BHA EXAM REVIEW QUESTIONS AND 100%
CORRECT ANSWERS!!
During an examination, the nurse can assess mental status by which activity?
a. Examining the patient's electroencephalogram
b. Observing the patient as he or she performs an intelligence quotient (IQ) test
c. Observing the patient and inferring health or dysfunction
d. Examining the patient's response to a specific set of questions
C
The nurse is assessing the mental status of a child. Which statement about children and
mental
status is true?
a. All aspects of mental status in children are interdependent.
b. Children are highly labile and unstable until the age of 2 years.
c. A child's mental status is impossible to assess until the child develops the ability to
concentrate.
d. Children's mental status is largely a function of their parents' level of functioning
until the age of 7 years.
A
The nurse is assessing a 75-year-old man. What should the nurse expect when performing
the
mental status portion of the assessment?
a. Will have no decrease in any of his abilities, including response time.
b. Will have difficulty on tests of remote memory because this ability typically
decreases with age.
c. May take a little longer to respond, but his general knowledge and abilities should not
have declined.
d. Will exhibit a decrease in his response time because of the loss of language and a
decrease in general knowledge.
,C
When assessing aging adults, what is one of the first things the nurse should assess before
making judgments about the aging person's mental status?
a. Presence of phobias
b. General intelligence
c. Sensory-perceptive abilities
d. Presence of irrational thinking patterns
C
A woman brings her husband to the clinic for an examination. She is particularly worried
because after a recent fall, he seems to have lost a great deal of his memory of recent
events.
Which statement reflects the nurse's best course of action?
a. Perform a complete mental status examination.
b. Refer him to a psychometrician.
c. Plan to integrate the mental status examination into the history and physical
examination.
d. Reassure
A
The nurse is conducting a patient interview. Which statement made by the patient should
the
nurse more fully explore to assess the mental status during the interview?
a. "I sleep like a baby."
b. "I have no health problems."
c. "I never did too good in school."
d. "I am not currently taking any medications."
C
The nurse is preparing to conduct a mental status examination. Which statement is true
regarding the mental status examination?
, a. A patient's family is the best resource for information about the patient's coping
skills.
b. Gathering mental status information during the health history interview is usually
sufficient.
c. Integrating the mental status examination into the health history interview takes an
enormous amount of extra time.
d. To get a good idea of the patient's level of functioning, performing a complete
mental status examination is usually necessary.
B
A patient is admitted to the unit after an automobile accident. The nurse begins the mental
status examination and finds that the patient has dysarthric speech and is lethargic. How
should the nurse proceed?
a. Defer the rest of the mental status examination.
b. Skip the language portion of the examination and proceed onto assessing mood
and affect.
c. Conduct an in-depth speech evaluation and defer the mental status examination to
another time.
d. Proceed with the examination and assess the patient for suicidal thoughts
because dysarthria is often accompanied by severe depression.
A
A 19-year-old woman comes to the clinic at the insistence of her brother. She is wearing
black
combat boots and a black lace nightgown over the top of her other clothes. Her hair is dyed
pink with black streaks throughout. She has several pierced holes in her nares and ears
and is
wearing an earring through her eyebrow and heavy black makeup. Which is an
appropriate
conclusion for the nurse draw?
a. She probably does not have any problems.
b. She is only trying to shock people and that her dress should be ignored.
CORRECT ANSWERS!!
During an examination, the nurse can assess mental status by which activity?
a. Examining the patient's electroencephalogram
b. Observing the patient as he or she performs an intelligence quotient (IQ) test
c. Observing the patient and inferring health or dysfunction
d. Examining the patient's response to a specific set of questions
C
The nurse is assessing the mental status of a child. Which statement about children and
mental
status is true?
a. All aspects of mental status in children are interdependent.
b. Children are highly labile and unstable until the age of 2 years.
c. A child's mental status is impossible to assess until the child develops the ability to
concentrate.
d. Children's mental status is largely a function of their parents' level of functioning
until the age of 7 years.
A
The nurse is assessing a 75-year-old man. What should the nurse expect when performing
the
mental status portion of the assessment?
a. Will have no decrease in any of his abilities, including response time.
b. Will have difficulty on tests of remote memory because this ability typically
decreases with age.
c. May take a little longer to respond, but his general knowledge and abilities should not
have declined.
d. Will exhibit a decrease in his response time because of the loss of language and a
decrease in general knowledge.
,C
When assessing aging adults, what is one of the first things the nurse should assess before
making judgments about the aging person's mental status?
a. Presence of phobias
b. General intelligence
c. Sensory-perceptive abilities
d. Presence of irrational thinking patterns
C
A woman brings her husband to the clinic for an examination. She is particularly worried
because after a recent fall, he seems to have lost a great deal of his memory of recent
events.
Which statement reflects the nurse's best course of action?
a. Perform a complete mental status examination.
b. Refer him to a psychometrician.
c. Plan to integrate the mental status examination into the history and physical
examination.
d. Reassure
A
The nurse is conducting a patient interview. Which statement made by the patient should
the
nurse more fully explore to assess the mental status during the interview?
a. "I sleep like a baby."
b. "I have no health problems."
c. "I never did too good in school."
d. "I am not currently taking any medications."
C
The nurse is preparing to conduct a mental status examination. Which statement is true
regarding the mental status examination?
, a. A patient's family is the best resource for information about the patient's coping
skills.
b. Gathering mental status information during the health history interview is usually
sufficient.
c. Integrating the mental status examination into the health history interview takes an
enormous amount of extra time.
d. To get a good idea of the patient's level of functioning, performing a complete
mental status examination is usually necessary.
B
A patient is admitted to the unit after an automobile accident. The nurse begins the mental
status examination and finds that the patient has dysarthric speech and is lethargic. How
should the nurse proceed?
a. Defer the rest of the mental status examination.
b. Skip the language portion of the examination and proceed onto assessing mood
and affect.
c. Conduct an in-depth speech evaluation and defer the mental status examination to
another time.
d. Proceed with the examination and assess the patient for suicidal thoughts
because dysarthria is often accompanied by severe depression.
A
A 19-year-old woman comes to the clinic at the insistence of her brother. She is wearing
black
combat boots and a black lace nightgown over the top of her other clothes. Her hair is dyed
pink with black streaks throughout. She has several pierced holes in her nares and ears
and is
wearing an earring through her eyebrow and heavy black makeup. Which is an
appropriate
conclusion for the nurse draw?
a. She probably does not have any problems.
b. She is only trying to shock people and that her dress should be ignored.
