NCLEX-RN
NCLEX RN Practice Questions With Rationale
1. The nurse is speaking at a community meeting about personal responsibility for health promotion. A participant asks about chiropractic treatment for illnesses. What should be the focus of the nurse's response?
- A. Electrical energy fields
- B. Spinal column manipulation
- C. Mind-body balance
- D. Exercise of joints
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The focus of the nurse's response should be on spinal column manipulation when discussing chiropractic treatment for illnesses. Chiropractic theory emphasizes that misalignment of the vertebrae can interfere with the transmission of mental impulses between the brain and body organs, leading to diseases. Manipulation is aimed at reducing such misalignments, known as subluxations. While mind-body balance and exercise of joints are important aspects of holistic health, in the context of chiropractic treatment, the key intervention is spinal column manipulation to address vertebral misalignments. Therefore, choices A, C, and D are incorrect as they do not directly address the primary focus of chiropractic treatment.
2. A healthcare professional is preparing to draw a blood specimen from an adult client's central line. All of the following actions for this procedure are correct EXCEPT:
- A. Disconnect the current infusion
- B. Clean the cap with alcohol and attach a 5 cc syringe
- C. Draw 5 cc of a blood sample to discard
- D. Flush with saline after the sample
Correct answer: B
Rationale: When drawing a blood specimen from a central line, the healthcare professional should disconnect any infusions that are currently running and that could contaminate the specimen. It is important to use a minimum size of a 10 cc syringe when using a central line to avoid placing too much pressure on the catheter. Cleaning the cap with alcohol and attaching a 5 cc syringe is not appropriate as a larger syringe size should be used for this procedure. Drawing 5 cc of a blood sample to discard and flushing with saline after the sample are correct steps in the process of drawing a blood specimen from a central line.
3. Upon admission to the stroke care unit of a rehabilitation center, what is the primary action of the nurse?
- A. Collect and organize documents for the client's medical record
- B. Prepare the client's identification bracelet
- C. Identify pertinent health history data and current needs and limitations
- D. Gather the client's valuables and secure them in a locked container
Correct answer: C
Rationale: When a client is admitted to a stroke care unit in a rehabilitation center, the nurse's initial priority is to assess the client. This assessment includes identifying relevant health history data that may impact the client's care. By recognizing the client's current needs and limitations, the nurse can develop a comprehensive understanding of the client's condition. This information is crucial for generating a nursing diagnosis and establishing appropriate care outcomes. While collecting and organizing documents for the medical record, preparing identification bracelets, and securing valuables are important tasks, they are not the primary actions that directly influence the client's immediate care upon admission.
4. While caring for a client who has just come from surgery and is in the recovery room with an endotracheal tube in place, the nurse deflates the cuff on the tube and removes it. The client sits up in bed, grasps his throat, and begins to make wheezing sounds. Which of the following conditions is the most likely cause of this situation?
- A. The client is choking on part of the tube
- B. The client has anxiety
- C. The client is having a laryngospasm
- D. The client is having a normal response from anesthesia
Correct answer: D
Rationale: After surgery, some clients may experience a laryngospasm during emergence from anesthesia. A laryngospasm can lead to the closure of the laryngeal opening due to spasm of the vocal cords. In this scenario, the client's symptoms of wheezing and throat grasping are indicative of a laryngospasm rather than choking on the tube, anxiety, or a normal response from anesthesia. The nurse should act promptly to open the airway to aid breathing and consider administering muscle relaxants as necessary.
5. Which of the following statements best describes compartment syndrome?
- A. An injury causes pain and tingling that starts in the buttock and travels down the leg.
- B. An injury causes swelling within muscle tissue that leads to anoxia of nerves and muscles.
- C. An injury causes permanent flexion of the interphalangeal joint, resulting in deformity.
- D. An injury causes pain and swelling of the median plantar nerve.
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Compartment syndrome is characterized by swelling and increased pressure within a muscle compartment, leading to decreased blood flow and oxygen supply to nerves and muscles. This can result from various causes, such as trauma or the application of a cast after a fracture. If left untreated, compartment syndrome can lead to tissue necrosis. Choice A is incorrect as pain and tingling starting in the buttock and traveling down the leg are not specific features of compartment syndrome. Choice C is incorrect as permanent flexion of the interphalangeal joint is unrelated to compartment syndrome. Choice D is incorrect as pain and swelling of the median plantar nerve do not describe compartment syndrome.
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