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ATI Patient Safety Practice Exam Preparation With
Complete Questions And Correct Answers With
Rationales Already Graded A+ Brand New Version!!
Question 1
A nurse is preparing to administer medications to a patient. Which of
the following actions is most consistent with the principles of high-alert
medication administration?
A. Verifying the medication order with the prescribing provider prior to
administration
B. Using a trailing zero when documenting the dosage of the
medication
C. Placing a "Do Not Use" abbreviation list at each nurses' station
D. Utilizing two patient identifiers prior to administering the medication
Answer: D
Rationale: The use of two patient identifiers, such as name and date of
birth, is a core safety strategy recommended by The Joint Commission
to ensure the right patient receives the right medication. While verifying
orders and using standardized abbreviations are important, the
immediate safety action before administration is patient identification.
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A trailing zero should never be used as it increases the risk of tenfold
dosing errors.
Question 2
A nurse notices that a colleague frequently bypasses the barcode
medication administration scanning system due to a malfunctioning
scanner. What is the nurse's priority action?
A. Report the colleague to the nursing supervisor for disciplinary action
B. Ignore the issue as long as the colleague verifies patient identities
manually
C. File an incident report and encourage the colleague to do the same
D. Assist the colleague in following the organization's downtime
procedure for medication administration
Answer: D
Rationale: When technology fails, the nurse must follow the
organization's established downtime procedures to maintain safety.
Reporting the issue and filing an incident report are appropriate but not
the immediate priority, which is to ensure safe medication
administration through the correct protocol.
Question 3
A patient has a documented allergy to penicillin. The provider orders
cefazolin. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?
A. Administer the cefazolin as ordered since cross-reactivity is rare
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B. Contact the provider to clarify the order and discuss the allergy
C. Administer a test dose of cefazolin to assess for allergic reaction
D. Ask the patient if they have ever received cefazolin before
Answer: B
Rationale: Cephalosporins have a potential for cross-reactivity in
patients with penicillin allergies. The nurse should contact the provider
to verify the order and assess the risk versus benefit. Administering the
medication without clarification is unsafe; a test dose is not standard
practice for this scenario.
Question 4
A nurse is caring for a patient on a telemetry unit. The patient's monitor
shows a sudden onset of ventricular tachycardia. The patient is alert
and hemodynamically stable. What is the nurse's priority intervention?
A. Prepare for immediate synchronized cardioversion
B. Administer amiodarone IV push as per the rapid response protocol
C. Assess the patient's pulse and blood pressure
D. Call a code blue and begin CPR
Answer: C
Rationale: The priority is to assess the patient clinically. Ventricular
tachycardia in a stable patient does not require immediate
cardioversion or CPR. The nurse must first determine if the patient has a
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pulse and is stable. If the patient is stable, pharmacological
management may be initiated, but assessment precedes intervention.
Question 5
A nurse is preparing to insert a nasogastric tube. Which of the following
actions best verifies proper tube placement after insertion?
A. Auscultation of air insufflated over the epigastric area
B. Measurement of the pH of aspirated gastric contents
C. Observation of bubbling when the proximal end is placed under
water
D. Radiographic confirmation of the tube tip position
Answer: D
Rationale: Radiographic confirmation is the gold standard for verifying
initial placement of a nasogastric tube. While pH testing and
auscultation are used as secondary methods, they are not definitive.
Bubbling under water is a method used to check for unintended
placement in the lungs, but it is not the primary method for confirming
placement.
Question 6
Which of the following patients is at the highest risk for a fall in a
hospital setting?
A. A 45-year-old patient postoperative day one from a knee
replacement
ATI Patient Safety Practice Exam Preparation With
Complete Questions And Correct Answers With
Rationales Already Graded A+ Brand New Version!!
Question 1
A nurse is preparing to administer medications to a patient. Which of
the following actions is most consistent with the principles of high-alert
medication administration?
A. Verifying the medication order with the prescribing provider prior to
administration
B. Using a trailing zero when documenting the dosage of the
medication
C. Placing a "Do Not Use" abbreviation list at each nurses' station
D. Utilizing two patient identifiers prior to administering the medication
Answer: D
Rationale: The use of two patient identifiers, such as name and date of
birth, is a core safety strategy recommended by The Joint Commission
to ensure the right patient receives the right medication. While verifying
orders and using standardized abbreviations are important, the
immediate safety action before administration is patient identification.
,2|Page
A trailing zero should never be used as it increases the risk of tenfold
dosing errors.
Question 2
A nurse notices that a colleague frequently bypasses the barcode
medication administration scanning system due to a malfunctioning
scanner. What is the nurse's priority action?
A. Report the colleague to the nursing supervisor for disciplinary action
B. Ignore the issue as long as the colleague verifies patient identities
manually
C. File an incident report and encourage the colleague to do the same
D. Assist the colleague in following the organization's downtime
procedure for medication administration
Answer: D
Rationale: When technology fails, the nurse must follow the
organization's established downtime procedures to maintain safety.
Reporting the issue and filing an incident report are appropriate but not
the immediate priority, which is to ensure safe medication
administration through the correct protocol.
Question 3
A patient has a documented allergy to penicillin. The provider orders
cefazolin. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?
A. Administer the cefazolin as ordered since cross-reactivity is rare
,3|Page
B. Contact the provider to clarify the order and discuss the allergy
C. Administer a test dose of cefazolin to assess for allergic reaction
D. Ask the patient if they have ever received cefazolin before
Answer: B
Rationale: Cephalosporins have a potential for cross-reactivity in
patients with penicillin allergies. The nurse should contact the provider
to verify the order and assess the risk versus benefit. Administering the
medication without clarification is unsafe; a test dose is not standard
practice for this scenario.
Question 4
A nurse is caring for a patient on a telemetry unit. The patient's monitor
shows a sudden onset of ventricular tachycardia. The patient is alert
and hemodynamically stable. What is the nurse's priority intervention?
A. Prepare for immediate synchronized cardioversion
B. Administer amiodarone IV push as per the rapid response protocol
C. Assess the patient's pulse and blood pressure
D. Call a code blue and begin CPR
Answer: C
Rationale: The priority is to assess the patient clinically. Ventricular
tachycardia in a stable patient does not require immediate
cardioversion or CPR. The nurse must first determine if the patient has a
, 4|Page
pulse and is stable. If the patient is stable, pharmacological
management may be initiated, but assessment precedes intervention.
Question 5
A nurse is preparing to insert a nasogastric tube. Which of the following
actions best verifies proper tube placement after insertion?
A. Auscultation of air insufflated over the epigastric area
B. Measurement of the pH of aspirated gastric contents
C. Observation of bubbling when the proximal end is placed under
water
D. Radiographic confirmation of the tube tip position
Answer: D
Rationale: Radiographic confirmation is the gold standard for verifying
initial placement of a nasogastric tube. While pH testing and
auscultation are used as secondary methods, they are not definitive.
Bubbling under water is a method used to check for unintended
placement in the lungs, but it is not the primary method for confirming
placement.
Question 6
Which of the following patients is at the highest risk for a fall in a
hospital setting?
A. A 45-year-old patient postoperative day one from a knee
replacement
