Chamberlain NR 302 Health Assessment
1 Final Exam Prep Questions and Well
Graded Solutions with Rationales
Updated 2026-2027
Master your Chamberlain University NR 302 Health Assessment I exams with this
comprehensive 400-question practice bank. Features highly targeted multiple-choice questions
covering ADPIE, subjective vs. objective data, therapeutic communication, HEENT, respiratory,
and abdominal assessments. Every question includes a bold italicized answer and an in-depth
clinical rationale to ensure maximum retention for your midterm and final exams. Perfect tool
to achieve an A in your HA1 course.
1|Page
,1. A nurse collects a patient's vital signs and notes a heart rate of 115 beats per
minute. This data is categorized as which type?
A) Subjective data
B) Objective data
C) Historical data
D) Reflective data
Rationale: Objective data is observable and measurable information obtained
through physical assessment, signs, and diagnostic tools.
2. During an intake interview, a patient states, "I feel like my heart is racing." This
statement represents which type of data?
A) Subjective data
B) Objective data
C) Secondary data
D) Inferred data
Rationale: Subjective data is what the patient says, feels, or experiences, which
cannot be directly verified by the examiner.
3. Which of the following is the correct order of the steps in the nursing process?
A) Assessment, Planning, Diagnosis, Implementation, Evaluation
B) Evaluation, Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation
C) Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
D) Diagnosis, Assessment, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
Rationale: The standard nursing process acronym is ADPIE: Assessment,
Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.
4. A nurse prioritizes a patient's care using ABCs. Which of the following conditions
represents the highest clinical priority?
A) A compound fracture of the right radius
B) Severe localized abdominal pain
C) An obstructed upper airway
D) An oral temperature of 102.4 degrees Fahrenheit
Rationale: Under ABC prioritizing rules, Airway always takes precedence over
breathing, circulation, and lower-level comfort or infection issues.
5. When assessing a standard adult patient's thorax, which sequential order of physical
assessment techniques should the nurse follow?
A) Inspection, Palpation, Auscultation, Percussion
B) Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, Auscultation
C) Auscultation, Inspection, Palpation, Percussion
D) Percussion, Palpation, Inspection, Auscultation
Rationale: For all body systems except the abdomen, the correct structural order is
Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, and Auscultation.
6. What phase of the nursing process is a nurse executing when they measure a
patient's blood pressure 30 minutes after giving an antihypertensive medication?
A) Assessment
B) Diagnosis
C) Planning
D) Evaluation
Rationale: Evaluation involves checking the patient's response to nursing
interventions to see if goals or desired outcomes were met.
2|Page
,7. Which of the following is considered a first-level priority problem in nursing triage
models?
A) Acute severe migraine headache
B) Urinary tract infection symptoms
C) Abnormal electrolyte values
D) Respiratory arrest
Rationale: First-level priority problems are immediate life-threatening conditions
involving Airway, Breathing, or Circulation.
8. A patient presents with ankle swelling. The nurse presses their thumb into the skin
and notes an indentation that remains for several seconds. What type of data is this?
A) Subjective data
B) Objective data
C) Cognitive data
D) Abstract data
Rationale: Physical signs observed and demonstrated through palpation by the
clinician represent objective data.
9. Which framework guides nurses to address psychological, spiritual, and physical
needs holistically rather than just focusing on medical diagnoses?
A) The Holistic Nursing Model
B) The Biomedical Model
C) The Pathophysiological Framework
D) The Isolated Disease Protocol
Rationale: Holistic models incorporate mind, body, spirit, and social parameters,
whereas the biomedical model centers predominantly on disease pathways.
10. A nurse writes a clinical statement focusing on a patient's response to an altered
health state, which they use to guide the nursing care plan. This is called a:
A) Medical diagnosis
B) Nursing diagnosis
C) Prognostic outcome
D) Collaboration chart
Rationale: Nursing diagnoses focus on human responses to health conditions,
whereas medical diagnoses focus on the pathology.
11. During an assessment, the nurse notes that a patient is grimacing and holding their
side but claims, "I feel completely fine." What should the nurse do next?
A) Document that the patient has no pain
B) Investigate the discrepancy between the verbal and nonverbal cues
C) Ask the family if the patient is lying
D) Ignore the grimacing since the subjective report is dominant
Rationale: When incongruence exists between subjective statements and objective
nonverbal behaviors, the nurse must investigate further.
12. Which of the following represents an open-ended question?
A) "Do you have any pain right now?"
B) "Are you allergic to penicillin?"
C) "How have you been managing your stress lately?"
D) "Is your primary doctor Dr. Smith?"
Rationale: Open-ended questions allow the patient to provide an expansive narrative
instead of a simple "yes" or "no."
13. When establishing a database for a newly admitted clinical patient, what constitutes
a complete database?
A) A full health history and a complete physical examination
3|Page
, B) A brief overview of the chief complaint only
C) A rapid assessment of emergency airway issues
D) Evaluation of a single pre-existing chronic issue
Rationale: A complete (or total health) database includes a comprehensive history
and full head-to-toe physical examination.
14. A nurse performs a focused assessment on a patient who was admitted two days
ago for heart failure. What is the primary goal of this assessment?
A) To collect completely new historical baseline information
B) To evaluate changes in a specific, known problem area
C) To perform an emergency triage protocol
D) To complete a full spiritual history interview
Rationale: A focused or problem-centered database targets one problem area or
body system to check for changes or progress.
15. What type of database is most appropriate when a patient presents to an urgent care
clinic with sudden, severe shortness of breath?
A) Complete database
B) Follow-up database
C) Emergency database
D) Chronic database
Rationale: Shortness of breath is a life-threatening situation requiring an immediate,
rapid emergency database.
Therapeutic Communication & Interviewing (Questions 16–30)
16. Which of the following actions by a nurse represents a trap of interviewing?
A) Reflecting the patient's feelings
B) Using silence effectively
C) Giving false reassurance
D) Asking open-ended questions
Rationale: Giving false reassurance ("Everything will be fine") shuts down
communication and diminishes patient trust.
17. While a patient explains their symptoms, the nurse nods and says, "Go on, I am
listening." Which communication technique is this?
A) Clarification
B) Facilitation
C) Confrontation
D) Summarizing
Rationale: Facilitation encourages the patient to continue talking and shows that the
nurse is paying close attention.
18. A nurse states, "You mentioned you feel dizzy when you stand up. Does that mean
the room spins, or do you feel lightheaded?" What technique is this?
A) Reflection
B) Distraction
C) Clarification
D) Empathy
4|Page
1 Final Exam Prep Questions and Well
Graded Solutions with Rationales
Updated 2026-2027
Master your Chamberlain University NR 302 Health Assessment I exams with this
comprehensive 400-question practice bank. Features highly targeted multiple-choice questions
covering ADPIE, subjective vs. objective data, therapeutic communication, HEENT, respiratory,
and abdominal assessments. Every question includes a bold italicized answer and an in-depth
clinical rationale to ensure maximum retention for your midterm and final exams. Perfect tool
to achieve an A in your HA1 course.
1|Page
,1. A nurse collects a patient's vital signs and notes a heart rate of 115 beats per
minute. This data is categorized as which type?
A) Subjective data
B) Objective data
C) Historical data
D) Reflective data
Rationale: Objective data is observable and measurable information obtained
through physical assessment, signs, and diagnostic tools.
2. During an intake interview, a patient states, "I feel like my heart is racing." This
statement represents which type of data?
A) Subjective data
B) Objective data
C) Secondary data
D) Inferred data
Rationale: Subjective data is what the patient says, feels, or experiences, which
cannot be directly verified by the examiner.
3. Which of the following is the correct order of the steps in the nursing process?
A) Assessment, Planning, Diagnosis, Implementation, Evaluation
B) Evaluation, Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation
C) Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
D) Diagnosis, Assessment, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
Rationale: The standard nursing process acronym is ADPIE: Assessment,
Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.
4. A nurse prioritizes a patient's care using ABCs. Which of the following conditions
represents the highest clinical priority?
A) A compound fracture of the right radius
B) Severe localized abdominal pain
C) An obstructed upper airway
D) An oral temperature of 102.4 degrees Fahrenheit
Rationale: Under ABC prioritizing rules, Airway always takes precedence over
breathing, circulation, and lower-level comfort or infection issues.
5. When assessing a standard adult patient's thorax, which sequential order of physical
assessment techniques should the nurse follow?
A) Inspection, Palpation, Auscultation, Percussion
B) Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, Auscultation
C) Auscultation, Inspection, Palpation, Percussion
D) Percussion, Palpation, Inspection, Auscultation
Rationale: For all body systems except the abdomen, the correct structural order is
Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, and Auscultation.
6. What phase of the nursing process is a nurse executing when they measure a
patient's blood pressure 30 minutes after giving an antihypertensive medication?
A) Assessment
B) Diagnosis
C) Planning
D) Evaluation
Rationale: Evaluation involves checking the patient's response to nursing
interventions to see if goals or desired outcomes were met.
2|Page
,7. Which of the following is considered a first-level priority problem in nursing triage
models?
A) Acute severe migraine headache
B) Urinary tract infection symptoms
C) Abnormal electrolyte values
D) Respiratory arrest
Rationale: First-level priority problems are immediate life-threatening conditions
involving Airway, Breathing, or Circulation.
8. A patient presents with ankle swelling. The nurse presses their thumb into the skin
and notes an indentation that remains for several seconds. What type of data is this?
A) Subjective data
B) Objective data
C) Cognitive data
D) Abstract data
Rationale: Physical signs observed and demonstrated through palpation by the
clinician represent objective data.
9. Which framework guides nurses to address psychological, spiritual, and physical
needs holistically rather than just focusing on medical diagnoses?
A) The Holistic Nursing Model
B) The Biomedical Model
C) The Pathophysiological Framework
D) The Isolated Disease Protocol
Rationale: Holistic models incorporate mind, body, spirit, and social parameters,
whereas the biomedical model centers predominantly on disease pathways.
10. A nurse writes a clinical statement focusing on a patient's response to an altered
health state, which they use to guide the nursing care plan. This is called a:
A) Medical diagnosis
B) Nursing diagnosis
C) Prognostic outcome
D) Collaboration chart
Rationale: Nursing diagnoses focus on human responses to health conditions,
whereas medical diagnoses focus on the pathology.
11. During an assessment, the nurse notes that a patient is grimacing and holding their
side but claims, "I feel completely fine." What should the nurse do next?
A) Document that the patient has no pain
B) Investigate the discrepancy between the verbal and nonverbal cues
C) Ask the family if the patient is lying
D) Ignore the grimacing since the subjective report is dominant
Rationale: When incongruence exists between subjective statements and objective
nonverbal behaviors, the nurse must investigate further.
12. Which of the following represents an open-ended question?
A) "Do you have any pain right now?"
B) "Are you allergic to penicillin?"
C) "How have you been managing your stress lately?"
D) "Is your primary doctor Dr. Smith?"
Rationale: Open-ended questions allow the patient to provide an expansive narrative
instead of a simple "yes" or "no."
13. When establishing a database for a newly admitted clinical patient, what constitutes
a complete database?
A) A full health history and a complete physical examination
3|Page
, B) A brief overview of the chief complaint only
C) A rapid assessment of emergency airway issues
D) Evaluation of a single pre-existing chronic issue
Rationale: A complete (or total health) database includes a comprehensive history
and full head-to-toe physical examination.
14. A nurse performs a focused assessment on a patient who was admitted two days
ago for heart failure. What is the primary goal of this assessment?
A) To collect completely new historical baseline information
B) To evaluate changes in a specific, known problem area
C) To perform an emergency triage protocol
D) To complete a full spiritual history interview
Rationale: A focused or problem-centered database targets one problem area or
body system to check for changes or progress.
15. What type of database is most appropriate when a patient presents to an urgent care
clinic with sudden, severe shortness of breath?
A) Complete database
B) Follow-up database
C) Emergency database
D) Chronic database
Rationale: Shortness of breath is a life-threatening situation requiring an immediate,
rapid emergency database.
Therapeutic Communication & Interviewing (Questions 16–30)
16. Which of the following actions by a nurse represents a trap of interviewing?
A) Reflecting the patient's feelings
B) Using silence effectively
C) Giving false reassurance
D) Asking open-ended questions
Rationale: Giving false reassurance ("Everything will be fine") shuts down
communication and diminishes patient trust.
17. While a patient explains their symptoms, the nurse nods and says, "Go on, I am
listening." Which communication technique is this?
A) Clarification
B) Facilitation
C) Confrontation
D) Summarizing
Rationale: Facilitation encourages the patient to continue talking and shows that the
nurse is paying close attention.
18. A nurse states, "You mentioned you feel dizzy when you stand up. Does that mean
the room spins, or do you feel lightheaded?" What technique is this?
A) Reflection
B) Distraction
C) Clarification
D) Empathy
4|Page
