NCLEX Comprehensive Exam

NCLEX Comprehensive Exam Page 1 of 85 NCLEX Comprehensive Exam Questions & Answers Question 1 Enalapril maleate is prescribed for a hospitalized client. Which assessment does the nurse perform as a priority before administering the medication?Correct Answer Checking the client's blood pressure Rationale: Enalapril maleate is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor used to treat hypertension. One common side effect is postural hypotension.Therefore the nurse would check the client's blood pressure immediately before administering each dose. Checking the client's peripheral pulses, the results of the most recent potassium level, and the intake and output for the previous 24 hours are not specifically associated with this mediation.Question 2 A client is scheduled to undergo an upper gastrointestinal (GI) series, and the nurse provides instructions to the client about the test. Which statement by the client indicates a need for further instruction?Correct Answer "I need to drink citrate of magnesia the night before the test and give myself a Fleet enema on the morning of the test." Rationale: An upper GI series involves visualization of the esophagus, duodenum, and upper jejunum by means of the use of a contrast medium. It involves swallowing a contrast medium (usually barium), which is administered in a flavored milkshake. Films are taken at intervals during the test, which takes about 30 minutes. No special preparation is necessary before a GI series, except that NPO status must be maintained for 8 hours before the test. After an upper GI series, the client is prescribed a laxative to hasten elimination of the barium. Barium that remains in the colon may become hard and difficult to expel, leading to fecal impaction. 1 / 4

NCLEX Comprehensive Exam Page 2 of 85 Question 3 A nurse on the evening shift checks a health care provider's prescriptions and notes that the dose of a prescribed medication is higher than the normal dose. The nurse calls the health care provider's answering service and is told that the health care provider is off for the night and will be available in the morning. The nurse should: Correct Answer Ask the answering service to contact the on-call health care provider

Rationale: The nurse has a duty to protect the client from harm. A nurse who

believes that a health care provider's prescription may be in error is responsible for clarifying the prescription before carrying it out. Therefore the nurse would not administer the medication; instead, the nurse would withhold the medication until the dose can be clarified. The nurse would not wait until the next morning to obtain clarification. It is premature to call the nursing supervisor.Question 4 An emergency department (ED) nurse is monitoring a client with suspected acute myocardial infarction (MI) who is awaiting transfer to the coronary intensive care unit.The nurse notes the sudden onset of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) on the monitor, checks the client's carotid pulse, and determines that the PVCs are not

resulting in perfusion. The appropriate action by the nurse is:

Correct Answer Asking the ED health care provider to check the client Rationale: PVCs are a result of increased irritability of ventricular cells. Peripheral pulses may be absent or diminished with the PVCs themselves because the decreased stroke volume of the premature beats may in turn decrease peripheral perfusion. Because other rhythms also cause widened QRS complexes, it is essential that the nurse determine whether the premature beats are resulting in perfusion of the extremities. This is done by palpating the carotid, brachial, or femoral artery while observing the monitor for widened complexes or by auscultating for apical heart sounds. In the situation of acute MI, PVCs may be considered warning dysrhythmias, possibly heralding the onset of ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Therefore the nurse would not tell the client that the PVCs are expected.Although the nurse will continue to monitor the client and document the findings, these are not the most appropriate actions of those provided. The most appropriate action would be to ask the ED health care provider to check the client. 2 / 4

NCLEX Comprehensive Exam Page 3 of 85 Question 5 NPO status is imposed 8 hours before the procedure on a client scheduled to undergo electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at 1 p.m. On the morning of the procedure, the nurse checks the client's record and notes that the client routinely takes an oral

antihypertensive medication each morning. The nurse should:

Correct Answer Administer the antihypertensive with a small sip of water Rationale: General anesthesia is required for ECT, so NPO status is imposed for 6 to

• hours before treatment to help prevent aspiration. Exceptions include clients who

routinely receive cardiac medications, antihypertensive agents, or histamine (H2) blockers, which should be administered several hours before treatment with a small sip of water. Withholding the antihypertensive and administering it at bedtime and withholding the antihypertensive and resuming administration on the day after the ECT are incorrect actions, because antihypertensives must be administered on time; otherwise, the risk for rebound hypertension exists. The nurse would not administer a medication by way of a route that has not been prescribed.Question 6 A client who recently underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery comes to the health care provider's office for a follow-up visit. On assessment, the client tells the nurse that he is feeling depressed. Which response by the nurse is therapeutic?Correct Answer "Tell me more about what you're feeling." Rationale: When a client expresses feelings of depression, it is extremely important for the nurse to further explore these feelings with the client. In stating, "This is a normal response after this type of surgery" the nurse provides false reassurance and avoids addressing the client's feelings. "It will take time, but, I promise you, you will get over the depression" is also a false reassurance, and it does not encourage the expression of feelings. "Every client who has this surgery feels the same way for about a month" is a generalization that avoids the client's feelings. 3 / 4

NCLEX Comprehensive Exam Page 4 of 85 Question 7 A client in labor experiences spontaneous rupture of the membranes. The nurse immediately counts the fetal heart rate (FHR) for 1 full minute and then checks the amniotic fluid. The nurse notes that the fluid is yellow and has a strong odor. Which action should be the nurse's priority?Correct Answer Contacting the health care provider Rationale: The FHR is assessed for at least 1 minute when the membranes rupture.The nurse also checks the quantity, color, and odor of the amniotic fluid. The fluid should be clear (often with bits of vernix) and have a mild odor. Fluid with a foul or strong odor, cloudy appearance, or yellow coloration suggests chorioamnionitis and warrants notifying the health care provider. A large amount of vernix in the fluid suggests that the fetus is preterm. Greenish, meconium-stained fluid may be seen in cases of postterm gestation or placental insufficiency. Checking the fluid for protein is not associated with the data in the question. Although the nurse would continue to monitor the client and the FHR and would document the findings, contacting the health care provider is the priority.Question 8 A nurse has assisted a health care provider in inserting a central venous access device into a client with a diagnosis of severe malnutrition who will be receiving parenteral nutrition (PN). After insertion of the catheter, the nurse immediately plans to: Correct Answer Call the radiography department to obtain a chest x-ray

Rationale: One major complication associated with central venous catheter

placement is pneumothorax, which may result from accidental puncture of the lung.After the catheter has been placed but before it is used for infusions, its placement must be checked with an x-ray. Hanging the prescribed bag of PN and starting the infusion at the prescribed rate and infusing normal saline solution through the catheter at a rate of 100 mL/hr to maintain patency are all incorrect because they could result in the infusion of solution into a lung if a pneumothorax is present.Although the nurse may obtain a blood glucose measurement to serve as a baseline, this action is not the priority.

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