NURS 314 UPDATED 2026 EXAM SCRIPT QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS SCORED A+
✔✔Factors affecting respiration - ✔✔Respiration controlled by Medulla & Pons
Age -respiratory rate decreases with age starting
with newborns who have a RR of 30 - 60/min.
Gender - men tend to have more diaphragmatic movements and women use more
intercostal movement.
Exercise- increases RR during exertion, decreases it at rest.
Pathological conditions- will effect the rate, depth and movements of respiration.
Alterations in fluid, electrolyte and acid balances such as acidosis and hyperventilation
affect the PH balance that how the body's regulatory systems attempts to compensate
through the respiratory center.
Medications (narcotics) and trauma such as head injury can slow the RR down.
Infection will speed up body metabolism causing fever and increase the RR.
Pain and anxiety activate the sympathetic nervous system that increases the RR.
✔✔Korotkoff sounds - which ones to record for bp reading - ✔✔First K sound is systole
No more K sounds mean diastole
✔✔Pulse Pressure -definition, significance - ✔✔The pulse pressure is the difference
between the systolic and diastolic pressures and reflects the stroke volume
Represents the force that the heart generates each time it contracts
✔✔BP: Effects of big BP cuff, little cuff - ✔✔Little Cuff- false high BP reading
Big Cuff- false low BP reading
✔✔Importance of palpating arterial pulse before taking BP - ✔✔Need to ensure that the
cuff is correctly placed in order to completely occlude artery. Failure to place correctly
can lead to incorrect auscultation.
✔✔Factors affecting bp - ✔✔Age: increases with age
Sex: After puberty, females have lower BP; after menopause females have higher BP
Race: African-American adult's BP higher than white person of same age; hypertension
twice as high in African-Americans than Caucasian-Americans (genetics)
Diurnal rhythm: daily cycle of peaks/troughs
Weight: BP higher with higher weights
Exercise: Increased activity yields increase in BP, lower at rest
,Emotions: BP increases with fear, anger, pain
Stress: BP elevated with continual stress
Sodium intake
✔✔Normal values of T-P-R-BP - ✔✔T: 98.6°F or 37°C
P: 60-100 bpm
R: 12-20
BP: 120/80
✔✔Pain as a subjective symptom - ✔✔Pain= highly complex & subjective experience
coming from the (CNS) central nervous system or peripheral nervous system (PNS), or
both.
Pain is exactly what the pt. says it is (subj. report= most reliable indicator of pain)
✔✔Define types of pain: nociceptive & neuropathic - ✔✔Nociceptive: dull, cramping,
crushing, throbbing
Pain develops when nerve fibers in the PNS and in CNS are functioning and intact;
starts outside of the nervous system from actual or potential tissue damage.
Nociception can be divided into four phases: (1) transduction, (2) transmission, (3)
perception, and (4) modulation
Neuropathic: shooting, stabbing, burning, tingling
An abnormal processing of the pain message from an injury to the nerve fibers. It is this
type of pain that is most difficult to assess and treat. Pain is often perceived long after
the site of injury heals and can start 2 to 3 years after an initial injury.
✔✔Know sources of pain and characteristics (i.e., visceral, cutaneous, deep somatic,
neuropathic, psychogenic, radiating) - ✔✔Visceral: originates from larger internal
organs (kidneys, stomach, pancreas). Pain can stem from direct injury to organs
resulting from tumor, ischemia, distention (reason why often presents w/ vomiting,
nausea, pallor...)
Cutaneous: derived from skin surface and subcutaneous tissues; injury is superficial,
with a sharp, burning sensation (abrasion, laceration)
Deep Somatic: comes from sources such as blood vessels, joints, tendons, muscles,
and bone; may result from pressure, trauma, or ischemia (sprain, fracture)
Neuropathic: Conditions that may cause neuropathy include diabetes mellitus, herpes
zoster (shingles), HIV/AIDS, sciatica, trigeminal neuralgia, phantom limb pain, and
chemotherapy
, Psychogenic: linked to strong emotion or a mental disorder, can influence a person's
physical pain report (grief, heartache)
Radiating:
✔✔Pain as it relates to Cultures and Older Adults - ✔✔Cultures: physiology of pain is
universal, perception of pain varies by culture
Genetic differences may account for differences in pain perception
Older Adults: often deny having pains for fear of dependency. Pain is not a normal
process of aging
✔✔Compare physical, psychological signs and symptoms of chronic and acute pain -
✔✔Chronic: pain continues 6+ months, doesn't stop after healing injury, can be
malignant or non-malignant, behaviors= bracing, rubbing, sighing, diminished activity,
loss of appetite
Acute: short term, self limiting, dissipates after injury heals, acute pain is meant to warn
people of actual/potential tissue damage; behaviors= grimacing, moaning, agitation,
restlessness, diaphoresis, vitals signs change
✔✔Describe the components of the Health History. - ✔✔Biographic data- name, age,
DOB, address, phone #, birthplace, race, marital status, ethnic origin, occupation
Reason for seeking care- symptom (subjective) vs signs (objective)
Present health or history of present illness- chronologic record of reason seeking care,
from 1st symptom to now
Past history- childhood illness, accidents/injuries, hospitalizations, surgeries, obstetric
history (pregnancies), immunizations, allergies
Family history- genes & susceptibility (risk factors) associated w/ those genes
Review of systems- male/female genitals, sexual health, musculoskeletal system,
hematologic/neurologic/endocrine systems
Functional assessment or activities of daily living (ADLs)- person's self-care ability
(bathing, toileting, dressing, eating, walking)
✔✔Components of a symptom analysis, PQRSTU, vs OLD CAART vs COLDSPA -
✔✔Pain Scale: PQRSTU— Provocative/Palliative, Quality/Quantity, Region/Radiation,
Severity scale, Timing, Understand patient's perception
OLD CAART- Onset, Location, Duration, Character, Associated symptoms, aggravating
symptoms, relieving, treatment
COLDSPA- Character, Onset, Location, Duration, Severity, Pattern, Associated factors,
Affects patient
AND SOLUTIONS SCORED A+
✔✔Factors affecting respiration - ✔✔Respiration controlled by Medulla & Pons
Age -respiratory rate decreases with age starting
with newborns who have a RR of 30 - 60/min.
Gender - men tend to have more diaphragmatic movements and women use more
intercostal movement.
Exercise- increases RR during exertion, decreases it at rest.
Pathological conditions- will effect the rate, depth and movements of respiration.
Alterations in fluid, electrolyte and acid balances such as acidosis and hyperventilation
affect the PH balance that how the body's regulatory systems attempts to compensate
through the respiratory center.
Medications (narcotics) and trauma such as head injury can slow the RR down.
Infection will speed up body metabolism causing fever and increase the RR.
Pain and anxiety activate the sympathetic nervous system that increases the RR.
✔✔Korotkoff sounds - which ones to record for bp reading - ✔✔First K sound is systole
No more K sounds mean diastole
✔✔Pulse Pressure -definition, significance - ✔✔The pulse pressure is the difference
between the systolic and diastolic pressures and reflects the stroke volume
Represents the force that the heart generates each time it contracts
✔✔BP: Effects of big BP cuff, little cuff - ✔✔Little Cuff- false high BP reading
Big Cuff- false low BP reading
✔✔Importance of palpating arterial pulse before taking BP - ✔✔Need to ensure that the
cuff is correctly placed in order to completely occlude artery. Failure to place correctly
can lead to incorrect auscultation.
✔✔Factors affecting bp - ✔✔Age: increases with age
Sex: After puberty, females have lower BP; after menopause females have higher BP
Race: African-American adult's BP higher than white person of same age; hypertension
twice as high in African-Americans than Caucasian-Americans (genetics)
Diurnal rhythm: daily cycle of peaks/troughs
Weight: BP higher with higher weights
Exercise: Increased activity yields increase in BP, lower at rest
,Emotions: BP increases with fear, anger, pain
Stress: BP elevated with continual stress
Sodium intake
✔✔Normal values of T-P-R-BP - ✔✔T: 98.6°F or 37°C
P: 60-100 bpm
R: 12-20
BP: 120/80
✔✔Pain as a subjective symptom - ✔✔Pain= highly complex & subjective experience
coming from the (CNS) central nervous system or peripheral nervous system (PNS), or
both.
Pain is exactly what the pt. says it is (subj. report= most reliable indicator of pain)
✔✔Define types of pain: nociceptive & neuropathic - ✔✔Nociceptive: dull, cramping,
crushing, throbbing
Pain develops when nerve fibers in the PNS and in CNS are functioning and intact;
starts outside of the nervous system from actual or potential tissue damage.
Nociception can be divided into four phases: (1) transduction, (2) transmission, (3)
perception, and (4) modulation
Neuropathic: shooting, stabbing, burning, tingling
An abnormal processing of the pain message from an injury to the nerve fibers. It is this
type of pain that is most difficult to assess and treat. Pain is often perceived long after
the site of injury heals and can start 2 to 3 years after an initial injury.
✔✔Know sources of pain and characteristics (i.e., visceral, cutaneous, deep somatic,
neuropathic, psychogenic, radiating) - ✔✔Visceral: originates from larger internal
organs (kidneys, stomach, pancreas). Pain can stem from direct injury to organs
resulting from tumor, ischemia, distention (reason why often presents w/ vomiting,
nausea, pallor...)
Cutaneous: derived from skin surface and subcutaneous tissues; injury is superficial,
with a sharp, burning sensation (abrasion, laceration)
Deep Somatic: comes from sources such as blood vessels, joints, tendons, muscles,
and bone; may result from pressure, trauma, or ischemia (sprain, fracture)
Neuropathic: Conditions that may cause neuropathy include diabetes mellitus, herpes
zoster (shingles), HIV/AIDS, sciatica, trigeminal neuralgia, phantom limb pain, and
chemotherapy
, Psychogenic: linked to strong emotion or a mental disorder, can influence a person's
physical pain report (grief, heartache)
Radiating:
✔✔Pain as it relates to Cultures and Older Adults - ✔✔Cultures: physiology of pain is
universal, perception of pain varies by culture
Genetic differences may account for differences in pain perception
Older Adults: often deny having pains for fear of dependency. Pain is not a normal
process of aging
✔✔Compare physical, psychological signs and symptoms of chronic and acute pain -
✔✔Chronic: pain continues 6+ months, doesn't stop after healing injury, can be
malignant or non-malignant, behaviors= bracing, rubbing, sighing, diminished activity,
loss of appetite
Acute: short term, self limiting, dissipates after injury heals, acute pain is meant to warn
people of actual/potential tissue damage; behaviors= grimacing, moaning, agitation,
restlessness, diaphoresis, vitals signs change
✔✔Describe the components of the Health History. - ✔✔Biographic data- name, age,
DOB, address, phone #, birthplace, race, marital status, ethnic origin, occupation
Reason for seeking care- symptom (subjective) vs signs (objective)
Present health or history of present illness- chronologic record of reason seeking care,
from 1st symptom to now
Past history- childhood illness, accidents/injuries, hospitalizations, surgeries, obstetric
history (pregnancies), immunizations, allergies
Family history- genes & susceptibility (risk factors) associated w/ those genes
Review of systems- male/female genitals, sexual health, musculoskeletal system,
hematologic/neurologic/endocrine systems
Functional assessment or activities of daily living (ADLs)- person's self-care ability
(bathing, toileting, dressing, eating, walking)
✔✔Components of a symptom analysis, PQRSTU, vs OLD CAART vs COLDSPA -
✔✔Pain Scale: PQRSTU— Provocative/Palliative, Quality/Quantity, Region/Radiation,
Severity scale, Timing, Understand patient's perception
OLD CAART- Onset, Location, Duration, Character, Associated symptoms, aggravating
symptoms, relieving, treatment
COLDSPA- Character, Onset, Location, Duration, Severity, Pattern, Associated factors,
Affects patient
