ATI RN
RN ATI Capstone Proctored Comprehensive Assessment A
1. A nurse is caring for a patient who is postoperative day 1 following abdominal surgery. What is the nurse's priority action to prevent complications?
- A. Encourage the patient to perform incentive spirometry.
- B. Assist the patient in ambulating around the unit.
- C. Reposition the patient every 2 hours.
- D. Administer pain medication as prescribed.
Correct answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is to encourage the patient to perform incentive spirometry. Incentive spirometry helps prevent respiratory complications, such as atelectasis, by promoting deep breathing and optimal lung expansion. Ambulating, repositioning, and administering pain medication are important interventions but do not take precedence over preventing respiratory complications in the immediate postoperative period.
2. A nurse is assessing a postoperative patient for signs of infection. Which finding is most concerning?
- A. Mild redness at the incision site.
- B. Increased drainage from the surgical site.
- C. Fever of 101°F.
- D. Normal white blood cell count.
Correct answer: C
Rationale: A fever of 101°F is the most concerning finding when assessing a postoperative patient for signs of infection. Fever can indicate an inflammatory response to an infection, and in a postoperative patient, it can signal a surgical site infection or a systemic infection. Prompt attention is necessary to prevent complications such as sepsis. Mild redness at the incision site and increased drainage can be expected in the early postoperative period due to the normal healing process. A normal white blood cell count does not rule out infection as it can be influenced by various factors, and some infections may not initially cause a rise in white blood cells.
3. A nurse is preparing to administer a high dose of morphine to a patient with terminal cancer. What is the nurse's primary consideration before administration?
- A. Ensure the family is aware of the dosage to be administered.
- B. Monitor the patient for respiratory depression.
- C. Administer the morphine in divided doses.
- D. Delay administration until the next assessment.
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Monitor the patient for respiratory depression. When administering a high dose of morphine, the nurse's primary consideration should be to monitor the patient for respiratory depression, as morphine can slow down breathing, especially in higher doses. Option A is incorrect because the primary focus should be on the patient's well-being and safety rather than family awareness at this point. Option C is not the best approach as the immediate concern is monitoring the patient closely for any adverse effects. Option D is not advisable as delaying administration without a valid reason can compromise pain management in a terminal cancer patient.
4. The nurse is caring for a patient who is susceptible to infection. Which instruction will the nurse include in an educational session to decrease the risk of infection?
- A. Teaching the patient to take a temperature
- B. Teaching the patient to select nutritious foods
- C. Teaching the patient about the effects of alcohol
- D. Teaching the patient about fall prevention
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Teaching the patient to select nutritious foods. A nutritious diet plays a crucial role in strengthening the body's immune system, making it more capable of fighting off infections. Vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients found in healthy foods support immune function and overall health. Teaching the patient about taking a temperature (choice A) may be important for monitoring for signs of infection but does not directly decrease the risk of infection. Teaching about the effects of alcohol (choice C) and fall prevention (choice D) are important aspects of patient education but are not directly related to decreasing the risk of infection in a susceptible patient.
5. After surgery, a patient is experiencing pain. What is the nurse's priority action?
- A. Administer pain medication as prescribed.
- B. Assess the patient's pain using a pain scale.
- C. Offer the patient non-pharmacological pain relief methods.
- D. Reassess the patient's pain level after 30 minutes.
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is to assess the patient's pain using a pain scale. This is the priority action because it allows the nurse to obtain an objective measure of the patient's pain intensity. By accurately assessing the pain level, the nurse can determine the appropriate intervention, which may include administering pain medication as prescribed (choice A) or offering non-pharmacological pain relief methods (choice C). Reassessing the patient's pain level after 30 minutes (choice D) is important but comes after the initial assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions implemented.
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