1.
A client’s nursing diagnosis is Deficient Fluid Volume related to
excessive fluid loss. Which action related to the fluid management
should be delegated to a nursing assistant?
Correct Answer
B. Provide straws and offer fluids between meals.
Explanation
The nursing assistant can reinforce additional fluild intake once it is part of the care plan. Administering IV fluids, developing plans, and teaching families require additional education and skills that are within the scope of practice for the RN.
2.
The client also has the nursing diagnosis Decreased Cardiac Output
related to decrease plasma volume. Which finding on assessment supports
this nursing diagnosis?
Correct Answer
A. Flattened neck veins when client is in supine position
Explanation
Normally, neck veins are distended when the client is in the supine position. The veins flatten as the client moves to a sitting position. The other three responses are characteristic of Excess Fluid Volume.
3.
The nursing care plan for the client with dehydration includes
interventions for oral health. Which interventions are within the scope
of practice for the LPN/LVN being supervised by the nurse? (Choose all
that apply.)
Correct Answer(s)
A. Remind client to avoid commercial mouthwashes.
B. Encourage mouth rinsing with warm saline.
C. Assess lips, tongue, and mucous membranes
D. Provide mouth care every 2 hours while client is awake
Explanation
The LPN/LVN’s scope of practice and educational preparation includes oral care and routine observation. State practice acts vary as to whether LPN/LVNs are permitted to perform assessment. The client should be reminded to avoid most commercial mouthwashes that contain alcohol, a drying agent. Initiating a dietary consult is within the purview of the RN or physician.
4.
The physician has written the following orders for the client with
Excess Fluid volume. The client’s morning assessment includes bounding
peripheral pulses, weight gain of 2 pounds, pitting ankle edema, and
moist crackles bilaterally. Which order takes priority at this time?
Correct Answer
D. Administer furosemide (Lasix) 40 mg IV push
Explanation
Bilateral moist crackles indicate fluid-filled alveoli, which interferes with gas exchange. Furosemide is a potent loop diuretic that will help mobilize the fluid in the lungs. The other orders are important but not urgent.
5.
You have been pulled to the telemetry unit for the day. The monitor
informs you that the client has developed prominent U waves. Which
laboratory value should you check immediately?
Correct Answer
B. Potassium
Explanation
Suspect hypokalemia and check the client’s potassium level. Common ECG changes with hypokalemia include ST depression, inverted T waves, and prominent U waves. Client with hypokalemia may also develop heart block.
6.
The client’s potassium level is 6.7 mEq/L. Which intervention should you delegate to the student nurse under your supervision?
Correct Answer
A. Administer Kayexalate 15 g orally
Explanation
The client’s potassium level is high (normal range 3.5-5.0). Kayexalate removes potassium from the body through the gastrointestinal system. Spironolactone is a potassium-sparing diuretic that may cause the client’s potassium level to go even higher. The nursing student may not have the skill to assess ECG strips and this should be done by the RN.
7.
A client is admitted to the unit with a diagnosis of syndrome of
inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). For which
electrolyte abnormality will you be sure to monitor?
Correct Answer
C. Hyponatremia
Explanation
SIADH causes a relative sodium deficit due to excessive retention of water.
8.
The charge nurse assigned in the care for a client with acute renal
failure and hypernatremia to you, a newly graduated RN. Which actions
can you delegate to the nursing assistant?
Correct Answer
A. Provide oral care every 3-4 hours
Explanation
Providing oral care is within the scope of practice for the nursing assistant. Monitoring and assessing clients, as well as administering IV fluids, require the additional education and skill of the RN.
9.
The experienced LPN/LVN reports that a client’s blood pressure and
heart rate have decreased and that when the face is assessed, one side
twitches. What action should you take at this time?
Correct Answer
B. Review the client’s morning calcium level
Explanation
A positive Chvostek’s sign (facial twitching of one side of the mouth, nose, and cheek in response to tapping the face just below and in front of the ear) is a neurologic manifestation of hypocalcemia. The LPN/LVN is experienced and possesses the skills to take accurate vital signs.
10.
You are preparing to discharge a client whose calcium level was low
but is now just slightly within the normal range (9-10.5 mg/dL). Which
statement by the client indicates the need for additional teaching?
Correct Answer
D. “I will avoid dairy products, broccoli, and spinach when I eat.”
Explanation
Clients with low calcium levels should be encouraged to consume dairy products, seafood, nuts, broccoli, and spinach. Which are all good sources of dietary calcium.
11.
A nursing assistant asks why the client with a chronically low
phosphorus level needs so much assistance with activities of daily
living. What is your best response?
Correct Answer
C. “The client’s skeletal muscles are weak because of the low pHospHorus.”
Explanation
A musculoskeletal manifestation of low phosphorous is generalized muscle weakness that may lead to acute muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis). Even though the other statements are true, they do not answer the nursing assistant’s question.
12.
You are reviewing a client’s morning laboratory results. Which of these results is of most concern?
Correct Answer
D. Serum magnesium 0.8 mEq/L
Explanation
While all of these laboratory values are outside of the normal range, the magnesium is most outside of normal. With a magnesium level this low, the client is at risk for
ECG changes and life-threatening ventricular dysrhythmias.
13.
You are the charge nurse. Which client is most appropriate to assign
to the step-down unit nurse pulled to the intensive care unit for the
day?
Correct Answer
B. A 72-year-old client with COPD and normal arterial blood gases (ABGs) who is ventilator-dependent
Explanation
The client with COPD, although ventilator dependent, is the most stable of this group. Clients with acid-base imbalances often require frequent laboratory assessment and changes in therapy to correct their disorders. In addition, the client with DKA is a new admission and will require an in-depth admission assessment. All three of these clients need care from an experienced critical care nurse.
14.
A client with respiratory failure is receiving mechanical ventilation
and continues to produce ABG results indicating respiratory acidosis.
Which action should you expect to correct this problem?
Correct Answer
A. Increase the ventilator rate from 6 to 10 per minute
Explanation
the blood gas component responsible for respiratory acidosis is CO2 (Carbon dioxide). Increasing the ventilator rate will blow off more CO2 and decrease the acidosis. Changes in the oxygen setting may improve oxygenation but will not affect respiratory acidosis.
15.
Which action should you delegate to the nursing assistant for
the client with diabetic ketoacidosis? (Choose all that apply.)
Correct Answer(s)
B. Record intake and output every hour.
C. Check vital signs every 15 minutes.
Explanation
The nursing assistant’s training and education include how to take vital signs and record intake and output. The need to take vital signs this frequently indicates that the client maybe unstable. The nurse should give the nursing assistant reporting parameters when delegating this action, should also check the vital signs for indications in instability. Performing fingerstick glucose checks and assessing clients require additional education and skill that are appropriate to licensed nurses. Some facilities may train experienced nursing assistants to perform fingerstick glucose checks and change their role descriptions to designate their new skills, but this is beyond the normal scope of practice for a nursing assistant.
16.
You are admitting an elderly client to the medical unit. Which factor
indicates that this client has a risk for acid-base imbalances?
Correct Answer
D. Chronic renal insufficiency
Explanation
Risk factors for acid-base imbalances in the older adult include chronic renal disease and pulmonary disease. Occasional antacid use will not cause imbalances, although antacid abuse is a risk factor for metabolic alkalosis.
17.
A client with lung cancer has received oxycodone 10 mg orally for
pain. When the student nurse assesses the client, which finding should
you instruct the student to report immediately?
Correct Answer
A. Respiratory rate of 8 to 10 per minute
Explanation
A decreased respiratory rate indicates respiratory depression which also puts the client at risk for respiratory acidosis, All of the other findings are important and should be reported to the RN, but the respiratory rate is urgent.
18.
The nursing assistant reports to you that a client seems very anxious
and that vital signs included a respiratory rate of 38 per minute.
Which acid-base imbalance should you suspect?
Correct Answer
B. Respiratory alkalosis
Explanation
The client is most likely hyperventilating and blowing off CO2. This decrease in CO2 will lead to an increase in pH, causing respiratory alkalosis. Respiratory acidosis results from respiratory depression and retained CO2. Metabolic acidosis and alkalosis result from problems related to renal acid-base control.
19.
A client is admitted to the unit for chemotherapy. To prevent an
acid-base problem, which of the following would you instruct the nursing
assistant to report?
Correct Answer
A. Repeated episodes of nausea and vomiting
Explanation
Prolonged nausea and vomiting can result in acid deficit that can lead to metabolic alkalosis. The other findings are important and need to be assessed but are not related to acid-base imbalances.
20.
A client has a nasogastric tube connected to intermittent wall
suction. The student nurse asks why the client’s respiratory rate has
increased. What your best response?
Correct Answer
B. “The client may have a metabolic alkalosis due to the NG suctioning and the increased respiratory rate is a compensatory mechanism.”
Explanation
Nasogastric suctioning can result in a decrease in acid components and metabolic alkalosis. The client’s increase in rate and depth of ventilation is an attempt to compensate by blowing off CO2. the first response maybe true but does not address all the components of the question. The third and fourth answers are inaccurate.