rationale: Tolerance is a physiological adaptation to a medication, where a higher dose is needed to
achieve the same effect. Addiction is a neurobiological disease characterized by compulsive use.
Physical dependence results in withdrawal symptoms if the drug is stopped. Pseudoaddiction
describes behaviors that mimic addiction but are due to undertreated pain.
7. A patient is prescribed a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for musculoskeletal pain.
Which instruction is most important for the nurse to include in the patient teaching?
A) "Take the medication on an empty stomach for faster absorption."
B) "You can take this medication with over-the-counter acetaminophen."
C) "Report any stomach pain, black, tarry stools, or unusual bleeding."
D) "This medication is safe to take if you have a history of kidney disease."
Skills II | Galen College | 2026/2027 Updated (PDF)
1. What is the primary focus of palliative care for a patient with a serious, chronic illness?
A) Providing curative treatments to eliminate the underlying disease
B) Preventing and relieving suffering while supporting the best possible quality of life
C) Offering temporary relief for family caregivers to prevent burnout
D) Transitioning the patient to end-of-life care when curative options are exhausted
Correct Answer: Preventing and relieving suffering while supporting the best possible quality of life
Rationale: Palliative care is specialized medical care focused on providing relief from the symptoms
and stress of a serious illness. Its goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Curative treatments can continue alongside palliative care. Hospice care is a specific type of palliative
care for end-of-life.
2. A patient with a terminal diagnosis tells the nurse, "If I had just gone to the doctor sooner, this
wouldn't have happened." This statement most clearly reflects which stage of grief as described by
Kübler-Ross?
A) Denial
B) Anger
C) Bargaining
D) Depression
Correct Answer: Anger
Rationale: The patient's statement directs blame and frustration toward themselves, a characteristic
of the anger stage of grief. Bargaining involves attempts to negotiate for more time or a different
outcome. Denial is a refusal to accept the reality of the situation, and depression is characterized by
sadness and hopelessness.
,3. A nurse is caring for a patient who is actively dying. Which nursing action is the highest priority for
promoting the patient's dignity and comfort?
A) Maintaining a strictly optimistic and cheerful environment
B) Allowing the patient to be alone to process their emotions privately
C) Ensuring the patient's physical symptoms are managed and personal preferences are respected
D) Encouraging the family to remain at the bedside at all times
Correct Answer: Ensuring the patient's physical symptoms are managed and personal preferences are
respected
Rationale: Promoting dignity involves managing distressing symptoms like pain and dyspnea and
respecting the patient's wishes regarding their care. While emotional support is important, a cheerful
environment is not always appropriate. The patient should have control over their environment and
visitors.
4. A patient is experiencing severe, unrelieved pain. The nurse recognizes this pain as a complex
experience involving physical, emotional, and social factors. Which model best explains this
multifaceted nature of pain?
A) The Gate Control Theory
B) The Biomedical Model
C) The Biopsychosocial Model
D) The General Adaptation Syndrome
Correct Answer: The Biopsychosocial Model
Rationale: The biopsychosocial model posits that pain is a dynamic interaction among biological,
psychological, and social factors. The Gate Control Theory explains the neurological mechanism of
pain transmission. The biomedical model focuses only on physical pathology. General Adaptation
Syndrome describes the body's physiological response to stress.
5. According to the Gate Control Theory of pain, which nursing intervention is most likely to "close the
gate" and reduce the patient's perception of pain?
A) Administering a prescribed opioid analgesic
, B) Positioning the patient to reduce muscle tension
C) Using guided imagery to distract the patient
D) Applying a cold compress to the painful area
Correct Answer: Using guided imagery to distract the patient
Rationale: The Gate Control Theory suggests that non-painful stimuli or cognitive processes, such as
distraction and guided imagery, can close the neural "gate" in the spinal cord, blocking pain signals
from reaching the brain. Medications and physical interventions work through other mechanisms.
6. A patient with chronic pain has been taking an opioid analgesic for several months and now reports
that the medication is no longer providing the same level of relief. The nurse understands that this is
most likely due to which phenomenon?
A) Addiction
B) Tolerance
C) Physical Dependence
D) Pseudoaddiction
Correct Answer: Tolerance
Rationale: Tolerance is a physiological adaptation to a medication, where a higher dose is needed to
achieve the same effect. Addiction is a neurobiological disease characterized by compulsive use.
Physical dependence results in withdrawal symptoms if the drug is stopped. Pseudoaddiction
describes behaviors that mimic addiction but are due to undertreated pain.
7. A patient is prescribed a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for musculoskeletal pain.
Which instruction is most important for the nurse to include in the patient teaching?
A) "Take the medication on an empty stomach for faster absorption."
B) "You can take this medication with over-the-counter acetaminophen."
C) "Report any stomach pain, black, tarry stools, or unusual bleeding."
D) "This medication is safe to take if you have a history of kidney disease."
