HESI Pediatric Practice Exam Questions
and Answers | 2026 Updated Practice
Questions | Grade A+
• An infant is born with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) and surgery is planned to
correct the defect. The nurse recognizes that surgical correction is designed to
achieve which outcome? -✓✓Prevent the return of oxygenated blood to the lungs.
• An 18-month-old is admitted to the hospital with possible Hirschsprung's disease.
When obtaining a nursing history, the nurse asks about bowel habits. What
description of the disease? -✓✓Ribbon-like and brown.
• A burned child is brought to the emergency room. In estimating the percentage of
the body burned, the nurse uses a modified "Rule of Nines." Which part of a child's
body is calculated as a larger percentage of total body surface than an adult's? -
✓✓Head and neck.
• The nurse is preparing a health teaching program for parents of toddlers and
preschoolers and plans to include information about prevention of accidental
poisonings. It is most important for the nurse to include which instruction? -
✓✓Store all toxic agents and medicines in locked cabinets.
• A child falls on the playground and is brought to the school nurse with a small
laceration on the forearm. Which action should the nurse implement first? -
✓✓Wash the wound gently with mild soap and water.
• A 4-year-old girl continues to interrupt her mother during a routine clinic visit.
The mother appears irritated with the child and asks the nurse, "Is this normal
behavior for a child this age?" The nurse's response should be based on which
, information? -✓✓Children need to retain a sense of initiative without impinging
on the rights and privileges of others.
• The nurse is assessing the neurovascular status of a child in Russell's traction.
Which finding should the nurse report to the healthcare provider? -✓✓Pale bluish
coloration of the toes
• The nurse reviews the latest laboratory results for a child who received
chemotherapy last week and identifies a reduced neutrophil count. Which nursing
diagnosis has the highest priority for this child? -✓✓Risk for infection
• A 3-month-old infant develops oral thrush. Which pharmacologic agent should
the nurse plan to administer for treatment of this disorder? -✓✓Nystatin
(Mycostatin).
• A nurse who is working in the Poison Control Center receives several telephone
calls from parents whose children have ingested possible poisons. The nurse
should recommend inducing vomiting for which child? -✓✓16-month old who
drank 2 ounces of acetaminophen (Tylenol) elixir.
• The mother of a preschool-aged child asks the nurse if it is all right to administer
Pepto Bismol to her son when he "has a tummy ache." After reminding the mother
to check the label of all over-the-counter drugs for the presence of aspirin, which
instruction should the nurse include when replying to this mother's question? -
✓✓Do not give if the child has chickenpox, the flu, or any other viral illness.
• A child is rescued from a burning house and brought to the emergency room with
partial-thickness burns on the face and chest. Which action should the nurse
implemented first? -✓✓Assess the child's respiratory status
and Answers | 2026 Updated Practice
Questions | Grade A+
• An infant is born with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) and surgery is planned to
correct the defect. The nurse recognizes that surgical correction is designed to
achieve which outcome? -✓✓Prevent the return of oxygenated blood to the lungs.
• An 18-month-old is admitted to the hospital with possible Hirschsprung's disease.
When obtaining a nursing history, the nurse asks about bowel habits. What
description of the disease? -✓✓Ribbon-like and brown.
• A burned child is brought to the emergency room. In estimating the percentage of
the body burned, the nurse uses a modified "Rule of Nines." Which part of a child's
body is calculated as a larger percentage of total body surface than an adult's? -
✓✓Head and neck.
• The nurse is preparing a health teaching program for parents of toddlers and
preschoolers and plans to include information about prevention of accidental
poisonings. It is most important for the nurse to include which instruction? -
✓✓Store all toxic agents and medicines in locked cabinets.
• A child falls on the playground and is brought to the school nurse with a small
laceration on the forearm. Which action should the nurse implement first? -
✓✓Wash the wound gently with mild soap and water.
• A 4-year-old girl continues to interrupt her mother during a routine clinic visit.
The mother appears irritated with the child and asks the nurse, "Is this normal
behavior for a child this age?" The nurse's response should be based on which
, information? -✓✓Children need to retain a sense of initiative without impinging
on the rights and privileges of others.
• The nurse is assessing the neurovascular status of a child in Russell's traction.
Which finding should the nurse report to the healthcare provider? -✓✓Pale bluish
coloration of the toes
• The nurse reviews the latest laboratory results for a child who received
chemotherapy last week and identifies a reduced neutrophil count. Which nursing
diagnosis has the highest priority for this child? -✓✓Risk for infection
• A 3-month-old infant develops oral thrush. Which pharmacologic agent should
the nurse plan to administer for treatment of this disorder? -✓✓Nystatin
(Mycostatin).
• A nurse who is working in the Poison Control Center receives several telephone
calls from parents whose children have ingested possible poisons. The nurse
should recommend inducing vomiting for which child? -✓✓16-month old who
drank 2 ounces of acetaminophen (Tylenol) elixir.
• The mother of a preschool-aged child asks the nurse if it is all right to administer
Pepto Bismol to her son when he "has a tummy ache." After reminding the mother
to check the label of all over-the-counter drugs for the presence of aspirin, which
instruction should the nurse include when replying to this mother's question? -
✓✓Do not give if the child has chickenpox, the flu, or any other viral illness.
• A child is rescued from a burning house and brought to the emergency room with
partial-thickness burns on the face and chest. Which action should the nurse
implemented first? -✓✓Assess the child's respiratory status
