PN HESI PEDS STUDY GUIDE 2025 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔C - (Washing the hair and skin with soap and hot water, C, removes oil and debris
from the skin and helps prevent and treat acne. Oily skin is especially bothersome
during adolescence when hormones cause enlargement of sebaceous glands and
increased glandular secretions which predispose the teenager to acne.) - ✔✔A 14-year-
old female client tells the nurse that she is concerned about the acne she has recently
developed. Which recommendation should the nurse provide?
A) Remove all blackheads and follow with an alcohol scrub.
B) Use medicated cosmetics only to help hide the blemishes.
C) Wash the hair and skin frequently with soap and hot water.
D) Encourage her to see a dermatologist as soon as possible.
✔✔A - (A, includes the "3 Cs" of esophageal atresia caused by the overflow of
secretions into the trachea.) - ✔✔A full term infant is admitted to the newborn nursery.
After careful assessment, the nurse suspects that the infant may have an esophageal
atresia. Which symptoms are this newborn likely to exhibit?
A) Choking, coughing, and cyanosis.
B) Projectile vomiting and cyanosis.
C) Apneic spells and grunting.
D) Scaphoid abdomen and anorexia.
✔✔A - (A 4-year-old can readily identify with simple pictures, A, to show the nurse how
he/she is feeling.) - ✔✔To assess the effectiveness of an analgesic administered to a 4-
year-old, what intervention is best for the nurse to implement?
A) Use a happy-face/sad-face pain scale.
B) Ask the mother if she thinks the analgesic is working.
C) Assess for changes in the child's vital signs.
D) Teach the child to point to a numeric pain scale.
✔✔A - (Photosensitivity is a common side effect of tetracycline HCL, Achromycin V,
therapy. Severe sunburn can occur with minimal sun exposure and clients should be
instructed to avoid sunlight and to use sunscreen.) - ✔✔A female teenager is taking oral
tetracycline HCL (Achromycin V) for acne vulgaris. What is the most important
instruction for the nurse to include in this client's teaching plan?
A) Use sunscreen when lying by the pool.
B) Cleanse the skin at least 4 times a day.
C) Take the medication with a glass of milk.
D) Menstrual periods may become irregular.
✔✔C - (Emesis should be induced for the child who drank the large dose of
acetaminophen, Tylenol, elixir, C, because this medication is hepatotoxic. Vomiting is
contraindicated for: children under 1 year of age.) - ✔✔A nurse who is working in the
Poison Control Center receives several telephone calls from parents whose children
,have ingested possible poisons. The nurse should recommend inducing vomiting for
which child?
A) 8-month-old who ate 4 to 6 ibuprofen tablets.
B) 3-year-old who drank an unknown amount of charcoal lighter fluid.
C) 16-month old who drank 2 ounces of acetaminophen (Tylenol) elixir.
D) 2-year-old who ate a handful of automatic dishwasher detergent
✔✔A - (A child's head and neck are proportionately larger to their body than an adult's,
A. The standard "Rule of Nines" is inaccurate for determining burned body surface
areas with children, and must be modified for use with children.) - ✔✔A burned child is
brought to the emergency room. In estimating the percentage of the body burned, the
nurse uses a modified "Rule of Nines." Which part of a child's body is calculated as a
larger percentage of total body surface than an adult's?
A) Head and neck.
B) Arms and chest.
C) Legs and abdomen.
D) Back and abdomen.
✔✔C - (10 lbs 15 oz = 10.9 lbs. Convert lbs to kg by dividing pounds by 2.2; 10.9/2.2 =
4.954 kg, rounded to 5 kg. An infant requires 108 calories/kg/day, 108 × 5 = 540
calories/day. However, this infant requires 10% more calories because he has one
degree temperature elevation. 10% of 540 is 54 and 540 + 54 = 594. This infant will
require approximately 600 calories/day.) - ✔✔A three-month old boy weighing 10 lbs 15
oz has an axillary temperature of 98.9° F. The nurse determines the daily caloric need
for this child is approximately
A) 400 calories per day.
B) 500 calories per day.
C) 600 calories per day.
D) 700 calories per day.
✔✔C - (Because of the early sexual maturation of the child, both family and child
require extensive teaching. Included in this is the information that the child should be
engaged in activities according to chronologic age.) - ✔✔An important component of
discussion with parents of a child in precocious puberty is:
A. the child is not yet fertile.
B. heterosexual interest is usually advanced.
C. dress and activities should be appropriate to chronologic age.
D. appearance of secondary sexual characteristics does not proceed in the usual order.
✔✔A - (Because of the unstable nature of the child's fluid and electrolyte balance,
wearing medical identification is an extremely important intervention.) - ✔✔A nurse is
developing a plan of care for a child recently diagnosed with diabetes insipidus. Which
should be included?
A. Encourage the child to wear medical identification.
B. Discuss with the child and family ways to limit fluid intake.
, C. Teach the child and family how to do required urine testing.
D. Reassure the child and family that this is usually not a chronic or life-threatening
illness.
✔✔A - (Early diagnosis is imperative. Because brain growth is complete by 2 to 3 years
of age, the deficiency must be detected and replacement therapy begun as soon as
possible.) - ✔✔The most important nursing consideration related to congenital
hypothyroidism is:
A. early identification of the disorder.
B. facilitation of parent-infant attachment.
C. initiating referrals for mental retardation.
D. helping parents deal with future prospects for the child.
✔✔B - (The presence of the goiter puts the infant at risk for respiratory failure.
Preparations are made for emergency ventilation, including a tracheostomy set at the
bedside.) - ✔✔A neonate with a goiter has just been admitted to the newborn nursery. A
priority nursing intervention is to:
A. position the infant on its left side.
B. have a tracheostomy set at bedside.
C. explain transient paralysis to parents.
D. suction secretions from the infant at least every 5 to 10 minutes.
✔✔B - (Cushing syndrome is a description of the clinical manifestations caused by too
much circulating cortisol.) - ✔✔Which statement best describes Cushing syndrome?
A. Treatment involves replacement of cortisol.
B. Cushing syndrome is caused by excessive production of cortisol.
C. The major clinical features are exophthalmia and pigment changes.
D. Diagnosis is suspected with findings of hypotension, hyperkalemia, and polyuria.
✔✔A - (Type 1 diabetes is characterized by destruction of the insulin-producing
pancreatic beta cells.) - ✔✔The destruction of pancreatic beta cells, which produce
insulin, is a characterization of:
A. type 1 diabetes.
B. type 2 diabetes.
C. impaired glucose tolerance.
D. gestational diabetes.
✔✔C - (In type 1 diabetes the beta cells have been destroyed. It is necessary to supply
the insulin no longer produced by the beta cells.) - ✔✔The mother of a child with type 1
diabetes mellitus asks why her child cannot avoid all those "shots" and take pills as an
uncle does. The most appropriate response by the nurse is:
A. "The pills work with an adult pancreas only."
B. "The drugs affect fat and protein metabolism, not sugar."
C. "Your child needs insulin replaced and the oral hypoglycemics only add to an existing
supply of insulin."
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔C - (Washing the hair and skin with soap and hot water, C, removes oil and debris
from the skin and helps prevent and treat acne. Oily skin is especially bothersome
during adolescence when hormones cause enlargement of sebaceous glands and
increased glandular secretions which predispose the teenager to acne.) - ✔✔A 14-year-
old female client tells the nurse that she is concerned about the acne she has recently
developed. Which recommendation should the nurse provide?
A) Remove all blackheads and follow with an alcohol scrub.
B) Use medicated cosmetics only to help hide the blemishes.
C) Wash the hair and skin frequently with soap and hot water.
D) Encourage her to see a dermatologist as soon as possible.
✔✔A - (A, includes the "3 Cs" of esophageal atresia caused by the overflow of
secretions into the trachea.) - ✔✔A full term infant is admitted to the newborn nursery.
After careful assessment, the nurse suspects that the infant may have an esophageal
atresia. Which symptoms are this newborn likely to exhibit?
A) Choking, coughing, and cyanosis.
B) Projectile vomiting and cyanosis.
C) Apneic spells and grunting.
D) Scaphoid abdomen and anorexia.
✔✔A - (A 4-year-old can readily identify with simple pictures, A, to show the nurse how
he/she is feeling.) - ✔✔To assess the effectiveness of an analgesic administered to a 4-
year-old, what intervention is best for the nurse to implement?
A) Use a happy-face/sad-face pain scale.
B) Ask the mother if she thinks the analgesic is working.
C) Assess for changes in the child's vital signs.
D) Teach the child to point to a numeric pain scale.
✔✔A - (Photosensitivity is a common side effect of tetracycline HCL, Achromycin V,
therapy. Severe sunburn can occur with minimal sun exposure and clients should be
instructed to avoid sunlight and to use sunscreen.) - ✔✔A female teenager is taking oral
tetracycline HCL (Achromycin V) for acne vulgaris. What is the most important
instruction for the nurse to include in this client's teaching plan?
A) Use sunscreen when lying by the pool.
B) Cleanse the skin at least 4 times a day.
C) Take the medication with a glass of milk.
D) Menstrual periods may become irregular.
✔✔C - (Emesis should be induced for the child who drank the large dose of
acetaminophen, Tylenol, elixir, C, because this medication is hepatotoxic. Vomiting is
contraindicated for: children under 1 year of age.) - ✔✔A nurse who is working in the
Poison Control Center receives several telephone calls from parents whose children
,have ingested possible poisons. The nurse should recommend inducing vomiting for
which child?
A) 8-month-old who ate 4 to 6 ibuprofen tablets.
B) 3-year-old who drank an unknown amount of charcoal lighter fluid.
C) 16-month old who drank 2 ounces of acetaminophen (Tylenol) elixir.
D) 2-year-old who ate a handful of automatic dishwasher detergent
✔✔A - (A child's head and neck are proportionately larger to their body than an adult's,
A. The standard "Rule of Nines" is inaccurate for determining burned body surface
areas with children, and must be modified for use with children.) - ✔✔A burned child is
brought to the emergency room. In estimating the percentage of the body burned, the
nurse uses a modified "Rule of Nines." Which part of a child's body is calculated as a
larger percentage of total body surface than an adult's?
A) Head and neck.
B) Arms and chest.
C) Legs and abdomen.
D) Back and abdomen.
✔✔C - (10 lbs 15 oz = 10.9 lbs. Convert lbs to kg by dividing pounds by 2.2; 10.9/2.2 =
4.954 kg, rounded to 5 kg. An infant requires 108 calories/kg/day, 108 × 5 = 540
calories/day. However, this infant requires 10% more calories because he has one
degree temperature elevation. 10% of 540 is 54 and 540 + 54 = 594. This infant will
require approximately 600 calories/day.) - ✔✔A three-month old boy weighing 10 lbs 15
oz has an axillary temperature of 98.9° F. The nurse determines the daily caloric need
for this child is approximately
A) 400 calories per day.
B) 500 calories per day.
C) 600 calories per day.
D) 700 calories per day.
✔✔C - (Because of the early sexual maturation of the child, both family and child
require extensive teaching. Included in this is the information that the child should be
engaged in activities according to chronologic age.) - ✔✔An important component of
discussion with parents of a child in precocious puberty is:
A. the child is not yet fertile.
B. heterosexual interest is usually advanced.
C. dress and activities should be appropriate to chronologic age.
D. appearance of secondary sexual characteristics does not proceed in the usual order.
✔✔A - (Because of the unstable nature of the child's fluid and electrolyte balance,
wearing medical identification is an extremely important intervention.) - ✔✔A nurse is
developing a plan of care for a child recently diagnosed with diabetes insipidus. Which
should be included?
A. Encourage the child to wear medical identification.
B. Discuss with the child and family ways to limit fluid intake.
, C. Teach the child and family how to do required urine testing.
D. Reassure the child and family that this is usually not a chronic or life-threatening
illness.
✔✔A - (Early diagnosis is imperative. Because brain growth is complete by 2 to 3 years
of age, the deficiency must be detected and replacement therapy begun as soon as
possible.) - ✔✔The most important nursing consideration related to congenital
hypothyroidism is:
A. early identification of the disorder.
B. facilitation of parent-infant attachment.
C. initiating referrals for mental retardation.
D. helping parents deal with future prospects for the child.
✔✔B - (The presence of the goiter puts the infant at risk for respiratory failure.
Preparations are made for emergency ventilation, including a tracheostomy set at the
bedside.) - ✔✔A neonate with a goiter has just been admitted to the newborn nursery. A
priority nursing intervention is to:
A. position the infant on its left side.
B. have a tracheostomy set at bedside.
C. explain transient paralysis to parents.
D. suction secretions from the infant at least every 5 to 10 minutes.
✔✔B - (Cushing syndrome is a description of the clinical manifestations caused by too
much circulating cortisol.) - ✔✔Which statement best describes Cushing syndrome?
A. Treatment involves replacement of cortisol.
B. Cushing syndrome is caused by excessive production of cortisol.
C. The major clinical features are exophthalmia and pigment changes.
D. Diagnosis is suspected with findings of hypotension, hyperkalemia, and polyuria.
✔✔A - (Type 1 diabetes is characterized by destruction of the insulin-producing
pancreatic beta cells.) - ✔✔The destruction of pancreatic beta cells, which produce
insulin, is a characterization of:
A. type 1 diabetes.
B. type 2 diabetes.
C. impaired glucose tolerance.
D. gestational diabetes.
✔✔C - (In type 1 diabetes the beta cells have been destroyed. It is necessary to supply
the insulin no longer produced by the beta cells.) - ✔✔The mother of a child with type 1
diabetes mellitus asks why her child cannot avoid all those "shots" and take pills as an
uncle does. The most appropriate response by the nurse is:
A. "The pills work with an adult pancreas only."
B. "The drugs affect fat and protein metabolism, not sugar."
C. "Your child needs insulin replaced and the oral hypoglycemics only add to an existing
supply of insulin."
