NICU EVALUATION TEST 2025/2026 QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RANKED A+
✔✔Name professional fields treating high-risk infants. - ✔✔Neonatologist - mortality or
morbidity
Many others (i.e., psychologists, PT, OT, SLP) - probability of having a developmental
delay
✔✔Define the high risk infant (5). - ✔✔Gestational age - preterm (<37 weeks GA)
Environmental/social factors (substance abuse)
Physiological instability/low APGAR scores (<4-5 minutes of age)
Known diagnoses
Birth weight (may be full term but reduced weight) <1500 grams or small for gestational
age
✔✔Physiological stable HR, RR, and BP. - ✔✔~120-160
~20-60
~35-56/46
✔✔It's always important to document any A's, B's, and D's, which stand for... -
✔✔Apneas
Bradycardias
Desaturations
✔✔T or F: Each infant has his or her own specific range of parameters for physiological
stability that may change day to day - ✔✔True. I.e., eye exams can be particularly
stressful with extraneous stressors (including PT) often deferred that day
✔✔Name some common neonatal diagnoses. - ✔✔Respiratory distress syndrome
(RDS)
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)
Periventricular leukomalacia
Germinal matrix - intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
Necrotizing entercolitis (NEC)
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
Hyperbilirubinemia (physiological jaundice)
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)
Exposure to HIV
✔✔Normal birth weight (NBW) - ✔✔2500g or > (5.5.lb)
✔✔LBW - ✔✔<2500 g
, ✔✔VLBW - ✔✔<1500g (~3lb), usually<32 weeks
✔✔ELBW - ✔✔<1000g (~2lb), usually ~28 weeks
✔✔"Micro premies" - ✔✔500-800g (~1lb), usually <28 weeks
✔✔How do you calculate a corrected age? - ✔✔Age (in weeks) - the number of weeks
early [can be translated to months]
OR
Gestational age (weeks) + age (weeks) - 40 weeks [can be translated to months]
✔✔Medical Maturity/Age Assessment - Dubowitz-Ballard Clinical Assessment of
Gestational Age in the Newborn Infant: - ✔✔Used most often by physicians or nurses
Consists of:
- Physical Maturity Assessment (done in first 2 hours of birth)
- NM Maturity Assessment (done within 24 hours after birth)
Items scored -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5- for a max total of 25 which equates to an age of 34
weeks gestation
✔✔What is "The Infant Care Path for Physical Therapy in the NICU"? - ✔✔Presents
diagnostic and interventions recommended for this unique population
Used to document care provided and help to guard against omission of important
elements of care
Suggests appropriate ages for conducting various aspects of care
✔✔What does the assessment include? - ✔✔Pre, peri, and post natal medical history
Feeding status
Consult history
✔✔What does the observation include? - ✔✔Vital signs - including skin color
(physiologic readiness)
AROM
Lines, tubes, etc.
✔✔What are the 6 physiological states? - ✔✔Deep sleep
Light sleep
Drowsy
Quiet alert
Active alert
Crying
✔✔What are the components of state (things to look at when determining a child's
current state)? - ✔✔Breathing pattern
Responsiveness
Body activity
SOLUTIONS RANKED A+
✔✔Name professional fields treating high-risk infants. - ✔✔Neonatologist - mortality or
morbidity
Many others (i.e., psychologists, PT, OT, SLP) - probability of having a developmental
delay
✔✔Define the high risk infant (5). - ✔✔Gestational age - preterm (<37 weeks GA)
Environmental/social factors (substance abuse)
Physiological instability/low APGAR scores (<4-5 minutes of age)
Known diagnoses
Birth weight (may be full term but reduced weight) <1500 grams or small for gestational
age
✔✔Physiological stable HR, RR, and BP. - ✔✔~120-160
~20-60
~35-56/46
✔✔It's always important to document any A's, B's, and D's, which stand for... -
✔✔Apneas
Bradycardias
Desaturations
✔✔T or F: Each infant has his or her own specific range of parameters for physiological
stability that may change day to day - ✔✔True. I.e., eye exams can be particularly
stressful with extraneous stressors (including PT) often deferred that day
✔✔Name some common neonatal diagnoses. - ✔✔Respiratory distress syndrome
(RDS)
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)
Periventricular leukomalacia
Germinal matrix - intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
Necrotizing entercolitis (NEC)
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
Hyperbilirubinemia (physiological jaundice)
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)
Exposure to HIV
✔✔Normal birth weight (NBW) - ✔✔2500g or > (5.5.lb)
✔✔LBW - ✔✔<2500 g
, ✔✔VLBW - ✔✔<1500g (~3lb), usually<32 weeks
✔✔ELBW - ✔✔<1000g (~2lb), usually ~28 weeks
✔✔"Micro premies" - ✔✔500-800g (~1lb), usually <28 weeks
✔✔How do you calculate a corrected age? - ✔✔Age (in weeks) - the number of weeks
early [can be translated to months]
OR
Gestational age (weeks) + age (weeks) - 40 weeks [can be translated to months]
✔✔Medical Maturity/Age Assessment - Dubowitz-Ballard Clinical Assessment of
Gestational Age in the Newborn Infant: - ✔✔Used most often by physicians or nurses
Consists of:
- Physical Maturity Assessment (done in first 2 hours of birth)
- NM Maturity Assessment (done within 24 hours after birth)
Items scored -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5- for a max total of 25 which equates to an age of 34
weeks gestation
✔✔What is "The Infant Care Path for Physical Therapy in the NICU"? - ✔✔Presents
diagnostic and interventions recommended for this unique population
Used to document care provided and help to guard against omission of important
elements of care
Suggests appropriate ages for conducting various aspects of care
✔✔What does the assessment include? - ✔✔Pre, peri, and post natal medical history
Feeding status
Consult history
✔✔What does the observation include? - ✔✔Vital signs - including skin color
(physiologic readiness)
AROM
Lines, tubes, etc.
✔✔What are the 6 physiological states? - ✔✔Deep sleep
Light sleep
Drowsy
Quiet alert
Active alert
Crying
✔✔What are the components of state (things to look at when determining a child's
current state)? - ✔✔Breathing pattern
Responsiveness
Body activity
