NUR 125 FUNDAMENTALS – Exam Review /
Practice Questions | 2026/2027
Comprehensive Nursing Fundamentals Final Exam
Prep with Key Concepts & Study Guide
Section I: Safe & Effective Care Environment (Management of Care)
1. A nurse is caring for a client who is post-operative day one following
abdominal surgery. The client reports a pain level of 8 on a scale of 0 to 10.
The nurse administers morphine sulfate 4 mg IV push. What is the nurse's
priority action after administering the medication?
A. Document the medication administration.
B. Assess the client's pain level in 15-30 minutes.
C. Instruct the client to call for assistance before getting up.
D. Evaluate the client's respiratory rate.
✅ Answer: D. Evaluate the client's respiratory rate.
Rationale: Morphine sulfate, an opioid analgesic, can cause respiratory
depression as a life-threatening side effect. The nurse's priority is to assess
,respiratory rate to ensure safety. While all other options are important,
airway and breathing are always the highest priority following opioid
administration.
2. A nurse is preparing to delegate tasks to an unlicensed assistive
personnel (UAP). Which task is appropriate for the nurse to delegate?
A. Assessing a client's lung sounds.
B. Creating a plan of care for a client with pneumonia.
C. Performing oral suctioning for a client with a tracheostomy.
D. Ambulating a client who is post-operative day two with a steady gait.
✅ Answer: D. Ambulating a client who is post-operative day two with a
steady gait.
Rationale: Delegation is based on the five rights. Ambulating a stable client
is a standard, routine task that falls within the UAP's scope of practice.
Assessment, planning, and skilled procedures like tracheostomy suctioning
are the responsibility of the licensed nurse.
3. A charge nurse is observing a new graduate nurse perform a sterile
dressing change. Which action by the graduate nurse requires immediate
intervention?
,A. The nurse opens the sterile kit away from their body.
B. The nurse sets up the sterile field on a clean, dry bedside table.
C. The nurse reaches over the sterile field to obtain a piece of gauze.
D. The nurse dons sterile gloves before opening the final flap of the sterile kit.
✅ Answer: C. The nurse reaches over the sterile field to obtain a piece of
gauze.
Rationale: Reaching over a sterile field contaminates it, as gravity causes
non- sterile particles to fall onto the sterile surface. Sterile fields must be kept
within view and only approached from the sides. The other options describe
correct sterile technique.
4. A client is being discharged home with a new prescription for
warfarin (Coumadin). Which statement by the client indicates a need
for further teaching?
A. "I will take ibuprofen if I get a headache."
B. "I will eat my normal amount of green leafy vegetables each week."
C. "I will get my blood drawn regularly to check my INR."
D. "I will use an electric razor instead of a manual one."
✅ Answer: A. "I will take ibuprofen if I get a headache."
Rationale: Ibuprofen (an NSAID) increases the risk of gastrointestinal
, bleeding, especially when taken with an anticoagulant like warfarin. The client
should use
acetaminophen for pain or headache. Consistency with vitamin K (green leafy
vegetables) is important, and INR monitoring is essential for safety.
5. A nurse is documenting client care. Which entry demonstrates
appropriate documentation practices?
A. "Client seems anxious about the procedure."
B. "Client is in a lot of pain."
C. "Client is uncooperative with staff."
D. "Client's wound dressing is dry and intact, with scant serous drainage
noted."
✅ Answer: D. "Client's wound dressing is dry and intact, with scant serous
drainage noted."
Rationale: Documentation must be objective, factual, and descriptive.
"Seems," "a lot," and "uncooperative" are subjective and judgmental terms.
Objective data is measurable and observable, as in option D.
6. A nurse is planning care for a client who is on contact precautions.
Which of the following should the nurse ensure is available in the client's
room?
Practice Questions | 2026/2027
Comprehensive Nursing Fundamentals Final Exam
Prep with Key Concepts & Study Guide
Section I: Safe & Effective Care Environment (Management of Care)
1. A nurse is caring for a client who is post-operative day one following
abdominal surgery. The client reports a pain level of 8 on a scale of 0 to 10.
The nurse administers morphine sulfate 4 mg IV push. What is the nurse's
priority action after administering the medication?
A. Document the medication administration.
B. Assess the client's pain level in 15-30 minutes.
C. Instruct the client to call for assistance before getting up.
D. Evaluate the client's respiratory rate.
✅ Answer: D. Evaluate the client's respiratory rate.
Rationale: Morphine sulfate, an opioid analgesic, can cause respiratory
depression as a life-threatening side effect. The nurse's priority is to assess
,respiratory rate to ensure safety. While all other options are important,
airway and breathing are always the highest priority following opioid
administration.
2. A nurse is preparing to delegate tasks to an unlicensed assistive
personnel (UAP). Which task is appropriate for the nurse to delegate?
A. Assessing a client's lung sounds.
B. Creating a plan of care for a client with pneumonia.
C. Performing oral suctioning for a client with a tracheostomy.
D. Ambulating a client who is post-operative day two with a steady gait.
✅ Answer: D. Ambulating a client who is post-operative day two with a
steady gait.
Rationale: Delegation is based on the five rights. Ambulating a stable client
is a standard, routine task that falls within the UAP's scope of practice.
Assessment, planning, and skilled procedures like tracheostomy suctioning
are the responsibility of the licensed nurse.
3. A charge nurse is observing a new graduate nurse perform a sterile
dressing change. Which action by the graduate nurse requires immediate
intervention?
,A. The nurse opens the sterile kit away from their body.
B. The nurse sets up the sterile field on a clean, dry bedside table.
C. The nurse reaches over the sterile field to obtain a piece of gauze.
D. The nurse dons sterile gloves before opening the final flap of the sterile kit.
✅ Answer: C. The nurse reaches over the sterile field to obtain a piece of
gauze.
Rationale: Reaching over a sterile field contaminates it, as gravity causes
non- sterile particles to fall onto the sterile surface. Sterile fields must be kept
within view and only approached from the sides. The other options describe
correct sterile technique.
4. A client is being discharged home with a new prescription for
warfarin (Coumadin). Which statement by the client indicates a need
for further teaching?
A. "I will take ibuprofen if I get a headache."
B. "I will eat my normal amount of green leafy vegetables each week."
C. "I will get my blood drawn regularly to check my INR."
D. "I will use an electric razor instead of a manual one."
✅ Answer: A. "I will take ibuprofen if I get a headache."
Rationale: Ibuprofen (an NSAID) increases the risk of gastrointestinal
, bleeding, especially when taken with an anticoagulant like warfarin. The client
should use
acetaminophen for pain or headache. Consistency with vitamin K (green leafy
vegetables) is important, and INR monitoring is essential for safety.
5. A nurse is documenting client care. Which entry demonstrates
appropriate documentation practices?
A. "Client seems anxious about the procedure."
B. "Client is in a lot of pain."
C. "Client is uncooperative with staff."
D. "Client's wound dressing is dry and intact, with scant serous drainage
noted."
✅ Answer: D. "Client's wound dressing is dry and intact, with scant serous
drainage noted."
Rationale: Documentation must be objective, factual, and descriptive.
"Seems," "a lot," and "uncooperative" are subjective and judgmental terms.
Objective data is measurable and observable, as in option D.
6. A nurse is planning care for a client who is on contact precautions.
Which of the following should the nurse ensure is available in the client's
room?
