Nursing Elites

1. Upon arrival at the emergency room, the client presents with severe burns to the left arm, hands, face, and neck. What action should take priority?

• A. Starting an IV
• B. Applying oxygen
• C. Obtaining blood gases
• D. Medicating the client for pain

Correct answer: B

Rationale: In a client with severe burns to the face and neck, airway assessment and supplemental oxygen are crucial. Therefore, applying oxygen is the priority to ensure adequate oxygenation for the client. This intervention takes precedence over other actions to stabilize the client's condition. Starting an IV for fluid resuscitation is the next appropriate step following ensuring oxygenation (Choice A). While pain management is important, it is a secondary priority after ensuring oxygenation and fluid resuscitation, making medicating the client for pain a later intervention (Choice D). Obtaining blood gases (Choice C) is not the immediate priority in this scenario and would typically be ordered by the healthcare provider based on the client's condition and response to initial interventions.

2. The nurse is assigned to care for an infant with physiologic jaundice. Which action by the nurse would facilitate elimination of the bilirubin?

• A. Increasing the infant's fluid intake
• B.
• C. Minimizing tactile stimulation
• D. Decreasing caloric intake

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Bilirubin is excreted through the kidneys, therefore increasing fluid intake can help facilitate its elimination. Maintaining the infant's body temperature is important for overall health but does not directly assist in eliminating bilirubin, making choice B incorrect. Choices C and D are irrelevant to bilirubin elimination in this scenario and do not address the specific issue of physiologic jaundice.

3. The nurse is caring for a client with epilepsy who is being treated with carbamazepine (Tegretol). Which laboratory value might indicate a serious side effect of this drug?

• A. Uric acid of 5 mg/dL
• B. Hematocrit of 33%
• C. WBC 2,000 per cubic millimeter
• D. Platelets 150,000 per cubic millimeter

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Carbamazepine (Tegretol) can suppress the bone marrow, leading to a decrease in the white blood cell count. A laboratory value of WBC 2,000 per cubic millimeter indicates a serious side effect of the drug. Choices A and D are within normal limits, while choice B is at the lower limit of normal. Therefore, choices A, B, and D are incorrect.

4. Narrow therapeutic index medications:

• A. are drug formulations with limited pharmacokinetic variability.
• B. have limited value and require no monitoring of blood levels.
• C. have less than a twofold difference in minimum toxic levels and minimum effective concentration in the blood
• D. have limited potency and side effects.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The therapeutic index is the ratio between the median lethal dose and median effective dose of a drug, indicating the safety margin. Narrow therapeutic index medications have a small difference between minimum toxic levels and minimum effective concentration in the blood, making them high-risk drugs that require close monitoring to avoid toxicity. Choice A is incorrect because pharmacokinetics refer to drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination, not the therapeutic index. Choice B is incorrect because narrow therapeutic index drugs necessitate monitoring due to their narrow margin of safety. Choice D is incorrect because narrow therapeutic index drugs do not necessarily have limited potency but are characterized by a small window between efficacy and toxicity.

5. Support-system enhancement includes all of the following except:

• A. determining the barriers to using support systems.
• B. discussing ways to help others who are concerned.
• C. exploring life problems of the support-team members.
• D. involving spouse, family, and friends in the care and planning.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Support-system enhancement involves various strategies to strengthen the support system. Determining the barriers to using support systems, discussing ways to help others who are concerned, and involving spouse, family, and friends in the care and planning are all essential aspects of enhancing the support system. However, exploring the life problems of the support-team members is not directly related to enhancing the support system. This approach could potentially invade personal boundaries and may not be necessary for improving the support system, making it the correct answer in this case. Therefore, option C is the correct answer as it does not align with the appropriate methods of support-system enhancement.

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