MED SURG RN HESI EXIT
EXAM 2026 VERSION 3
Practice Questions and
Answers
1. The nurse is completing an admission interview and
assessment on a client with a history of Parkinson's
disease. Which question should provide information
relevant to the client's plan of care?
A. Have you ever experienced any paralysis of your arms or
legs?
B. Have you ever sustained a severe head injury?
C. Have you ever been 'frozen' in one spot, unable to move?
D. Do you have headaches, especially ones with throbbing
pain?
Answer: C. Have you ever been 'frozen' in one spot,
unable to move?
Rationale: Clients with Parkinson's disease frequently
experience difficulty in initiating, maintaining, and
performing motor activities. They may even
experience being rooted to the spot and unable to
move (C). Parkinson's disease does not cause (A).
Parkinson's disease is not usually associated with (B),
nor does it typically cause (D).
2. A 58-year-old client, who has no health problems,
asks the nurse about the Pneumovax vaccine. The
nurse's response to the client should be based on
which information?
A. The vaccine is given annually before the flu season to
those over 50 years of age.
B. The immunization is administered once to older adults or
persons with a history of chronic illness.
C. The vaccine is for all ages and is given primarily to those
persons traveling overseas to areas of infection.
D. The vaccine will prevent the occurrence of pneumococcal
pneumonia for up to five years.
1
,Answer: B) The immunization is administered once to
older adults or persons with a history of chronic
illness.
Rationale: It is usually recommended that persons
over 65 years of age and those with a history of
chronic illness receive the vaccine once in a lifetime
(B). (Some resources recommend obtaining the
vaccine at 50 years of age.) The influenza vaccine is
given once a year, not the Pneumovax (A). Although
the vaccine might be given to a person traveling
overseas, that is not the main rationale for
administering the vaccine (C). It is usually given once
in a lifetime (D), but with immunosuppressed clients
or clients with a history of pneumonia re-vaccination
is sometimes required.
3. Which reaction should the nurse identify in a client
who is responding to stimulation of the sympathetic
nervous system?
A. Pupil constriction.
B. Increased heart rate.
C. Bronchial constriction.
D. Decreased blood pressure.
Answer: B) Increased heart rate.
Rationale: Any stressor that is perceived as
threatening to homeostasis acts to stimulate the
sympathetic nervous system and manifests as a
flight-or-fight response, which includes an increase in
heart rate (B). (A, C, and D) are responses of the
parasympathetic nervous system.
4. A client with a 16-year history of diabetes mellitus
is having renal function tests because of recent
fatigue, weakness, elevated blood urea nitrogen, and
serum creatinine levels. Which finding should the
nurse conclude as an early symptom of renal
insufficiency?
A. Dyspnea.
B. Nocturia.
C. Confusion.
D. Stomatitis.
2
, Answer: B) Nocturia.
Rationale: As the glomerular filtration rate decreases
in early renal insufficiency, metabolic waste products,
including urea, creatinine, and other substances, such
phenols, hormones, electrolytes, accumulate in the
blood. In the early stage of renal insufficiency,
polyuria results from the inability of the kidneys to
concentrate urine and contribute to nocturia (B). (A,
C, and D) are more common in the later stages of
renal failure.
5. A client taking furosemide (Lasix), reports difficulty
sleeping. What question is important for the nurse to
ask the client?
A. What dose of medication are you taking?
B. Are you eating foods rich in potassium?
C. Have you lost weight recently?
D. At what time do you take your medication?
Answer: D) At what time do you take your medication?
Rationale: The nurse needs to first determine at what
time of day the client takes the Lasix (D). Because of
the diuretic effect of Lasix, clients should take the
medication in the morning to prevent nocturia. The
actual dose of medication (A) is of less importance
than the time taken. (B) is not related to the
insomnia. (C) is valuable information about the effect
of the diuretic, but is not likely to be related to
insomnia.
6. The nurse is interviewing a male client with
hypertension. Which additional medical diagnosis in
the client's history presents the greatest risk for
developing a cerebral vascular accident (CVA)?
A. Diabetes mellitus.
B. Hypothyroidism.
C. Parkinson's disease.
D. Recurring pneumonia.
Answer: A) Diabetes mellitus.
Rationale: A history of diabetes mellitus poses the
greatest risk for developing a CVA (A). (B, C, and D)
3
EXAM 2026 VERSION 3
Practice Questions and
Answers
1. The nurse is completing an admission interview and
assessment on a client with a history of Parkinson's
disease. Which question should provide information
relevant to the client's plan of care?
A. Have you ever experienced any paralysis of your arms or
legs?
B. Have you ever sustained a severe head injury?
C. Have you ever been 'frozen' in one spot, unable to move?
D. Do you have headaches, especially ones with throbbing
pain?
Answer: C. Have you ever been 'frozen' in one spot,
unable to move?
Rationale: Clients with Parkinson's disease frequently
experience difficulty in initiating, maintaining, and
performing motor activities. They may even
experience being rooted to the spot and unable to
move (C). Parkinson's disease does not cause (A).
Parkinson's disease is not usually associated with (B),
nor does it typically cause (D).
2. A 58-year-old client, who has no health problems,
asks the nurse about the Pneumovax vaccine. The
nurse's response to the client should be based on
which information?
A. The vaccine is given annually before the flu season to
those over 50 years of age.
B. The immunization is administered once to older adults or
persons with a history of chronic illness.
C. The vaccine is for all ages and is given primarily to those
persons traveling overseas to areas of infection.
D. The vaccine will prevent the occurrence of pneumococcal
pneumonia for up to five years.
1
,Answer: B) The immunization is administered once to
older adults or persons with a history of chronic
illness.
Rationale: It is usually recommended that persons
over 65 years of age and those with a history of
chronic illness receive the vaccine once in a lifetime
(B). (Some resources recommend obtaining the
vaccine at 50 years of age.) The influenza vaccine is
given once a year, not the Pneumovax (A). Although
the vaccine might be given to a person traveling
overseas, that is not the main rationale for
administering the vaccine (C). It is usually given once
in a lifetime (D), but with immunosuppressed clients
or clients with a history of pneumonia re-vaccination
is sometimes required.
3. Which reaction should the nurse identify in a client
who is responding to stimulation of the sympathetic
nervous system?
A. Pupil constriction.
B. Increased heart rate.
C. Bronchial constriction.
D. Decreased blood pressure.
Answer: B) Increased heart rate.
Rationale: Any stressor that is perceived as
threatening to homeostasis acts to stimulate the
sympathetic nervous system and manifests as a
flight-or-fight response, which includes an increase in
heart rate (B). (A, C, and D) are responses of the
parasympathetic nervous system.
4. A client with a 16-year history of diabetes mellitus
is having renal function tests because of recent
fatigue, weakness, elevated blood urea nitrogen, and
serum creatinine levels. Which finding should the
nurse conclude as an early symptom of renal
insufficiency?
A. Dyspnea.
B. Nocturia.
C. Confusion.
D. Stomatitis.
2
, Answer: B) Nocturia.
Rationale: As the glomerular filtration rate decreases
in early renal insufficiency, metabolic waste products,
including urea, creatinine, and other substances, such
phenols, hormones, electrolytes, accumulate in the
blood. In the early stage of renal insufficiency,
polyuria results from the inability of the kidneys to
concentrate urine and contribute to nocturia (B). (A,
C, and D) are more common in the later stages of
renal failure.
5. A client taking furosemide (Lasix), reports difficulty
sleeping. What question is important for the nurse to
ask the client?
A. What dose of medication are you taking?
B. Are you eating foods rich in potassium?
C. Have you lost weight recently?
D. At what time do you take your medication?
Answer: D) At what time do you take your medication?
Rationale: The nurse needs to first determine at what
time of day the client takes the Lasix (D). Because of
the diuretic effect of Lasix, clients should take the
medication in the morning to prevent nocturia. The
actual dose of medication (A) is of less importance
than the time taken. (B) is not related to the
insomnia. (C) is valuable information about the effect
of the diuretic, but is not likely to be related to
insomnia.
6. The nurse is interviewing a male client with
hypertension. Which additional medical diagnosis in
the client's history presents the greatest risk for
developing a cerebral vascular accident (CVA)?
A. Diabetes mellitus.
B. Hypothyroidism.
C. Parkinson's disease.
D. Recurring pneumonia.
Answer: A) Diabetes mellitus.
Rationale: A history of diabetes mellitus poses the
greatest risk for developing a CVA (A). (B, C, and D)
3
