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NUR-265 EXAM 3 NEWEST
QUESTIONS COVERING CRITICAL
CARE NURSING EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
A patient is scheduled in the outpatient clinic for blood cortisol
testing.
Which instruction would the nurse provide?
a. "Avoid adding any salt to your foods for 24 hours before the
test."
b. "You will need to lie down for 30 minutes before the blood is
drawn."
c. "Come to the laboratory to have the blood drawn early in
the morning."
d. "Do not have anything to eat or drink before the blood test is
obtained."
- CORRECT ANSWER✔✔ANS: C
Cortisol levels are usually drawn in the morning, when levels
are highest. The other instructions would be given to patients
who were having other endocrine testing.
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A patient admitted with pneumonia has a total serum calcium
level of 13.3 mg/dL. Which serum level would the nurse
anticipate will be tested next? a. Calcitonin
b. Catecholamine
c. Thyroid hormone
d. Parathyroid hormone - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔ANS: D
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is the major controller of blood
calcium levels. Although calcitonin secretion is a counter
mechanism to PTH, it does not play a major role in calcium
balance. Catecholamine and thyroid hormone levels do not
affect serum calcium level.
During the physical examination, the nurse cannot feel the
patient's thyroid gland. Which action would the nurse take?
a. Palpate the patient's neck more deeply.
b. Document that the thyroid was nonpalpable.
c. Notify the health care provider immediately.
d. Teach the patient about thyroid hormone testing. -
CORRECT
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ANSWER✔✔ANS: B
The thyroid is usually nonpalpable. The nurse would simply
document the finding. Deep palpation of the neck is not
appropriate; do not press too hard or massage an enlarged
thyroid gland as this can cause a sudden release of thyroid
hormone into an already overloaded system. There is no need
to notify the health care provider immediately about a normal
finding. There is no indication for thyroid-stimulating
hormone (TSH) testing unless there is evidence of thyroid
dysfunction.
Which laboratory value would the nurse review to determine
whether a patient's hypothyroidism is caused by a problem
with the anterior pituitary gland?
a. Thyroxine (T4) level
b. Triiodothyronine (T3) level
c. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level
d. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) level - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔ANS:
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C
A low TSH level indicates that the patient's hypothyroidism is
caused by decreased anterior pituitary secretion of TSH. Low
T3 and T4 levels are not diagnostic of the primary cause of the
hypothyroidism. TRH levels indicate the function of the
hypothalamus.
Which information will a patient's glycosylated hemoglobin
(A1C) result provide to the nurse?
a. Fasting preprandial glucose levels
b. Glucose levels 2 hours after a meal
c. Glucose control over the past 90 days
d. Hypoglycemic episodes in the past 3 months - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔ANS: C
Glycosylated hemoglobin testing measures glucose control over
the last 3 months. Glucose testing before/after a meal or
random testing may reveal impaired glucose tolerance and
indicate prediabetes, but it is not done on patients who already
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NUR-265 EXAM 3 NEWEST
QUESTIONS COVERING CRITICAL
CARE NURSING EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
A patient is scheduled in the outpatient clinic for blood cortisol
testing.
Which instruction would the nurse provide?
a. "Avoid adding any salt to your foods for 24 hours before the
test."
b. "You will need to lie down for 30 minutes before the blood is
drawn."
c. "Come to the laboratory to have the blood drawn early in
the morning."
d. "Do not have anything to eat or drink before the blood test is
obtained."
- CORRECT ANSWER✔✔ANS: C
Cortisol levels are usually drawn in the morning, when levels
are highest. The other instructions would be given to patients
who were having other endocrine testing.
Page 1 of 85
,2 | Page
A patient admitted with pneumonia has a total serum calcium
level of 13.3 mg/dL. Which serum level would the nurse
anticipate will be tested next? a. Calcitonin
b. Catecholamine
c. Thyroid hormone
d. Parathyroid hormone - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔ANS: D
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is the major controller of blood
calcium levels. Although calcitonin secretion is a counter
mechanism to PTH, it does not play a major role in calcium
balance. Catecholamine and thyroid hormone levels do not
affect serum calcium level.
During the physical examination, the nurse cannot feel the
patient's thyroid gland. Which action would the nurse take?
a. Palpate the patient's neck more deeply.
b. Document that the thyroid was nonpalpable.
c. Notify the health care provider immediately.
d. Teach the patient about thyroid hormone testing. -
CORRECT
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ANSWER✔✔ANS: B
The thyroid is usually nonpalpable. The nurse would simply
document the finding. Deep palpation of the neck is not
appropriate; do not press too hard or massage an enlarged
thyroid gland as this can cause a sudden release of thyroid
hormone into an already overloaded system. There is no need
to notify the health care provider immediately about a normal
finding. There is no indication for thyroid-stimulating
hormone (TSH) testing unless there is evidence of thyroid
dysfunction.
Which laboratory value would the nurse review to determine
whether a patient's hypothyroidism is caused by a problem
with the anterior pituitary gland?
a. Thyroxine (T4) level
b. Triiodothyronine (T3) level
c. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level
d. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) level - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔ANS:
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C
A low TSH level indicates that the patient's hypothyroidism is
caused by decreased anterior pituitary secretion of TSH. Low
T3 and T4 levels are not diagnostic of the primary cause of the
hypothyroidism. TRH levels indicate the function of the
hypothalamus.
Which information will a patient's glycosylated hemoglobin
(A1C) result provide to the nurse?
a. Fasting preprandial glucose levels
b. Glucose levels 2 hours after a meal
c. Glucose control over the past 90 days
d. Hypoglycemic episodes in the past 3 months - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔ANS: C
Glycosylated hemoglobin testing measures glucose control over
the last 3 months. Glucose testing before/after a meal or
random testing may reveal impaired glucose tolerance and
indicate prediabetes, but it is not done on patients who already
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