PEDS HESI COMPREHENSIVE
EXAMINATION TEST COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
STUDY GUIDE
●● The nurse is teaching an adolescent girl with scoliosis about a
Milwaukee brace that her health care provider has prescribed. Which
instruction should the nurse provide to this client?
A.Remove the brace 1 hour each day for bathing only.
B.Remove the brace only for back range-of-motion exercises.
C.Wear the brace against the bare skin to ensure a good fit.
D.Wearing the brace will cure the spinal curvature.
Answer: ANS: A
The Milwaukee brace is designed to slow the progression in spinal
curvature while the adolescent is growing. The brace should be worn 23
hours a day and removed a total of 1 hour a day for hygiene (A). There
are no specific exercises for increasing the range of motion in the back
that should be performed (B). A T shirt should be worn next to the body
,and the brace put on over the T shirt to protect the skin (C). The brace
will not cure the spinal curvature (D) but should slow the progression of
the scoliosis.
●● The nurse should teach the parents of a child with a cyanotic heart
defect to perform which action when a hypercyanotic spell occurs?
A.Place the child's head flat, with the knees on pillows above the level
of the heart.
B.Have the child lie on the right side, with the head elevated on one
pillow.
C.Allow the child to assume a knee-chest position, with the head and
chest slightly elevated.
D.Encourage the child to sit up at a 45-degree angle, drink cold water,
and take deep breaths.
Answer: ANS: C
Assuming a knee-chest position with the head and chest slightly elevated
(C) will help restore hemodynamic equilibrium. (A and B) are incorrect
positions and may hinder the child's condition. (D) may cause chest pain
or a vasovagal response, with resulting hypotension.
,●● During routine screening at a school clinic, an otoscope examination
of a child's ear reveals a tympanic membrane that is pearly gray, slightly
bulging, and not movable. Based on these findings, what action should
the nurse take?
A.No action is required, because this is an expected finding for a school-
aged child.
B.Ask if the child has had a cold, runny nose, or any ear pain lately.
C.Send a note home advising parents to have the child evaluated by a
health care provider.
D.Call the parents and have them take the child home from school for
the rest of the day.
Answer: ANS: B
More information is needed to interpret these findings (B). The tympanic
membrane is normally pearly gray, not bulging, and moves when a client
blows against resistance or when a small puff of air is blown into the ear
canal. Because these findings are not completely normal, further
assessment of history and related signs and symptoms are needed to
interpret the findings accurately. Based on the data obtained from the
otoscope examination, (A, C, and D) are not indicated.
, ●● A newborn female whose mother is HIV-positive is scheduled for the
first follow-up assessment with the nurse. If the child is HIV-positive,
which initial symptom is she most likely to exhibit?
A.Shortness of breath
B.Joint pain
C.Persistent cold
D.Organomegaly
Answer: ANS: C
Respiratory tract infections commonly occur in the pediatric population,
but the child with AIDS has a decreased ability to defend the body
against these common infections. Thus, the most typical presenting
symptom of a child who contracted AIDS through vertical transmission
(i.e., from the mother during delivery) is a persistent cold or respiratory
infection (C). (A, B, and D) are symptoms of AIDS complications that
may occur later as the disease progresses.
●● A child breaks out with varicella infection (chickenpox) while
hospitalized for a minor surgical procedure. Which intervention should
the nurse implement first?
EXAMINATION TEST COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
STUDY GUIDE
●● The nurse is teaching an adolescent girl with scoliosis about a
Milwaukee brace that her health care provider has prescribed. Which
instruction should the nurse provide to this client?
A.Remove the brace 1 hour each day for bathing only.
B.Remove the brace only for back range-of-motion exercises.
C.Wear the brace against the bare skin to ensure a good fit.
D.Wearing the brace will cure the spinal curvature.
Answer: ANS: A
The Milwaukee brace is designed to slow the progression in spinal
curvature while the adolescent is growing. The brace should be worn 23
hours a day and removed a total of 1 hour a day for hygiene (A). There
are no specific exercises for increasing the range of motion in the back
that should be performed (B). A T shirt should be worn next to the body
,and the brace put on over the T shirt to protect the skin (C). The brace
will not cure the spinal curvature (D) but should slow the progression of
the scoliosis.
●● The nurse should teach the parents of a child with a cyanotic heart
defect to perform which action when a hypercyanotic spell occurs?
A.Place the child's head flat, with the knees on pillows above the level
of the heart.
B.Have the child lie on the right side, with the head elevated on one
pillow.
C.Allow the child to assume a knee-chest position, with the head and
chest slightly elevated.
D.Encourage the child to sit up at a 45-degree angle, drink cold water,
and take deep breaths.
Answer: ANS: C
Assuming a knee-chest position with the head and chest slightly elevated
(C) will help restore hemodynamic equilibrium. (A and B) are incorrect
positions and may hinder the child's condition. (D) may cause chest pain
or a vasovagal response, with resulting hypotension.
,●● During routine screening at a school clinic, an otoscope examination
of a child's ear reveals a tympanic membrane that is pearly gray, slightly
bulging, and not movable. Based on these findings, what action should
the nurse take?
A.No action is required, because this is an expected finding for a school-
aged child.
B.Ask if the child has had a cold, runny nose, or any ear pain lately.
C.Send a note home advising parents to have the child evaluated by a
health care provider.
D.Call the parents and have them take the child home from school for
the rest of the day.
Answer: ANS: B
More information is needed to interpret these findings (B). The tympanic
membrane is normally pearly gray, not bulging, and moves when a client
blows against resistance or when a small puff of air is blown into the ear
canal. Because these findings are not completely normal, further
assessment of history and related signs and symptoms are needed to
interpret the findings accurately. Based on the data obtained from the
otoscope examination, (A, C, and D) are not indicated.
, ●● A newborn female whose mother is HIV-positive is scheduled for the
first follow-up assessment with the nurse. If the child is HIV-positive,
which initial symptom is she most likely to exhibit?
A.Shortness of breath
B.Joint pain
C.Persistent cold
D.Organomegaly
Answer: ANS: C
Respiratory tract infections commonly occur in the pediatric population,
but the child with AIDS has a decreased ability to defend the body
against these common infections. Thus, the most typical presenting
symptom of a child who contracted AIDS through vertical transmission
(i.e., from the mother during delivery) is a persistent cold or respiratory
infection (C). (A, B, and D) are symptoms of AIDS complications that
may occur later as the disease progresses.
●● A child breaks out with varicella infection (chickenpox) while
hospitalized for a minor surgical procedure. Which intervention should
the nurse implement first?
