NR302 / NR-302 HEALTH ASSESSMENT
I EXAM 2 REVIEW – COMPLETE TEST
BANK WITH 300 QUESTIONS, VERIFIED
ANSWERS & DETAILED RATIONALES |
LATEST 2026/2027 EDITION –
CHAMBERLAIN
Section 1: Health History & Therapeutic Communication (Q1–
Q15)
Q1. A 34-year-old patient arrives for their first annual physical in three years.
During the health history interview, the nurse notices the patient frequently
looks down and provides one-word responses. The nurse suspects the patient
may be experiencing anxiety about the examination findings. Which
interviewing technique would best encourage the patient to share more
detailed information?
A. Ask a series of closed-ended questions to gather facts quickly
B. Use silence for 10-15 seconds while maintaining eye contact
C. Immediately reassure the patient that everything will be fine
D. Switch to reviewing the family history to change the subject
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Silence is a powerful therapeutic communication technique that gives
patients time to organize their thoughts and feelings without pressure. Closed-ended
questions (A) would further limit responses. Immediate reassurance (C) may dismiss
the patient's concerns, and switching topics (D) avoids addressing the underlying
anxiety.
Q2. During a health history interview with a 67-year-old patient recently
diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the nurse asks about medication adherence.
The patient states, "I take my pills when I remember, but I don't see the point
since I feel fine." Which response by the nurse demonstrates the most effective
use of clarification?
,A. "You should take your medication exactly as prescribed every day."
B. "It sounds like you don't believe the medication is helping you. Can you tell me
more about that?"
C. "Many patients with diabetes feel fine until complications develop."
D. "Your doctor prescribed that medication for a reason, so you need to follow the
instructions."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Clarification involves restating the patient's message to confirm
understanding and inviting elaboration, which helps identify barriers to adherence.
Options A and D are authoritarian and shut down communication, while C provides
education before understanding the patient's perspective.
Q3. A nurse is obtaining a health history from a 28-year-old patient who
recently immigrated from Somalia and speaks limited English. The patient's
teenage son is present and offers to translate. Which action by the nurse
demonstrates the best practice for obtaining an accurate health history in this
situation?
A. Accept the son's offer since he is fluent in both languages and readily available
B. Use a professional medical interpreter and interview the patient without the son
present
C. Ask the son to translate but verify key details with the patient using gestures
D. Request that the patient return with a friend who speaks better English
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Professional medical interpreters are required to ensure accuracy and
confidentiality. Using a family member, especially a minor child, can lead to
misinterpretation, omission of sensitive information, and role reversal that
compromises the therapeutic relationship.
Q4. A 45-year-old woman presents to the clinic for the first time. The nurse is
preparing to take her health history and wants to begin the interview in a
patient-centered manner. What is the most appropriate opening statement to
initiate the interview?
A. What brings you to the clinic today?
B. Do you have any chronic medical conditions I should know about?
,C. Are you currently taking any prescription medications?
D. When was the date of your last physical examination?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: An open-ended question such as asking what brings her to the clinic
allows the patient to describe her concerns in her own words and establishes a
patient-centered approach. Closed-ended questions that elicit yes or no answers
should follow after the chief concern is fully explored. Starting with closed questions
limits the patient's narrative and may cause the nurse to miss important contextual
information.
Q5. A 68-year-old man arrives at the emergency department reporting chest
pain. The nurse uses the OLDCARTS mnemonic to structure the symptom
assessment. The patient rates his pain as 7 out of 10 on a numeric scale. Which
component of OLDCARTS is the nurse addressing with this rating?
A. Onset of the symptom
B. Severity of the symptom
C. Region of the symptom
D. Timing of the symptom
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In the OLDCARTS mnemonic, the letter S stands for Severity, which
prompts the nurse to ask the patient to rate the symptom intensity, typically on a 0
to 10 scale. O is Onset, R is Region or Radiation, and T is Timing. Severity
quantification helps prioritize urgency and evaluate response to interventions over
time.
Q6. A nurse is interviewing a 30-year-old woman who recently immigrated and
speaks limited English. A trained medical interpreter is available to facilitate the
interview. Where should the nurse position the interpreter relative to the
patient for optimal communication?
A. Directly between the nurse and the patient, facing the nurse
B. Behind the patient, outside the line of sight of the nurse
C. Beside the patient and slightly behind, allowing eye contact between nurse and
patient
D. In front of the patient, blocking visual contact with the nurse
, Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The interpreter should sit beside and slightly behind the patient so that
the nurse and patient can maintain direct eye contact and communicate with each
other. This positioning reinforces the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship while the
interpreter facilitates understanding. Placing the interpreter between the two parties
disrupts direct communication.
Q7. A 52-year-old man is asked about his alcohol use during the psychosocial
history portion of the interview. He becomes defensive and says, "That is
personal." What is the nurse's most therapeutic response in this situation?
A. "I understand, but I need to know for your health."
B. "You seem uncomfortable. We can come back to that later."
C. "Everyone is asked these questions, so please answer."
D. "Your drinking habits are important for the doctor to know."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Acknowledging the patient's discomfort and offering to defer the topic
respects the patient's autonomy and preserves the therapeutic relationship.
Pressuring the patient (A, C, D) may increase defensiveness and damage trust.
Q8. Health assessment is best defined as:
A. The treatment of disease only
B. The systematic collection of patient data to evaluate health status
C. Administration of medications
D. Surgical intervention
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Health assessment involves gathering subjective and objective
information to identify actual or potential health problems.
Q9. The primary purpose of a health assessment is to:
A. Diagnose all diseases independently
B. Collect data for clinical decision-making
I EXAM 2 REVIEW – COMPLETE TEST
BANK WITH 300 QUESTIONS, VERIFIED
ANSWERS & DETAILED RATIONALES |
LATEST 2026/2027 EDITION –
CHAMBERLAIN
Section 1: Health History & Therapeutic Communication (Q1–
Q15)
Q1. A 34-year-old patient arrives for their first annual physical in three years.
During the health history interview, the nurse notices the patient frequently
looks down and provides one-word responses. The nurse suspects the patient
may be experiencing anxiety about the examination findings. Which
interviewing technique would best encourage the patient to share more
detailed information?
A. Ask a series of closed-ended questions to gather facts quickly
B. Use silence for 10-15 seconds while maintaining eye contact
C. Immediately reassure the patient that everything will be fine
D. Switch to reviewing the family history to change the subject
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Silence is a powerful therapeutic communication technique that gives
patients time to organize their thoughts and feelings without pressure. Closed-ended
questions (A) would further limit responses. Immediate reassurance (C) may dismiss
the patient's concerns, and switching topics (D) avoids addressing the underlying
anxiety.
Q2. During a health history interview with a 67-year-old patient recently
diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the nurse asks about medication adherence.
The patient states, "I take my pills when I remember, but I don't see the point
since I feel fine." Which response by the nurse demonstrates the most effective
use of clarification?
,A. "You should take your medication exactly as prescribed every day."
B. "It sounds like you don't believe the medication is helping you. Can you tell me
more about that?"
C. "Many patients with diabetes feel fine until complications develop."
D. "Your doctor prescribed that medication for a reason, so you need to follow the
instructions."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Clarification involves restating the patient's message to confirm
understanding and inviting elaboration, which helps identify barriers to adherence.
Options A and D are authoritarian and shut down communication, while C provides
education before understanding the patient's perspective.
Q3. A nurse is obtaining a health history from a 28-year-old patient who
recently immigrated from Somalia and speaks limited English. The patient's
teenage son is present and offers to translate. Which action by the nurse
demonstrates the best practice for obtaining an accurate health history in this
situation?
A. Accept the son's offer since he is fluent in both languages and readily available
B. Use a professional medical interpreter and interview the patient without the son
present
C. Ask the son to translate but verify key details with the patient using gestures
D. Request that the patient return with a friend who speaks better English
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Professional medical interpreters are required to ensure accuracy and
confidentiality. Using a family member, especially a minor child, can lead to
misinterpretation, omission of sensitive information, and role reversal that
compromises the therapeutic relationship.
Q4. A 45-year-old woman presents to the clinic for the first time. The nurse is
preparing to take her health history and wants to begin the interview in a
patient-centered manner. What is the most appropriate opening statement to
initiate the interview?
A. What brings you to the clinic today?
B. Do you have any chronic medical conditions I should know about?
,C. Are you currently taking any prescription medications?
D. When was the date of your last physical examination?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: An open-ended question such as asking what brings her to the clinic
allows the patient to describe her concerns in her own words and establishes a
patient-centered approach. Closed-ended questions that elicit yes or no answers
should follow after the chief concern is fully explored. Starting with closed questions
limits the patient's narrative and may cause the nurse to miss important contextual
information.
Q5. A 68-year-old man arrives at the emergency department reporting chest
pain. The nurse uses the OLDCARTS mnemonic to structure the symptom
assessment. The patient rates his pain as 7 out of 10 on a numeric scale. Which
component of OLDCARTS is the nurse addressing with this rating?
A. Onset of the symptom
B. Severity of the symptom
C. Region of the symptom
D. Timing of the symptom
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In the OLDCARTS mnemonic, the letter S stands for Severity, which
prompts the nurse to ask the patient to rate the symptom intensity, typically on a 0
to 10 scale. O is Onset, R is Region or Radiation, and T is Timing. Severity
quantification helps prioritize urgency and evaluate response to interventions over
time.
Q6. A nurse is interviewing a 30-year-old woman who recently immigrated and
speaks limited English. A trained medical interpreter is available to facilitate the
interview. Where should the nurse position the interpreter relative to the
patient for optimal communication?
A. Directly between the nurse and the patient, facing the nurse
B. Behind the patient, outside the line of sight of the nurse
C. Beside the patient and slightly behind, allowing eye contact between nurse and
patient
D. In front of the patient, blocking visual contact with the nurse
, Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The interpreter should sit beside and slightly behind the patient so that
the nurse and patient can maintain direct eye contact and communicate with each
other. This positioning reinforces the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship while the
interpreter facilitates understanding. Placing the interpreter between the two parties
disrupts direct communication.
Q7. A 52-year-old man is asked about his alcohol use during the psychosocial
history portion of the interview. He becomes defensive and says, "That is
personal." What is the nurse's most therapeutic response in this situation?
A. "I understand, but I need to know for your health."
B. "You seem uncomfortable. We can come back to that later."
C. "Everyone is asked these questions, so please answer."
D. "Your drinking habits are important for the doctor to know."
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Acknowledging the patient's discomfort and offering to defer the topic
respects the patient's autonomy and preserves the therapeutic relationship.
Pressuring the patient (A, C, D) may increase defensiveness and damage trust.
Q8. Health assessment is best defined as:
A. The treatment of disease only
B. The systematic collection of patient data to evaluate health status
C. Administration of medications
D. Surgical intervention
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Health assessment involves gathering subjective and objective
information to identify actual or potential health problems.
Q9. The primary purpose of a health assessment is to:
A. Diagnose all diseases independently
B. Collect data for clinical decision-making
