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A nurse is assisting with data collection of a client who has sustained circumferential burns of both legs. What should the nurse examine first?
- A. Heart rate
- B. Peripheral pulses
- C. Blood pressure (BP)
- D. Radial pulse rate
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The priority assessment for a client with circumferential burns to the legs is to examine peripheral pulses. This is essential to ensure adequate circulation to the extremities. Circumferential burns can lead to compartment syndrome, causing decreased circulation to the affected limbs. Checking peripheral pulses is crucial to monitor for any signs of compromised circulation. While heart rate and blood pressure are important assessments in general, in the context of circumferential burns, the immediate concern is the risk of impaired circulation to the extremities. Therefore, assessing peripheral pulses takes precedence in this situation.
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A nurse who recently learned she is pregnant has just received client assignments for the day. Which client assignment should the nurse question as being inappropriate?
- A. A client with metastatic cancer who is receiving a continuous infusion of intravenous morphine sulfate
- B. A client with a solid-sealed cervical radiation implant
- C. A client with diarrhea for whom enteric precautions are in effect
- D. A client for whom contact precautions have been implemented and who requires frequent wound irrigations
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is a client with a solid-sealed cervical radiation implant. Brachytherapy involves the implantation of a sealed radiation source within the targeted tumor tissue. A client with such an implant emits radiation as long as it is in place. Pregnant nurses should not care for clients with solid-sealed radiation implants due to the potential radiation exposure risk to the fetus. Clients under enteric precautions due to diarrhea, receiving a continuous infusion of intravenous morphine sulfate for cancer pain, or requiring contact precautions and frequent wound irrigations do not pose a risk to pregnant nurses and are appropriate assignments for them. Therefore, the nurse should question the assignment involving the client with the solid-sealed cervical radiation implant as it poses a risk to the fetus.
Why is monitoring Serum Vancomycin levels important?
- A. to assess renal function
- B. to determine therapeutic range
- C. to measure trough levels
- D. to evaluate antibiotic resistance
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Monitoring Serum Vancomycin levels is essential to determine the drug's therapeutic range, ensuring optimal effectiveness while avoiding toxicity. Peak levels indicate the drug's highest concentration, while trough levels represent the lowest concentration before the next dose. Assessing renal function is typically done using creatinine, BUN, or creatinine clearance tests, not Serum Vancomycin levels. Evaluating antibiotic resistance involves sensitivity testing, not monitoring Vancomycin levels. Therefore, the correct answer is to determine the therapeutic range.
Which of the following clients would be most appropriate for an LPN to assign to a nursing assistant?
- A. an 18-year-old client with a femur fracture who is just returning to the floor from the recovery unit
- B. an 84-year-old client 2 days post-op after knee replacement surgery who needs help ambulating
- C. a 35-year-old client who is suffering from an acute asthma attack
- D. a 20-year-old client with Cystic Fibrosis who needs an early morning sputum sample collection
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Collecting sputum samples on stable clients is within the scope of practice for an LPN. This task does not require immediate intervention or assessment by an RN or medical provider. An RN should perform the initial assessment on any client immediately post-op as it requires a higher level of assessment and monitoring. A client suffering from an acute asthma attack should be attended to by an RN or medical provider due to the potential severity and need for prompt intervention. Assigning a medically stable client who needs help ambulating to a nursing assistant is appropriate as it falls within their scope of practice and allows the LPN to focus on tasks that require their expertise.
Once the nurse has made initial rounds and checked all of the assigned clients, which client should be cared for first?
- A. A client who is scheduled for surgery at 1 p.m.
- B. A client in skeletal traction who has just received pain medication
- C. A client scheduled for physical therapy at 11 a.m.
- D. A client who is able to perform activities of daily living independently
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The priority should be given to the client who is scheduled for surgery at 1 p.m. Preparing a client for surgery involves various tasks such as physical and emotional preparation, following healthcare provider instructions, and potential last-minute changes in the surgical schedule. It is crucial to ensure the client is adequately prepared. Providing care to a client who just received pain medication can wait until the medication takes effect. Clients who are independent in performing daily activities and those scheduled for physical therapy later in the morning are not as high a priority as preparing a client for an upcoming surgery. Therefore, the client scheduled for surgery should be cared for first to ensure all necessary preparations are completed.
In a centralized decision-making process within an organization, where is the authority to make decisions vested?
- A. Every employee
- B. A few individuals, such as the board of directors
- C. Many individuals, with decisions filtering down to the individual employee
- D. All nursing employees, pharmacists, and hospital health care providers
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In a centralized decision-making process within an organization, the authority to make decisions is concentrated in a few individuals, such as the board of directors. This means that key decision-making power is held by a select group at the top of the organizational hierarchy. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because in a centralized structure, decision-making authority is not distributed among every employee, does not filter down to individual employees, and is not shared among all nursing employees, pharmacists, or hospital health care providers. Centralized decision-making implies a more top-down approach.