HESI MATERNITY PROCTORED TEST WITH
ACTUAL EXAM TIPS
PASS ON 1ST ATTEMPT
A nurse is caring for a patient who recently had spinal surgery. The nurse knows that patients
usually experience acute pain following this type of surgery. The patient refuses to get up and
walk and is not moving around in the bed. However, the patient is stoic and denies experiencing
pain at this time. What most likely explains this patient’s behavior?
a. The surgery successfully cured the patient’s pain.
The patient’s culture is possibly influencing the patient’s experience of
b. pain.
The primary health care provider did not prescribe the correct amount
c. of medication.
The nurse is allowing personal beliefs about pain to influence pain
d. management at this time.
ANS: B
A patient’s culture or beliefs about pain often influence the patient’s expression of pain. In this
case, the patient has just had surgery, and the nurse knows that this surgical procedure usually
causes patients to experience pain. It is important at this time for the nurse to examine cultural
and ethnic factors that are possibly affecting the patient’s lack of expression of pain at this time.
Even if surgery corrects neurological factors that create chronic pain, surgery causes pain in the
acute period. The patient has not taken any pain medication so this is an unrealistic assumption;
most pain medications have standard dosages. The nurse is not allowing personal beliefs to
influence pain management because the nurse is attempting to determine the reason why the
patient is not verbalizing the experience of pain.
.A nurse is providing discharge teaching for a patient with a fractured humerus. The patient is
going home with hydrocodone. Which important patient education does the nurse provide?
a. “You need to drink plenty of fluids and eat a diet high in fiber.”
“Narcotics can be addictive, so do not take them unless you are in
b. severe pain.”
“Be sure to eat a meal high in fat before taking the medication, to
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, c. avoid a stomach ulcer.”
“As your pain severity lessens, you will begin to give yourself once-
d. daily intramuscular injections.”
225
ACTUAL EXAM TIPS
PASS ON 1ST ATTEMPT
A nurse is caring for a patient who recently had spinal surgery. The nurse knows that patients
usually experience acute pain following this type of surgery. The patient refuses to get up and
walk and is not moving around in the bed. However, the patient is stoic and denies experiencing
pain at this time. What most likely explains this patient’s behavior?
a. The surgery successfully cured the patient’s pain.
The patient’s culture is possibly influencing the patient’s experience of
b. pain.
The primary health care provider did not prescribe the correct amount
c. of medication.
The nurse is allowing personal beliefs about pain to influence pain
d. management at this time.
ANS: B
A patient’s culture or beliefs about pain often influence the patient’s expression of pain. In this
case, the patient has just had surgery, and the nurse knows that this surgical procedure usually
causes patients to experience pain. It is important at this time for the nurse to examine cultural
and ethnic factors that are possibly affecting the patient’s lack of expression of pain at this time.
Even if surgery corrects neurological factors that create chronic pain, surgery causes pain in the
acute period. The patient has not taken any pain medication so this is an unrealistic assumption;
most pain medications have standard dosages. The nurse is not allowing personal beliefs to
influence pain management because the nurse is attempting to determine the reason why the
patient is not verbalizing the experience of pain.
.A nurse is providing discharge teaching for a patient with a fractured humerus. The patient is
going home with hydrocodone. Which important patient education does the nurse provide?
a. “You need to drink plenty of fluids and eat a diet high in fiber.”
“Narcotics can be addictive, so do not take them unless you are in
b. severe pain.”
“Be sure to eat a meal high in fat before taking the medication, to
224
, c. avoid a stomach ulcer.”
“As your pain severity lessens, you will begin to give yourself once-
d. daily intramuscular injections.”
225
