COMPLETE PRACTICE QUESTION BANK
Fundamentals of Nursing
Twelfth Edition
Patricia A. Potter • Anne G. Perry
Patricia A. Stockert • Amy Hall • Wendy R. Ostendorf
Chapters 1–50 | Multiple-Choice Questions with Answers and Rationales
,Contents
UNIT 1 Nursing and the Health Care Environment
Chapter 1 Nursing Today
Chapter 2 The Health Care Delivery System
Chapter 3 Population Health
Chapter 4 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice
Chapter 5 Evidence-Based Practice
UNIT 2 Caring Throughout the Life Span
Chapter 6 Health and Wellness
Chapter 7 Caring in Nursing Practice
Chapter 8 Caring for Patients With Chronic Illness
Chapter 9 Cultural Care
Chapter 10 Family Dynamics
Chapter 11 Developmental Theories
Chapter 12 Conception Through Adolescence
Chapter 13 Young and Middle Adults
Chapter 14 Older Adults
UNIT 3 Clinical Judgment in Nursing Practice
Chapter 15 Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment
Chapter 16 Nursing Assessment
Chapter 17 Analysis and Nursing Diagnosis
Chapter 18 Planning and Outcomes Identification in Nursing Care
Chapter 19 Implementing Nursing Care
Chapter 20 Evaluation
Chapter 21 Managing Patient Care
UNIT 4 Professional Standards in Nursing Practice
Chapter 22 Ethics and Values
Fundamentals of Nursing 12th Ed. (Potter & Perry) — Practice Bank | Page 2
,Chapter 23 Legal Implications in Nursing Practice
Chapter 24 Communication
Chapter 25 Patient Education
Chapter 26 Informatics and Documentation
UNIT 5 Foundations for Nursing Practice
Chapter 27 Patient Safety and Quality
Chapter 28 Infection Prevention and Control
Chapter 29 Vital Signs
Chapter 30 Health Assessment and Physical Examination
Chapter 31 Medication Administration
Chapter 32 Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Therapies
UNIT 6 Psychosocial Basis for Nursing Practice
Chapter 33 Self-Concept
Chapter 34 Sexuality
Chapter 35 Spiritual Health
Chapter 36 Loss and Grief
Chapter 37 Stress and Coping
UNIT 7 Physiological Basis for Nursing Practice
Chapter 38 Activity and Exercise
Chapter 39 Immobility
Chapter 40 Hygiene
Chapter 41 Oxygenation
Chapter 42 Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance
Chapter 43 Sleep
Chapter 44 Pain Management
Chapter 45 Nutrition
Chapter 46 Urinary Elimination
Fundamentals of Nursing 12th Ed. (Potter & Perry) — Practice Bank | Page 3
,Chapter 47 Bowel Elimination
Chapter 48 Skin Integrity and Wound Care
Chapter 49 Sensory Alterations
Chapter 50 Perioperative Nursing Care
Fundamentals of Nursing 12th Ed. (Potter & Perry) — Practice Bank | Page 4
,Chapter 1: Nursing Today
Q1. A nursing student is comparing historical and contemporary definitions of nursing. Florence
Nightingale emphasized the nurse’s role in managing the environment to promote recovery, while
modern definitions highlight clinical judgment, advocacy, and person-centered care across settings.
The student must identify which statement best reflects nursing as both an art and a science in current
professional literature.
A. Nursing is purely a technical occupation focused on carrying out physician orders without
independent judgment.
B. Nursing integrates scientific knowledge and evidence with compassionate, creative, and
interpersonal caring practices.
C. Nursing is an art form that rejects systematic assessment and relies only on intuition.
D. Nursing has no theoretical foundation and is learned solely by apprenticeship.
E. Nursing is limited to hospital-based care of acutely ill adults.
Answer: B
Rationale: Contemporary nursing is described as both art and science: the science supplies evidence and
clinical knowledge, while the art encompasses caring, creativity, and therapeutic relationships.
Fundamentals of Nursing 12th Ed. (Potter & Perry) — Practice Bank | Page 5
,Q2. A new graduate is oriented to the four broad aims of nursing practice taught in fundamentals
courses. The preceptor asks which aim is demonstrated when the nurse helps a community group
develop exercise and nutrition programs to reduce diabetes risk before disease occurs. The graduate
must select the aim that best matches this activity.
A. Documenting care for legal protection only.
B. Preventing illness solely by administering antibiotics.
C. Restoring health after surgical complications only.
D. Promoting health and wellness through education and resource development.
E. Facilitating coping exclusively at the end of life.
Answer: D
Rationale: Health promotion involves helping people develop resources that maintain or enhance
well-being and is distinct from treating existing disease.
Q3. A nurse explains professional identity formation to a student. The discussion covers autonomy,
accountability, advocacy, and lifelong learning as hallmarks of a profession. The student asks which
behavior most clearly demonstrates professional accountability after a medication near-miss that
caused no harm.
A. Blaming only the pharmacy without self-reflection.
B. Discussing the event only with friends outside work.
C. Hiding the event because the patient was unharmed.
D. Reporting the near-miss through the appropriate safety system and participating in system
improvement.
E. Avoiding documentation of any process issues.
Answer: D
Rationale: Accountability includes transparent reporting of near-misses so systems can improve; harm is
not required for reporting.
Fundamentals of Nursing 12th Ed. (Potter & Perry) — Practice Bank | Page 6
Fundamentals of Nursing
Twelfth Edition
Patricia A. Potter • Anne G. Perry
Patricia A. Stockert • Amy Hall • Wendy R. Ostendorf
Chapters 1–50 | Multiple-Choice Questions with Answers and Rationales
,Contents
UNIT 1 Nursing and the Health Care Environment
Chapter 1 Nursing Today
Chapter 2 The Health Care Delivery System
Chapter 3 Population Health
Chapter 4 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice
Chapter 5 Evidence-Based Practice
UNIT 2 Caring Throughout the Life Span
Chapter 6 Health and Wellness
Chapter 7 Caring in Nursing Practice
Chapter 8 Caring for Patients With Chronic Illness
Chapter 9 Cultural Care
Chapter 10 Family Dynamics
Chapter 11 Developmental Theories
Chapter 12 Conception Through Adolescence
Chapter 13 Young and Middle Adults
Chapter 14 Older Adults
UNIT 3 Clinical Judgment in Nursing Practice
Chapter 15 Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment
Chapter 16 Nursing Assessment
Chapter 17 Analysis and Nursing Diagnosis
Chapter 18 Planning and Outcomes Identification in Nursing Care
Chapter 19 Implementing Nursing Care
Chapter 20 Evaluation
Chapter 21 Managing Patient Care
UNIT 4 Professional Standards in Nursing Practice
Chapter 22 Ethics and Values
Fundamentals of Nursing 12th Ed. (Potter & Perry) — Practice Bank | Page 2
,Chapter 23 Legal Implications in Nursing Practice
Chapter 24 Communication
Chapter 25 Patient Education
Chapter 26 Informatics and Documentation
UNIT 5 Foundations for Nursing Practice
Chapter 27 Patient Safety and Quality
Chapter 28 Infection Prevention and Control
Chapter 29 Vital Signs
Chapter 30 Health Assessment and Physical Examination
Chapter 31 Medication Administration
Chapter 32 Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Therapies
UNIT 6 Psychosocial Basis for Nursing Practice
Chapter 33 Self-Concept
Chapter 34 Sexuality
Chapter 35 Spiritual Health
Chapter 36 Loss and Grief
Chapter 37 Stress and Coping
UNIT 7 Physiological Basis for Nursing Practice
Chapter 38 Activity and Exercise
Chapter 39 Immobility
Chapter 40 Hygiene
Chapter 41 Oxygenation
Chapter 42 Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance
Chapter 43 Sleep
Chapter 44 Pain Management
Chapter 45 Nutrition
Chapter 46 Urinary Elimination
Fundamentals of Nursing 12th Ed. (Potter & Perry) — Practice Bank | Page 3
,Chapter 47 Bowel Elimination
Chapter 48 Skin Integrity and Wound Care
Chapter 49 Sensory Alterations
Chapter 50 Perioperative Nursing Care
Fundamentals of Nursing 12th Ed. (Potter & Perry) — Practice Bank | Page 4
,Chapter 1: Nursing Today
Q1. A nursing student is comparing historical and contemporary definitions of nursing. Florence
Nightingale emphasized the nurse’s role in managing the environment to promote recovery, while
modern definitions highlight clinical judgment, advocacy, and person-centered care across settings.
The student must identify which statement best reflects nursing as both an art and a science in current
professional literature.
A. Nursing is purely a technical occupation focused on carrying out physician orders without
independent judgment.
B. Nursing integrates scientific knowledge and evidence with compassionate, creative, and
interpersonal caring practices.
C. Nursing is an art form that rejects systematic assessment and relies only on intuition.
D. Nursing has no theoretical foundation and is learned solely by apprenticeship.
E. Nursing is limited to hospital-based care of acutely ill adults.
Answer: B
Rationale: Contemporary nursing is described as both art and science: the science supplies evidence and
clinical knowledge, while the art encompasses caring, creativity, and therapeutic relationships.
Fundamentals of Nursing 12th Ed. (Potter & Perry) — Practice Bank | Page 5
,Q2. A new graduate is oriented to the four broad aims of nursing practice taught in fundamentals
courses. The preceptor asks which aim is demonstrated when the nurse helps a community group
develop exercise and nutrition programs to reduce diabetes risk before disease occurs. The graduate
must select the aim that best matches this activity.
A. Documenting care for legal protection only.
B. Preventing illness solely by administering antibiotics.
C. Restoring health after surgical complications only.
D. Promoting health and wellness through education and resource development.
E. Facilitating coping exclusively at the end of life.
Answer: D
Rationale: Health promotion involves helping people develop resources that maintain or enhance
well-being and is distinct from treating existing disease.
Q3. A nurse explains professional identity formation to a student. The discussion covers autonomy,
accountability, advocacy, and lifelong learning as hallmarks of a profession. The student asks which
behavior most clearly demonstrates professional accountability after a medication near-miss that
caused no harm.
A. Blaming only the pharmacy without self-reflection.
B. Discussing the event only with friends outside work.
C. Hiding the event because the patient was unharmed.
D. Reporting the near-miss through the appropriate safety system and participating in system
improvement.
E. Avoiding documentation of any process issues.
Answer: D
Rationale: Accountability includes transparent reporting of near-misses so systems can improve; harm is
not required for reporting.
Fundamentals of Nursing 12th Ed. (Potter & Perry) — Practice Bank | Page 6
