Pediatric Nursing Exam 6 Practice 2026 |Questions |Answers
|Rationales
1. A nurse is caring for a child with Tetralogy of Fallot who suddenly becomes
cyanotic and dyspneic. Which action should the nurse take first?
A. Administer 100% oxygen by mask
B. Call for a rapid response team
C. Prepare for immediate administration of morphine
D. Place the child in the knee-chest position
E. Start an IV line
Answer: D
Rationale: The knee-chest position increases systemic vascular resistance, which helps to
reduce the right-to-left shunt and improves oxygenation during a hypercyanotic spell.
2. Which clinical manifestation is a classic sign of pyloric stenosis in an infant?
A. Currant jelly-like stools
B. Ribbon-like stools
C. Abdominal distension
D. Projectile vomiting
Answer: D
Rationale: Projectile vomiting is the hallmark sign of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis,
typically occurring shortly after feeding.
,3. A child is admitted with suspected epiglottitis. Which nursing intervention is
contraindicated?
A. Setting up emergency intubation equipment
B. Monitoring oxygen saturation
C. Keeping the child in an upright position
D. Visualizing the throat with a tongue depressor
Answer: D
Rationale: Examining the throat with a tongue depressor can trigger laryngospasm and
cause complete airway obstruction in a child with epiglottitis.
4. What is the priority nursing diagnosis for an infant with a newly diagnosed
myelomeningocele?
A. Risk for delayed development
B. Impaired physical mobility related to lower extremity paralysis
C. Risk for infection related to the exposed sac
D. Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements
Answer: C
Rationale: Preventing infection is the priority because the sac is fragile and exposure to
stool or moisture can lead to meningitis.
5. When teaching parents of a child with Cystic Fibrosis about nutrition, the
nurse should emphasize the need for:
A. A low-fat, low-calorie diet
B. Pancreatic enzyme replacement with every meal and snack
C. Restricting salt intake during summer
D. Limiting protein intake
Answer: B
Rationale: Pancreatic enzymes are required for the digestion and absorption of fats and
proteins in patients with CF due to pancreatic insufficiency.
, 6. A child with Nephrotic Syndrome is receiving prednisone. Which finding
indicates the medication is effective?
A. Increased blood pressure
B. Decreased protein in the urine
C. Weight gain
D. Increased abdominal girth
Answer: B
Rationale: The therapeutic effect of corticosteroids in nephrotic syndrome is indicated by
the resolution of proteinuria and subsequent diuresis.
7. Which assessment finding is characteristic of Hirschsprung’s disease in a
neonate?
A. Frequent watery diarrhea
B. Failure to pass meconium within 24 to 48 hours
C. Vomiting following every feeding
D. A palpable olive-shaped mass in the abdomen
Answer: B
Rationale: The failure to pass meconium is often the first sign of Hirschsprung’s disease,
caused by the absence of ganglion cells in the distal colon.
8. What is the primary goal of nursing care for a child with Kawasaki disease in
the acute phase?
A. Encouraging range-of-motion exercises
B. Maintaining skin integrity
C. Monitoring for signs of heart failure
D. Providing a low-sodium diet
Answer: C
Rationale: The most serious complication of Kawasaki disease is coronary artery
aneurysm and subsequent heart failure; therefore, cardiac monitoring is the priority.
|Rationales
1. A nurse is caring for a child with Tetralogy of Fallot who suddenly becomes
cyanotic and dyspneic. Which action should the nurse take first?
A. Administer 100% oxygen by mask
B. Call for a rapid response team
C. Prepare for immediate administration of morphine
D. Place the child in the knee-chest position
E. Start an IV line
Answer: D
Rationale: The knee-chest position increases systemic vascular resistance, which helps to
reduce the right-to-left shunt and improves oxygenation during a hypercyanotic spell.
2. Which clinical manifestation is a classic sign of pyloric stenosis in an infant?
A. Currant jelly-like stools
B. Ribbon-like stools
C. Abdominal distension
D. Projectile vomiting
Answer: D
Rationale: Projectile vomiting is the hallmark sign of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis,
typically occurring shortly after feeding.
,3. A child is admitted with suspected epiglottitis. Which nursing intervention is
contraindicated?
A. Setting up emergency intubation equipment
B. Monitoring oxygen saturation
C. Keeping the child in an upright position
D. Visualizing the throat with a tongue depressor
Answer: D
Rationale: Examining the throat with a tongue depressor can trigger laryngospasm and
cause complete airway obstruction in a child with epiglottitis.
4. What is the priority nursing diagnosis for an infant with a newly diagnosed
myelomeningocele?
A. Risk for delayed development
B. Impaired physical mobility related to lower extremity paralysis
C. Risk for infection related to the exposed sac
D. Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements
Answer: C
Rationale: Preventing infection is the priority because the sac is fragile and exposure to
stool or moisture can lead to meningitis.
5. When teaching parents of a child with Cystic Fibrosis about nutrition, the
nurse should emphasize the need for:
A. A low-fat, low-calorie diet
B. Pancreatic enzyme replacement with every meal and snack
C. Restricting salt intake during summer
D. Limiting protein intake
Answer: B
Rationale: Pancreatic enzymes are required for the digestion and absorption of fats and
proteins in patients with CF due to pancreatic insufficiency.
, 6. A child with Nephrotic Syndrome is receiving prednisone. Which finding
indicates the medication is effective?
A. Increased blood pressure
B. Decreased protein in the urine
C. Weight gain
D. Increased abdominal girth
Answer: B
Rationale: The therapeutic effect of corticosteroids in nephrotic syndrome is indicated by
the resolution of proteinuria and subsequent diuresis.
7. Which assessment finding is characteristic of Hirschsprung’s disease in a
neonate?
A. Frequent watery diarrhea
B. Failure to pass meconium within 24 to 48 hours
C. Vomiting following every feeding
D. A palpable olive-shaped mass in the abdomen
Answer: B
Rationale: The failure to pass meconium is often the first sign of Hirschsprung’s disease,
caused by the absence of ganglion cells in the distal colon.
8. What is the primary goal of nursing care for a child with Kawasaki disease in
the acute phase?
A. Encouraging range-of-motion exercises
B. Maintaining skin integrity
C. Monitoring for signs of heart failure
D. Providing a low-sodium diet
Answer: C
Rationale: The most serious complication of Kawasaki disease is coronary artery
aneurysm and subsequent heart failure; therefore, cardiac monitoring is the priority.
