Miami Dade College
1 MAXE · 1CDM
★ ★
MDC School of Nursing
EST. 1960
THE COLLEGE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM.
MDC 1 — Examination 1
F U N DA M E N TA LS O F N U RS I N G · S A F E TY · CO M M U N I C AT I O N · CU LT U R E
INSTITUTION Miami Dade College COURSE CODE MDC 1
PROGRAM Associate of Science in Nursing — ACADEMIC YEAR
ADN
EXAM TITLE MDC 1 Examination 1 — COURSE TITLE Fundamentals of Nursing
Fundamentals
TOTAL QUESTIONS 70 Questions FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the
Single Best Answer
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each multiple-choice question unless otherwise instructed.
▸ Content covers safety, infection control, communication, culture, pain management, and fundamentals
of nursing.
▸ Correct answers and clinical rationales appear below each question for board review purposes.
▸ All clinical data reflects current evidence-based nursing practice.
, COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION Questions 1 – 70
1. The client who is unconscious begins vomiting during the assessment. Which of the
following positions is important to reduce the possibility of choking?
A. Side-lying
B. Supine
C. Low-Fowler's
D. Orthopneic
CORRECT ANSWER A — Side-lying.
RATIONALE The side-lying (lateral recumbent) position is essential for an unconscious client
who is vomiting because it allows vomitus to drain out of the mouth by gravity
rather than pooling in the oropharynx where it can be aspirated into the lungs.
Aspiration of gastric contents can cause aspiration pneumonia, airway
obstruction, and chemical pneumonitis — all life-threatening complications.
Supine position would allow vomitus to obstruct the airway. The unconscious
client lacks protective airway reflexes (gag and cough), making positioning the
primary safety intervention.
2. Which annual assessment test should the nurse schedule for a 75-year-old client?
A. Get up and go
B. Safety assessment scale
C. Morse fall risk
D. Timed up and go
CORRECT ANSWER C — Morse fall risk.
RATIONALE The Morse Fall Scale is a standardized, validated tool used to assess fall risk in
older adults. It evaluates six variables: history of falling, secondary diagnosis,
ambulatory aid, IV therapy/saline lock, gait, and mental status. A score >45
indicates high fall risk. Falls are the priority safety hazard for older adults — they
are the leading cause of injury, fractures, and accidental death in this population.
The Morse Fall Scale should be completed on admission and updated regularly.
The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test assesses mobility but is not the comprehensive
fall risk assessment tool.
,3. At which age is it safe to educate a new parent to reposition the automobile infant car
seat forward?
A. 3 years
B. 2 years
C. 5 years
D. 4 years
CORRECT ANSWER B — 2 years.
RATIONALE Current American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and NHTSA guidelines recommend
that children remain in a rear-facing car seat until at least age 2, or until they
reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. Rear-facing provides optimal
protection for the infant's head, neck, and spine in a crash. The nurse must
educate parents that age 2 is the minimum — longer rear-facing is safer. After
transitioning forward, children should use a forward-facing harness seat until at
least age 5. Items the size of a golf ball or smaller must be kept out of infant reach
due to choking hazard.
4. Which is the most effective nursing action for controlling the spread of infection?
A. Thorough hand hygiene before and after care
B. Implementing appropriate isolation precautions
C. Wearing gloves and masks in every room
D. Administering broad-spectrum prophylactic antibiotics
CORRECT ANSWER A — Thorough hand hygiene before and after care.
RATIONALE Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure to prevent the spread of
infection — this is a universal, evidence-based principle identified by the CDC,
WHO, and all major health organizations. It is effective against all types of
pathogens (bacterial, viral, fungal). Isolation precautions, gloves, and masks are
important adjunctive measures but are secondary to hand hygiene. Prophylactic
antibiotics are not a standard infection control measure and contribute to
antibiotic resistance. The nurse must perform hand hygiene before and after
every patient contact, after removing gloves, and when hands are visibly soiled.
, 5. The nurse is caring for a client that is a chronic carrier of infection. Which best describes
how to prevent the spread of the infection?
A. Eliminate the reservoir
B. Decrease the susceptibility of the host
C. Block the portal of exit from the reservoir
D. Block the portal of entry into the host
CORRECT ANSWER C — Block the portal of exit from the reservoir.
RATIONALE A chronic carrier harbors an infectious agent without showing symptoms but can
transmit it to others. The most effective strategy is to block the portal of exit from
the reservoir (the carrier). For example: covering mouth when coughing
(respiratory pathogens), proper hand hygiene (fecal-oral pathogens), and
appropriate wound care (drainage). The chain of infection includes: infectious
agent → reservoir → portal of exit → mode of transmission → portal of entry →
susceptible host. Breaking any link prevents infection, but blocking exit from the
source is the most direct approach for carriers.
1 MAXE · 1CDM
★ ★
MDC School of Nursing
EST. 1960
THE COLLEGE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM.
MDC 1 — Examination 1
F U N DA M E N TA LS O F N U RS I N G · S A F E TY · CO M M U N I C AT I O N · CU LT U R E
INSTITUTION Miami Dade College COURSE CODE MDC 1
PROGRAM Associate of Science in Nursing — ACADEMIC YEAR
ADN
EXAM TITLE MDC 1 Examination 1 — COURSE TITLE Fundamentals of Nursing
Fundamentals
TOTAL QUESTIONS 70 Questions FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the
Single Best Answer
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each multiple-choice question unless otherwise instructed.
▸ Content covers safety, infection control, communication, culture, pain management, and fundamentals
of nursing.
▸ Correct answers and clinical rationales appear below each question for board review purposes.
▸ All clinical data reflects current evidence-based nursing practice.
, COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION Questions 1 – 70
1. The client who is unconscious begins vomiting during the assessment. Which of the
following positions is important to reduce the possibility of choking?
A. Side-lying
B. Supine
C. Low-Fowler's
D. Orthopneic
CORRECT ANSWER A — Side-lying.
RATIONALE The side-lying (lateral recumbent) position is essential for an unconscious client
who is vomiting because it allows vomitus to drain out of the mouth by gravity
rather than pooling in the oropharynx where it can be aspirated into the lungs.
Aspiration of gastric contents can cause aspiration pneumonia, airway
obstruction, and chemical pneumonitis — all life-threatening complications.
Supine position would allow vomitus to obstruct the airway. The unconscious
client lacks protective airway reflexes (gag and cough), making positioning the
primary safety intervention.
2. Which annual assessment test should the nurse schedule for a 75-year-old client?
A. Get up and go
B. Safety assessment scale
C. Morse fall risk
D. Timed up and go
CORRECT ANSWER C — Morse fall risk.
RATIONALE The Morse Fall Scale is a standardized, validated tool used to assess fall risk in
older adults. It evaluates six variables: history of falling, secondary diagnosis,
ambulatory aid, IV therapy/saline lock, gait, and mental status. A score >45
indicates high fall risk. Falls are the priority safety hazard for older adults — they
are the leading cause of injury, fractures, and accidental death in this population.
The Morse Fall Scale should be completed on admission and updated regularly.
The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test assesses mobility but is not the comprehensive
fall risk assessment tool.
,3. At which age is it safe to educate a new parent to reposition the automobile infant car
seat forward?
A. 3 years
B. 2 years
C. 5 years
D. 4 years
CORRECT ANSWER B — 2 years.
RATIONALE Current American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and NHTSA guidelines recommend
that children remain in a rear-facing car seat until at least age 2, or until they
reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. Rear-facing provides optimal
protection for the infant's head, neck, and spine in a crash. The nurse must
educate parents that age 2 is the minimum — longer rear-facing is safer. After
transitioning forward, children should use a forward-facing harness seat until at
least age 5. Items the size of a golf ball or smaller must be kept out of infant reach
due to choking hazard.
4. Which is the most effective nursing action for controlling the spread of infection?
A. Thorough hand hygiene before and after care
B. Implementing appropriate isolation precautions
C. Wearing gloves and masks in every room
D. Administering broad-spectrum prophylactic antibiotics
CORRECT ANSWER A — Thorough hand hygiene before and after care.
RATIONALE Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure to prevent the spread of
infection — this is a universal, evidence-based principle identified by the CDC,
WHO, and all major health organizations. It is effective against all types of
pathogens (bacterial, viral, fungal). Isolation precautions, gloves, and masks are
important adjunctive measures but are secondary to hand hygiene. Prophylactic
antibiotics are not a standard infection control measure and contribute to
antibiotic resistance. The nurse must perform hand hygiene before and after
every patient contact, after removing gloves, and when hands are visibly soiled.
, 5. The nurse is caring for a client that is a chronic carrier of infection. Which best describes
how to prevent the spread of the infection?
A. Eliminate the reservoir
B. Decrease the susceptibility of the host
C. Block the portal of exit from the reservoir
D. Block the portal of entry into the host
CORRECT ANSWER C — Block the portal of exit from the reservoir.
RATIONALE A chronic carrier harbors an infectious agent without showing symptoms but can
transmit it to others. The most effective strategy is to block the portal of exit from
the reservoir (the carrier). For example: covering mouth when coughing
(respiratory pathogens), proper hand hygiene (fecal-oral pathogens), and
appropriate wound care (drainage). The chain of infection includes: infectious
agent → reservoir → portal of exit → mode of transmission → portal of entry →
susceptible host. Breaking any link prevents infection, but blocking exit from the
source is the most direct approach for carriers.
