HESI A2 Exit Exam Maternity
Practice questions with
answers
At 14-weeks gestation, a client arrives at the Emergency Center
complaining of a dull pain in the right lower quadrant of her
abdomen. The nurse obtains a blood sample and initiates an IV.
Thirty minutes after admission, the client reports feeling a sharp
abdominal pain and a shoulder pain. Assessment findings include
diaphoresis, a heart rate of 120 beats/minute, and a blood pressure of
86/48. Which action should the nurse implement next?
a. Check the hematocrit results.
b. Administer pain medication.
c. Increase the rate of IV fluids.
d. Monitor client for contractions. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔c.
increase the rate of IV fluids
A woman who thinks she could be pregnant calls her neighbor, a
nurse, to ask wen she could use a home pregnancy test to diagnose
pregnancy. Which response is best?
a. a home pregnancy test can be used right after your first missed
period
,b. these tests are most accurate after you have missed your second
period
c. home pregnancy tests often give false positives and should not be
trusted
d. the test can provide accurate information when used right after
ovulation - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔a. a home pregnancy test can
be used right after your first missed period
A newborn, whose mother is HIV positive, is scheduled for follow-up
assessments. The nurse knows that the most likely presenting
symptom for a pediatric client with AIDS is:
a. shortness of breath
b. joint pain
c. a persistent cold
d. organmegaly - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔c. a persistent cold
Twenty minutes after a continuous epidural anesthetic is
administered, a laboring client's blood pressure drops from 120/80 to
90/60. What action should the nurse take?
a. notify the healthcare provider or anesthesiologist
b. continue to assess the blood pressure q5min
c. place the woman in a lateral position
,d. turn off continuous epidural - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔c. place
the woman in a lateral position
In developing a teaching plan for expectant parents, the nurse plans
to include information about when the parents can expect the
infant's fontanels to close. The nurse bases the explanation on
knowledge that for the normal newborn, the
a. anterior fontanel closes at 2 to 4 months and the posterior by the
end of the first week
b. anterior fontanel closes at 5 to 7 months and the posterior by the
end of the week
c. anterior fontanel closes at 8 to 11 months and the posterior by the
end of the second week
d. anterior fontanel closes at 12 to 18 months and the posterior by the
end of the second month - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔d. anterior
fontanel closes at 12 to 18 months and the posterior by the end of the
second month
A client in active labor is admitted with preeclampsia. Which
assessment finding is most significant in planning this client's care?
a. patellar reflex 4+
b. blood pressure 158/80
c. four hour urine output 240 ml
, d. respiration 12/minute - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔a. patellar
reflex 4+
A 4 week old premature infant has been receiving epoetin alfa for the
last three weeks. Which assessment finding indicates to the nurse
that the drug is effective?
a. slowly increasing urine output over the last week
b. respiratory rate changes from the 40s to the 60s
c. changes in apical heart rate from the 180 to the 140s
d. change in indirect bilirubin from 12 mg/dl to 8 mg/dl - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✔✔c. changes in apical rate from the 180s to the 140s
A pregnant client tells the nurse that the first day of her last
menstrual period was August 2, 2006. Based on Nagele's rule, what is
the estimated date of delivery?
a. April 25, 2007
b. May 9, 2007
c. May 29, 2007
d. June 2, 2007 - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔b. May 9, 2007
The nurse is performing a AGA on a full-term newborn during the
first hour of transition using the Dubowitz scale. Based on this
assessment, the nurse determines that the neonate has a maturity
Practice questions with
answers
At 14-weeks gestation, a client arrives at the Emergency Center
complaining of a dull pain in the right lower quadrant of her
abdomen. The nurse obtains a blood sample and initiates an IV.
Thirty minutes after admission, the client reports feeling a sharp
abdominal pain and a shoulder pain. Assessment findings include
diaphoresis, a heart rate of 120 beats/minute, and a blood pressure of
86/48. Which action should the nurse implement next?
a. Check the hematocrit results.
b. Administer pain medication.
c. Increase the rate of IV fluids.
d. Monitor client for contractions. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔c.
increase the rate of IV fluids
A woman who thinks she could be pregnant calls her neighbor, a
nurse, to ask wen she could use a home pregnancy test to diagnose
pregnancy. Which response is best?
a. a home pregnancy test can be used right after your first missed
period
,b. these tests are most accurate after you have missed your second
period
c. home pregnancy tests often give false positives and should not be
trusted
d. the test can provide accurate information when used right after
ovulation - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔a. a home pregnancy test can
be used right after your first missed period
A newborn, whose mother is HIV positive, is scheduled for follow-up
assessments. The nurse knows that the most likely presenting
symptom for a pediatric client with AIDS is:
a. shortness of breath
b. joint pain
c. a persistent cold
d. organmegaly - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔c. a persistent cold
Twenty minutes after a continuous epidural anesthetic is
administered, a laboring client's blood pressure drops from 120/80 to
90/60. What action should the nurse take?
a. notify the healthcare provider or anesthesiologist
b. continue to assess the blood pressure q5min
c. place the woman in a lateral position
,d. turn off continuous epidural - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔c. place
the woman in a lateral position
In developing a teaching plan for expectant parents, the nurse plans
to include information about when the parents can expect the
infant's fontanels to close. The nurse bases the explanation on
knowledge that for the normal newborn, the
a. anterior fontanel closes at 2 to 4 months and the posterior by the
end of the first week
b. anterior fontanel closes at 5 to 7 months and the posterior by the
end of the week
c. anterior fontanel closes at 8 to 11 months and the posterior by the
end of the second week
d. anterior fontanel closes at 12 to 18 months and the posterior by the
end of the second month - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔d. anterior
fontanel closes at 12 to 18 months and the posterior by the end of the
second month
A client in active labor is admitted with preeclampsia. Which
assessment finding is most significant in planning this client's care?
a. patellar reflex 4+
b. blood pressure 158/80
c. four hour urine output 240 ml
, d. respiration 12/minute - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔a. patellar
reflex 4+
A 4 week old premature infant has been receiving epoetin alfa for the
last three weeks. Which assessment finding indicates to the nurse
that the drug is effective?
a. slowly increasing urine output over the last week
b. respiratory rate changes from the 40s to the 60s
c. changes in apical heart rate from the 180 to the 140s
d. change in indirect bilirubin from 12 mg/dl to 8 mg/dl - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✔✔c. changes in apical rate from the 180s to the 140s
A pregnant client tells the nurse that the first day of her last
menstrual period was August 2, 2006. Based on Nagele's rule, what is
the estimated date of delivery?
a. April 25, 2007
b. May 9, 2007
c. May 29, 2007
d. June 2, 2007 - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔b. May 9, 2007
The nurse is performing a AGA on a full-term newborn during the
first hour of transition using the Dubowitz scale. Based on this
assessment, the nurse determines that the neonate has a maturity
