GERONTOLOGY QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS A GRADED
1. The gerontological nurse practitioner performs a speculum examination for a 71-
year-old female patient without symptoms, and finds a thin, whitish, nonodorous
mucoid discharge high in the patient's vagina. The nurse practitioner's most
appropriate intervention is to:
explain to the woman that the discharge is normal.
prescribe estrogen cream, twice a week.
prescribe a topical antifungal medication, applied vaginally each night for one
week.
recommend the daily use of a vaginal lubricant, for three days.
2. Temporal arteritis requires immediate treatment in order to prevent:
blindness in the affected eye.
facial nerve palsy.
transient ischemic attack.
trigeminal neuralgia.
3. The test of choice for diagnosing iron deficiency anemia is a:
reticulocyte count.
serum ferritin level.
total iron binding capacity.
transferrin saturation level.
4. Which profile characterizes the older adult with the highest risk for suicide?
Divorced, Asian, and
female Married, Amish, and
female Single, White, and
male
Widowed, African-American, and male
5. A patient has hyperactive reflexes of the lower extremities. The
gerontological nurse practitioner assesses for ankle clonus by:
applying a low-pitched tuning fork firmly to the lateral malleolus.
sharply dorsiflexing and maintaining the foot in this position, while
supporting the knee.
striking the Achilles tendon with the percussion hammer after flexing the leg at
,the knee and rotating it externally.
, stroking the lateral aspect of the sole with the sharp end of the percussion
hammer from the heel to the ball of the foot.
6. The gerontological nurse practitioner notes a well-demarcated, dry, rough, tan-
colored area that measures 1 cm on the forearm of a retired man who worked as a
park ranger. The man says that the lesion has been present for years. The lesion is
suggestive of:
actinic keratosis.
keratoacanthoma.
seborrheic keratosis.
senile lentigo.
7. An 87-year-old patient, who has multiple, fluid-filled and unilateral lesions on an
erythematous base that follows a dermatome, reports severe pain and burning at
the site. The patient asks how long the pain will last. The gerontological nurse
practitioner responds that the pain:
might never completely disappear.
will disappear in four to six weeks.
will disappear in six months to one year.
will disappear once the lesions are gone.
8. A 69-year-old female patient reports dyspareunia. Physical examination reveals
sparse hair, an introitus that admits two fingers, and a pale, dry vagina. The
gerontological nurse practitioner's initial management of this problem is to prescribe:
a local, topical antifungal cream.
a topical hormonal cream.
a water-soluble lubricating jelly.
daily douching.
9. An older patient, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, develops a
fever and changes in sputum production. The gerontological nurse practitioner
prescribes:
a corticosteroid.
an antibiotic.
an inhaled bronchodilator.
nebulizer treatments.
10. The charge nurse at a nursing home consults a gerontological nurse practitioner
about a resident with dementia who fell two weeks ago. The patient's x-ray on the
ANSWERS A GRADED
1. The gerontological nurse practitioner performs a speculum examination for a 71-
year-old female patient without symptoms, and finds a thin, whitish, nonodorous
mucoid discharge high in the patient's vagina. The nurse practitioner's most
appropriate intervention is to:
explain to the woman that the discharge is normal.
prescribe estrogen cream, twice a week.
prescribe a topical antifungal medication, applied vaginally each night for one
week.
recommend the daily use of a vaginal lubricant, for three days.
2. Temporal arteritis requires immediate treatment in order to prevent:
blindness in the affected eye.
facial nerve palsy.
transient ischemic attack.
trigeminal neuralgia.
3. The test of choice for diagnosing iron deficiency anemia is a:
reticulocyte count.
serum ferritin level.
total iron binding capacity.
transferrin saturation level.
4. Which profile characterizes the older adult with the highest risk for suicide?
Divorced, Asian, and
female Married, Amish, and
female Single, White, and
male
Widowed, African-American, and male
5. A patient has hyperactive reflexes of the lower extremities. The
gerontological nurse practitioner assesses for ankle clonus by:
applying a low-pitched tuning fork firmly to the lateral malleolus.
sharply dorsiflexing and maintaining the foot in this position, while
supporting the knee.
striking the Achilles tendon with the percussion hammer after flexing the leg at
,the knee and rotating it externally.
, stroking the lateral aspect of the sole with the sharp end of the percussion
hammer from the heel to the ball of the foot.
6. The gerontological nurse practitioner notes a well-demarcated, dry, rough, tan-
colored area that measures 1 cm on the forearm of a retired man who worked as a
park ranger. The man says that the lesion has been present for years. The lesion is
suggestive of:
actinic keratosis.
keratoacanthoma.
seborrheic keratosis.
senile lentigo.
7. An 87-year-old patient, who has multiple, fluid-filled and unilateral lesions on an
erythematous base that follows a dermatome, reports severe pain and burning at
the site. The patient asks how long the pain will last. The gerontological nurse
practitioner responds that the pain:
might never completely disappear.
will disappear in four to six weeks.
will disappear in six months to one year.
will disappear once the lesions are gone.
8. A 69-year-old female patient reports dyspareunia. Physical examination reveals
sparse hair, an introitus that admits two fingers, and a pale, dry vagina. The
gerontological nurse practitioner's initial management of this problem is to prescribe:
a local, topical antifungal cream.
a topical hormonal cream.
a water-soluble lubricating jelly.
daily douching.
9. An older patient, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, develops a
fever and changes in sputum production. The gerontological nurse practitioner
prescribes:
a corticosteroid.
an antibiotic.
an inhaled bronchodilator.
nebulizer treatments.
10. The charge nurse at a nursing home consults a gerontological nurse practitioner
about a resident with dementia who fell two weeks ago. The patient's x-ray on the
