NCLEX-RN Practice Questions For 2026/2027 exam questions and answers with
complete solutions verified latest update with verified Rationale
A nurse forgets to administer a Answer: 2
client's diuretic and the
Rationale: Negligence is the unintentional
client experiences an episode failure of an individual to perform or not
of pulmonary edema. The perform an act that a reasonable person
charge nurse would consider would or would not do in the same or similar
the medication error to circumstances. A purposeful failure to
constitute negligence perform a procedure would be the opposite of
because the situation negligence, which is unintentional.
contains which element? Substituting a different
medication does not fit the description of the
1. Purposeful failure to perform a situation in the question. Failure to follow a
health care procedure direct order does not fit the description in the
2. Unintentional failure to situation in the question. Cognitive Level:
perform a health care Applying
procedure Client Need: Management of Care
3. Act of substituting a different Integrated Process: Nursing
medication for the one Process: Assessment Content
ordered Area: Fundamentals
4. Failure to follow a direct order Strategy: Two options are opposites, which is a
by a physician clue that one of them may be
correct. Choose unintentional failure to carry
out a procedure over purposeful failure
because it matches the definition of
negligence.
,A client asks why a diagnostic Answer: 4
test has been ordered and the
Rationale: Fidelity means being faithful to
nurse replies, "I'm unsure but
agreements and promises. This nurse is
will find out for you."
acting on the client's behalf to obtain
When the nurse later returns
needed information and report it back to
and provides an
the client. Nonmaleficence is the duty to do
explanation, the nurse is acting no harm. Veracity refers to telling the truth
under which principle? for example, not lying to a client about a
serious prognosis. Beneficence means
1. Nonmaleficence doing good, such as by implementing actions
2. Veracity (e.g. keeping a salt shaker
out of sight) that benefit a client (heart
3. Beneficence
condition requiring sodium-restricted diet).
4. Fidelity
Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing
Process: Implementation Content
Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The
correct answer is the one that
matches the description in the stem; that is, the
nurse made a promise to a client and kept it,
which constitutes fidelity.
,An individual has a seizure while Answer: 1
walking down the street.
Rationale: To be guilty of negligence, the
During the seizure, a nurse nurse must have a relationship with the client
from a physician's office is that involves a duty to provide care. The
noticed driving past without relationship is usually a component of
stopping to assist. The employment. The nurse did not necessarily
individual sues the nurse for do what others would do in this
negligence but fails to win a situation. Although the nurse did not cause the
judgement for which reason? client's injuries, it does not prevent the nurse
from assisting in this situation. Although the
1. The nurse had no duty to the nurse was off-duty, the
individual. nurse could have assisted if
2. The nurse did what most motivated to do so. Cognitive
nurses would do in the same Level: Understanding
circumstance. Client Need: Management of Care
3. The nurse did not cause the Integrated Process: Nursing
client's injuries. Process: Implementation
4. The nurse was off-duty at the Content Area: Fundamentals
time. Strategy: Use the process of elimination
and nursing knowledge. The correct
answer is the one that recognizes that the
nurse was not in the role of employee at the
time of the incident, removing the
requirement of acting on the client's
behalf.
An adult female ambulatory anticoagulant is given aspirin for a headache
care client receiving an oral while
, visiting a neighbor, who is a Answer: 2, 5
nurse. The client
Rationale: There was no nurse-client
subsequently has a bleeding relationship because the nurse was acting as a
episode because of a drug neighbor and not in an employment capacity.
interaction. The legal nurse Thus, there can be no duty owed. Intent is not
consultant interprets that a necessary element of malpractice, because
which necessary elements of malpractice can occur because of
malpractice are missing unintended actions as well. There was no
from this case? Select all that breach of duty because
apply. there was no official nurse-client relationship,
which accompanies an employment situation.
1. Breech of duty There was injury experiences because of this
2. Duty owed event. The bleeding was
caused by the interaction of the aspirin
3. Injury experienced
with the anticoagulant. Cognitive
4. Causation between nurse's
Level: Analyzing
action and injury
Client Need: Management of Care
5. Intent to cause harm or injury
Integrated Process: Nursing
Process: Evaluation Content
Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The
wording of the question indicates
more than one option is correct, and the focus
is on necessary elements that must be present.
First eliminate the intent to cause harm or
injury, since this is not
necessary to a charge of malpractice. Next
note that there is no duty owed, and because
of this, there can be no breach of duty, to
choose these two options as the necessary
complete solutions verified latest update with verified Rationale
A nurse forgets to administer a Answer: 2
client's diuretic and the
Rationale: Negligence is the unintentional
client experiences an episode failure of an individual to perform or not
of pulmonary edema. The perform an act that a reasonable person
charge nurse would consider would or would not do in the same or similar
the medication error to circumstances. A purposeful failure to
constitute negligence perform a procedure would be the opposite of
because the situation negligence, which is unintentional.
contains which element? Substituting a different
medication does not fit the description of the
1. Purposeful failure to perform a situation in the question. Failure to follow a
health care procedure direct order does not fit the description in the
2. Unintentional failure to situation in the question. Cognitive Level:
perform a health care Applying
procedure Client Need: Management of Care
3. Act of substituting a different Integrated Process: Nursing
medication for the one Process: Assessment Content
ordered Area: Fundamentals
4. Failure to follow a direct order Strategy: Two options are opposites, which is a
by a physician clue that one of them may be
correct. Choose unintentional failure to carry
out a procedure over purposeful failure
because it matches the definition of
negligence.
,A client asks why a diagnostic Answer: 4
test has been ordered and the
Rationale: Fidelity means being faithful to
nurse replies, "I'm unsure but
agreements and promises. This nurse is
will find out for you."
acting on the client's behalf to obtain
When the nurse later returns
needed information and report it back to
and provides an
the client. Nonmaleficence is the duty to do
explanation, the nurse is acting no harm. Veracity refers to telling the truth
under which principle? for example, not lying to a client about a
serious prognosis. Beneficence means
1. Nonmaleficence doing good, such as by implementing actions
2. Veracity (e.g. keeping a salt shaker
out of sight) that benefit a client (heart
3. Beneficence
condition requiring sodium-restricted diet).
4. Fidelity
Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing
Process: Implementation Content
Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The
correct answer is the one that
matches the description in the stem; that is, the
nurse made a promise to a client and kept it,
which constitutes fidelity.
,An individual has a seizure while Answer: 1
walking down the street.
Rationale: To be guilty of negligence, the
During the seizure, a nurse nurse must have a relationship with the client
from a physician's office is that involves a duty to provide care. The
noticed driving past without relationship is usually a component of
stopping to assist. The employment. The nurse did not necessarily
individual sues the nurse for do what others would do in this
negligence but fails to win a situation. Although the nurse did not cause the
judgement for which reason? client's injuries, it does not prevent the nurse
from assisting in this situation. Although the
1. The nurse had no duty to the nurse was off-duty, the
individual. nurse could have assisted if
2. The nurse did what most motivated to do so. Cognitive
nurses would do in the same Level: Understanding
circumstance. Client Need: Management of Care
3. The nurse did not cause the Integrated Process: Nursing
client's injuries. Process: Implementation
4. The nurse was off-duty at the Content Area: Fundamentals
time. Strategy: Use the process of elimination
and nursing knowledge. The correct
answer is the one that recognizes that the
nurse was not in the role of employee at the
time of the incident, removing the
requirement of acting on the client's
behalf.
An adult female ambulatory anticoagulant is given aspirin for a headache
care client receiving an oral while
, visiting a neighbor, who is a Answer: 2, 5
nurse. The client
Rationale: There was no nurse-client
subsequently has a bleeding relationship because the nurse was acting as a
episode because of a drug neighbor and not in an employment capacity.
interaction. The legal nurse Thus, there can be no duty owed. Intent is not
consultant interprets that a necessary element of malpractice, because
which necessary elements of malpractice can occur because of
malpractice are missing unintended actions as well. There was no
from this case? Select all that breach of duty because
apply. there was no official nurse-client relationship,
which accompanies an employment situation.
1. Breech of duty There was injury experiences because of this
2. Duty owed event. The bleeding was
caused by the interaction of the aspirin
3. Injury experienced
with the anticoagulant. Cognitive
4. Causation between nurse's
Level: Analyzing
action and injury
Client Need: Management of Care
5. Intent to cause harm or injury
Integrated Process: Nursing
Process: Evaluation Content
Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The
wording of the question indicates
more than one option is correct, and the focus
is on necessary elements that must be present.
First eliminate the intent to cause harm or
injury, since this is not
necessary to a charge of malpractice. Next
note that there is no duty owed, and because
of this, there can be no breach of duty, to
choose these two options as the necessary
