HESI Mental Health RN Questions and Answers
from V1-V3 Test Banks and Actual Exams
(Latest Update!!) Rated A+
• During admission to the psychiatric unit, a female patient is extremely anxious and states
that she is worried about the sun coming up the next day. What intervention is most
important for the RN to implement during the admission process?
• Assist the patient in developing alternative coping skills.
• Remain calm and use a matter of fact approach.
• Ask the patient why she is so anxious
• Administer a PRN sedative to help relieve her anxiety.
• A female patient is brought to the emergency department after police officers found her
disoriented, disorganized, and confused. The RN also determines that the patient is homeless
and is exhibiting suspiciousness. The patient’s plan of care should include what priority
problem?
• Acute confusion.
• Ineffective community coping
• Disturbed sensory perception.
• Self-care deficit.
• The occupational health nurse is working with a female employee who was just notified
that her child was involved in a MVA and taken to the hospital. The employee states, “I can’t
believe this. What should I do?” Which response is best for the RN to provide in this crisis?
• Tell me what you think should happen.
• How serious was the collision?
• What do you think you should do?
• Call for transportation to the hospital.
,• A patient tells the RN that he has an IQ of 400+ and is a genius and an inventor. He also
reports that he is married to a female movie star and thinks that his brother wants a sexual
relationship
with her. What is the priority nursing problem for admission to the psychiatric unit?
• Ineffective sexual patterns.
• Impaired environmental interpretation.
• Disturbed sensory perception.
• Compromised family coping.
• The RN is providing care for a patient diagnosed with borderline personality disorder
who has self-inflicted lacerations on the abdomen. Which approach should the RN use
when changing this patient’s dressing?
• Provide detailed thorough explanations when cleansing wound.
• Perform the dressing change in a non-judgmental manner.
• Ask in a non-threatening manner why the patient cut own abdomen.
• Request another staff member assist with the dressing change.
• While sitting in the day room of the mental health unit, a male adolescent avoids eye
contact, looks at the floor, and talks softly when interacting verbally with the RN. The two
trade places, and the RN demonstrates the patient’s behaviors. What is the main goal of this
therapeutic technique?
• Initiate a non-threatening conversation with the patient.
• Dialog about the ineffectiveness of his interactions.
• Allow the patient to identify the way he interacts.
• Discuss the patient’s feelings when he responds.
• An antidepressant medication is prescribed for a patient who reports sleeping only 4
hours in the past 2 days and weight loss of 9 lbs within the last month. Which patient goal
is most important to achieve within the first three days of treatment?
• Meet scheduled appointment with dietitian.
• Sleep at least 6 hours a night.
, • Understands the purpose of the medication regimen.
• Describes the reasons for hospitalization.
• When preparing to administer to domestic violence screening tool to a female patient,
which statement should the RN provide?
• If your partner is abusing you, I need to ask these questions.
• State law mandates that I ask if you are a victim of domestic violence.
• The HCP provider needs to know if you are experiencing any domestic abuse.
• All patients are screened for domestic abuse because it is common in our society.
• A young adult female visits the mental health clinic complaining of diarrhea, headache,
and muscle aches. She is afebrile, denies chills, and all laboratory findings are within
normal limits. During the physical assessment, the patient tells the RN that her sister thinks
she is neurotic and calls her a hypochondriac. Which response is best for the RN to
provide?
• Unless your sister has a medical education, ignore her comments.
• I can hear that your sister comments are over-whelming you.
• Do you think it’s possible that you might be a hypochondriac?
• Besides your sister’s comments, what in your life is troubling you?
• The RN is leading a group on the inpatient psychiatric unit. Which approach should the
RN use during the working phase of group development?
• Establishing a rapport with group members.
• Clarifying the nurse’s role and patients’ responsibilities.
• Discussing ways to use new coping skills learned.
• Helping patients identify areas of problem in their lives.
• A male patient with schizophrenia is demonstrating echolalia, which is becoming
annoying to other patients on the unit. What intervention is best for the RN to implement?
, • Isolate the patient from the other patients.
• Administer PRN sedative.
• Avoid recognizing the behavior.
• Escort the patient to his room.
• A patient is admitted for bipolar disorder and alcohol withdrawal, depressive phase.
Based on which assessment finding will the RN withhold the clonidine (Catapres)
prescription?
• Blood pressure readings of 90/62 mmHg to 92/58 mmHg.
• Pulse rate of 68-78 BPM.
• Temperature of 99.5-99.7 F.
• Respiration rate of 24 breaths per minute.
• The RN on the evening shift receives report that a patient is scheduled for
electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) in the morning. Which intervention should the Rn
implement the evening before the scheduled ECT?
• Hold all bedtime medications.
• Keep the patient NPO after mid-night.
• Implement elopement precautions.
• Give the patient an enema at bedtime.
• A patient with Bulimia and depression who is taking phenelzine (Nardil) 90 mg daily is
admitted to an acute care hospital for uncontrolled hypertension. What dietary choices should
the RN instruct the patient to avoid?
• Pan-seared catfish.
• Peperoni pizza.
• Deep fried shrimp.
• Beef trips with gravy.
• A mental health worker is caring for a patient with escalating aggressive behavior.
Which action by the mental health worker warrants immediate intervention by the RN?
from V1-V3 Test Banks and Actual Exams
(Latest Update!!) Rated A+
• During admission to the psychiatric unit, a female patient is extremely anxious and states
that she is worried about the sun coming up the next day. What intervention is most
important for the RN to implement during the admission process?
• Assist the patient in developing alternative coping skills.
• Remain calm and use a matter of fact approach.
• Ask the patient why she is so anxious
• Administer a PRN sedative to help relieve her anxiety.
• A female patient is brought to the emergency department after police officers found her
disoriented, disorganized, and confused. The RN also determines that the patient is homeless
and is exhibiting suspiciousness. The patient’s plan of care should include what priority
problem?
• Acute confusion.
• Ineffective community coping
• Disturbed sensory perception.
• Self-care deficit.
• The occupational health nurse is working with a female employee who was just notified
that her child was involved in a MVA and taken to the hospital. The employee states, “I can’t
believe this. What should I do?” Which response is best for the RN to provide in this crisis?
• Tell me what you think should happen.
• How serious was the collision?
• What do you think you should do?
• Call for transportation to the hospital.
,• A patient tells the RN that he has an IQ of 400+ and is a genius and an inventor. He also
reports that he is married to a female movie star and thinks that his brother wants a sexual
relationship
with her. What is the priority nursing problem for admission to the psychiatric unit?
• Ineffective sexual patterns.
• Impaired environmental interpretation.
• Disturbed sensory perception.
• Compromised family coping.
• The RN is providing care for a patient diagnosed with borderline personality disorder
who has self-inflicted lacerations on the abdomen. Which approach should the RN use
when changing this patient’s dressing?
• Provide detailed thorough explanations when cleansing wound.
• Perform the dressing change in a non-judgmental manner.
• Ask in a non-threatening manner why the patient cut own abdomen.
• Request another staff member assist with the dressing change.
• While sitting in the day room of the mental health unit, a male adolescent avoids eye
contact, looks at the floor, and talks softly when interacting verbally with the RN. The two
trade places, and the RN demonstrates the patient’s behaviors. What is the main goal of this
therapeutic technique?
• Initiate a non-threatening conversation with the patient.
• Dialog about the ineffectiveness of his interactions.
• Allow the patient to identify the way he interacts.
• Discuss the patient’s feelings when he responds.
• An antidepressant medication is prescribed for a patient who reports sleeping only 4
hours in the past 2 days and weight loss of 9 lbs within the last month. Which patient goal
is most important to achieve within the first three days of treatment?
• Meet scheduled appointment with dietitian.
• Sleep at least 6 hours a night.
, • Understands the purpose of the medication regimen.
• Describes the reasons for hospitalization.
• When preparing to administer to domestic violence screening tool to a female patient,
which statement should the RN provide?
• If your partner is abusing you, I need to ask these questions.
• State law mandates that I ask if you are a victim of domestic violence.
• The HCP provider needs to know if you are experiencing any domestic abuse.
• All patients are screened for domestic abuse because it is common in our society.
• A young adult female visits the mental health clinic complaining of diarrhea, headache,
and muscle aches. She is afebrile, denies chills, and all laboratory findings are within
normal limits. During the physical assessment, the patient tells the RN that her sister thinks
she is neurotic and calls her a hypochondriac. Which response is best for the RN to
provide?
• Unless your sister has a medical education, ignore her comments.
• I can hear that your sister comments are over-whelming you.
• Do you think it’s possible that you might be a hypochondriac?
• Besides your sister’s comments, what in your life is troubling you?
• The RN is leading a group on the inpatient psychiatric unit. Which approach should the
RN use during the working phase of group development?
• Establishing a rapport with group members.
• Clarifying the nurse’s role and patients’ responsibilities.
• Discussing ways to use new coping skills learned.
• Helping patients identify areas of problem in their lives.
• A male patient with schizophrenia is demonstrating echolalia, which is becoming
annoying to other patients on the unit. What intervention is best for the RN to implement?
, • Isolate the patient from the other patients.
• Administer PRN sedative.
• Avoid recognizing the behavior.
• Escort the patient to his room.
• A patient is admitted for bipolar disorder and alcohol withdrawal, depressive phase.
Based on which assessment finding will the RN withhold the clonidine (Catapres)
prescription?
• Blood pressure readings of 90/62 mmHg to 92/58 mmHg.
• Pulse rate of 68-78 BPM.
• Temperature of 99.5-99.7 F.
• Respiration rate of 24 breaths per minute.
• The RN on the evening shift receives report that a patient is scheduled for
electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) in the morning. Which intervention should the Rn
implement the evening before the scheduled ECT?
• Hold all bedtime medications.
• Keep the patient NPO after mid-night.
• Implement elopement precautions.
• Give the patient an enema at bedtime.
• A patient with Bulimia and depression who is taking phenelzine (Nardil) 90 mg daily is
admitted to an acute care hospital for uncontrolled hypertension. What dietary choices should
the RN instruct the patient to avoid?
• Pan-seared catfish.
• Peperoni pizza.
• Deep fried shrimp.
• Beef trips with gravy.
• A mental health worker is caring for a patient with escalating aggressive behavior.
Which action by the mental health worker warrants immediate intervention by the RN?
