CEN Online Practice Questions and Answers

Your patient has arrived in the emergency department with a penetrating eye injury. You are assessing the patient. What should your first action be?

A. Remove any objects from the eye.

B. Place a patch over the eye.

C. Perform a visual acuity test.

D. Use sterile saline to irrigate the eye.

You are caring for a patient who complains of tinnitus. What part of the ear do you suspect is the most likely cause of the patient's complaint?

A. External ear

B. Middle ear

C. Inner ear

D. Auricle

You are working with a child and suspect physical abuse. What is your primary legal responsibility?

A. Document your assessment thoroughly and accurately.

B. Report the abuse to local authorities.

C. Refer the family to support groups.

D. Assist the family in identifying resources and support systems.

Your patient in the emergency department has been sexually assaulted. The patient is withdrawn, confused and at times physically withdrawn. You realize that these behaviors are:

A. Sign of the patients increased risk for suicide

B. An indication of the patient's need for admission

C. Signs of depression D. Normal reactions to sexual assault

You have assisted the physician with insertion of a chest tube. As you monitor the fluid level in the water seal chamber you notice fluctuations in the fluid. What is the appropriate action?

A. Notify the physician.

B. Encourage the patient to deep breathe.

C. This is a normal finding.

D. Reinforce the dressing.

If you were caring for a child who had croup that had to be in a cool mist tent, what action would you need to take if the child became frightened and began crying consistently?

A. Notify the physician and get an order for sedation.

B. Have the mother make the child stay in the tent.

C. Give the child a toy to play with in the tent.

D. Place the child in mom's lap and direct cool mist over the child's face.

You are caring for a child with acute exacerbation of asthma. What would indicate a worsening of the condition?

A. Increased wheezing

B. Decreased wheezing

C. Warm, dry skin

D. A pulse rate of 90 beats per minute

You are reviewing an arterial blood gas for a patient. Which result would lead you to believe this patient has respiratory acidosis?

A. pH of 7.48

B. PCO2 of 32 mm Hg

C. pH of 7.30

D. HCO3 of 20 mEq/L

Your patient has come into the emergency department with a self-inflicted wrist laceration that has severe bleeding. You have begun to apply pressure to the wound. What would your immediate priority be?

A. See to the patient's need for psychiatric evaluation.

B. Lower the patient's body temperature to decrease circulation.

C. Place the extremity below the level of the heart.

D. Monitor the patient for signs of shock.

You are caring for a patient who was brought into the emergency department unresponsive, hypotensive and tachypneic. Upon further assessment, you realize that the patient's temperature is 106 degrees Fahrenheit. You suspect heat stroke. What would your priority nursing intervention be?

A. Obtain a history from the patient.

B. Take oral temperature to monitor effectiveness of treatment.

C. Call the family for consent to treat.

D. Take off the patient's clothing, wrap him or her in wet towels and place a fan on the patient.