Hesi Nursing Critical Thinking 2021-2022
1. The Patient: A 65-year- old male. The Situation: The family brings the patient to the
emergency room because he just took an entire bottle of pills. The Question: What
action should the nurse take first?
A. Prescribe medicine to induce vomiting.
B. Determine the patient's level of consciousness.
C. Ask the family why he may have taken an entire bottle of pills. - CORRECT
ANSWER IS B. Determine the patient's level of consciousness.
2. The Patient: An 80-year-old male who has used continuous oxygen for the past three
years. The Situation: While making a home visit, the wife tells the nurse that her
husband was doing well on 2 liters of oxygen per minute until late last night when he
developed severe shortness of breath on the way to the bathroom. The Question: What
action should the nurse take first?
A. Assess the patient's oxygen saturation by a pulse oximeter.
B. Ask the patient to lie down and wait to see if it happens again.
C. Begin administering 2.5 liters of oxygen per minute. - CORRECT ANSWER IS A.
Assess the patient's oxygen saturation by a pulse oximeter.
3. The Patient: A 41-year-old male. The Situation: The patient is complaining of severe
stomach pain and states that he has been "vomiting all the time." The Question: What
should the nurse do first?
A. Prescribe an anti-vomiting medication
B. Administer a prescribed pain medication
C. Check for dehydration from vomiting. - CORRECT ANSWER IS B. Administer a
prescribed pain medication
4. The Patient: The wife of a wealthy owner of the town's bank. The Situation: The
patient and her husband arrive on the unit. While orienting the patient to the hospital
room, the nurse notices that the patient has placed a large amount of cash and some
expensive earrings in the drawer of the bedside table. The Question: What is the best
action for the nurse to take?
A. Advise the patient to have her husband take the items home when he leaves.
B. Offer to put the items in a safe downstairs.
C. Offer to put the items in the nurses' station. - CORRECT ANSWER IS A. Advise the
patient to have her husband take the items home when he leaves.
5. The Patient: A 45-year-old female who is 5' 2" tall, weighs 200 pounds, and has
smoked since age 21. The Situation: The patient comes to the clinic with a complaint of
"leg pain." The Question: It is most important for the nurse to obtain information about
which previous occurrence?
A. Ask when the patient smoked her last cigarette.
B. When did her leg hurt last,