PN HESI Fundamental

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Sample questions from PN HESI Fundamental

This material has 90 questions with answers and rationales. Here are the first 5.

1. 1.During a home health visit, a client taking antibiotics for pneumonia reports three watery stools since yesterday. The client is weak but alert, and the abdomen is soft. Which action should the practical nurse take first?

   • A.Encourage the client to use the shared bathroom and clean it at the end of the day.
   • B.Offer an antidiarrheal medication from the client's medication supply.
   • C.Collect a stool specimen before using gloves to avoid contaminating the sample.
   • D.Place the client on enteric contact precautions and notify the RN of the new diarrhea.

   Rationale: New watery diarrhea during antibiotic therapy raises concern for an infectious cause such as C. difficile, so gloves, gown as indicated, and prompt precautions reduce transmission while the RN is notified. An antidiarrheal should not be given without an order and evaluation of the cause. A specimen should be collected using appropriate precautions, not without gloves, and a shared bathroom should be cleaned promptly with an appropriate sporicidal product rather than left until day's end.

2. 2.At a community clinic, a client being evaluated for pulmonary tuberculosis is scheduled for a sputum specimen. Which actions should the practical nurse take to reduce transmission? Select all that apply.

   • A.Place the client in an airborne infection isolation room with the door closed, if available.
   • B.Ask the client to wear a surgical mask during transport outside the room.
   • C.Keep the room door open to improve air circulation.
   • D.Wear a fit-tested N95 respirator when entering the room.
   • E.Use a surgical mask instead of a respirator when collecting the specimen in the room.

   Rationale: Airborne precautions require an airborne infection isolation room with the door closed and a fit-tested respirator for staff entering. A surgical mask on the client helps contain respiratory secretions during necessary transport. An open door does not provide airborne isolation, and a surgical mask does not replace the staff respirator when entering the room.

3. 3.At change of shift, a practical nurse receives report on four clients. Which client should the nurse check first?

   • A.A client with a history of falls who is asking for assistance to walk to the bathroom.
   • B.A client who received an opioid 30 minutes ago and is difficult to arouse, with a respiratory rate of 8/min.
   • C.A client with a new cast who reports itching beneath the cast but has warm fingers and brisk capillary refill.
   • D.A client with a healing incision who has a temperature of 37.8 C and requests a warm blanket.

   Rationale: Difficulty arousing with a respiratory rate of 8/min after an opioid suggests potentially life-threatening respiratory depression and requires immediate assessment and reporting. The client requesting toileting needs timely assistance, but is not showing an immediate airway or breathing threat. Itching with intact distal circulation and a mild temperature elevation are less urgent findings, though they still warrant follow-up.

4. 4.Refer to the client's chart. Which actions should the practical nurse take to limit transmission and protect the client? Select all that apply.

   • A.Perform hand hygiene with soap and water after providing care.
   • B.Wear a gown and gloves when entering the room for direct care.
   • C.Use dedicated equipment, or disinfect equipment before it leaves the room.
   • D.Place an alcohol-based hand rub dispenser at the bedside as the only hand hygiene method.
   • E.Allow visitors to provide care without protective equipment if they wash their hands afterward.

   Answer and rationale are in the full material.

5. 5.In a long-term care facility, an older adult with mild dementia begins pulling at a peripheral IV dressing but is calm when staff sit nearby. Which action is best for the practical nurse to take?

   • A.Ask the RN to assess the cause of the behavior and try a less restrictive safety measure, such as closer observation.
   • B.Administer a sedative from the client's PRN list to prevent injury.
   • C.Tie the client's hands loosely to the bed frame until the next medication is due.
   • D.Apply wrist restraints to prevent the client from removing the IV.

   Answer and rationale are in the full material.