MEDICAL SURGICAL NURSING EXAM WITH
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS||
ALREADY GRADED A+|| LATEST VERSION
2026
Section 1: Fundamentals of Medical-Surgical Nursing
1. What is the primary goal of medical-surgical nursing?
Answer: To provide holistic, patient-centered care to adults with acute and
chronic health conditions, focusing on promoting health, preventing illness, and
managing disease through evidence-based practice.
2. How do nursing diagnoses differ from medical diagnoses?
Answer: Nursing diagnoses are primarily concerned with human responses to
health problems, while medical diagnoses are primarily concerned with
pathology and disease processes.
3. What is the main goal of treatment for acute glomerulonephritis?
Answer: To maintain fluid balance and manage symptoms, rather than
encouraging high protein intake or teaching intermittent urinary catheterization.
4. What action reflects The Joint Commission's contribution to healthcare
organizations' improvement initiatives?
Answer: The Joint Commission establishes standards and conducts
accreditation surveys to improve patient safety and quality of care in healthcare
organizations.
5. What is the primary purpose of using personal protective equipment
(PPE) when caring for patients with COVID-19?
Answer: To limit the spread of the virus to other patients and staff.
6. What is a common method pathogens use to evade the immune
response?
Answer: Continuous mutation, which allows pathogens to change their surface
antigens and avoid detection by the immune system.
,7. What part of the immune system is nonspecific and acts quickly at the
first sign of infection?
Answer: The innate immune response.
8. What type of white blood cell is most involved in parasitic infections and
allergies?
Answer: Eosinophil.
9. What acts as a barrier defense to protect the body from infection?
Answer: Mucus membranes.
10. What is the difference between surgical risks and surgical risk factors?
Answer: Surgical risks are complications that could happen as a result of the
surgery, while surgical risk factors are comorbidities of the patient that make it
more dangerous for them to have surgery.
11. What are examples of surgical risk factors?
Answer: Advanced age, nutritional status (obesity/malnutrition),
medical/surgical history (kidney or liver impairment, cardiovascular or
respiratory disorders, diabetes), medications (anticoagulants, diuretics), lifestyle
choices (smoking, alcohol use), and allergies.
12. What are examples of surgical risks?
Answer: Fasting status complications, anaesthetic risks, positioning injuries,
infection, haemorrhage, clot formation, damage to other structures, surgical
stress response, and procedure-specific complications.
13. What are the three periods in the perioperative journey?
Answer: (1) Preoperative period - surgical review and risk assessment; (2)
Intraoperative period - intraoperative care; (3) Postoperative period - safe
recovery and follow-up.
14. What are the three types of anesthesia?
Answer: (1) General anesthesia - patient is unconscious or fully sedated; (2)
Regional anesthesia - loss of sensation to a region without loss of
consciousness; (3) Local anesthesia - loss of sensation to an area with no effect
on consciousness.
15. What is the difference between open and minimally invasive surgery?
, Answer: Open surgery requires larger incisions so the surgeon can visualize the
structures involved (e.g., open heart surgery, laparotomy). Minimally invasive
surgery uses smaller incisions (e.g., laparoscopy, gastroscopy).
Section 2: Perioperative Nursing
16. What is the primary objective in preoperative nursing care?
Answer: To provide the best evidence-based care, including patient assessment,
education, and preparation for surgery.
17. What does the preoperative checklist include?
Answer: Patient assessment, informed consent, and preparation for surgery.
18. What is informed consent and who is responsible for obtaining it?
Answer: Informed consent is a legal and ethical requirement before surgery,
ensuring patients understand the procedure, risks, and benefits. The surgeon is
responsible for explaining the procedure and answering questions, while the
nurse ensures consent is documented in the chart.
19. When should consent NOT be obtained?
Answer: Consent should not be obtained when the patient is under the influence
of sedatives or is not mentally competent.
20. What are the classifications of surgery based on urgency?
Answer: Emergent surgery (must be performed immediately to save life, e.g.,
perforated appendix), Urgent surgery (necessary for health but can be
scheduled, e.g., cancerous tumor excision), and Elective surgery (performed at
patient's choice, e.g., cosmetic procedures).
21. What is diagnostic surgery?
Answer: Surgical exploration to confirm a diagnosis, such as a biopsy.
22. What is ablative surgery?
Answer: Removal or destruction of tissue, such as an appendectomy.
23. What is palliative surgery?
Answer: Surgery that aims to relieve symptoms without curing the disease,
such as tumor removal for symptom relief.
24. What is reconstructive surgery?
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS||
ALREADY GRADED A+|| LATEST VERSION
2026
Section 1: Fundamentals of Medical-Surgical Nursing
1. What is the primary goal of medical-surgical nursing?
Answer: To provide holistic, patient-centered care to adults with acute and
chronic health conditions, focusing on promoting health, preventing illness, and
managing disease through evidence-based practice.
2. How do nursing diagnoses differ from medical diagnoses?
Answer: Nursing diagnoses are primarily concerned with human responses to
health problems, while medical diagnoses are primarily concerned with
pathology and disease processes.
3. What is the main goal of treatment for acute glomerulonephritis?
Answer: To maintain fluid balance and manage symptoms, rather than
encouraging high protein intake or teaching intermittent urinary catheterization.
4. What action reflects The Joint Commission's contribution to healthcare
organizations' improvement initiatives?
Answer: The Joint Commission establishes standards and conducts
accreditation surveys to improve patient safety and quality of care in healthcare
organizations.
5. What is the primary purpose of using personal protective equipment
(PPE) when caring for patients with COVID-19?
Answer: To limit the spread of the virus to other patients and staff.
6. What is a common method pathogens use to evade the immune
response?
Answer: Continuous mutation, which allows pathogens to change their surface
antigens and avoid detection by the immune system.
,7. What part of the immune system is nonspecific and acts quickly at the
first sign of infection?
Answer: The innate immune response.
8. What type of white blood cell is most involved in parasitic infections and
allergies?
Answer: Eosinophil.
9. What acts as a barrier defense to protect the body from infection?
Answer: Mucus membranes.
10. What is the difference between surgical risks and surgical risk factors?
Answer: Surgical risks are complications that could happen as a result of the
surgery, while surgical risk factors are comorbidities of the patient that make it
more dangerous for them to have surgery.
11. What are examples of surgical risk factors?
Answer: Advanced age, nutritional status (obesity/malnutrition),
medical/surgical history (kidney or liver impairment, cardiovascular or
respiratory disorders, diabetes), medications (anticoagulants, diuretics), lifestyle
choices (smoking, alcohol use), and allergies.
12. What are examples of surgical risks?
Answer: Fasting status complications, anaesthetic risks, positioning injuries,
infection, haemorrhage, clot formation, damage to other structures, surgical
stress response, and procedure-specific complications.
13. What are the three periods in the perioperative journey?
Answer: (1) Preoperative period - surgical review and risk assessment; (2)
Intraoperative period - intraoperative care; (3) Postoperative period - safe
recovery and follow-up.
14. What are the three types of anesthesia?
Answer: (1) General anesthesia - patient is unconscious or fully sedated; (2)
Regional anesthesia - loss of sensation to a region without loss of
consciousness; (3) Local anesthesia - loss of sensation to an area with no effect
on consciousness.
15. What is the difference between open and minimally invasive surgery?
, Answer: Open surgery requires larger incisions so the surgeon can visualize the
structures involved (e.g., open heart surgery, laparotomy). Minimally invasive
surgery uses smaller incisions (e.g., laparoscopy, gastroscopy).
Section 2: Perioperative Nursing
16. What is the primary objective in preoperative nursing care?
Answer: To provide the best evidence-based care, including patient assessment,
education, and preparation for surgery.
17. What does the preoperative checklist include?
Answer: Patient assessment, informed consent, and preparation for surgery.
18. What is informed consent and who is responsible for obtaining it?
Answer: Informed consent is a legal and ethical requirement before surgery,
ensuring patients understand the procedure, risks, and benefits. The surgeon is
responsible for explaining the procedure and answering questions, while the
nurse ensures consent is documented in the chart.
19. When should consent NOT be obtained?
Answer: Consent should not be obtained when the patient is under the influence
of sedatives or is not mentally competent.
20. What are the classifications of surgery based on urgency?
Answer: Emergent surgery (must be performed immediately to save life, e.g.,
perforated appendix), Urgent surgery (necessary for health but can be
scheduled, e.g., cancerous tumor excision), and Elective surgery (performed at
patient's choice, e.g., cosmetic procedures).
21. What is diagnostic surgery?
Answer: Surgical exploration to confirm a diagnosis, such as a biopsy.
22. What is ablative surgery?
Answer: Removal or destruction of tissue, such as an appendectomy.
23. What is palliative surgery?
Answer: Surgery that aims to relieve symptoms without curing the disease,
such as tumor removal for symptom relief.
24. What is reconstructive surgery?
