A female client on the mental health unit tells the nurse that her roommate is sitting on the bathroom floor with superficial cuts on her wrists. The nurse cleans and assesses the client's wrists and asks what happened. She doesn't respond. What should the nurse do next?
- A. Find supplies to put a dressing on the client's wrists
- B. Take the client to a room for supervision by staff
- C. Call the healthcare provider to report the client's behavior
- D. Go find a staff member to stay in the room with the client
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In this situation, the nurse's priority is to ensure the safety and supervision of the client. Moving the client to a room for direct supervision by staff is crucial to prevent further harm and provide immediate support. While cleaning and assessing the client's wrists are important, ensuring ongoing supervision is vital in this scenario. Calling the healthcare provider to report the behavior may be necessary but is not the immediate action required. Finding supplies to dress the client's wrists is important but not as urgent as ensuring constant supervision by staff.
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A client with chronic kidney disease has an arteriovenous (AV) fistula in the left forearm. Which observation by the nurse indicates that the fistula is patent?
- A. Distended, tortuous veins in the left hand
- B. The left radial pulse is 2+ bounding
- C. Auscultation of a thrill on the left forearm
- D. Assessment of a bruit on the left forearm
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Auscultation of a thrill on the left forearm is the correct observation indicating that the AV fistula is patent. A thrill is a palpable vibration or buzzing sensation felt over the fistula, indicating the presence of blood flow. Choices A, B, and D do not directly assess the patency of the fistula. Distended, tortuous veins in the left hand may indicate venous hypertension; a bounding radial pulse could suggest increased blood flow through an artery, but it does not confirm fistula patency; assessment of a bruit indicates turbulent blood flow, but it does not confirm patency.
An experienced nurse tells the nurse-manager that working with a new graduate is impossible because the new graduate will not listen to suggestions. The new graduate comes to the nurse-manager describing the senior nurse's attitude as challenging and offensive. What action is best for the nurse manager to take?
- A. Have both nurses meet separately with the staff mental health consultant
- B. Listen actively to both nurses and offer suggestions to solve the dilemma
- C. Ask the senior nurse to examine mentoring strategies used with the new graduate
- D. Ask the nurses to meet with the nurse-manager to identify ways of working together
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: In this scenario, the best action for the nurse manager to take is to ask the nurses to meet with the nurse-manager to identify ways of working together. This approach promotes open communication, facilitates understanding of both perspectives, and encourages collaborative problem-solving. Option A is not ideal as involving a mental health consultant may be premature for this situation. Option B, although helpful in listening to both parties, does not directly address the need for collaboration. Option C focuses on the senior nurse's mentoring strategies only, rather than addressing the conflict between the two nurses.
After assessing an older adult with a suspected cerebrovascular accident (CVA), the nurse documents the client's right upper arm weakness and slurred speech. When the client complains of a severe headache and nausea, and the neurological assessment remains unchanged, which action should the nurse implement first?
- A. Administer an oral analgesic with antiemetic
- B. Collect blood for coagulation times
- C. Send the client for a computed tomography scan of the brain
- D. Obtain a history of medication use, recent surgery, or injury
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: In this scenario, the priority action for the nurse is to send the client for a computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain. A CT scan is crucial in assessing acute changes or bleeding that could influence treatment decisions in a suspected cerebrovascular accident (CVA). While addressing symptoms like headache and nausea is important, ruling out acute changes in the brain with a CT scan takes precedence in this situation. Collecting blood for coagulation times may be necessary but is not the initial priority. Obtaining a history of medication use, recent surgery, or injury is also important but not the first action to take when a CVA is suspected.
A client who is scheduled to have surgery in two hours tells the nurse, 'My doctor was here and used a lot of big words about the surgery, then asked me to sign a paper.' What action should the nurse take?
- A. Reassure the client that pre-surgery anxiety is a normal experience
- B. Explain the surgery in clear terms that the client can understand
- C. Call the surgeon back to clarify the information with the client
- D. Redirect the client's thoughts by teaching relaxation techniques
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct action for the nurse to take in this situation is to explain the surgery to the client in clear terms that they can understand. This will help alleviate the client's anxiety and ensure they are well-informed about the procedure they are about to undergo. Choice A is incorrect because while reassurance is important, it does not address the client's specific concern about understanding the surgery. Choice C is not the initial step; the nurse should first attempt to clarify the information themselves. Choice D is not the priority when the client is seeking clarification about the surgery.
To evaluate the medication's effectiveness in a client with a respiratory tract infection, which laboratory values should the nurse monitor?
- A. White blood cell (WBC) count
- B. Sputum culture and sensitivity
- C. Droplet precautions
- D. Protective environment
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: White blood cell (WBC) count. Monitoring the WBC count helps assess the overall response to infection and the effectiveness of the antibiotic. Sputum culture and sensitivity (choice B) are also important to confirm if the antibiotic is targeting the specific pathogen. Choices C and D, droplet precautions and protective environment, are not laboratory values but rather infection control measures that do not directly evaluate the medication's effectiveness in treating the infection.