HESI Foundations Practice Exam

The nurse witnesses the signature of a client who has signed an informed consent. Which statement best explains this nursing responsibility? A. The client voluntarily signed the form. B. The client fully understands the procedure. C. The client agrees with the procedure to be done. D. The client authorizes continued treatment.

A. The client voluntarily signed the form; Rationale: The nurse signs the consent form to witness that the client voluntarily signs the consent (A), that the client's signature is authentic, and that the client is otherwise competent to give consent. It is the healthcare provider's responsibility to ensure the client fully understands the procedure (B). The nurse's signature does not indicate (C or D).

A young mother of three children complains of increased anxiety during her annual physical exam. What information should the nurse obtain first? A. Sexual activity patterns. B. Nutritional history. C. Leisure activities. D. Financial stressors.

B. Nutritional history; Rationale: Caffeine, sugars, and alcohol can lead to increased levels of anxiety, so a nutritional history (C) should be obtained first so that health teaching can be initiated if indicated. (A and C) can be used for stress management. Though (D) can be a source of anxiety, a nutritional history should be obtained first.

The nurse observes an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) checking a client's blood pressure with a cuff that is too small, but the blood pressure reading obtained is within the client's usual range. What action is most important for the nurse to implement? A. Tell the UAP to use a larger cuff at the next scheduled assessment. B. Reassess the client's blood pressure using a larger cuff. C. Have the unit educator review this procedure with the UAPs. D. Teach the UAP the correct technique for assessing blood pressure.

B. Reassess the client's blood pressure using a larger cuff; Rationale: An unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) is using the wrong sized cuff to check a blood pressure. The most important action is to ensure that an accurate BP reading is obtained. The nurse should reassess the BP with the correct size cuff. Reassessment should not be postponed.

A female client with a nasogastric tube attached to low suction states that she is nauseated. The nurse assesses that there has been no drainage through the nasogastric tube in the last two hours. What action should the nurse take first? A. Irrigate the nasogastric tube with sterile normal saline. B. Reposition the client on her side. C. Advance the nasogastric tube an additional five centimeters. D. Administer an intravenous antiemetic prescribed for PRN use.

B. Reposition the client on her side; Rationale: The nurse has identified two things suggesting the the nasogastric tube is not functioning properly: client is nauseated and no drainage from the tube in 2 hours. The immediate priority is to determine if the tube is functioning correctly, which would then relieve the client's nausea. The least invasive intervention should be attempted first. This includes repositioning the client to her side. The tube may need to be irrigated or advanced but these actions should follow repositioning the client.

During the initial morning assessment, a male client denies dysuria but reports that his urine appears dark amber. Which intervention should the nurse implement? A. Provide additional coffee on the client's breakfast tray. B. Exchange the client's grape juice for cranberry juice. C. Bring the client additional fruit at mid-morning. D. Encourage additional oral intake of juices and water.

D. Encourage additional oral intake of juices and water; Rationale: Dark amber urine is characteristic of fluid volume deficit, and the client should be encouraged to increase fluid intake (D). Caffeine, however, is a diuretic (A), and may worsen the fluid volume deficit. Any type of juice will be beneficial (B), since the client is not dysuric, a sign of an urinary tract infection. The client needs to restore fluid volume more than solid foods (C).

A client's daily PO prescription for aripiprazole (Abilify) is increased from 15 mg to 30 mg. The medication is available in 15 mg tablets, and the client already received one tablet today. How many additional tablets should the nurse administer so the client receives the total newly prescribed dose for the day? (Enter numeric value only.)

Rationale: 30 mg (total dose) - 15 mg (dose already administered) = 15 mg that still needs to be administered. Using the Desired/Have formula: 15 mg/15 mg = 1 tablet