HESI A2 V1- Critical Thinking Questions
1. The Patient: A 65-year-old man.
The Situation- The family brings the patient to the emergency room because he just took an entire bottle of pills.
The Question: What action should the nurse take first?: Determine the patient's level of consciousness.
2. The Patient: An 80-year-old male who has used continuous oxygen for the past three years.
The Situation: While making a home visit, the wife tells the nurse that her husband was doing well on 2 liters of oxygen per minute
until late night when he developed severe shortness of breath on the way to the bathroom. The Question: What action should the
nurse take first?: Assess the patient's oxygen saturation by pulse oximeter.
3. The Patient: A 41-year-old male.
The Situation: The patient is complaining of severe stomach pain and states that he has been "vomiting all the time."
The Question: What should the nurse do first?: Administer a prescribed pain medication.
4. The Patient: The wife of a wealthy owner of the town's bank.
The Situation: The patient and her husband arrive on the unit. While orienting the patient to the hospital room, the nurse notices
that the patient has placed a large amount of cash and some expensive earrings in the drawer of the bedside table.
The Question: What is the best action for the nurse to take?: Advise the patient to have her husband take the items home
when he leaves.
5. The Patient: A 45-year-old female who is 5'2" tall, weighs 200 pounds, and has smoked since age 21.
The Situation: The patient comes to the clinic with a complaint of "leg pain." The Question: It is most important for the nurse do
obtain information about which previous occurrence?: A previous blood clot in the leg.
6. The Patient: A 61-year-old female.
The Situation: The patient has a fever of unknown origin. The nurse administered a fever-reducing medication 30 minutes ago. At
this time there has been no decrease in the patient's fever.
The Question: What action would be best for the nurse to take?: Sponge the patient with cool water.
7. The Patient: A 70-year-old male who is relatively healthy.
The Situation: A liquid medication is prescribed for this patient.
The Question: Prior to administering the prescribed medication, what intervention has the highest priority?: Determine if the
patient is allergic to the medication.
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, HESI A2 V1- Critical Thinking Questions
8. The Patient: A 50-year-old female.
The Situation: While the nurse is offering the patient her morning medications, she tells the nurse that she does not recall ever
taking a pill that was pink-colored.
The Question: What should the nurse do in response to this patient's comment?: Withhold the medication until the patient's
prescription if verified.
9. The Patients:
1. A 63-year-old with a burn on the left lower leg who is complaining of pain.
2. A 45-year-old with pneumonia, complaining of shortness of breath.
3. A 31-year-old with abdominal pain who has just vomited blood.
4. A 88-year-old who has right-sided paralysis and wants to be helped to the bathroom immediately.
The Situation: The nurse is caring for these patients.
The Question: Who should the nurse see first?: The 45-year-old with pneumonia and shortness of breath
10. The Patients:
1. A 13-year-old female with a kidney infection who reports that there is "lots of blood" in her urine.
2. An 18-year-old male with acute alcohol poisoning who is seeing "bugs on the walls."
3. A 21-year-old female with inflammatory bowel disease who has soaked a dressing three hours after surgery.
4. A 25-year-old male who is sobbing in his room after being told that he has testicular cancer.
The Situation: The nurse is caring for these four patients.
The Question: Who should the nurse see first?: The 21-year-old who is three hours postoperative and has a soaked
dressing.
11. The Patient:
1. A 42-year-old with diabetes who is blind and is asking to get up and moved to a chair.
2. An 88-year-old with lower body paralysis who wants to be turned in bed.
3. A 17-year-old with asthma who smokes and has been in the bathroom for 30 minutes.
4. A 55-year-old with cardiac disease who tells the nurse, "Get the TV fixed or
I am leaving this place."
The Situation: The nurse is caring for these four patients.
The Question: Which patient should the nurse see first?: The 17-year-old with asthma who may be smoking in the bathroom.
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1. The Patient: A 65-year-old man.
The Situation- The family brings the patient to the emergency room because he just took an entire bottle of pills.
The Question: What action should the nurse take first?: Determine the patient's level of consciousness.
2. The Patient: An 80-year-old male who has used continuous oxygen for the past three years.
The Situation: While making a home visit, the wife tells the nurse that her husband was doing well on 2 liters of oxygen per minute
until late night when he developed severe shortness of breath on the way to the bathroom. The Question: What action should the
nurse take first?: Assess the patient's oxygen saturation by pulse oximeter.
3. The Patient: A 41-year-old male.
The Situation: The patient is complaining of severe stomach pain and states that he has been "vomiting all the time."
The Question: What should the nurse do first?: Administer a prescribed pain medication.
4. The Patient: The wife of a wealthy owner of the town's bank.
The Situation: The patient and her husband arrive on the unit. While orienting the patient to the hospital room, the nurse notices
that the patient has placed a large amount of cash and some expensive earrings in the drawer of the bedside table.
The Question: What is the best action for the nurse to take?: Advise the patient to have her husband take the items home
when he leaves.
5. The Patient: A 45-year-old female who is 5'2" tall, weighs 200 pounds, and has smoked since age 21.
The Situation: The patient comes to the clinic with a complaint of "leg pain." The Question: It is most important for the nurse do
obtain information about which previous occurrence?: A previous blood clot in the leg.
6. The Patient: A 61-year-old female.
The Situation: The patient has a fever of unknown origin. The nurse administered a fever-reducing medication 30 minutes ago. At
this time there has been no decrease in the patient's fever.
The Question: What action would be best for the nurse to take?: Sponge the patient with cool water.
7. The Patient: A 70-year-old male who is relatively healthy.
The Situation: A liquid medication is prescribed for this patient.
The Question: Prior to administering the prescribed medication, what intervention has the highest priority?: Determine if the
patient is allergic to the medication.
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, HESI A2 V1- Critical Thinking Questions
8. The Patient: A 50-year-old female.
The Situation: While the nurse is offering the patient her morning medications, she tells the nurse that she does not recall ever
taking a pill that was pink-colored.
The Question: What should the nurse do in response to this patient's comment?: Withhold the medication until the patient's
prescription if verified.
9. The Patients:
1. A 63-year-old with a burn on the left lower leg who is complaining of pain.
2. A 45-year-old with pneumonia, complaining of shortness of breath.
3. A 31-year-old with abdominal pain who has just vomited blood.
4. A 88-year-old who has right-sided paralysis and wants to be helped to the bathroom immediately.
The Situation: The nurse is caring for these patients.
The Question: Who should the nurse see first?: The 45-year-old with pneumonia and shortness of breath
10. The Patients:
1. A 13-year-old female with a kidney infection who reports that there is "lots of blood" in her urine.
2. An 18-year-old male with acute alcohol poisoning who is seeing "bugs on the walls."
3. A 21-year-old female with inflammatory bowel disease who has soaked a dressing three hours after surgery.
4. A 25-year-old male who is sobbing in his room after being told that he has testicular cancer.
The Situation: The nurse is caring for these four patients.
The Question: Who should the nurse see first?: The 21-year-old who is three hours postoperative and has a soaked
dressing.
11. The Patient:
1. A 42-year-old with diabetes who is blind and is asking to get up and moved to a chair.
2. An 88-year-old with lower body paralysis who wants to be turned in bed.
3. A 17-year-old with asthma who smokes and has been in the bathroom for 30 minutes.
4. A 55-year-old with cardiac disease who tells the nurse, "Get the TV fixed or
I am leaving this place."
The Situation: The nurse is caring for these four patients.
The Question: Which patient should the nurse see first?: The 17-year-old with asthma who may be smoking in the bathroom.
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