WGU SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF NURSING
EMERGENCY AND DISASTER NURSING EXAMINATION
Course Title: Emergency and Disaster Nursing
Course Code: NUR 2140
Academic Year: 2025/2026
During the primary assessment of a victim of a motor vehicle collision, the nurse determines
that the patient is breathing and has an unobstructed airway. Which action should the nurse
take next?
A. Palpate extremities for bilateral pulses.
B. Observe the patients respiratory effort.
C. Check the patients level of consciousness.
D. Examine the patient for any external bleeding.
ANS: B
Even with a patent airway, patients can have other problems that compromise ventilation, so
the next action is to assess the patients breathing. The other actions are also part of the initial
survey but assessment of breathing should be done immediately after assessing for airway
patency.
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,During the primary survey of a patient with severe leg trauma, the nurse observes that the
patients left pedal pulse is absent and the leg is swollen. Which action will the nurse take next?
A. Send blood to the lab for a complete blood count.
B. Assess further for a cause of the decreased circulation.
C. Finish the airway, breathing, circulation, disability survey.
D. Start normal saline fluid infusion with a large-bore IV line.
ANS: D
The assessment data indicate that the patient may have arterial trauma and hemorrhage. When
a possibly life- threatening injury is found during the primary survey, the nurse should
immediately start interventions before proceeding with the survey. Although a complete blood
count is indicated, administration of IV fluids should be started first. Completion of the primary
survey and further assessment should be completed after the IV fluids are initiated.
After the return of spontaneous circulation following the resuscitation of a patient who had a
cardiac arrest, therapeutic hypothermia is ordered. Which action will the nurse include in the
plan of care?
A. Apply external cooling device.
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, B. Check mental status every 15 minutes.
C. Avoid the use of sedative medications.
D. Rewarm if temperature is <91 F (32.8 C).
ANS: A
When therapeutic hypothermia is used postresuscitation, external cooling devices or cold
normal saline infusions are used to rapidly lower body temperature to 89.6 F to 93.2 F (32 C to
34 C). Because hypothermia will decrease brain activity, assessing mental status every 15
minutes is not needed at this stage. Sedative medications are administered during therapeutic
hypothermia.
A patient who is unconscious after a fall from a ladder is transported to the emergency
department by emergency medical personnel. During the primary survey of the patient, the
nurse should
A. obtain a complete set of vital signs.
B. obtain a Glasgow Coma Scale score.
C. ask about chronic medical conditions.
D. attach a cardiac electrocardiogram monitor.
ANS: B
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DEPARTMENT OF NURSING
EMERGENCY AND DISASTER NURSING EXAMINATION
Course Title: Emergency and Disaster Nursing
Course Code: NUR 2140
Academic Year: 2025/2026
During the primary assessment of a victim of a motor vehicle collision, the nurse determines
that the patient is breathing and has an unobstructed airway. Which action should the nurse
take next?
A. Palpate extremities for bilateral pulses.
B. Observe the patients respiratory effort.
C. Check the patients level of consciousness.
D. Examine the patient for any external bleeding.
ANS: B
Even with a patent airway, patients can have other problems that compromise ventilation, so
the next action is to assess the patients breathing. The other actions are also part of the initial
survey but assessment of breathing should be done immediately after assessing for airway
patency.
1|Page
,During the primary survey of a patient with severe leg trauma, the nurse observes that the
patients left pedal pulse is absent and the leg is swollen. Which action will the nurse take next?
A. Send blood to the lab for a complete blood count.
B. Assess further for a cause of the decreased circulation.
C. Finish the airway, breathing, circulation, disability survey.
D. Start normal saline fluid infusion with a large-bore IV line.
ANS: D
The assessment data indicate that the patient may have arterial trauma and hemorrhage. When
a possibly life- threatening injury is found during the primary survey, the nurse should
immediately start interventions before proceeding with the survey. Although a complete blood
count is indicated, administration of IV fluids should be started first. Completion of the primary
survey and further assessment should be completed after the IV fluids are initiated.
After the return of spontaneous circulation following the resuscitation of a patient who had a
cardiac arrest, therapeutic hypothermia is ordered. Which action will the nurse include in the
plan of care?
A. Apply external cooling device.
2|Page
, B. Check mental status every 15 minutes.
C. Avoid the use of sedative medications.
D. Rewarm if temperature is <91 F (32.8 C).
ANS: A
When therapeutic hypothermia is used postresuscitation, external cooling devices or cold
normal saline infusions are used to rapidly lower body temperature to 89.6 F to 93.2 F (32 C to
34 C). Because hypothermia will decrease brain activity, assessing mental status every 15
minutes is not needed at this stage. Sedative medications are administered during therapeutic
hypothermia.
A patient who is unconscious after a fall from a ladder is transported to the emergency
department by emergency medical personnel. During the primary survey of the patient, the
nurse should
A. obtain a complete set of vital signs.
B. obtain a Glasgow Coma Scale score.
C. ask about chronic medical conditions.
D. attach a cardiac electrocardiogram monitor.
ANS: B
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