1) The nurse hears bilateral louder, longer, and lower tones when percussing over the lungs of a
4-year old child. What should the nurse do next?
a) Palpate over the area for increased pain and tenderness.
b) Ask the child to take shallow breaths and percuss over the area again.
c) Refer the child immediately because of an increased amount of air in the lungs.
d) Consider this a normal finding for a child this age and proceed with the examination.
2) A patient has suddenly developed shortness of breath and appears to be in significant
respiratory distress. After putting a call in to the physician and placing the patient on oxygen,
which of these is the best action for the nurse to take when assessing the patient further?
a) Count the patient’s respirations.
b) Percuss the thorax bilaterally, noting any differences in percussion tones.
c) Call for a chest x-ray and wait for the results before beginning an assessment.
d) Inspect the thorax for any new masses and bleeding associated with respirations.
3) The nurse is teaching a class on basic assessment skills. Which of these statements is true
regarding the stethoscope and its use?
a) The slope of the earpieces should point posteriorly (toward the occiput).
b) The stethoscope does not magnify sound but does block out extraneous room noise.
c) The fit and quality of the stethoscope are not as important as its ability to magnify sound.
d) The ideal tubing length should be 22 inches to dampen distortion of sound.
4) The nurse is preparing to use a stethoscope for auscultation. Which statement is true regarding
the diaphragm of the stethoscope?
a) The diaphragm is used to listen for high-pitched sounds.
b) The diaphragm is used to listen for low-pitched sounds.
c) The diaphragm should be held lightly against the person’s skin to block out low
-pitched sounds.
d) The diaphragm should be held lightly against the person’s skin to listen for extra heart sounds
and murmurs.
5) Before auscultating the abdomen for the presence of bowel sounds on a patient, the nurse
should:
a) Warm the end piece of the stethoscope by placing it in warm water
b) Leave the gown on so that the patient does not get chilled during the examination
c) Make sure that the bell side of the stethoscope is turned to the ―on‖ position
d) Check the temperature of the room and offer blankets to the patient if he or she feels cold
6) The nurse will use which technique of assessment to determine the presence of crepitus,
swelling, and pulsations?
a) Palpation
b) Inspection
c) Percussion
, d) Auscultation
5. In an interview, the nurse may find it necessary to take notes to aid his or her memory later.
Which statement is true regarding note-taking?
A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
B) Note-taking allows the patient to continue at his or her own pace as the nurse records what is
said.
C) Note-taking allows the nurse to shift attention away from the patient, resulting in an increased
comfort level.
D) Note-taking allows the nurse to break eye contact with the patient, which may increase his or
her level of comfort.
6. During an interview, the nurse states, "You mentioned shortness of breath. Tell me more about
that." Which verbal skill is used with this statement?
A) Reflection
B) Facilitation
C) Direct question
D) Open-ended question
7. A nurse is taking complete health histories on all of the patients attending a wellness
workshop. On the history form, one of the written questions asks, "You don't smoke, drink, or
take drugs, do you?" This question is an example of:
A) talking too much.
B) Using confrontation.
C) Using biased or leading questions.
D) Using blunt language to deal with distasteful topics.
8. During an interview, a parent of a hospitalized child is sitting in an open position. As the
interviewer begins to discuss his son's treatment, however, he suddenly crosses his arms against
his chest and crosses his legs. This would suggest that the parent is:
A) just changing positions.
B) More comfortable in this position.
C) Tired and needs a break from the interview.
D) Uncomfortable talking about his son's treatment.
9. The nurse is interviewing a patient who has a hearing impairment. What techniques would be
most beneficial in communicating with this patient?
A) Determine the communication method he prefers.
B) Avoid using facial and hand gestures because most hearing-impaired people find this
degrading.