hesi care II practice exam questions and answers 2023

1. A 20-year-old female client calls the nurse to report a lump she found in her breast. Which response is the best for the nurse to provide? A) Check it again in one month, and if it is still there schedule an appointment. B) Most lumps are benign, but it is always best to come in for an examination. C) Try not to worry too much about it, because usually, most lumps are benign. D) If you are in your menstrual period it is not a good time to check for lumps. B) Most lumps are benign, but it is always best to come in for an examination. (B) provides the best response because it addresses the client's anxiety most effectively and encourages prompt and immediate action for a potential problem. (A) postpones treatment if the lump is malignant, and does not relieve the client's anxiety. (C and D) provide false reassurance and do not help relieve anxiety. 2. A 32-year-old female client complains of severe abdominal pain each month before her menstrual period, painful intercourse, and painful defecation. Which additional history should the nurse obtain that is consistent with the client's complaints? A) Frequent urinary tract infections. B) Inability to get pregnant. C) Premenstrual syndrome. D) Chronic use of laxatives. B) Inability to get pregnant. Dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and difficulty or painful defecation are common symptoms of endometriosis, which is the abnormal displacement of endometrial tissue in the dependent areas of the pelvic peritoneum. A history of infertility (B) is another common finding associated with endometriosis. Although (A, C, and D) are common, nonspecific gynecological complaints, the most common complaints of the client with endometriosis are pain and infertility. 3. A 46-year-old female client is admitted for acute renal failure secondary to diabetes and hypertension. Which test is the best indicator of adequate glomerular filtration? A) Serum creatinine. B) Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN). C) Sedimentation rate. D) Urine specific gravity. A) Serum creatinine. Creatinine (A) is a product of muscle metabolism that is filtered by the glomerulus, and blood levels of this substance are not affected by dietary or fluid intake. An elevated creatinine strongly indicates nephron loss, reducing filtration. (B) is also an indicator of renal activity, but it can be affected by non-renal factors such as hypovolemia and increased protein intake. (C) is a nonspecific test for acute or chronic inflammatory processes. (D) is useful in assessing hydration status, but not as useful in assessing glomerular function. 4. A 49-year-old female client arrives at the clinic for an annual exam and asks the nurse why she becomes excessively diaphoretic and feels warm during nighttime. What is the nurse's best response? A) Explain the effect of the follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones. B) Discuss perimenopause and related comfort measures. C) Assess lung fields and for a cough productive of blood-tinged mucous. D) Ask if a fever above 101º F has occurred in the last 24 hours. B) Discuss perimenopause and related comfort measures. The perimenopausal period begins about 10 years before menopause with the cessation of menstruation at the average ages of 52 to 54. Lower estrogen levels causes FSH and LH secretion in bursts (surges), which triggers vasomotor instability, night sweats, and hot flashes, so discussions about the perimenopausal body's changes, comfort measures (B), and treatment options should be provided. In-depth pathophysiology of the symptoms (A) may only confuse the client. There is no indication that the client has tuberculosis and an infection, so (C and D) are not indicated. 5. A 51-year-old truck driver who smokes two packs of cigarettes a day and is 30 pounds overweight is diagnosed with having a gastric ulcer. What content is most important for the nurse to include in the discharge teaching for this client? A) Information about smoking cessation. B) Diet instructions for a low-residue diet. C) Instructions on a weight-loss program. D) The importance of increasing milk in the diet. A) Information about smoking cessation. Smoking has been associated with ulcer formation, and stopping or decreasing the number of cigarettes smoked per day is an important aspect of ulcer management (A). Diet management includes a reduction in high-fiber/highroughage foods as well as spicy foods. (B) would be indicated for inflammatory bowel disease. Sodium and caloric intake are not the key elements in an ulcer diet. Although this client does need (C), the management of his ulcer is the key factor at this point. (D) would actually increase gastric acid production. 6. A 57-year-old male client is scheduled to have a stress-thallium test the following morning and is NPO after midnight. At 0130, he is agitated because he cannot eat and is demanding food. Which response is best for the nurse to provide to this client? A) I'm sorry sir, you have a prescription for nothing by mouth from midnight tonight. B) I will let you have one cracker, but that is all you can have for the rest of tonight. C) What did the healthcare provider tell you about the test you are having tomorrow? D) The test you are having tomorrow requires that you have nothing by mouth tonight. D) The test you are having tomorrow requires that you have nothing by mouth tonight. (D) is the most therapeutic statement because the nurse is responding to the client's question. (A) is not an explanation and the nurse should teach the client why eating is prohibited after midnight, rather than enforcing this requirement without an explanation for it. (B) may result in an inaccurate test result, or may cause the test to be cancelled, which could also delay diagnosis and treatment. (C) defers the responsibility for answering the client's question to the healthcare provider, when the nurse could address the situation through client teaching. 7. A 58-year-old client who has been post-menopausal for five years is concerned about the risk for osteoporosis because her mother has the condition. Which information should the nurse offer? A) Osteoporosis is a progressive genetic disease with no effective treatment. B) Calcium loss from bones can be slowed by increasing calcium intake and exercise. C) Estrogen replacement therapy should be started to prevent the progression osteoporosis. D) Low-dose corticosteroid treatment effectively halts the course of osteoporosis. B) Calcium loss from bones can be slowed by increasing calcium intake and exercise. Post-menopausal females are at risk for osteoporosis due to the cessation of estrogen secretion, but a regimen including calcium, vitamin D, and weight-bearing exercise can prevent further bone loss (B). Osteoporosis can be managed with conservative therapy, such as bone metabolism regulators and estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) to improve bone density, but it is not a genetic disease (A). Although ERT is effective in managing osteoporosis, an increased risk for cancer and heart disease should be considered for individual clients. Corticosteroid therapy promotes bone resorption and is counterproductive in maintaining or increasing bone density (D). 8. A 58-year-old client, who has no health problems, asks the nurse about the Pneumovax vaccine. The nurse's response to the client should be based on which information? A) The vaccine is given annually before the flu season to those over 50 years of age. B) The immunization is administered once to older adults or persons with a history of chronic illness. C) The vaccine is for all ages and is given primarily to those persons traveling overseas to areas of infection. D) The vaccine will prevent the occurrence of pneumococcal pneumonia for up to five years. B) The immunization is administered once to older adults or persons with a history of chronic illness. It is usually recommended that persons over 65 years of age and those with a history of chronic illness receive the vaccine once in a lifetime (B). (Some resources recommend obtaining the vaccine at 50 years of age.) The influenza vaccine is given once a year, not the Pneumovax (A). Although the vaccine might be given to a person traveling overseas, that is not the main rationale for administering the vaccine (C). It is usually given once in a lifetime (D), but with immunosuppressed clients or clients with a history of pneumonia re-vaccination is sometimes required. 9. A 67-year-old woman who lives alone is admitted after tripping on a rug in her home and fractures her hip. Which predisposing factor probably led to the fracture in the proximal end of her femur? A) Failing eyesight resulting in an unsafe environment. B) Renal osteodystrophy resulting from chronic renal failure. C) Osteoporosis resulting from hormonal changes. D) Cardiovascular changes resulting in small strokes which impair mental acuity. C) Osteoporosis resulting from hormonal changes. The most common cause of a fractured hip in elderly women is osteoporosis, resulting from reduced calcium in the bones as a result of hormonal changes in later life (C). (A) may or may not have contributed to the accident, but it had nothing to do with the hip being involved. (B) is not a common condition of the elderly; it is common in chronic renal failure. (D) may occur in some people, but does not affect the fragility of the bones as osteoporosis does. 10. A 77-year-old female client is admitted to the hospital. She is confused, has no appetite, is nauseated and vomiting, and is complaining of a headache. Her pulse rate is 43 beats per minute. Which question is a priority for the nurse to ask this client or her family on admission? "Does the client A) have her own teeth or dentures?" B) take aspirin and if so, how much?" C) take nitroglycerin?" D) take digitalis?" D) take digitalis?" Elderly persons are particularly susceptible to digitalis intoxication (D) which manifests itself in such symptoms as anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and fatigue. Although it is important to obtain a complete medication history (B and C), the symptoms described are classic for digitalis toxicity, and assessment of this problem should be made promptly. (A) is irrelevant. 11. A client experiencing uncontrolled atrial fibrillation is admitted to the telemetry unit. What initial medication should the nurse anticipate administering to the client? A) Xylocaine (Lidocaine). B) Procainamide (Pronestyl). C) Phenytoin (Dilantin). D) Digoxin (Lanoxin). D) Digoxin (Lanoxin). Digoxin (Lanoxin) (D) is administered for uncontrolled, symptomatic atrial fibrillation resulting in a decreased cardiac output. Digoxin slows the rate of conduction by prolonging the refractory period of the AV node, thus slowing the ventricular response, decreasing the heart rate, and effecting cardiac output. (A, B, and C) are not indicated in the initial treatment of uncontrolled atrial fibrillation. 12. A client has a staging procedure for cancer of the breast and ask the nurse which type of breast cancer has the poorest prognosis. Which information should the nurse offer the client? A) Stage II. B) Invasive infiltrating ductal carcinoma. C) T1N0M0. D) Inflammatory with peau d'orange. D) Inflammatory with peau d'orange. Inflammatory breast cancer, which has a thickened appearance like an orange peel (peau d'orange), is the most aggressive form of breast malignancies (D). Staging classifies cancer by the extension or spread of the disease, and (A) indicates limited local spread. (B) indicates cancer cells have spread from the ducts into the surrounding breast tissue only. TNM classification is used to indicate the extent of the disease process according to tumor size, regional spread lymph nodes involvement, and metastasis, and (C) indicates early cancer with small in situ involvement, no lymph node involvement, and no distant metastases. 13. A client has been taking oral corticosteroids for the past five days because of seasonal allergies. Which assessment finding is of most concern to the nurse? A) White blood count of 10,000 mm3. B) Serum glucose of 115 mg/dl. C) Purulent sputum. D) Excessive hunger. C) Purulent sputum. Steroids cause immunosuppression, and a purulent sputum (C) is an indication of infection, so this symptom is of greatest concern. Oral steroids may increase (A) and often cause (D). (B) may remain normal, borderline, or increase while taking oral steroids. 14. A client has taken steroids for 12 years to help manage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). When making a home visit, which nursing function is of greatest importance to this client? Assess the client's A) pulse rate, both apically and radially. B) blood pressure, both standing and sitting. C) temperature. D) skin color and turgor. C) temperature. It is very important to check the client's temperature (C). Infection is the most common factor precipitating respiratory distress. Clients with COPD who are on maintenance doses of corticosteroids are particularly predisposed to infection. (A and B) are important data for baseline and ongoing assessment, but they are not as important as temperature measurement for this client who is taking steroids. Assessment of skin color and turgor is less important (D). 15. A client has undergone insertion of a permanent pacemaker. When developing a discharge teaching plan, the nurse writes a goal of, "The client will verbalize symptoms of pacemaker failure." Which symptoms are most important to teach the client? A) Facial flushing. B) Fever. C) Pounding headache. D) Feelings of dizziness. D) Feelings of dizziness.