Free Registered Nurse: Management Care Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers

Question 1: A 3-pound infant being given adult-strength digitalis (Digoxin, Lanoxin) by a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The result is irreversible brain and cardiac damage in the infant. The nurse could face charges for

malpractice (Correct answer)
tort
assault
negligence

Correct answer: malpractice

Malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional deviates from the accepted standard of care, resulting in injury or damage to a patient. In this scenario, administering an adult-strength medication to an infant, leading to severe harm, is a clear breach of the standard of care for medication administration in neonates. This action directly caused harm and constitutes malpractice.

Question 2: Which of the following is true about the legality of medicine?

Student nurses cannot be sued for malpractice while in a clinical setting.
Consent to medical treatment may be given by a minor with a sexually transmitted disease (STD). (Correct answer)
A second-trimester abortion may be obtained without state involvement.
A nurse who becomes ill and leaves during a shift is not abandoning patients if the supervisor is notified.

Correct answer: Consent to medical treatment may be given by a minor with a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

In many jurisdictions, minors are granted the right to consent to medical treatment for certain conditions, including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), without parental consent. This provision aims to encourage minors to seek necessary treatment for sensitive health issues. The other options are generally incorrect regarding legal principles in nursing.

Question 3: The pediatric unit's healthcare worker has been given her daily tasks. Which of the following patients has to be evaluated first by the medical professional?

The 6-year-old with bronchitis, with an intravenous (IV) antibiotic infusing at 30 mL/hour.
The 3-year-old with asthma, who has an oxygen saturation of 94% on room air.
The 11-year-old with pneumonia, who is awaiting discharge instructions.
The 17-year-old with a left pleural effusion, is complaining of a chest pain of 9 on a 0-10 scale. (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The 17-year-old with a left pleural effusion, is complaining of a chest pain of 9 on a 0-10 scale.

Prioritization in nursing care follows principles such as ABCs (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. A 17-year-old with a left pleural effusion complaining of severe chest pain (9/10) indicates a potential for compromised breathing and significant discomfort, which could rapidly escalate. This patient requires immediate assessment and intervention to address pain and potential respiratory distress, making them the highest priority.

Question 4: Four patients' care is being planned by a healthcare professional. Which patient is in need of preventative measures for anemia the most?

The patient with Jackson-Pratt drain
The patient who is a vegetarian
The patient with renal failure on hemodialysis (Correct answer)
The patient who has been NPO for 3 days

Correct answer: The patient with renal failure on hemodialysis

Patients with renal failure on hemodialysis are at high risk for anemia due to several reasons, including decreased erythropoietin production by the kidneys, blood loss during dialysis treatments, and reduced iron absorption. Therefore, preventative measures for anemia, such as iron supplementation and erythropoietin-stimulating agents, are crucial for this patient population.

Question 5: A patient who has had septic shock is being cared for by a healthcare professional. Which one of these should the medical professional give the patient first?

Antibiotics to treat the underlying infection
Vasopressors to increase blood pressure
Corticosteroids to reduce inflammation
IV fluids to increase intravascular volume (Correct answer)

Correct answer: IV fluids to increase intravascular volume

In septic shock, widespread vasodilation and increased capillary permeability lead to a significant decrease in intravascular volume, causing hypotension and poor tissue perfusion. The immediate priority is to restore circulating volume and improve blood pressure through aggressive intravenous fluid resuscitation. This helps to improve organ perfusion before other interventions like antibiotics or vasopressors can fully take effect.

Question 6: When a client inquires about her prognosis, which ethical standard is applied?

Nonmaleficence
Fidelity
Veracity (Correct answer)
Beneficence

Correct answer: Veracity

Veracity is the ethical principle of truthfulness and honesty. When a client inquires about their prognosis, the healthcare professional is ethically bound to provide accurate and truthful information, even if it is difficult to hear. This principle upholds the patient's right to know and make informed decisions about their care.

Question 7: A patient's healthcare professional issues a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) order following a discussion with the patient's family. When preparing treatment for this patient, what does the nurse comprehend?

The patient and family no longer make medical decisions.
Nursing care will continue with the treatment orders in place. (Correct answer)
Death will take place within the next 72 hours, so the family should prepare.
DNR orders from a previous hospitalization will be valid and legal.

Correct answer: Nursing care will continue with the treatment orders in place.

A Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) order means that in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest, no resuscitative measures will be initiated. However, it does not mean that all medical care ceases. The nurse will continue to provide comfort care, manage symptoms, administer medications, and offer all other treatments aimed at improving the patient's quality of life, consistent with the patient's wishes and the established plan of care.

Question 8: When a patient declines medical care, this is an illustration of

statutory law
medical law
common law (Correct answer)
civil law

Correct answer: common law

Common law, also known as case law, is derived from judicial decisions and precedents rather than statutes. A patient's right to decline medical care is a fundamental legal and ethical principle that has been affirmed through numerous court cases, establishing it as a common law right based on individual autonomy and self-determination.

Question 9: Without first getting the client's informed consent, doing a non-emergency intrusive surgery on them can be seen as

battery (Correct answer)
fraud
malpractice
harassment

Correct answer: battery

Battery is the intentional and unpermitted touching of another person without their consent. Performing a non-emergency invasive surgery without obtaining the client's informed consent constitutes battery, as it involves an unauthorized physical intervention. Even if the procedure is medically indicated, the lack of consent makes it a legal violation.

Question 10: The nurse can request that unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) perform ALL of the following EXCEPT

measure intake and output
assist a patient who is chocking
report signs of skin breakdown
provide patient and family education (Correct answer)

Correct answer: provide patient and family education

Unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) can perform tasks that are within their scope of practice and do not require nursing judgment, assessment, or teaching. Providing patient and family education requires professional nursing knowledge, assessment of learning needs, and the ability to evaluate understanding, which falls outside the UAP's scope of practice.

Question 11: In order to give the preoperative medication as directed before a patient is sent to surgery, the operating room telephones the unit nurse. The patient did not sign the surgery consent, the unit nurse finds out after administering the drug. What ought the nurse to start with?

Notify the surgeon
Ask the patient to sign the consent before transport
Notify the nursing supervisor (Correct answer)
Call the OR to cancel the procedures

Correct answer: Notify the nursing supervisor

Administering a preoperative medication to a patient who has not signed the surgical consent form is a serious error, as the patient is no longer considered fully capable of giving informed consent due to the medication's effects. The nurse's first action should be to notify the nursing supervisor. The supervisor can then guide the appropriate steps, which would likely involve informing the surgeon and potentially delaying the surgery until valid consent can be obtained.

Question 12: The National Council of State Boards of Nursing developed and distributed the

National League for Nursing
American Nurses Association (Correct answer)
American Medical Association
National Institutes of Health

Correct answer: American Nurses Association

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is responsible for developing and administering the NCLEX examination, which is used for licensure. While the American Nurses Association (ANA) is a prominent professional organization that sets standards for nursing practice and advocates for nurses, both organizations are critical to the nursing profession, with NCSBN focusing on regulation and ANA on professional standards and advocacy.

Question 13: The Nurse Practice Act is an illustration of

civil law
statutory law (Correct answer)
criminal law
common law

Correct answer: statutory law

A Nurse Practice Act is a statutory law, meaning it is a law passed by a legislative body (state legislature). These acts define the legal scope of nursing practice, establish requirements for licensure, and create a state board of nursing to enforce these regulations. Statutory laws are formally written and enacted by government bodies.

Question 14: The patient was brought back to the facility after surgery and is now complaining of pain that is at a level of nine out of ten. When the nurse looks through the paperwork, she finds the surgeon's postoperative order for "10 mg MSO4". What should the nurse do first before giving the patient morphine?

Set up a piggyback infusion system
Prepare the medication for administration
Contact the surgeon before proceeding (Correct answer)
Call the pharmacy to send the morphine

Correct answer: Contact the surgeon before proceeding

The order '10 mg MSO4' is incomplete because it lacks crucial information such as the route of administration, the frequency, and potentially the indication. A complete medication order is essential for safe administration. Therefore, the nurse's first action must be to contact the surgeon to clarify the order and obtain all necessary details before administering the morphine.

Question 15: What types of personal medical data are covered by the HIPAA Privacy Rule?

Verbal
Electronic
Written
All of the above (Correct answer)

Correct answer: All of the above

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule protects all individually identifiable health information, regardless of the format in which it is created, received, or maintained. This includes information communicated verbally (e.g., conversations), electronically (e.g., electronic health records), and in written form (e.g., paper charts, faxes). Therefore, all types of personal medical data are covered.

Question 16: Which duty should the nursing assistant be given?

Feeding the client with dementia (Correct answer)
Ambulating the client with a fractured hip
Placing the client in seclusion
Emptying the Foley catheter of the preeclamptic client

Correct answer: Feeding the client with dementia

Feeding a client with dementia is an appropriate task to delegate to a nursing assistant. This task falls within the UAP's scope of practice as it involves assisting with activities of daily living and does not require complex assessment, nursing judgment, or sterile technique. The other options involve higher-level nursing skills or judgment.

Free Registered Nurse: Management Care Questions and Answers

A 3-pound infant being given adult-strength digitalis (Digoxin, Lanoxin) by a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
The result is irreversible brain and cardiac damage in the infant.
The nurse could face charges for

Select your answer