HESI A2 critical thinking questions with
Correct Answers
The patient: A 65 yr old male
The situation: the family brings the patient to the emergency room because he just took an entire
bottle of pills.
The question: what action should the nurse take first? - ANSWER✔✔-determine the patients level
of consciousness
The patient: an 80 yr old male who has used continuous oxygen for the past 3 years.
The situation: while making a home visit, the wife tells the nurse that her husband was doing well on
2 liters of oxygen per min until late last night when he developed severe shortness of breath on the
way to the bathroom.
The question: what action should the nurse take first? - ANSWER✔✔-assess the patients oxygen
saturation by pulse oximeter
The patient: 41 y/o male
The situation: the patient is complaining of severe stomach pain and states that he has been
"vomiting all the time".
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, The question: what should the nurse do first? - ANSWER✔✔-administer a prescribed pain
medication
The patient: the wife of a wealthy owner of towns bank.
The situation: the patient and her husband arrive on the unit. While orienting the patient to the
hospital room, the nurse notices that the patient has places a large amount of cash and some
expensive earrings in the drawer of the bedside table.
The question: what is the best action for the nurse to take? - ANSWER✔✔-advise the patient to
have her husband take the items home when he leaves
The patient: A 45 y/o female who is 5`2`` tall, weighs 200 lbs and has smoked since age 21
The situation: the patient comes to the clinic with a complaint of "leg pain"
The question: it is most important for the nurse to obtain information about which pervious
occurrence? - ANSWER✔✔-a pervious blood clot in the leg
The patient: 61 y/o female
situation: the patient has a fever of unknown origin. The nurse administered a fever-reducing
medication 30 mins ago. At this time there has been no decrease in the patients fever.
The question: what action would be best for the nurse to take? - ANSWER✔✔-sponge the patient
with cool water
The patient: 70 y/o make who is relatively healthy
The situation: a liquid medication is prescribed for this patient
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Correct Answers
The patient: A 65 yr old male
The situation: the family brings the patient to the emergency room because he just took an entire
bottle of pills.
The question: what action should the nurse take first? - ANSWER✔✔-determine the patients level
of consciousness
The patient: an 80 yr old male who has used continuous oxygen for the past 3 years.
The situation: while making a home visit, the wife tells the nurse that her husband was doing well on
2 liters of oxygen per min until late last night when he developed severe shortness of breath on the
way to the bathroom.
The question: what action should the nurse take first? - ANSWER✔✔-assess the patients oxygen
saturation by pulse oximeter
The patient: 41 y/o male
The situation: the patient is complaining of severe stomach pain and states that he has been
"vomiting all the time".
FOR STUDY PURPOSES ONLY COPYRIGHT © 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
, The question: what should the nurse do first? - ANSWER✔✔-administer a prescribed pain
medication
The patient: the wife of a wealthy owner of towns bank.
The situation: the patient and her husband arrive on the unit. While orienting the patient to the
hospital room, the nurse notices that the patient has places a large amount of cash and some
expensive earrings in the drawer of the bedside table.
The question: what is the best action for the nurse to take? - ANSWER✔✔-advise the patient to
have her husband take the items home when he leaves
The patient: A 45 y/o female who is 5`2`` tall, weighs 200 lbs and has smoked since age 21
The situation: the patient comes to the clinic with a complaint of "leg pain"
The question: it is most important for the nurse to obtain information about which pervious
occurrence? - ANSWER✔✔-a pervious blood clot in the leg
The patient: 61 y/o female
situation: the patient has a fever of unknown origin. The nurse administered a fever-reducing
medication 30 mins ago. At this time there has been no decrease in the patients fever.
The question: what action would be best for the nurse to take? - ANSWER✔✔-sponge the patient
with cool water
The patient: 70 y/o make who is relatively healthy
The situation: a liquid medication is prescribed for this patient
FOR STUDY PURPOSES ONLY COPYRIGHT © 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2