HESI RN
HESI RN CAT Exit Exam
1. The nurse offers diet teaching to a female college student who was diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia following her voluntary adoption of a lacto-vegetarian diet. What nutrients should the nurse suggest this client eat to best meet her nutritional needs while allowing her to adhere to a lacto-vegetarian diet?
- A. Drink whole milk instead of skim milk to enhance the body's production of amino acids
- B. Take vitamin K 10mg PO daily to enhance production of red blood cells
- C. Increase amounts of dark yellow vegetables such as carrots to fortify iron stores
- D. Combine several legumes and grains such as beans and rice to form complete proteins
Correct answer: D
Rationale: Combining legumes and grains ensures the client receives all essential amino acids to form complete proteins, which is crucial in a vegetarian diet. Options A, B, and C are incorrect. Option A is not necessary as there are plant-based sources of essential amino acids in a lacto-vegetarian diet. Option B suggests vitamin K, which is not directly related to enhancing red blood cell production. Option C mentions increasing dark yellow vegetables, which are sources of non-heme iron, but combining legumes and grains is more effective in addressing the protein needs of a lacto-vegetarian.
2. The nurse is planning care for a client who is receiving phenytoin (Dilantin) for seizure control. Which intervention is most important to include in this client’s plan of care?
- A. Monitor serum calcium levels
- B. Obtain a baseline electrocardiogram
- C. Implement seizure precautions
- D. Encourage a low-protein diet
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is to implement seizure precautions. Phenytoin is an antiepileptic medication used for seizure control. Seizure precautions are crucial for clients taking this medication to ensure their safety during a seizure episode. Monitoring serum calcium levels (Choice A) is not directly related to phenytoin therapy. Obtaining a baseline electrocardiogram (Choice B) is important for some medications but not the priority for a client on phenytoin. Encouraging a low-protein diet (Choice D) is not specifically indicated for clients on phenytoin and is not the most important intervention.
3. The nurse is caring for a client who is 2 days post-op following an abdominal surgery. The client reports feeling something 'give way' in the incision site and there is a small amount of bowel protruding from the wound. What action should the nurse take first?
- A. Apply a sterile saline dressing to the wound
- B. Notify the healthcare provider
- C. Administer pain medication
- D. Cover the wound with an abdominal binder
Correct answer: A
Rationale: In this situation, the priority action for the nurse is to apply a sterile saline dressing to the wound. This helps prevent infection and keeps the wound moist, which is crucial in promoting healing and preventing further complications. Option B, notifying the healthcare provider, is important but should come after addressing the wound. Administering pain medication (Option C) may be necessary but is not the first action to take in this emergency situation. Covering the wound with an abdominal binder (Option D) is not appropriate and may cause further harm by applying pressure to the protruding bowel.
4. A male client tells the nurse, 'I am so stressed because I am expected to achieve excellence in everything. My job, my marriage, and my children must be perfect!' Which coping response should the nurse recognize that the client is using?
- A. Repression
- B. Sublimation
- C. Rationalization
- D. Displacement
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: Rationalization. Rationalization is a defense mechanism where the client justifies their stress and need for perfection by creating logical explanations or excuses. In this case, the client is rationalizing their stress by believing that everything in their life must be perfect. Repression (choice A) involves unconsciously blocking out thoughts or feelings. Sublimation (choice B) is redirecting unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities. Displacement (choice D) involves transferring emotions from one target to another.
5. A nurse is preparing to insert an indwelling urinary catheter in a female client. Which action should the nurse take to maintain sterile technique?
- A. Apply sterile gloves before inserting the catheter
- B. Use sterile gloves to insert the catheter
- C. Clean the urinary meatus with an antiseptic solution
- D. Place the drainage bag above the level of the bladder
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Using sterile gloves to insert the catheter is crucial to maintaining sterile technique. Sterile gloves help prevent the introduction of microorganisms during the insertion process. Applying sterile gloves before cleansing the perineal area (Choice A) is important but not specific to maintaining sterility during catheter insertion. Cleaning the urinary meatus with an antiseptic solution (Choice C) is a step in the catheterization process but does not solely ensure sterile technique. Placing the drainage bag above the level of the bladder (Choice D) is incorrect; the bag should be placed below the level of the bladder to facilitate urine drainage.
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