HESI Nclex Practice Questions for
Foundations WITH Answers 100% Pass
1. A patient with a diagnosis of major depression who has attenpted suicide says
to the nurse, "I should have died. I've always been a failure. Nothing ever goes
right for me." Which response demonstrates therapeutic communication?
a. "You have everything to live for"
b. "Why do you see yourself as a failiure?"
c. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed."
d. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?" - ANSWER-(D) "You've been
feeling like a failure for a while?"
RATIONALE: Responding to the feelings expressed by a patient is an effective
therapeutic communication technique. The correct option is an example of the use
of restating. The remaining options block communication because they minimize
the patient's experience and do not facilitate exploration of the patient's expressed
feelings. In additions, use of the word "why" is nontherapeutic.
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,2. When the community health nurse visits a patient at home, the patitent states, "I
haven't slept at all the last cople of nights. Which response by the nurse illustrates a
therapeutic communication response to this patient."
a. "I see."
b. "Really?"
c. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
d. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too." - ANSWER-(C) "You're having
difficulty sleeping?"
RATIONALE: The correct option uses the therapeutic communication technique
of restatement. Although restatement is a technique that has a prompting
component to it, it repeats the patients major theme, which assists the nurse to
obtain a more specific perception of the problem from the patient. The remaining
options are not therapeutic responses since none encourage the patient to expand
on the problem. Offering personal experiences moves the focus away from the
patient and onto the nurse.
3. A patient experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that his food is
being poisoned. Which communication technique should the use to encourage the
patient to eat?
a. Using open-ended questions and silence
b. Sharing personal prefernce regarding food choices
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, c. Documenting reasons why the patient does not wat to eat
d. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition - ANSWER-(A)
Using open-ended questions and silence
RATIONALE: Open-ended questions and silence are strategies use to encourage
patients to discuss their problems. Sharing personal food preferences is not a
patient-centered intervention. The remaining options are not helpful to the patient
because they do not encourage the patient to express feelings. The nurse should
not offer opinions and should encourage the patient to identify the reasons for the
behavior.
4. A patient admitted to a nental health unit for treatment of psychotic behavior
spends hours at teh locked exit door shouting. "Let me out. Ther's nothing wrong
with me. I don't belong here." What defense mechanism is the patient
implementing?
a. Denial
b. Projection
c Regression
d. Rationalization - ANSWER-(A) Denial
RATIONALE: Denial is refusal to admit to a painful reality, which is treated as if
it does not exist. In projection, a person unconsciously rejects emotionally
unacceptable features and attributes them to other persons, objects, or situations.
©️COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 3
Foundations WITH Answers 100% Pass
1. A patient with a diagnosis of major depression who has attenpted suicide says
to the nurse, "I should have died. I've always been a failure. Nothing ever goes
right for me." Which response demonstrates therapeutic communication?
a. "You have everything to live for"
b. "Why do you see yourself as a failiure?"
c. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed."
d. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?" - ANSWER-(D) "You've been
feeling like a failure for a while?"
RATIONALE: Responding to the feelings expressed by a patient is an effective
therapeutic communication technique. The correct option is an example of the use
of restating. The remaining options block communication because they minimize
the patient's experience and do not facilitate exploration of the patient's expressed
feelings. In additions, use of the word "why" is nontherapeutic.
©️COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 1
,2. When the community health nurse visits a patient at home, the patitent states, "I
haven't slept at all the last cople of nights. Which response by the nurse illustrates a
therapeutic communication response to this patient."
a. "I see."
b. "Really?"
c. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
d. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too." - ANSWER-(C) "You're having
difficulty sleeping?"
RATIONALE: The correct option uses the therapeutic communication technique
of restatement. Although restatement is a technique that has a prompting
component to it, it repeats the patients major theme, which assists the nurse to
obtain a more specific perception of the problem from the patient. The remaining
options are not therapeutic responses since none encourage the patient to expand
on the problem. Offering personal experiences moves the focus away from the
patient and onto the nurse.
3. A patient experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that his food is
being poisoned. Which communication technique should the use to encourage the
patient to eat?
a. Using open-ended questions and silence
b. Sharing personal prefernce regarding food choices
©️COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 2
, c. Documenting reasons why the patient does not wat to eat
d. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition - ANSWER-(A)
Using open-ended questions and silence
RATIONALE: Open-ended questions and silence are strategies use to encourage
patients to discuss their problems. Sharing personal food preferences is not a
patient-centered intervention. The remaining options are not helpful to the patient
because they do not encourage the patient to express feelings. The nurse should
not offer opinions and should encourage the patient to identify the reasons for the
behavior.
4. A patient admitted to a nental health unit for treatment of psychotic behavior
spends hours at teh locked exit door shouting. "Let me out. Ther's nothing wrong
with me. I don't belong here." What defense mechanism is the patient
implementing?
a. Denial
b. Projection
c Regression
d. Rationalization - ANSWER-(A) Denial
RATIONALE: Denial is refusal to admit to a painful reality, which is treated as if
it does not exist. In projection, a person unconsciously rejects emotionally
unacceptable features and attributes them to other persons, objects, or situations.
©️COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 3
