Endocrine test questions
A patient with type 2 diabetes is scheduled for a follow-up visit in the clinic several months from now. Which test will the nurse schedule to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment for the patient?
D. The glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C or HbA1C) test shows the overall control of glucose
12. A patient receives aspart (NovoLog) insulin at 8:00 AM. Which time will it be most important for the nurse to monitor for symptoms of hypoglycemia?
a. 10:00 AM
1. Which statements will the nurse include when teaching a patient who is scheduled for oral glucose tolerance testing in the outpatient clinic (select all that apply)?
a. "You will need to avoid smoking before the test." c. "Several blood samples will be obtained during the testing." e. "The test requires that you fast for at least 8 hours before testing."
In order to assist an older diabetic patient to engage in moderate daily exercise, which action is most important for the nurse to take?
a. Determine what type of activities the patient enjoys.
21. The nurse is caring for a 63-year-old with a possible pituitary tumor who is scheduled for a computed tomography (CT) scan with contrast. Which information about the patient is most important to discuss with the health care provider before the test?
a. History of renal insufficiency
Which statement by the patient indicates a need for additional instruction in administering insulin?
a. I need to rotate injection sites among my arms, legs, and abdomen each day."
A 32-year-old patient with diabetes is starting on intensive insulin therapy. Which type of insulin will the nurse discuss using for mealtime coverage?
a. Lispro (Humalog)
Which patient action indicates a good understanding of the nurse's teaching about the use of an insulin pump?
a. The patient programs the pump for an insulin bolus after eating.
A 55-year-old female patient with type 2 diabetes has a nursing diagnosis of imbalanced nutrition: more than body requirements. Which goal is most important for this patient?
a. The patient will reach a glycosylated hemoglobin level of less than 7%.
A 38-year-old patient who has type 1 diabetes plans to swim laps daily at 1:00 PM. The clinic nurse will plan to teach the patient to
a. check glucose level before, during, and after swimming.
20. A 35-year-old female patient with a possible pituitary adenoma is scheduled for a computed tomography (CT) scan with contrast media. Which patient information is most important for the nurse to communicate to the health care provider before the test?
b. Allergies to iodine and shellfish
3. A 30-year-old patient seen in the emergency department for severe headache and acute confusion is found to have a serum sodium level of 118 mEq/L. The nurse will anticipate the need for which diagnostic test?
b. Antidiuretic hormone level
19. The nurse is caring for a 45-year-old male patient during a water deprivation test. Which finding is most important for the nurse to communicate to the health care provider?
b. The patient has a 5-lb (2.3 kg) weight loss.
17. Which information about a 30-year-old patient who is scheduled for an oral glucose tolerance test should be reported to the health care provider before starting the test?
b. The patient takes oral corticosteroids for rheumatoid arthritis.
Which information will the nurse include when teaching a 50-year-old patient who has type 2 diabetes about glyburide (Micronase, DiaBeta, Glynase)?
b. Glyburide stimulates insulin production and release from the pancreas.
18. Which action by a new registered nurse (RN) caring for a patient with a goiter and possible hyperthyroidism indicates that the charge nurse needs to do more teaching?
b. The RN palpates the neck thoroughly to check thyroid size.
Which patient action indicates good understanding of the nurse's teaching about administration of aspart (NovoLog) insulin?
b. The patient cleans the skin with soap and water before insulin administration.
11. A 40-year-old male patient has been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Which information about the patient will be most useful to the nurse who is helping the patient develop strategies for successful adaptation to this disease?
b. Value system
7. During the physical examination of a 36-year-old female, the nurse finds that the patient's thyroid gland cannot be palpated. The most appropriate action by the nurse is to
b. document that the thyroid was non palpable.
14. A nurse will teach a patient who is scheduled to complete a 24-hour urine collection for 17-ketosteroids to
b. keep the specimen refrigerated or on ice.
5. A 29-year-old patient in the outpatient clinic will be scheduled for blood cortisol testing. Which instruction will the nurse provide?
c. "Come to the laboratory to have the blood drawn early in the morning."
4. Which question will provide the most useful information to a nurse who is interviewing a patient about a possible thyroid disorder?
c. "Have you had a recent unplanned weight gain or loss?"
4. The nurse is assessing a 22-year-old patient experiencing the onset of symptoms of type 1 diabetes. Which question is most appropriate for the nurse to ask?
c. "Have you lost weight lately?"
The nurse determines a need for additional instruction when the patient with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes says which of the following?
c. "I can choose any foods, as long as I use enough insulin to cover the calories."
1. Which statement by a nurse to a patient newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is correct?
c. Changes in diet and exercise may control blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes.
16. A 44-year-old patient is admitted with tetany. Which laboratory value should the nurse monitor?
c. Ionized calcium
15. Which additional information will the nurse need to consider when reviewing the laboratory results for a patient's total calcium level?
c. The serum albumin level is low.
8. Which laboratory value should the nurse review to determine whether a patient's hypothyroidism is caused by a problem with the anterior pituitary gland or with the thyroid gland?
c. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level
13. The nurse will teach a patient to plan to minimize physical and emotional stress while the patient is undergoing .
c. a 24-hour urine test for free cortisol.
10. A 60-year-old patient is taking spironolactone (Aldactone), a drug that blocks the action of aldosterone on the kidney, for hypertension. The nurse will monitor for
c. elevated serum potassium.
9. The nurse reviews a patient's glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb A1C) results to evaluate
c. glucose control over the past 90 days
2. A 48-year-old male patient screened for diabetes at a clinic has a fasting plasma glucose level of 120 mg/dL (6.7 mmol/L). The nurse will plan to teach the patient about
c. lifestyle changes to lower blood glucose.
When a patient who takes metformin (Glucophage) to manage type 2 diabetes develops an allergic rash from an unknown cause, the health care provider prescribes prednisone (Deltasone). The nurse will anticipate that the patient may
c. require administration of insulin while taking prednisone.
2. Which statement by a 50-year-old female patient indicates to the nurse that further assessment of thyroid function may be necessary?
d. "I feel a lump in my throat when I swallow."
The nurse has been teaching a patient with type 2 diabetes about managing blood glucose levels and taking glipizide (Glucotrol). Which patient statement indicates a need for additional teaching?
d. "My diabetes won't cause complications because I don't need insulin."
12. An 18-year-old male patient with a small stature is scheduled for a growth hormone stimulation test. In preparation for the test, the nurse will obtain
d. 50% dextrose solution.
3. A 28-year-old male patient with type 1 diabetes reports how he manages his exercise and glucose control. Which behavior indicates that the nurse should implement additional teaching?
d. The patient increases daily exercise when ketones are present in the urine.
A 61-year-old female patient admitted with pneumonia has a total serum calcium level of 13.3 mg/dL (3.3 mmol/L). The nurse will anticipate the need to teach the patient about testing for _____ levels.
d. parathyroid hormone
A hospitalized diabetic patient received 38 U of NPH insulin at 7:00 AM. At 1:00 PM, the patient has been away from the nursing unit for 2 hours, missing the lunch delivery while awaiting a chest x-ray. To prevent hypoglycemia, the best action by the nurse is to
d. request that if testing is further delayed, the patient be returned to the unit to eat.
1. A 22-year-old patient is being seen in the clinic with increased secretion of the anterior pituitary hormones. The nurse would expect the laboratory results to show
increased urinary cortisol.
