1
NR548 Exam 3 Psychiatric Assessment for the
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Review Chamberlain University Actual Exam
2026/2027 Complete Exam-Style Questions with
Detailed Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass
Guaranteed – A+ Graded
Part I: Psychiatric Interviewing & Mental Status Examination
(Questions 1-19)
Q1: You are conducting an initial psychiatric interview with a
34-year-old woman presenting with symptoms of depression.
She appears tearful and hesitant. Which of the following
opening statements best demonstrates therapeutic
communication and rapport-building while gathering essential
information about her chief complaint?
A. "Hello, Mrs. Johnson. I see you've been referred for
depression. Can you tell me what medications you're currently
taking?"
B. "Good morning. I'm going to ask you some questions about
your mood and history. Let's start with when your symptoms
first began."
,2
C. "Good morning, and welcome. I want to understand what's
been happening that brought you here today. In your own words,
can you tell me what's been going on?" [CORRECT]
D. "Hi there. Your primary care doctor sent you over because
you seem depressed. How long have you been feeling this way?"
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: This choice is correct because it uses an open-ended,
patient-centered approach that invites the patient to share her
story in her own words, which establishes rapport and allows the
chief complaint to emerge naturally from the patient's
perspective rather than imposing a framework on her.
Q2: During a psychiatric interview, a 45-year-old man with
anxiety describes his symptoms by saying, "It's like my chest
gets tight, and I can't catch my breath, and then I think I'm
having a heart attack." What interviewing technique are you
using when you respond, "So it sounds like the physical
sensations in your chest are really frightening, and they make
you worry something serious is happening to your body"?
A. Clarification
B. Reflection [CORRECT]
,3
C. Summarization
D. Confrontation
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is reflection because you are
mirroring back the emotional content and meaning of what the
patient just said, which demonstrates empathic understanding
and encourages him to elaborate further on his experience.
Q3: When taking a psychiatric history from a new patient, which
component of the history should you assess BEFORE moving
into detailed questioning about past psychiatric treatment,
hospitalizations, or medication trials?
A. Chief complaint and history of present illness [CORRECT]
B. Family psychiatric history
C. Social and developmental history
D. Substance use history
, 4
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: This choice aligns with the standard psychiatric
interview structure where you first establish why the patient is
seeking care now (chief complaint) and the detailed narrative of
the current episode (HPI) before exploring historical factors that
provide context.
Q4: A PMHNP student asks you the difference between mood
and affect during a mental status examination. You explain that:
A. Mood is the patient's reported emotional state; affect is the
clinician's observed expression of emotion [CORRECT]
B. Mood is the clinician's observation; affect is the patient's self-
report
C. Mood and affect are interchangeable terms describing the
same phenomenon
D. Mood refers to long-term emotional patterns; affect refers
only to facial expressions
Correct Answer: A
NR548 Exam 3 Psychiatric Assessment for the
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Review Chamberlain University Actual Exam
2026/2027 Complete Exam-Style Questions with
Detailed Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass
Guaranteed – A+ Graded
Part I: Psychiatric Interviewing & Mental Status Examination
(Questions 1-19)
Q1: You are conducting an initial psychiatric interview with a
34-year-old woman presenting with symptoms of depression.
She appears tearful and hesitant. Which of the following
opening statements best demonstrates therapeutic
communication and rapport-building while gathering essential
information about her chief complaint?
A. "Hello, Mrs. Johnson. I see you've been referred for
depression. Can you tell me what medications you're currently
taking?"
B. "Good morning. I'm going to ask you some questions about
your mood and history. Let's start with when your symptoms
first began."
,2
C. "Good morning, and welcome. I want to understand what's
been happening that brought you here today. In your own words,
can you tell me what's been going on?" [CORRECT]
D. "Hi there. Your primary care doctor sent you over because
you seem depressed. How long have you been feeling this way?"
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: This choice is correct because it uses an open-ended,
patient-centered approach that invites the patient to share her
story in her own words, which establishes rapport and allows the
chief complaint to emerge naturally from the patient's
perspective rather than imposing a framework on her.
Q2: During a psychiatric interview, a 45-year-old man with
anxiety describes his symptoms by saying, "It's like my chest
gets tight, and I can't catch my breath, and then I think I'm
having a heart attack." What interviewing technique are you
using when you respond, "So it sounds like the physical
sensations in your chest are really frightening, and they make
you worry something serious is happening to your body"?
A. Clarification
B. Reflection [CORRECT]
,3
C. Summarization
D. Confrontation
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is reflection because you are
mirroring back the emotional content and meaning of what the
patient just said, which demonstrates empathic understanding
and encourages him to elaborate further on his experience.
Q3: When taking a psychiatric history from a new patient, which
component of the history should you assess BEFORE moving
into detailed questioning about past psychiatric treatment,
hospitalizations, or medication trials?
A. Chief complaint and history of present illness [CORRECT]
B. Family psychiatric history
C. Social and developmental history
D. Substance use history
, 4
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: This choice aligns with the standard psychiatric
interview structure where you first establish why the patient is
seeking care now (chief complaint) and the detailed narrative of
the current episode (HPI) before exploring historical factors that
provide context.
Q4: A PMHNP student asks you the difference between mood
and affect during a mental status examination. You explain that:
A. Mood is the patient's reported emotional state; affect is the
clinician's observed expression of emotion [CORRECT]
B. Mood is the clinician's observation; affect is the patient's self-
report
C. Mood and affect are interchangeable terms describing the
same phenomenon
D. Mood refers to long-term emotional patterns; affect refers
only to facial expressions
Correct Answer: A
