HESI PEDS Exam Questions and Answers |
2026 Simplified Cheat Sheet | A+ Verified
• 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. -✓✓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. -✓✓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. -✓✓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 -✓✓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?
A.Place a mask on the child before transporting the child outside the room.
, B.Immunize exposed family members with the varicella vaccine.
C.Place the child in strict isolation to prevent an outbreak on the unit.
D.Determine which staff have had varicella before making assignments. -
✓✓ANS: C
The period of communicability of varicella is 2 days before the rash appears until
all lesions are crusted; varicella is spread by direct or indirect contact of saliva or
vesicles. Strict isolation (C) is indicated to prevent further exposure to staff and
others. Staff who have had varicella or the vaccine are not susceptible to
contracting or spreading the virus and should be the only personnel assigned to
care for this client (D). (A) is not sufficient to prevent exposure to others. (B) must
be done prior to exposure.
• When inserting a nasogastric tube into the stomach of a 3-month-old infant,
which nursing intervention is most important to implement?
A.Use a blanket as a mummy restraint.
B.Monitor the infant's heart rate.
C.Lubricate the catheter with saline.
D.Explain the procedure to the parents. -✓✓ANS: B
When inserting a nasogastric tube into the stomach of a 3-month-old infant, which
nursing intervention is most important to implement?Rationale:
2026 Simplified Cheat Sheet | A+ Verified
• 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. -✓✓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. -✓✓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. -✓✓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 -✓✓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?
A.Place a mask on the child before transporting the child outside the room.
, B.Immunize exposed family members with the varicella vaccine.
C.Place the child in strict isolation to prevent an outbreak on the unit.
D.Determine which staff have had varicella before making assignments. -
✓✓ANS: C
The period of communicability of varicella is 2 days before the rash appears until
all lesions are crusted; varicella is spread by direct or indirect contact of saliva or
vesicles. Strict isolation (C) is indicated to prevent further exposure to staff and
others. Staff who have had varicella or the vaccine are not susceptible to
contracting or spreading the virus and should be the only personnel assigned to
care for this client (D). (A) is not sufficient to prevent exposure to others. (B) must
be done prior to exposure.
• When inserting a nasogastric tube into the stomach of a 3-month-old infant,
which nursing intervention is most important to implement?
A.Use a blanket as a mummy restraint.
B.Monitor the infant's heart rate.
C.Lubricate the catheter with saline.
D.Explain the procedure to the parents. -✓✓ANS: B
When inserting a nasogastric tube into the stomach of a 3-month-old infant, which
nursing intervention is most important to implement?Rationale:
