**Community Health Nursing Certification
Practice Exam**
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1. A community health nurse is planning a smoking cessation program for a low-income neighborhood.
Which action should the nurse take first?
A) Develop educational materials about the risks of smoking
B) Conduct a community needs assessment
C) Partner with local pharmacies for nicotine replacement therapy
D) Recruit volunteers for the program
💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: The first step in program planning is a community needs assessment to identify the
target population's specific needs, resources, barriers, and readiness for change. Developing materials,
partnering, and recruiting volunteers come after assessment.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: B) Conduct a community needs assessment
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2. A community health nurse is investigating an outbreak of foodborne illness. Several people reported
eating at the same restaurant. Which type of study is the nurse conducting?
A) Cohort study
B) Case-control study
C) Cross-sectional study
D) Experimental study
,💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: In a case-control study, the nurse identifies cases (those who became ill) and controls
(those who did not) and compares exposure history (restaurant meal). This is the most efficient design
for outbreak investigations.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: B) Case-control study
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3. A nurse is providing tertiary prevention for clients with diabetes. Which intervention is an example of
tertiary prevention?
A) Screening for diabetes in at-risk populations
B) Teaching healthy eating to prevent diabetes
C) Foot care education to prevent amputation in clients with diabetes
D) Administering vaccines to prevent infections
💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: Tertiary prevention aims to reduce complications and disability in clients with
established disease. Foot care education to prevent amputation is tertiary prevention. Screening is
secondary. Healthy eating to prevent disease is primary. Vaccines are primary prevention.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: C) Foot care education to prevent amputation in clients with diabetes
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4. A community health nurse is working with a migrant farmworker population. Which barrier to
healthcare is most common for this population?
A) Lack of health insurance
B) Language barriers
C) Mobility and seasonal work
D) Cultural beliefs about illness
,💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: Migrant farmworkers face mobility as a primary barrier—they move frequently with
seasonal work, disrupting continuity of care. While lack of insurance, language barriers, and cultural
beliefs are also barriers, mobility is unique and most impactful for this population.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: C) Mobility and seasonal work
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5. A nurse is calculating infant mortality rate for a county. In the past year, there were 4,000 live births
and 32 infant deaths (under 1 year of age). What is the infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births?
A) 4 per 1,000
B) 8 per 1,000
C) 12 per 1,000
D) 16 per 1,000
💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: Infant mortality rate = (Number of infant deaths / Number of live births) × 1,000 = (32
/ 4,000) × 1,000 = 0.008 × 1,000 = 8 per 1,000 live births.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: B) 8 per 1,000
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6. A community health nurse is conducting a home visit for an elderly client who lives alone. The nurse
notices multiple expired food items in the refrigerator and the client has lost 10 lbs since the last visit.
Which action should the nurse take first?
A) Arrange for Meals on Wheels delivery
B) Notify adult protective services
C) Assess the client's ability to grocery shop and prepare meals
, D) Discard the expired food
💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: The nurse should first assess the client's functional ability and barriers to obtaining
and preparing food. Meals on Wheels may be appropriate after assessment. Adult protective services
are for suspected abuse/neglect; further assessment is needed first.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: C) Assess the client's ability to grocery shop and prepare meals
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7. A nurse is providing education about lead poisoning prevention to parents of young children in an
older urban neighborhood. Which instruction is most important?
A) "Wash your child's hands frequently"
B) "Feed your child a diet high in iron and calcium"
C) "Use cold water for drinking and cooking"
D) "Repaint peeling paint immediately"
💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: Cold water is less likely to leach lead from pipes than hot water. Parents should use
only cold water for drinking, cooking, and formula preparation. Hand washing, diet, and repainting are
also important but using cold water is a key prevention strategy.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: C) "Use cold water for drinking and cooking"
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8. A community health nurse is working with a homeless shelter. Which intervention addresses the
priority health need for this population?
A) Mental health counseling
B) Substance abuse treatment
Practice Exam**
---
1. A community health nurse is planning a smoking cessation program for a low-income neighborhood.
Which action should the nurse take first?
A) Develop educational materials about the risks of smoking
B) Conduct a community needs assessment
C) Partner with local pharmacies for nicotine replacement therapy
D) Recruit volunteers for the program
💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: The first step in program planning is a community needs assessment to identify the
target population's specific needs, resources, barriers, and readiness for change. Developing materials,
partnering, and recruiting volunteers come after assessment.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: B) Conduct a community needs assessment
---
2. A community health nurse is investigating an outbreak of foodborne illness. Several people reported
eating at the same restaurant. Which type of study is the nurse conducting?
A) Cohort study
B) Case-control study
C) Cross-sectional study
D) Experimental study
,💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: In a case-control study, the nurse identifies cases (those who became ill) and controls
(those who did not) and compares exposure history (restaurant meal). This is the most efficient design
for outbreak investigations.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: B) Case-control study
---
3. A nurse is providing tertiary prevention for clients with diabetes. Which intervention is an example of
tertiary prevention?
A) Screening for diabetes in at-risk populations
B) Teaching healthy eating to prevent diabetes
C) Foot care education to prevent amputation in clients with diabetes
D) Administering vaccines to prevent infections
💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: Tertiary prevention aims to reduce complications and disability in clients with
established disease. Foot care education to prevent amputation is tertiary prevention. Screening is
secondary. Healthy eating to prevent disease is primary. Vaccines are primary prevention.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: C) Foot care education to prevent amputation in clients with diabetes
---
4. A community health nurse is working with a migrant farmworker population. Which barrier to
healthcare is most common for this population?
A) Lack of health insurance
B) Language barriers
C) Mobility and seasonal work
D) Cultural beliefs about illness
,💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: Migrant farmworkers face mobility as a primary barrier—they move frequently with
seasonal work, disrupting continuity of care. While lack of insurance, language barriers, and cultural
beliefs are also barriers, mobility is unique and most impactful for this population.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: C) Mobility and seasonal work
---
5. A nurse is calculating infant mortality rate for a county. In the past year, there were 4,000 live births
and 32 infant deaths (under 1 year of age). What is the infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births?
A) 4 per 1,000
B) 8 per 1,000
C) 12 per 1,000
D) 16 per 1,000
💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: Infant mortality rate = (Number of infant deaths / Number of live births) × 1,000 = (32
/ 4,000) × 1,000 = 0.008 × 1,000 = 8 per 1,000 live births.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: B) 8 per 1,000
---
6. A community health nurse is conducting a home visit for an elderly client who lives alone. The nurse
notices multiple expired food items in the refrigerator and the client has lost 10 lbs since the last visit.
Which action should the nurse take first?
A) Arrange for Meals on Wheels delivery
B) Notify adult protective services
C) Assess the client's ability to grocery shop and prepare meals
, D) Discard the expired food
💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: The nurse should first assess the client's functional ability and barriers to obtaining
and preparing food. Meals on Wheels may be appropriate after assessment. Adult protective services
are for suspected abuse/neglect; further assessment is needed first.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: C) Assess the client's ability to grocery shop and prepare meals
---
7. A nurse is providing education about lead poisoning prevention to parents of young children in an
older urban neighborhood. Which instruction is most important?
A) "Wash your child's hands frequently"
B) "Feed your child a diet high in iron and calcium"
C) "Use cold water for drinking and cooking"
D) "Repaint peeling paint immediately"
💫RATIONALE✔️✔️: Cold water is less likely to leach lead from pipes than hot water. Parents should use
only cold water for drinking, cooking, and formula preparation. Hand washing, diet, and repainting are
also important but using cold water is a key prevention strategy.
💫ANSWER✔️✔️: C) "Use cold water for drinking and cooking"
---
8. A community health nurse is working with a homeless shelter. Which intervention addresses the
priority health need for this population?
A) Mental health counseling
B) Substance abuse treatment
