Med-Surg Assessment 1 Exam
Question/Answer Graded A+ 2024/2025
A patient scheduled for an elective hysterectomy tells the nurse, "I am afraid that I will
die in surgery like my mother did!" Which initial response by the nurse is appropriate?
a. "Surgical techniques have improved in recent years."
b. "Tell me more about what happened to your mother."
c. "You will receive medication to reduce your anxiety."
d. "You should talk to the doctor again about the surgery." - ✔️✔️B.
A patient arrives at the outpatient surgical center for a scheduled laparoscopy under
general anesthesia. Which information requires the nurse's preoperative intervention to
maintain patient
safety?
a. The patient has never had general anesthesia.
b. The patient is planning to drive home after surgery.
c. The patient had a sip of water 4 hours before arriving.
d. The patient's insurance does not cover outpatient surgery. - ✔️✔️B.
A 38-yr-old woman is admitted for an elective surgical procedure. Which information
obtained by
the nurse during the preoperative assessment is most important to communicate to the
anesthesiologist and surgeon before surgery?
a. The patient's lack of knowledge about postoperative pain control
b. The patient's history of an infection following a cholecystectomy
c. The patient's report that her last menstrual period was 8 weeks ago
d. The patient's concern about being able to resume lifting heavy items - ✔️✔️C.
A patient who has not had any prior surgeries tells the nurse doing the preoperative
assessment about
allergies to avocados and bananas. Which action is most important for the nurse to
take?
a. Notify the dietitian about the specific food allergies.
b. Alert the surgery center about a possible latex allergy.
c. Reassure the patient that all allergies are noted on the health record.
d. Ask whether the patient uses antihistamines to reduce allergic reactions. - ✔️✔️B.
A patient who is scheduled for a therapeutic abortion tells the nurse, "Having an
abortion is wrong." Which functional health pattern should the nurse further assess?
,a. Value-belief
b. Cognitive-perceptual
c. Sexuality-reproductive
d. Coping-stress tolerance - ✔️✔️A.
A patient undergoing an emergency appendectomy has been using St. John's wort to
prevent
depression. Which complication would the nurse expect in the post-anesthesia care
unit?
a. Increased discomfort
b. Increased blood pressure
c. Increased anesthesia recovery time
d. Increased postoperative wound bleeding - ✔️✔️C.
The surgical unit nurse has just received a patient with a history of smoking from the
postanesthesia
care unit. Which action is most important at this time?
a. Auscultate for adventitious breath sounds.
b. Obtain the blood pressure and temperature.
c. Remind the patient about harmful effects of smoking.
d. Ask the health care provider to prescribe a nicotine patch. - ✔️✔️A.
The nurse obtains a health history from a patient who is scheduled for elective hip
surgery in 1 week. The patient reports use of garlic and ginkgo biloba. Which action by
the nurse is most appropriate?
a. Teach the patient that these products may be continued preoperatively.
b. Advise the patient to stop the use of herbs and supplements at this time.
c. Discuss the herb and supplement use with the patient's health care provider.
d. Reassure the patient that there will be no interactions with anesthetic agents. - ✔️✔️C.
The nurse is preparing to witness the patient signing the operative consent form when
the patient says, "I don't understand what the doctor said about the surgery." Which
action should the nurse take next?
a. Provide a thorough explanation of the planned surgical procedure.
b. Notify the surgeon that the informed consent process is not complete.
c. Give the prescribed preoperative antibiotics and withhold sedative medications.
d. Notify the operating room nurse to give a more complete explanation of the
procedure. - ✔️✔️B.
Which topic is most important for the nurse to discuss preoperatively with a patient who
is scheduled for an open cholecystectomy?
,a. Care for the surgical incision
b. Deep breathing and coughing
c. Oral antibiotic therapy after discharge
d. Medications to be used during surgery - ✔️✔️B.
Five minutes after receiving the ordered preoperative midazolam by IV injection, the
patient asks to get up to go to the bathroom to urinate. Which action by the nurse is
most appropriate?
a. Assist the patient to the bathroom.
b. Offer the patient a urinal or bedpan.
c. Ask the patient to wait until the drug has been fully metabolized.
d. Tell the patient that a bladder catheter will be placed in the operating room. - ✔️✔️B.
The nurse plans to provide preoperative teaching to an alert older man who has hearing
and vision deficits. His wife answers most questions that are directed to the patient.
Which action should the
Does the nurse take when doing the teaching?
a. Use printed materials for instruction so that the patient will have more time to
review the material.
b. Direct all the teaching toward the wife because she is the obvious support and
caregiver for the patient.
c. Provide additional time for the patient to understand preoperative instructions and
carry out procedures.
d. Ask the patient's wife to wait in the hall in order to focus preoperative teaching
with the patient himself. - ✔️✔️C.
A patient who has diabetes and uses insulin to control blood glucose has been NPO
since midnight before having a knee replacement surgery. Which action should the
nurse take?
a. Withhold the usual scheduled insulin dose because the patient is NPO.
b. Obtain a blood glucose measurement before any insulin administration.
c. Give the patient the usual insulin dose because stress will increase the blood
glucose.
d. Give half the usual dose of insulin because there will be no oral intake before
surgery. - ✔️✔️B.
The outpatient surgery nurse reviews the complete blood cell (CBC) count results for a
patient who is scheduled for surgery. The results are white blood cell (WBC) count 10.2
10 3/μL; hemoglobin 15 g/dL; hematocrit 45%; platelets 150 103/μL. Which action
should the nurse take?
a. Notify the surgeon and anesthesiologist immediately.
b. Ask the patient about any symptoms of a recent infection.
, c. Continue to prepare the patient for the surgical procedure.
d. Discuss the possibility of blood transfusion with the patient. - ✔️✔️C.
The nurse is preparing a patient on the morning of surgery. The patient refuses to
remove a wedding ring, saying, "I've never taken it off since the day I was married."
Which response by the nurse is
best?
a. Have the patient sign a release form and leave the ring on.
b. Tell the patient that the hospital is not liable for the loss of the ring.
c. Suggest that the patient give the ring to a family member to keep.
d. Inform the operating room personnel that the patient is wearing a ring. - ✔️✔️C.
A patient has received atropine before surgery and complains of dry mouth. Which
action by the nurse is most appropriate?
a. Check for skin tenting.
b. Notify the health care provider.
c. Ask the patient about any weakness or dizziness.
d. Explain that dry mouth is an expected side effect. - ✔️✔️D.
Which statement by a patient scheduled for surgery is most important to report to the
health care provider?
a. "I have a strong family history of cancer."
b. "I had a heart valve replacement last year."
c. "I had bacterial pneumonia 3 months ago."
d. "I have knee pain whenever I walk or jog." - ✔️✔️B.
The nurse interviews a patient scheduled to undergo general anesthesia for a bilateral
hernia repair. Which information is most important to communicate to the surgeon and
anesthesiologist before
surgery?
a. The patient's father died after general anesthesia for abdominal surgery.
b. The patient drinks 3 cups of coffee every morning before going to work.
c. The patient takes a baby aspirin daily but stopped taking aspirin 10 days ago.
d. The patient drank 4 ounces of apple juice 3 hours before coming to the hospital. -
✔️✔️A.
Which information in the preoperative patient's medication history is most important to
communicate to the health care provider?
a. The patient takes garlic capsules every day.
b. The patient quit using cocaine 10 years ago.
c. The patient took a prescribed sedative the previous night.
d. The patient uses acetaminophen (Tylenol) for aches and pains. - ✔️✔️A.
Question/Answer Graded A+ 2024/2025
A patient scheduled for an elective hysterectomy tells the nurse, "I am afraid that I will
die in surgery like my mother did!" Which initial response by the nurse is appropriate?
a. "Surgical techniques have improved in recent years."
b. "Tell me more about what happened to your mother."
c. "You will receive medication to reduce your anxiety."
d. "You should talk to the doctor again about the surgery." - ✔️✔️B.
A patient arrives at the outpatient surgical center for a scheduled laparoscopy under
general anesthesia. Which information requires the nurse's preoperative intervention to
maintain patient
safety?
a. The patient has never had general anesthesia.
b. The patient is planning to drive home after surgery.
c. The patient had a sip of water 4 hours before arriving.
d. The patient's insurance does not cover outpatient surgery. - ✔️✔️B.
A 38-yr-old woman is admitted for an elective surgical procedure. Which information
obtained by
the nurse during the preoperative assessment is most important to communicate to the
anesthesiologist and surgeon before surgery?
a. The patient's lack of knowledge about postoperative pain control
b. The patient's history of an infection following a cholecystectomy
c. The patient's report that her last menstrual period was 8 weeks ago
d. The patient's concern about being able to resume lifting heavy items - ✔️✔️C.
A patient who has not had any prior surgeries tells the nurse doing the preoperative
assessment about
allergies to avocados and bananas. Which action is most important for the nurse to
take?
a. Notify the dietitian about the specific food allergies.
b. Alert the surgery center about a possible latex allergy.
c. Reassure the patient that all allergies are noted on the health record.
d. Ask whether the patient uses antihistamines to reduce allergic reactions. - ✔️✔️B.
A patient who is scheduled for a therapeutic abortion tells the nurse, "Having an
abortion is wrong." Which functional health pattern should the nurse further assess?
,a. Value-belief
b. Cognitive-perceptual
c. Sexuality-reproductive
d. Coping-stress tolerance - ✔️✔️A.
A patient undergoing an emergency appendectomy has been using St. John's wort to
prevent
depression. Which complication would the nurse expect in the post-anesthesia care
unit?
a. Increased discomfort
b. Increased blood pressure
c. Increased anesthesia recovery time
d. Increased postoperative wound bleeding - ✔️✔️C.
The surgical unit nurse has just received a patient with a history of smoking from the
postanesthesia
care unit. Which action is most important at this time?
a. Auscultate for adventitious breath sounds.
b. Obtain the blood pressure and temperature.
c. Remind the patient about harmful effects of smoking.
d. Ask the health care provider to prescribe a nicotine patch. - ✔️✔️A.
The nurse obtains a health history from a patient who is scheduled for elective hip
surgery in 1 week. The patient reports use of garlic and ginkgo biloba. Which action by
the nurse is most appropriate?
a. Teach the patient that these products may be continued preoperatively.
b. Advise the patient to stop the use of herbs and supplements at this time.
c. Discuss the herb and supplement use with the patient's health care provider.
d. Reassure the patient that there will be no interactions with anesthetic agents. - ✔️✔️C.
The nurse is preparing to witness the patient signing the operative consent form when
the patient says, "I don't understand what the doctor said about the surgery." Which
action should the nurse take next?
a. Provide a thorough explanation of the planned surgical procedure.
b. Notify the surgeon that the informed consent process is not complete.
c. Give the prescribed preoperative antibiotics and withhold sedative medications.
d. Notify the operating room nurse to give a more complete explanation of the
procedure. - ✔️✔️B.
Which topic is most important for the nurse to discuss preoperatively with a patient who
is scheduled for an open cholecystectomy?
,a. Care for the surgical incision
b. Deep breathing and coughing
c. Oral antibiotic therapy after discharge
d. Medications to be used during surgery - ✔️✔️B.
Five minutes after receiving the ordered preoperative midazolam by IV injection, the
patient asks to get up to go to the bathroom to urinate. Which action by the nurse is
most appropriate?
a. Assist the patient to the bathroom.
b. Offer the patient a urinal or bedpan.
c. Ask the patient to wait until the drug has been fully metabolized.
d. Tell the patient that a bladder catheter will be placed in the operating room. - ✔️✔️B.
The nurse plans to provide preoperative teaching to an alert older man who has hearing
and vision deficits. His wife answers most questions that are directed to the patient.
Which action should the
Does the nurse take when doing the teaching?
a. Use printed materials for instruction so that the patient will have more time to
review the material.
b. Direct all the teaching toward the wife because she is the obvious support and
caregiver for the patient.
c. Provide additional time for the patient to understand preoperative instructions and
carry out procedures.
d. Ask the patient's wife to wait in the hall in order to focus preoperative teaching
with the patient himself. - ✔️✔️C.
A patient who has diabetes and uses insulin to control blood glucose has been NPO
since midnight before having a knee replacement surgery. Which action should the
nurse take?
a. Withhold the usual scheduled insulin dose because the patient is NPO.
b. Obtain a blood glucose measurement before any insulin administration.
c. Give the patient the usual insulin dose because stress will increase the blood
glucose.
d. Give half the usual dose of insulin because there will be no oral intake before
surgery. - ✔️✔️B.
The outpatient surgery nurse reviews the complete blood cell (CBC) count results for a
patient who is scheduled for surgery. The results are white blood cell (WBC) count 10.2
10 3/μL; hemoglobin 15 g/dL; hematocrit 45%; platelets 150 103/μL. Which action
should the nurse take?
a. Notify the surgeon and anesthesiologist immediately.
b. Ask the patient about any symptoms of a recent infection.
, c. Continue to prepare the patient for the surgical procedure.
d. Discuss the possibility of blood transfusion with the patient. - ✔️✔️C.
The nurse is preparing a patient on the morning of surgery. The patient refuses to
remove a wedding ring, saying, "I've never taken it off since the day I was married."
Which response by the nurse is
best?
a. Have the patient sign a release form and leave the ring on.
b. Tell the patient that the hospital is not liable for the loss of the ring.
c. Suggest that the patient give the ring to a family member to keep.
d. Inform the operating room personnel that the patient is wearing a ring. - ✔️✔️C.
A patient has received atropine before surgery and complains of dry mouth. Which
action by the nurse is most appropriate?
a. Check for skin tenting.
b. Notify the health care provider.
c. Ask the patient about any weakness or dizziness.
d. Explain that dry mouth is an expected side effect. - ✔️✔️D.
Which statement by a patient scheduled for surgery is most important to report to the
health care provider?
a. "I have a strong family history of cancer."
b. "I had a heart valve replacement last year."
c. "I had bacterial pneumonia 3 months ago."
d. "I have knee pain whenever I walk or jog." - ✔️✔️B.
The nurse interviews a patient scheduled to undergo general anesthesia for a bilateral
hernia repair. Which information is most important to communicate to the surgeon and
anesthesiologist before
surgery?
a. The patient's father died after general anesthesia for abdominal surgery.
b. The patient drinks 3 cups of coffee every morning before going to work.
c. The patient takes a baby aspirin daily but stopped taking aspirin 10 days ago.
d. The patient drank 4 ounces of apple juice 3 hours before coming to the hospital. -
✔️✔️A.
Which information in the preoperative patient's medication history is most important to
communicate to the health care provider?
a. The patient takes garlic capsules every day.
b. The patient quit using cocaine 10 years ago.
c. The patient took a prescribed sedative the previous night.
d. The patient uses acetaminophen (Tylenol) for aches and pains. - ✔️✔️A.
