A family has just lost their home in a fire. An on-call nurse from a community counseling center has been called in to the emergency department to help them with this traumatic event. Which of the following would the nurse identify as the priority for this family?
- A. Arranging for follow-up therapy to deal with the crisis
- B. Completing a family genogram to determine family patterns
- C. Assessing the impact of the loss on their lifestyle
- D. Arranging for emergency shelter and food supplies
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The priority in a crisis is addressing immediate safety needs, such as shelter and food, per Maslow?s hierarchy. These basic needs must be met before addressing therapy (A), family patterns (B), or lifestyle impact (C), which are secondary concerns.
You may also like to solve these questions
The nurse is assessing a 35-year-old woman who is seeking assistance at a local community counseling center. Which of the following statements made by the woman would indicate that she is experiencing a crisis?
- A. I?m so upset; my husband has never left me like this before.
- B. I?m confused and hurt; I have lost my best friend and my lover.
- C. I don?t understand; I can?t seem to function like I usually do.
- D. No matter what I do, I am still overcome by these sad feelings.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A crisis is characterized by an inability to function as usual due to overwhelming stress. The statement 'I can?t seem to function like I usually do' directly indicates impaired functioning, a hallmark of a crisis. The other statements reflect emotional distress but do not explicitly highlight functional impairment.
A 25-year-old legal secretary is seeking counseling because she recently lost her job unexpectedly. Which question would be most appropriate for the nurse to use in assessing the patient?s response to losing her job?
- A. What happened to cause you to lose your job?
- B. How did you feel immediately after being told you no longer had a job?
- C. How do you expect yourself to be able to handle this situation?
- D. How have you responded to previous stressful situations?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Assessing the patient?s emotional response immediately after the job loss provides insight into the impact of the event and her coping mechanisms. Understanding her feelings helps evaluate the crisis?s severity. The other questions focus on causes, expectations, or past behavior, which are less directly tied to her current response.
An individual is seeking employment as a nurse in a crisis center. The interviewer asks the person what he would ask someone who called the crisis hotline to determine whether the caller was experiencing a crisis. Which response would be most appropriate?
- A. To what extent are you involved in a crisis situation?
- B. Tell me about what you are experiencing and what it means to you.
- C. How would you rate your level of functioning on a scale from 1 to 10?
- D. Why do you think you are in a crisis situation?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Asking the caller to describe their experience and its meaning allows the nurse to assess the emotional and functional impact, key indicators of a crisis. This open-ended question encourages detailed responses. The other options are too vague (A), quantitative (C), or assume a crisis (D), which may limit the assessment.
A 62-year-old man experienced the loss of his 87-year-old father a week ago. The hospice nurse is making a follow-up visit to determine how he is handling his father?s death. Which of the following statements made indicates to the hospice nurse that patient is in the acute mourning stage of bereavement?
- A. I keep thinking about my father; I have trouble believing he?s dead. I feel guilty because I didn?t go to the nursing home to visit him last week!
- B. I?ve been grieving my father; losing him is a tremendous loss, but I have to get on with my life.
- C. My father was a saint. I am so angry at God for taking him away! I?m crying all the time; I haven?t been able to work for days.
- D. I?m going to spend the weekend with my children; they understand what I?ve been going through, and I can relax around them.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The acute mourning stage involves intense emotional reactions such as anger, crying, and inability to work, as seen in the statement about anger at God and persistent crying. The other statements reflect denial/guilt (A), acceptance (B), or coping (D), which align with different stages of grief.
After teaching a group of nursing students about crisis, the instructor determines that the teaching was successful when the students state which of the following?
- A. Crisis triggers maladaptive responses.
- B. Crisis is a time-limited event.
- C. Chronic crisis is a real situation.
- D. Events causing a crisis are similar for everyone.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A crisis is a time-limited event, typically resolving within weeks as individuals adapt or receive support. Crises do not always trigger maladaptive responses (A), chronic crisis is not a standard term (C), and events vary by individual (D).
Nokea