HESI Pediatrics Exam (2024-2025) Questions
with verified answers and accurate Solutions
The nurse is planning postoperative care for a child who has had a cleft lip repair. What is the most
important reason to minimize this child's crying during the recovery period?
A. Tear formation increases salivation.
B. This behavior increases respirations.
C. Excessive hysteria can lead to vomiting.
D. Crying stresses the suture line - Answer D. Crying stresses the suture line
Rationale:
Prevention of stress on the lip suture line is essential for optimum healing and the cosmetic appearance
of a cleft lip repair.
An infant is receiving digoxin for congestive heart failure. The apical heart rate is assessed at 80
beats/min. What intervention should the nurse implement?
A. Call for a portable chest radiograph.
B. Obtain a therapeutic drug level.
C. Reassess the heart rate in 30 minutes.
D. Administer digoxin immune Fab stat. - Answer B. Obtain a therapeutic drug level.
Rationale:
Sinus bradycardia (heart rate <90 to 110 beats/min in an infant) is an indication of digoxin toxicity, so
assessment of the client's digoxin level has the highest priority
The nurse admits a child to the intensive care unit with a possible diagnosis of Wilms tumor - What is the
most safety precaution for child?
A. maintain NPO status
B. Limit visitors to the immediate family
C. Place a do not palpate abdomen sign on head of bed
,D. Encourage ambulation in the pre-operative period - Answer C. Place a do not palpate abdomen sign
on head of bed
Rationale:
Protect child from injury; place a sign on bed stating "no abdominal palpation" (to prevent accidental
fragmentation and dislodging into the abdominal cavity).
The nurse is preparing a teaching plan for the mother of a child who has been diagnosed with celiac
disease. Choosing which lunch will be within the therapeutic management of a child with celiac disease?
A. Turkey salad, milk, and oatmeal cookies
B. Baked chicken, coleslaw, soda, and frozen fruit dessert
C. Tuna salad sandwich on whole wheat bread, milk, and ice cream
D. Turkey sandwich on rye bread, orange juice, and fresh fruit - Answer B. Baked chicken, coleslaw, soda,
and frozen fruit dessert
Rationale:
A child with celiac disease is managed on a gluten-free diet, which eliminates food products containing
oats, wheat, rye, or barley.
A 6-month-old male infant is admitted to the postanesthesia care unit with elbow restraints in place. He
has an endotracheal tube and is ventilator-dependent but will be extubated soon following recovery
from anesthesia. Which nursing intervention should be included in this child's plan of care?
A. Keep restraints on at all times to prevent unplanned extubation.
B. Remove restraints one at a time and provide range-of-motion exercises. C. Remove all restraints
simultaneously and provide play activities.
D. Document the reason for application of the restraints every 72 hours. - Answer B. Remove restraints
one at a time and provide range-of-motion
Rationale:
Removing restraints one at a time is safer than option C. The infant should have the restrained
extremities assessed frequently for signs of neurologic or vascular impairment, and range-of-motion
exercises should be performed with these assessments. Under no circumstances should restraints be
applied to the client continuously. Documentation of assessment findings regarding the restrained
, extremities must occur much more frequently than every 72 hours; however, the reason for using
restraints must be justified and should be stated in the medical record
The nurse assigns an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to provide morning care to a newly admitted
child with bacterial meningitis. What is the most important instruction for the nurse to review with the
UAP?
A. Use designated isolation precautions.
B. Keep the lighting in the room dim.
C. Allow the parents to assist with care.
D. Report any pain that the child experiences. - Answer A. Use designated isolation precautions.
Rationale:
All these are important measures to review with the UAP, but the most important is option A. Improper
use of isolation precautions can place other staff and clients at risk for infection.
The nurse is caring for a child with intussusception who is scheduled for a barium enema prior to a
surgical procedure. Which action should the nurse take first?
A. Evacuate the bowel of impacted feces
B. Administer magnesium sulfate
C. Place the child on a clear liquid diet
D. Assess the stool for white color - Answer C. Place the child on a clear liquid diet
Rationale:
Intussusception, an invagination or telescoping of one portion of the intestine into another, causes
intestinal obstruction in children (usually occurs between 3 months and 5 years of age). Nonsurgical
treatment is attempted with hydrostatic pressure created by barium instillation, which often reduces the
area of bowel intussusception. In preparation for a barium enema, the client should first be placed on a
clear liquid diet for the entire day; then magnesium sulfate is administered for bowel evacuation.
A 3-week-old infant is referred to an orthopedic clinic because the pediatrician heard a click when
flexing the child's right hip during a routine physical examination. The orthopedic physician suspects that
the child might have developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). The parents ask the nurse to identify risk
factors commonly associated with DDH. Which response is accurate?
with verified answers and accurate Solutions
The nurse is planning postoperative care for a child who has had a cleft lip repair. What is the most
important reason to minimize this child's crying during the recovery period?
A. Tear formation increases salivation.
B. This behavior increases respirations.
C. Excessive hysteria can lead to vomiting.
D. Crying stresses the suture line - Answer D. Crying stresses the suture line
Rationale:
Prevention of stress on the lip suture line is essential for optimum healing and the cosmetic appearance
of a cleft lip repair.
An infant is receiving digoxin for congestive heart failure. The apical heart rate is assessed at 80
beats/min. What intervention should the nurse implement?
A. Call for a portable chest radiograph.
B. Obtain a therapeutic drug level.
C. Reassess the heart rate in 30 minutes.
D. Administer digoxin immune Fab stat. - Answer B. Obtain a therapeutic drug level.
Rationale:
Sinus bradycardia (heart rate <90 to 110 beats/min in an infant) is an indication of digoxin toxicity, so
assessment of the client's digoxin level has the highest priority
The nurse admits a child to the intensive care unit with a possible diagnosis of Wilms tumor - What is the
most safety precaution for child?
A. maintain NPO status
B. Limit visitors to the immediate family
C. Place a do not palpate abdomen sign on head of bed
,D. Encourage ambulation in the pre-operative period - Answer C. Place a do not palpate abdomen sign
on head of bed
Rationale:
Protect child from injury; place a sign on bed stating "no abdominal palpation" (to prevent accidental
fragmentation and dislodging into the abdominal cavity).
The nurse is preparing a teaching plan for the mother of a child who has been diagnosed with celiac
disease. Choosing which lunch will be within the therapeutic management of a child with celiac disease?
A. Turkey salad, milk, and oatmeal cookies
B. Baked chicken, coleslaw, soda, and frozen fruit dessert
C. Tuna salad sandwich on whole wheat bread, milk, and ice cream
D. Turkey sandwich on rye bread, orange juice, and fresh fruit - Answer B. Baked chicken, coleslaw, soda,
and frozen fruit dessert
Rationale:
A child with celiac disease is managed on a gluten-free diet, which eliminates food products containing
oats, wheat, rye, or barley.
A 6-month-old male infant is admitted to the postanesthesia care unit with elbow restraints in place. He
has an endotracheal tube and is ventilator-dependent but will be extubated soon following recovery
from anesthesia. Which nursing intervention should be included in this child's plan of care?
A. Keep restraints on at all times to prevent unplanned extubation.
B. Remove restraints one at a time and provide range-of-motion exercises. C. Remove all restraints
simultaneously and provide play activities.
D. Document the reason for application of the restraints every 72 hours. - Answer B. Remove restraints
one at a time and provide range-of-motion
Rationale:
Removing restraints one at a time is safer than option C. The infant should have the restrained
extremities assessed frequently for signs of neurologic or vascular impairment, and range-of-motion
exercises should be performed with these assessments. Under no circumstances should restraints be
applied to the client continuously. Documentation of assessment findings regarding the restrained
, extremities must occur much more frequently than every 72 hours; however, the reason for using
restraints must be justified and should be stated in the medical record
The nurse assigns an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to provide morning care to a newly admitted
child with bacterial meningitis. What is the most important instruction for the nurse to review with the
UAP?
A. Use designated isolation precautions.
B. Keep the lighting in the room dim.
C. Allow the parents to assist with care.
D. Report any pain that the child experiences. - Answer A. Use designated isolation precautions.
Rationale:
All these are important measures to review with the UAP, but the most important is option A. Improper
use of isolation precautions can place other staff and clients at risk for infection.
The nurse is caring for a child with intussusception who is scheduled for a barium enema prior to a
surgical procedure. Which action should the nurse take first?
A. Evacuate the bowel of impacted feces
B. Administer magnesium sulfate
C. Place the child on a clear liquid diet
D. Assess the stool for white color - Answer C. Place the child on a clear liquid diet
Rationale:
Intussusception, an invagination or telescoping of one portion of the intestine into another, causes
intestinal obstruction in children (usually occurs between 3 months and 5 years of age). Nonsurgical
treatment is attempted with hydrostatic pressure created by barium instillation, which often reduces the
area of bowel intussusception. In preparation for a barium enema, the client should first be placed on a
clear liquid diet for the entire day; then magnesium sulfate is administered for bowel evacuation.
A 3-week-old infant is referred to an orthopedic clinic because the pediatrician heard a click when
flexing the child's right hip during a routine physical examination. The orthopedic physician suspects that
the child might have developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). The parents ask the nurse to identify risk
factors commonly associated with DDH. Which response is accurate?
