HESI RN exit exam 3 questions and answers
2026\2027 A+ Grade
Which information is most accurate for the nurse to use when calculating safe drug dosages for a child?
A. Age.
B. Height.
C. Weight.
D. Body surface area.
- correct answer D. Body surface area.
The most accurate method of calculating pediatric doses is based on a child's body surface area (BSA).
Drug calculations are not consistently precise when made on the basis of a child's age since children vary
widely in size and maturity for chronologic age. Although the calculation of a child's BSA utilizes a child's
height and weight, height and weight alone do not correlate with the distribution or metabolism of a
drug due to the variance in each child's growth and development.
To avoid a false positive result for fecal occult blood in a stool specimen, the nurse should instruct the
client to avoid ingestion of which substances prior to collecting a sample? (Select all that apply.)
Fish.
Beef.
Vitamin C tablets.
Turkey.
Ibuprofen.
Coffee.
- correct answer Beef.
Vitamin C tablets.
Ibuprofen
,The fecal occult blood test, or guaiac test, measures microscopic amounts of blood in the feces. False
positive results can occur from food products such as beef and other red meats, green vegetables,
vitamin C supplements, aspirin, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications, including ibuprofen.
In which order should the nurse implement these actions when withdrawing a solution from an ampule?
(Arrange from first on top to last on the bottom.)
- correct answer 1.Flick the stem several times with a finger.
2.Wrap the neck with a protective device.
3.Break the neck by pressing thumbs outward.
4.Stabilize ampule on a firm surface.
5.Withdraw the solution using a filter needle.
Flicking the stem ensures all medication is in the bottom of the ampule. Wrapping the neck with a
protective device (such as a small gauze pad or alcohol prep pad) protects fingers from trauma as the
glass tip is broken off. Snapping the neck of the ampule quickly and outwards minimizes the nurse's risk
of injury from shattering glass. Stabilizing the ampule assists in maintaining sterility as the needle is
placed to withdraw the solution. Withdrawing the solution with a filter needle protects against
aspirating microscopic glass into the syringe.
Which action by the nurse-manager demonstrates an effective leadership style?
A. Directs a staff nurse to modify communication skills.
B. Implements behavior changes through the annual evaluation process.
C. Uses the group process to determine behaviors that distress the staff.
D. Fosters positive behavior changes in staff members.
- correct answer D. Fosters positive behavior changes in staff members.
Democratic leadership styles allow group members to participate in change, and to effectively lead
members in the change process, positive behavior changes in staff members should be fostered and
supported.
What clinical problem is suitable for research utilization in nursing?
,A. Computerized client billing.
B. Patient-controlled analgesia.
C. Medication errors associated with incorrect dispensing.
D. The value of calcium channel blockers use over ACE inhibitors.
- correct answer B. Patient-controlled analgesia.
An intervention that is designed in the planning phase of research utilization must be consistent with
the theory. For example, Orem's theory of self-care requisites use for nursing practice, a successful
intervention, is one that emphasizes self-care rather than care received from others.
The parents of a 5-year-old are concerned because their child showed more outward grief when a pet
died than when a sibling died from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). What response should the
nurse provide?
A. The child should be old enough to have the concept of death as final and irreversible.
B. The child's behavior suggests maladaptive coping and referral for counseling is needed.
C. Preschool children can distance themselves from tremendous loss because they are not at a place to
understand the finality of death.
D. The child is not old enough to have formed a significant attachment to the infant sibling.
- correct answer C. Preschool children can distance themselves from tremendous loss because they are
not at a place to understand the finality of death.
Because they have fewer defense mechanisms to deal with loss, young children may react to a less
significant loss with more outward grief than to the loss of a very significant person. The loss is so deep,
painful, and threatening that the child must deny it for a time to survive its overwhelming impact.
What description encompasses the role in client care management played by nursing informatics?
A. The input and retrieval of electronic data about a client's medical history.
B. The specialty of hospital nursing management of computerized client care.
C. A computer system design to analyze client health data during hospitalization.
, D. The processing of electronic nursing data that is used to support nursing practice and knowledge.
- correct answer A. The input and retrieval of electronic data about a client's medical history.
Nursing informatics encompasses activities that involve identifying, naming, organizing, grouping,
collecting, processing, analyzing, storing, retrieving, or managing data and information about a client's
medical history and care.
The nurse is assessing a child of Asian descent who arrives in the clinic with an upper respiratory
infection and identifies a 5-inch, circular ecchymosis on the child's forehead and back. What factor
should the nurse consider as the most likely cause of this finding?
A. The child fell at school.
B. Pinching to relieve headaches.
C. Infectious rash.
D. Cupping to remove infectious toxins.
- correct answer D. Cupping to remove infectious toxins.
A common practice used in Eastern medicine is cupping, which is a dermal practice that involves placing
a heated cup on the skin to draw infectious toxicity into the cup as it cools and contracts, which can
leave bruises or welts at the site of the treatment.
A client is comatose upon arrival to the emergency department after falling from a roof. The client flexes
with painful stimuli, and the nurse determines the client's Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is 6. Which
intervention should the nurse prepare to implement to maintain the client's airway?
A. Tracheostomy tube insertion.
B. An endotracheal tube.
C. A nasopharyngeal tube.
D. An oral airway.
- correct answer C. A nasopharyngeal tube.
If head and neck injuries are suspected, a client with a GCS of 6 who demonstrates motor flexion in
response to painful stimuli requires airway maintenance without risk of compromise to spinal cord
2026\2027 A+ Grade
Which information is most accurate for the nurse to use when calculating safe drug dosages for a child?
A. Age.
B. Height.
C. Weight.
D. Body surface area.
- correct answer D. Body surface area.
The most accurate method of calculating pediatric doses is based on a child's body surface area (BSA).
Drug calculations are not consistently precise when made on the basis of a child's age since children vary
widely in size and maturity for chronologic age. Although the calculation of a child's BSA utilizes a child's
height and weight, height and weight alone do not correlate with the distribution or metabolism of a
drug due to the variance in each child's growth and development.
To avoid a false positive result for fecal occult blood in a stool specimen, the nurse should instruct the
client to avoid ingestion of which substances prior to collecting a sample? (Select all that apply.)
Fish.
Beef.
Vitamin C tablets.
Turkey.
Ibuprofen.
Coffee.
- correct answer Beef.
Vitamin C tablets.
Ibuprofen
,The fecal occult blood test, or guaiac test, measures microscopic amounts of blood in the feces. False
positive results can occur from food products such as beef and other red meats, green vegetables,
vitamin C supplements, aspirin, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications, including ibuprofen.
In which order should the nurse implement these actions when withdrawing a solution from an ampule?
(Arrange from first on top to last on the bottom.)
- correct answer 1.Flick the stem several times with a finger.
2.Wrap the neck with a protective device.
3.Break the neck by pressing thumbs outward.
4.Stabilize ampule on a firm surface.
5.Withdraw the solution using a filter needle.
Flicking the stem ensures all medication is in the bottom of the ampule. Wrapping the neck with a
protective device (such as a small gauze pad or alcohol prep pad) protects fingers from trauma as the
glass tip is broken off. Snapping the neck of the ampule quickly and outwards minimizes the nurse's risk
of injury from shattering glass. Stabilizing the ampule assists in maintaining sterility as the needle is
placed to withdraw the solution. Withdrawing the solution with a filter needle protects against
aspirating microscopic glass into the syringe.
Which action by the nurse-manager demonstrates an effective leadership style?
A. Directs a staff nurse to modify communication skills.
B. Implements behavior changes through the annual evaluation process.
C. Uses the group process to determine behaviors that distress the staff.
D. Fosters positive behavior changes in staff members.
- correct answer D. Fosters positive behavior changes in staff members.
Democratic leadership styles allow group members to participate in change, and to effectively lead
members in the change process, positive behavior changes in staff members should be fostered and
supported.
What clinical problem is suitable for research utilization in nursing?
,A. Computerized client billing.
B. Patient-controlled analgesia.
C. Medication errors associated with incorrect dispensing.
D. The value of calcium channel blockers use over ACE inhibitors.
- correct answer B. Patient-controlled analgesia.
An intervention that is designed in the planning phase of research utilization must be consistent with
the theory. For example, Orem's theory of self-care requisites use for nursing practice, a successful
intervention, is one that emphasizes self-care rather than care received from others.
The parents of a 5-year-old are concerned because their child showed more outward grief when a pet
died than when a sibling died from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). What response should the
nurse provide?
A. The child should be old enough to have the concept of death as final and irreversible.
B. The child's behavior suggests maladaptive coping and referral for counseling is needed.
C. Preschool children can distance themselves from tremendous loss because they are not at a place to
understand the finality of death.
D. The child is not old enough to have formed a significant attachment to the infant sibling.
- correct answer C. Preschool children can distance themselves from tremendous loss because they are
not at a place to understand the finality of death.
Because they have fewer defense mechanisms to deal with loss, young children may react to a less
significant loss with more outward grief than to the loss of a very significant person. The loss is so deep,
painful, and threatening that the child must deny it for a time to survive its overwhelming impact.
What description encompasses the role in client care management played by nursing informatics?
A. The input and retrieval of electronic data about a client's medical history.
B. The specialty of hospital nursing management of computerized client care.
C. A computer system design to analyze client health data during hospitalization.
, D. The processing of electronic nursing data that is used to support nursing practice and knowledge.
- correct answer A. The input and retrieval of electronic data about a client's medical history.
Nursing informatics encompasses activities that involve identifying, naming, organizing, grouping,
collecting, processing, analyzing, storing, retrieving, or managing data and information about a client's
medical history and care.
The nurse is assessing a child of Asian descent who arrives in the clinic with an upper respiratory
infection and identifies a 5-inch, circular ecchymosis on the child's forehead and back. What factor
should the nurse consider as the most likely cause of this finding?
A. The child fell at school.
B. Pinching to relieve headaches.
C. Infectious rash.
D. Cupping to remove infectious toxins.
- correct answer D. Cupping to remove infectious toxins.
A common practice used in Eastern medicine is cupping, which is a dermal practice that involves placing
a heated cup on the skin to draw infectious toxicity into the cup as it cools and contracts, which can
leave bruises or welts at the site of the treatment.
A client is comatose upon arrival to the emergency department after falling from a roof. The client flexes
with painful stimuli, and the nurse determines the client's Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is 6. Which
intervention should the nurse prepare to implement to maintain the client's airway?
A. Tracheostomy tube insertion.
B. An endotracheal tube.
C. A nasopharyngeal tube.
D. An oral airway.
- correct answer C. A nasopharyngeal tube.
If head and neck injuries are suspected, a client with a GCS of 6 who demonstrates motor flexion in
response to painful stimuli requires airway maintenance without risk of compromise to spinal cord
