NR224 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+ 2026
While assessing a patient, the nurse observes the patient's IV line is not infusing at the ordered
rate. The nurse assesses the patient for pain at the IV site, checks the flow regulator on the
tubing, looks to see if the patient is lying on the tubing, checks the point of connection between
the tubing and the IV catheter, and then checks the condition of the site where the IV catheter
enters the patient's skin. After the nurse readjusts the flow rate, the infusion begins at the
correct rate. This is an example of:
A. inference
B. Diagnostic reasoning
C. Competency
D. Problem solving - ANS D. Problem Solving
The nurse sits down to talk with a patient who lost her sister 2 weeks ago. The patient reports
she is unable to sleep, feels very fatigued during the day, and is having trouble at work. The
nurse asks her to clarify the type of trouble. The patient explains she can't concentrate or even
solve simple problems. The nurse records the results of the assessment, describing the patient
as having ineffective coping. This is an example of :
A. diagnostic reasoning
B. Competency
C. Inference
D. Problem Solving - ANS A. Diagnostic reasoning
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 1
,A patient on a surgical unit develops sudden shortness of breath and a drop in BP. The staff
respond, but the patient dies 30 minutes later. the manager on the nursing unit calls the staff
involved in the emergency response together, The staff discusses what occurred over the 30
minute time frame, the actions taken, and whether other steps should have been implemented.
The nurses in this situation are:
A. problem solving
B. showing humility
C. conducting reflective practice
D. Exercising responsibility - ANS C. Conducting reflective practice
A nurse has worked on an oncology unit for 3 years. One patient has become visibly weaker and
states, "I feel funny". The nurse knows how patients often have behavior changes before
developing sepsis when they have cancer. The nurse asks the patient questions to assess
thinking skills and notices the patient shivering. The nurse goes to the phone, calls the
physician, and begins the conversation by saying, "I believe that your patient is developing
sepsis. I want to report symptoms I'm seeing." What examples of critical thinking concepts does
the nurse show? (Select all that apply)
A. Experience
B. Ethical
C. Analyticity
D. Self-confidence
E. Risk taking - ANS C. Analyticity
D. Self confidence
A nurse who is working on a surgical unit is caring for four different patients. Patient A will be
discharged home and is in need of instruction about wound care. Patients B and C have
returned from the operating room within an hour of each other, and both require vital signs and
monitoring of their intravenous (IV) lines.
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 2
,Patient D is resting following a visit by physical therapy. Which of the following activities by the
nurse represent(s) use of clinical decision making for groups of patients? (Select all that apply.)
A. consider how to involve patient A in deciding whether to involve the family caregiver in
wound care instruction
B. Think about past experience with patients who develop postoperative complications
C. Decide which activities can be combined for patients B and C
D. Carefully gather any assessment info and identify patient problems - ANS A&C
The surgical unit has initiated the use of a pain-rating scale to assess patients' pain severity
during their postoperative recovery. The registered nurse (RN) looks at the pain flow sheet to
see the pain scores recorded for a patient over the last 24 hours. Use of the pain scale is an
example of which intellectual standard?
A. deep
B. Relevant
C. Consistent
D. Significant - ANS C
During a home health visit the nurse prepares to instruct a patient in how to perform range-of-
motion (ROM) exercises for an injured shoulder. The nurse verifies that the patient took an
analgesic 30 minutes before arrival at the patient's home. After discussing the purpose for the
exercises and demonstrating each one, the nurse has the patient perform them. After two
attempts with only the second of three exercises, the patient stops and says, "This hurts too
much. I don't see why I have to do this so many times." The nurse applies the critical thinking
attitude of integrity in which of the following actions?"
A. "I understand your reluctance, but the exercises are necessary for you to regain function in
your shoulder. Let's go a bit more slowly and try to relax"
B. "I see that you're uncomfortable. I'll call your doctor to decide the next step."
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 3
, C. "Show me exactly where your pain is and rate it for me on a scale - ANS A
The nurse cared for a 14-year-old with renal failure who died near the end of the work shift. The
health care team tried for 45 minutes to resuscitate the child with no success. The family was
devastated by the loss, and, when the nurse tried to talk with them, the mother said, "You can't
make me feel better; you don't know what it's like to lose a child." Which of the following
examples of journal entries might best help the nurse reflect and think about this clinical
experience? (Select all that apply.)
A. Data entry of the time of day, who was present, and the condition or the child
B. Description of the efforts to restore the child's BP, what was used, and questions about the
child's response
C. The meaning the experience had for the nurse with respect to her understanding of dealing
with the patient's death
D. A description of what the nurse said to the mother, the mother's response, and how the
nurse might app - ANS B, C, & D
A nurse has been working on a surgical unit for 3 weeks. A patient requires a Foley catheter to
be inserted, so the nurse reads the procedure manual for the institution to review how to insert
it. The level of critical thinking the nurse is using is:
A. Commitment
B. Scientific method
C. basic critical thinking
D. Complex critical thinking - ANS C
A patient had hip surgery 16 hours ago. During the previous shift the patient had 40 mL of
drainage in the surgical drainage collection device for an 8-hour period. The nurse refers to the
written plan of care, noting that the health care provider is to be notified when drainage in the
device exceeds 100 mL for the day. On entering the room, the nurse looks at the device and
carefully notes the amount of drainage currently in it. This is an example of:
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 4
ANSWERS GRADED A+ 2026
While assessing a patient, the nurse observes the patient's IV line is not infusing at the ordered
rate. The nurse assesses the patient for pain at the IV site, checks the flow regulator on the
tubing, looks to see if the patient is lying on the tubing, checks the point of connection between
the tubing and the IV catheter, and then checks the condition of the site where the IV catheter
enters the patient's skin. After the nurse readjusts the flow rate, the infusion begins at the
correct rate. This is an example of:
A. inference
B. Diagnostic reasoning
C. Competency
D. Problem solving - ANS D. Problem Solving
The nurse sits down to talk with a patient who lost her sister 2 weeks ago. The patient reports
she is unable to sleep, feels very fatigued during the day, and is having trouble at work. The
nurse asks her to clarify the type of trouble. The patient explains she can't concentrate or even
solve simple problems. The nurse records the results of the assessment, describing the patient
as having ineffective coping. This is an example of :
A. diagnostic reasoning
B. Competency
C. Inference
D. Problem Solving - ANS A. Diagnostic reasoning
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 1
,A patient on a surgical unit develops sudden shortness of breath and a drop in BP. The staff
respond, but the patient dies 30 minutes later. the manager on the nursing unit calls the staff
involved in the emergency response together, The staff discusses what occurred over the 30
minute time frame, the actions taken, and whether other steps should have been implemented.
The nurses in this situation are:
A. problem solving
B. showing humility
C. conducting reflective practice
D. Exercising responsibility - ANS C. Conducting reflective practice
A nurse has worked on an oncology unit for 3 years. One patient has become visibly weaker and
states, "I feel funny". The nurse knows how patients often have behavior changes before
developing sepsis when they have cancer. The nurse asks the patient questions to assess
thinking skills and notices the patient shivering. The nurse goes to the phone, calls the
physician, and begins the conversation by saying, "I believe that your patient is developing
sepsis. I want to report symptoms I'm seeing." What examples of critical thinking concepts does
the nurse show? (Select all that apply)
A. Experience
B. Ethical
C. Analyticity
D. Self-confidence
E. Risk taking - ANS C. Analyticity
D. Self confidence
A nurse who is working on a surgical unit is caring for four different patients. Patient A will be
discharged home and is in need of instruction about wound care. Patients B and C have
returned from the operating room within an hour of each other, and both require vital signs and
monitoring of their intravenous (IV) lines.
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 2
,Patient D is resting following a visit by physical therapy. Which of the following activities by the
nurse represent(s) use of clinical decision making for groups of patients? (Select all that apply.)
A. consider how to involve patient A in deciding whether to involve the family caregiver in
wound care instruction
B. Think about past experience with patients who develop postoperative complications
C. Decide which activities can be combined for patients B and C
D. Carefully gather any assessment info and identify patient problems - ANS A&C
The surgical unit has initiated the use of a pain-rating scale to assess patients' pain severity
during their postoperative recovery. The registered nurse (RN) looks at the pain flow sheet to
see the pain scores recorded for a patient over the last 24 hours. Use of the pain scale is an
example of which intellectual standard?
A. deep
B. Relevant
C. Consistent
D. Significant - ANS C
During a home health visit the nurse prepares to instruct a patient in how to perform range-of-
motion (ROM) exercises for an injured shoulder. The nurse verifies that the patient took an
analgesic 30 minutes before arrival at the patient's home. After discussing the purpose for the
exercises and demonstrating each one, the nurse has the patient perform them. After two
attempts with only the second of three exercises, the patient stops and says, "This hurts too
much. I don't see why I have to do this so many times." The nurse applies the critical thinking
attitude of integrity in which of the following actions?"
A. "I understand your reluctance, but the exercises are necessary for you to regain function in
your shoulder. Let's go a bit more slowly and try to relax"
B. "I see that you're uncomfortable. I'll call your doctor to decide the next step."
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 3
, C. "Show me exactly where your pain is and rate it for me on a scale - ANS A
The nurse cared for a 14-year-old with renal failure who died near the end of the work shift. The
health care team tried for 45 minutes to resuscitate the child with no success. The family was
devastated by the loss, and, when the nurse tried to talk with them, the mother said, "You can't
make me feel better; you don't know what it's like to lose a child." Which of the following
examples of journal entries might best help the nurse reflect and think about this clinical
experience? (Select all that apply.)
A. Data entry of the time of day, who was present, and the condition or the child
B. Description of the efforts to restore the child's BP, what was used, and questions about the
child's response
C. The meaning the experience had for the nurse with respect to her understanding of dealing
with the patient's death
D. A description of what the nurse said to the mother, the mother's response, and how the
nurse might app - ANS B, C, & D
A nurse has been working on a surgical unit for 3 weeks. A patient requires a Foley catheter to
be inserted, so the nurse reads the procedure manual for the institution to review how to insert
it. The level of critical thinking the nurse is using is:
A. Commitment
B. Scientific method
C. basic critical thinking
D. Complex critical thinking - ANS C
A patient had hip surgery 16 hours ago. During the previous shift the patient had 40 mL of
drainage in the surgical drainage collection device for an 8-hour period. The nurse refers to the
written plan of care, noting that the health care provider is to be notified when drainage in the
device exceeds 100 mL for the day. On entering the room, the nurse looks at the device and
carefully notes the amount of drainage currently in it. This is an example of:
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 4
