HEALTH NURSE EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS
• The nurse assesses the hearing of a 7-month-old by clapping hands. What is the expected
response? The infant:
Turns his or her head to localize the sound.
• The nurse is performing an ear examination of an 80-year-old patient. Which of these
findings would be considered normal?
High-tone frequency loss
• An assessment of a 23-year-old patient reveals the following: an auricle that is tender
and reddish-blue with small vesicles. The nurse would need to know additional information
that includes which of these?
Any prolonged exposure to extreme cold
• A pregnant woman states that she is concerned about her gums because she has
noticed they are swollen and have started bleeding. What would be an appropriate
response by the nurse?
“Swollen and bleeding gums can be caused by the change in hormonal balance in your
system during pregnancy.”
• A 40-year-old patient who has just finished chemotherapy for breast cancer tells the nurse
that she is concerned about her mouth. During the assessment, the nurse finds areas of
buccal mucosa that are raw and red with some bleeding, as well as other areas that have a
white, cheesy coating. The nurse recognizes that this abnormality is:
Candidiasis.
• The nurse is assessing a patient in the hospital who has received numerous antibiotics
and notices that his tongue appears to be black and hairy. In response to his concern, what
would the nurse say?
“Black, hairy tongue is a fungal infection caused by all the antibiotics you have
received.”
• The nurse is assessing a patient with a history of intravenous drug abuse. In assessing his
mouth, the nurse noticed a dark red confluent macule on the hard palate. This could be an
, early sign of:
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
• A mother brings her 4-month-old infant to the clinic with concerns regarding a small pad
in the middle of the upper lip that has been there since 1 month of age. The infant has no
health problems. On physical examination, the nurse noticed a 0.5 cm, fleshy, elevated area
in the middle of the upper lip. No evidence of inflammation or drainage is observed. What
would the nurse tell this mother?
“This elevated area is a sucking tubercle caused by the friction of breastfeeding or
bottle-feeding and is normal.”
• which finding should RN assess for a pt for a risk of DI (diabetes insipidus)
– polydipsia
• During percussion, the nurse knows that a dull percussion note elicited over a lung lobe
most likely results from:
. Increased density of lung tissue.
• The nurse is observing the auscultation technique of another nurse. The correct method
to use when progressing from one auscultatory site on the thorax to another is comparison.
Side-to-side
• When auscultating the lungs of an adult patient, the nurse notes that low-pitched, soft
breath sounds are heard over the posterior lower lobes, with inspiration being longer than
expiration. The nurse interprets that these sounds are:
Vesicular breath sounds and normal in that location.
• The nurse is auscultating the chest in an adult. Which technique is correct?
Firmly holding the diaphragm of the stethoscope against the chest
• The nurse is percussing over the lungs of a patient with pneumonia. The nurse knows that
percussion over an area of atelectasis in the lungs will reveal:
Dullness.
ANSWERS
• The nurse assesses the hearing of a 7-month-old by clapping hands. What is the expected
response? The infant:
Turns his or her head to localize the sound.
• The nurse is performing an ear examination of an 80-year-old patient. Which of these
findings would be considered normal?
High-tone frequency loss
• An assessment of a 23-year-old patient reveals the following: an auricle that is tender
and reddish-blue with small vesicles. The nurse would need to know additional information
that includes which of these?
Any prolonged exposure to extreme cold
• A pregnant woman states that she is concerned about her gums because she has
noticed they are swollen and have started bleeding. What would be an appropriate
response by the nurse?
“Swollen and bleeding gums can be caused by the change in hormonal balance in your
system during pregnancy.”
• A 40-year-old patient who has just finished chemotherapy for breast cancer tells the nurse
that she is concerned about her mouth. During the assessment, the nurse finds areas of
buccal mucosa that are raw and red with some bleeding, as well as other areas that have a
white, cheesy coating. The nurse recognizes that this abnormality is:
Candidiasis.
• The nurse is assessing a patient in the hospital who has received numerous antibiotics
and notices that his tongue appears to be black and hairy. In response to his concern, what
would the nurse say?
“Black, hairy tongue is a fungal infection caused by all the antibiotics you have
received.”
• The nurse is assessing a patient with a history of intravenous drug abuse. In assessing his
mouth, the nurse noticed a dark red confluent macule on the hard palate. This could be an
, early sign of:
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
• A mother brings her 4-month-old infant to the clinic with concerns regarding a small pad
in the middle of the upper lip that has been there since 1 month of age. The infant has no
health problems. On physical examination, the nurse noticed a 0.5 cm, fleshy, elevated area
in the middle of the upper lip. No evidence of inflammation or drainage is observed. What
would the nurse tell this mother?
“This elevated area is a sucking tubercle caused by the friction of breastfeeding or
bottle-feeding and is normal.”
• which finding should RN assess for a pt for a risk of DI (diabetes insipidus)
– polydipsia
• During percussion, the nurse knows that a dull percussion note elicited over a lung lobe
most likely results from:
. Increased density of lung tissue.
• The nurse is observing the auscultation technique of another nurse. The correct method
to use when progressing from one auscultatory site on the thorax to another is comparison.
Side-to-side
• When auscultating the lungs of an adult patient, the nurse notes that low-pitched, soft
breath sounds are heard over the posterior lower lobes, with inspiration being longer than
expiration. The nurse interprets that these sounds are:
Vesicular breath sounds and normal in that location.
• The nurse is auscultating the chest in an adult. Which technique is correct?
Firmly holding the diaphragm of the stethoscope against the chest
• The nurse is percussing over the lungs of a patient with pneumonia. The nurse knows that
percussion over an area of atelectasis in the lungs will reveal:
Dullness.
