PEDIATRIC HESI PRACTICE EXAM 180 MULTIPLE CHOICES QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2025
The nurse is preparing a child with an intussusception for a prescribed barium enema. What is the main
purpose of conducting this procedure prior to surgical intervention?
A.Evacuate the bowel of impacted feces.
B.Reduce the invaginated bowel segment.
C.Locate the presence of diverticula.
D.Identify the area of esophageal atresia. - (answer)ANS: B
Intussusception, an invagination or telescoping of one portion of the intestine into another, causes
intestinal obstruction in children (usually occurs between 3 months and 5 years of age). Nonsurgical
treatment is attempted with hydrostatic pressure created by barium instillation, which often reduces
the area of bowel intussusception (B), thereby negating the need for surgical intervention. A barium
enema is likely to cause (A). A barium enema could be used to detect (C), but this is not the reason for
its use with intussusception. (D) is not a use for a barium enema.
The nurse is teaching an adolescent girl with scoliosis about a Milwaukee brace that her health care
provider has prescribed. Which instruction should the nurse provide to this client?
A.Remove the brace 1 hour each day for bathing only.
B.Remove the brace only for back range-of-motion exercises.
C.Wear the brace against the bare skin to ensure a good fit.
D.Wearing the brace will cure the spinal curvature. - (answer)ANS: A
,PEDIATRIC HESI PRACTICE EXAM 180 MULTIPLE CHOICES QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2025
The Milwaukee brace is designed to slow the progression in spinal curvature while the adolescent is
growing. The brace should be worn 23 hours a day and removed a total of 1 hour a day for hygiene (A).
There are no specific exercises for increasing the range of motion in the back that should be performed
(B). A T shirt should be worn next to the body and the brace put on over the T shirt to protect the skin
(C). The brace will not cure the spinal curvature (D) but should slow the progression of the scoliosis.
The nurse should teach the parents of a child with a cyanotic heart defect to perform which action when
a hypercyanotic spell occurs?
A.Place the child's head flat, with the knees on pillows above the level of the heart.
B.Have the child lie on the right side, with the head elevated on one pillow.
C.Allow the child to assume a knee-chest position, with the head and chest slightly elevated.
D.Encourage the child to sit up at a 45-degree angle, drink cold water, and take deep breaths. -
(answer)ANS: C
Assuming a knee-chest position with the head and chest slightly elevated (C) will help restore
hemodynamic equilibrium. (A and B) are incorrect positions and may hinder the child's condition. (D)
may cause chest pain or a vasovagal response, with resulting hypotension.
During routine screening at a school clinic, an otoscope examination of a child's ear reveals a tympanic
membrane that is pearly gray, slightly bulging, and not movable. Based on these findings, what action
should the nurse take?
A.No action is required, because this is an expected finding for a school-aged child.
B.Ask if the child has had a cold, runny nose, or any ear pain lately.
, PEDIATRIC HESI PRACTICE EXAM 180 MULTIPLE CHOICES QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2025
C.Send a note home advising parents to have the child evaluated by a health care provider.
D.Call the parents and have them take the child home from school for the rest of the day. -
(answer)ANS: B
More information is needed to interpret these findings (B). The tympanic membrane is normally pearly
gray, not bulging, and moves when a client blows against resistance or when a small puff of air is blown
into the ear canal. Because these findings are not completely normal, further assessment of history and
related signs and symptoms are needed to interpret the findings accurately. Based on the data obtained
from the otoscope examination, (A, C, and D) are not indicated.
A newborn female whose mother is HIV-positive is scheduled for the first follow-up assessment with the
nurse. If the child is HIV-positive, which initial symptom is she most likely to exhibit?
A.Shortness of breath
B.Joint pain
C.Persistent cold
D.Organomegaly - (answer)ANS: C
Respiratory tract infections commonly occur in the pediatric population, but the child with AIDS has a
decreased ability to defend the body against these common infections. Thus, the most typical
presenting symptom of a child who contracted AIDS through vertical transmission (i.e., from the mother
during delivery) is a persistent cold or respiratory infection (C). (A, B, and D) are symptoms of AIDS
complications that may occur later as the disease progresses.
A child breaks out with varicella infection (chickenpox) while hospitalized for a minor surgical procedure.
Which intervention should the nurse implement first?
ANSWERS 2025
The nurse is preparing a child with an intussusception for a prescribed barium enema. What is the main
purpose of conducting this procedure prior to surgical intervention?
A.Evacuate the bowel of impacted feces.
B.Reduce the invaginated bowel segment.
C.Locate the presence of diverticula.
D.Identify the area of esophageal atresia. - (answer)ANS: B
Intussusception, an invagination or telescoping of one portion of the intestine into another, causes
intestinal obstruction in children (usually occurs between 3 months and 5 years of age). Nonsurgical
treatment is attempted with hydrostatic pressure created by barium instillation, which often reduces
the area of bowel intussusception (B), thereby negating the need for surgical intervention. A barium
enema is likely to cause (A). A barium enema could be used to detect (C), but this is not the reason for
its use with intussusception. (D) is not a use for a barium enema.
The nurse is teaching an adolescent girl with scoliosis about a Milwaukee brace that her health care
provider has prescribed. Which instruction should the nurse provide to this client?
A.Remove the brace 1 hour each day for bathing only.
B.Remove the brace only for back range-of-motion exercises.
C.Wear the brace against the bare skin to ensure a good fit.
D.Wearing the brace will cure the spinal curvature. - (answer)ANS: A
,PEDIATRIC HESI PRACTICE EXAM 180 MULTIPLE CHOICES QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2025
The Milwaukee brace is designed to slow the progression in spinal curvature while the adolescent is
growing. The brace should be worn 23 hours a day and removed a total of 1 hour a day for hygiene (A).
There are no specific exercises for increasing the range of motion in the back that should be performed
(B). A T shirt should be worn next to the body and the brace put on over the T shirt to protect the skin
(C). The brace will not cure the spinal curvature (D) but should slow the progression of the scoliosis.
The nurse should teach the parents of a child with a cyanotic heart defect to perform which action when
a hypercyanotic spell occurs?
A.Place the child's head flat, with the knees on pillows above the level of the heart.
B.Have the child lie on the right side, with the head elevated on one pillow.
C.Allow the child to assume a knee-chest position, with the head and chest slightly elevated.
D.Encourage the child to sit up at a 45-degree angle, drink cold water, and take deep breaths. -
(answer)ANS: C
Assuming a knee-chest position with the head and chest slightly elevated (C) will help restore
hemodynamic equilibrium. (A and B) are incorrect positions and may hinder the child's condition. (D)
may cause chest pain or a vasovagal response, with resulting hypotension.
During routine screening at a school clinic, an otoscope examination of a child's ear reveals a tympanic
membrane that is pearly gray, slightly bulging, and not movable. Based on these findings, what action
should the nurse take?
A.No action is required, because this is an expected finding for a school-aged child.
B.Ask if the child has had a cold, runny nose, or any ear pain lately.
, PEDIATRIC HESI PRACTICE EXAM 180 MULTIPLE CHOICES QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2025
C.Send a note home advising parents to have the child evaluated by a health care provider.
D.Call the parents and have them take the child home from school for the rest of the day. -
(answer)ANS: B
More information is needed to interpret these findings (B). The tympanic membrane is normally pearly
gray, not bulging, and moves when a client blows against resistance or when a small puff of air is blown
into the ear canal. Because these findings are not completely normal, further assessment of history and
related signs and symptoms are needed to interpret the findings accurately. Based on the data obtained
from the otoscope examination, (A, C, and D) are not indicated.
A newborn female whose mother is HIV-positive is scheduled for the first follow-up assessment with the
nurse. If the child is HIV-positive, which initial symptom is she most likely to exhibit?
A.Shortness of breath
B.Joint pain
C.Persistent cold
D.Organomegaly - (answer)ANS: C
Respiratory tract infections commonly occur in the pediatric population, but the child with AIDS has a
decreased ability to defend the body against these common infections. Thus, the most typical
presenting symptom of a child who contracted AIDS through vertical transmission (i.e., from the mother
during delivery) is a persistent cold or respiratory infection (C). (A, B, and D) are symptoms of AIDS
complications that may occur later as the disease progresses.
A child breaks out with varicella infection (chickenpox) while hospitalized for a minor surgical procedure.
Which intervention should the nurse implement first?
