• PCCN EXAM 09/12/2026
PCCN EXAM 3 NEW 2025/ 2026 ACTUAL EXAM
TEST BANK| 2 VERSIONS (VERSION A & B) WITH
COMPLETE 650 REAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) ALREADY GRADED A+| PROGRESSIVE
CARE CERTIFIED NURSE EXAM PREP (MOST
RECENT!!)
.
The nurse is performing a skin assessment on a 79 year old female patient with dementia. The nurse notes a
pressure injury on the patient's right heel. It is approximately 3 cm x 4 cm in dimension, with thick, whitish-yellow
slough and a small amount of foul-smelling drainage. The nurse charts this wound as what type of pressure
injury?
P 1
, • PCCN EXAM 09/12/2026
A. Deep tissue injury
B. Stage 3
C. Stage 4
D. Unstageable –
Correct Answer :D. Unstageable
Feedback
The nurse should recall that the presence of slough or eschar on a wound means that it is unstageable. The
slough or eschar must be removed in order for the wound to be staged; underneath will be a stage 3 or 4
pressure injury.
A 25-year-old male client is admitted with a diagnosis of pericarditis. The nurse should prepare to assist with a
pericardiocentesis when the client exhibits which of the following signs or symptoms?
A. Pericardial friction rub
B. Sharp chest pain over the sternal area
C. Elevated blood C-reactive protein level
D. Pulsus paradoxus –
Correct Answer :D. Pulsus paradoxus
Feedback
Pulsus paradoxus is defined as a drop of 10 mmHg or more in systolic blood pressure during inspiration. Pulsus
paradoxus is an indicator of cardiac tamponade, a life-threatening complication of pericarditis. Other listed signs
and symptoms may be exhibited by a client with pericarditis with or without cardiac tamponade.
The nurse is caring for a Vietnamese patient who is a practicing Buddhist, and the patient passes away. The
family is present and requests that per tradition, the body be left undisturbed in the hospital bed for four hours.
The charge nurse informs the patient's nurse that the emergency department is currently full and badly needs
beds for admitting patients. Which of the following is the most appropriate action for the patient's nurse to
take?
A. Apologize and tell the family that the bed is needed for another family and the body must be moved to the
morgue
P 2
, • PCCN EXAM 09/12/2026
B. Inform the charge nurse of the patient and family's cultural practices related to death and ask that the
patient's body be allowed to remain undisturbed for the requested four hours
c. Tell the family that the body must be moved in order to make room for another patient, but offer the family
the opportunity to participate in post-mortem care
D. Tell the fa –
Correct Answer :B. Inform the charge nurse of the patient and family's cultural practices related to death and
ask that the patient's body be allowed to remain undisturbed for the requested four hours
Feedback
The nurse should recall that according to the AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care, Response to Diversity
involves the ability to recognize and integrate different cultural practices into patient care. The nurse
understands that Buddhist culture states that the body must remain undisturbed for at least four hours to give
the soul time to leave the body and educates the charge nurse on the patient and family's cultural standards as
well.
A 60-year-old male patient is admitted following a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and
stent placement to the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. During shift change three hours later, the patient
complains of flank pain. Assessment reveals hypotension and tachycardia. The nurse suspects:
A. Dissecting aortic aneurysm
B. A pulmonary embolism
C. Stent failure with acute re-occlusion of the LAD
D. Retroperitoneal hemorrhage –
Correct Answer :D. Retroperitoneal hemorrhage
Feedback
Trauma to the femoral/iliac artery during insertion of the angioplasty catheter may result in retroperitoneal
bleeding. Hypotension and tachycardia are signs of shock, in this case, hypovolemic shock due to blood loss into
the retroperitoneal space.
The nurse is monitoring a 53-year-old female patient who is post coronary angiography with a right femoral
arterial approach; the patient's sheath was pulled 40 minutes ago. The patient begins complaining of 6/10 pain
and a tingling sensation in her right leg. Upon assessment, the nurse notes that the patient's foot is pale and her
previously palpable pedal pulses are no longer found on the doppler. Which of the following actions should the
nurse take?
P 3
, • PCCN EXAM 09/12/2026
A. Administer a 1 L bolus of 0.9% NS and pain medication
B. Immediately notify the provider and prepare the patient for a possible emergency procedure
C. Place the patient in Trendelenburg position and obtain a 12-lead ECG
D. Reassess the pedal pulse in 15 minutes –
Correct Answer :B. Immediately notify the provider and prepare the patient for a possible emergency procedure
Feedback
The nurse should recognize that these are symptoms of reduced perfusion to the affected extremity due to a
thromboembolism or other complication, and constitute an emergency that might require surgical intervention.
The nurse must notify the provider of these symptoms immediately.
The nurse is caring for an 84 year old Native American female patient. The provider informs the nurse that
testing has shown that the patient has a terminal illness, but the patient's son has requested that the patient
not be informed of the diagnosis. What is the most appropriate action for the nurse to take?
A. Refer the case to the hospital's ethics committee.
B. Research the cultural beliefs about death specific to the patient's tribe
C. Talk to the son and explain the importance of the patient knowing her diagnosis so that she can make her
own end-of-life decisions
D. Tell the son that he must tell the patient about her diagnosis or the provider will have to do so –
Correct Answer :B. Research the cultural beliefs about death specific to the patient's tribe
Feedback
The nurse should recall that according to the AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care, Response to Diversity
involves the ability to recognize and integrate different cultural practices into patient care. Many cultures,
including some Native Americans, ask that providers avoid disclosing terminal diagnoses in order to avoid
terminal suffering and to preserve hope. The nurse does the correct thing by researching the patient's culture to
better understand the son's decision.
Several nurses in the transitional care unit have noted a high frequency of IV infiltrations using the new facility-
provided catheters. The BEST approach to addressing this clinical problem would be to:
A. Have a few nurses from the unit meet with nurses from other units to see if they are noticing the same
problem
P 4
PCCN EXAM 3 NEW 2025/ 2026 ACTUAL EXAM
TEST BANK| 2 VERSIONS (VERSION A & B) WITH
COMPLETE 650 REAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) ALREADY GRADED A+| PROGRESSIVE
CARE CERTIFIED NURSE EXAM PREP (MOST
RECENT!!)
.
The nurse is performing a skin assessment on a 79 year old female patient with dementia. The nurse notes a
pressure injury on the patient's right heel. It is approximately 3 cm x 4 cm in dimension, with thick, whitish-yellow
slough and a small amount of foul-smelling drainage. The nurse charts this wound as what type of pressure
injury?
P 1
, • PCCN EXAM 09/12/2026
A. Deep tissue injury
B. Stage 3
C. Stage 4
D. Unstageable –
Correct Answer :D. Unstageable
Feedback
The nurse should recall that the presence of slough or eschar on a wound means that it is unstageable. The
slough or eschar must be removed in order for the wound to be staged; underneath will be a stage 3 or 4
pressure injury.
A 25-year-old male client is admitted with a diagnosis of pericarditis. The nurse should prepare to assist with a
pericardiocentesis when the client exhibits which of the following signs or symptoms?
A. Pericardial friction rub
B. Sharp chest pain over the sternal area
C. Elevated blood C-reactive protein level
D. Pulsus paradoxus –
Correct Answer :D. Pulsus paradoxus
Feedback
Pulsus paradoxus is defined as a drop of 10 mmHg or more in systolic blood pressure during inspiration. Pulsus
paradoxus is an indicator of cardiac tamponade, a life-threatening complication of pericarditis. Other listed signs
and symptoms may be exhibited by a client with pericarditis with or without cardiac tamponade.
The nurse is caring for a Vietnamese patient who is a practicing Buddhist, and the patient passes away. The
family is present and requests that per tradition, the body be left undisturbed in the hospital bed for four hours.
The charge nurse informs the patient's nurse that the emergency department is currently full and badly needs
beds for admitting patients. Which of the following is the most appropriate action for the patient's nurse to
take?
A. Apologize and tell the family that the bed is needed for another family and the body must be moved to the
morgue
P 2
, • PCCN EXAM 09/12/2026
B. Inform the charge nurse of the patient and family's cultural practices related to death and ask that the
patient's body be allowed to remain undisturbed for the requested four hours
c. Tell the family that the body must be moved in order to make room for another patient, but offer the family
the opportunity to participate in post-mortem care
D. Tell the fa –
Correct Answer :B. Inform the charge nurse of the patient and family's cultural practices related to death and
ask that the patient's body be allowed to remain undisturbed for the requested four hours
Feedback
The nurse should recall that according to the AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care, Response to Diversity
involves the ability to recognize and integrate different cultural practices into patient care. The nurse
understands that Buddhist culture states that the body must remain undisturbed for at least four hours to give
the soul time to leave the body and educates the charge nurse on the patient and family's cultural standards as
well.
A 60-year-old male patient is admitted following a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and
stent placement to the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. During shift change three hours later, the patient
complains of flank pain. Assessment reveals hypotension and tachycardia. The nurse suspects:
A. Dissecting aortic aneurysm
B. A pulmonary embolism
C. Stent failure with acute re-occlusion of the LAD
D. Retroperitoneal hemorrhage –
Correct Answer :D. Retroperitoneal hemorrhage
Feedback
Trauma to the femoral/iliac artery during insertion of the angioplasty catheter may result in retroperitoneal
bleeding. Hypotension and tachycardia are signs of shock, in this case, hypovolemic shock due to blood loss into
the retroperitoneal space.
The nurse is monitoring a 53-year-old female patient who is post coronary angiography with a right femoral
arterial approach; the patient's sheath was pulled 40 minutes ago. The patient begins complaining of 6/10 pain
and a tingling sensation in her right leg. Upon assessment, the nurse notes that the patient's foot is pale and her
previously palpable pedal pulses are no longer found on the doppler. Which of the following actions should the
nurse take?
P 3
, • PCCN EXAM 09/12/2026
A. Administer a 1 L bolus of 0.9% NS and pain medication
B. Immediately notify the provider and prepare the patient for a possible emergency procedure
C. Place the patient in Trendelenburg position and obtain a 12-lead ECG
D. Reassess the pedal pulse in 15 minutes –
Correct Answer :B. Immediately notify the provider and prepare the patient for a possible emergency procedure
Feedback
The nurse should recognize that these are symptoms of reduced perfusion to the affected extremity due to a
thromboembolism or other complication, and constitute an emergency that might require surgical intervention.
The nurse must notify the provider of these symptoms immediately.
The nurse is caring for an 84 year old Native American female patient. The provider informs the nurse that
testing has shown that the patient has a terminal illness, but the patient's son has requested that the patient
not be informed of the diagnosis. What is the most appropriate action for the nurse to take?
A. Refer the case to the hospital's ethics committee.
B. Research the cultural beliefs about death specific to the patient's tribe
C. Talk to the son and explain the importance of the patient knowing her diagnosis so that she can make her
own end-of-life decisions
D. Tell the son that he must tell the patient about her diagnosis or the provider will have to do so –
Correct Answer :B. Research the cultural beliefs about death specific to the patient's tribe
Feedback
The nurse should recall that according to the AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care, Response to Diversity
involves the ability to recognize and integrate different cultural practices into patient care. Many cultures,
including some Native Americans, ask that providers avoid disclosing terminal diagnoses in order to avoid
terminal suffering and to preserve hope. The nurse does the correct thing by researching the patient's culture to
better understand the son's decision.
Several nurses in the transitional care unit have noted a high frequency of IV infiltrations using the new facility-
provided catheters. The BEST approach to addressing this clinical problem would be to:
A. Have a few nurses from the unit meet with nurses from other units to see if they are noticing the same
problem
P 4
