Labs & Diagnostics
Your patient’s potassium is 3.0. What assessment finding or concern are you watching for?
Cardiac dysrhythmias, muscle weakness, ECG changes, weakness/cramping.
Before giving insulin, what is the most important thing to verify?
Blood glucose and whether the patient is eating/meal timing.
Who do you assess first?
1. Patient requesting pain medication 2. Patient with O₂ sat of 88% on room air 3. Patient who is lethargic postoperative and resp are 16
Patient with O₂ sat of 88% on room air
A fall-risk patient requests to walk to the bathroom alone. What should you do?
Educate the patient on the meaning of fall risk and fall precautions. Get an extra 20 points if you can name 3 things we use to prevent falls.
Your patient refuses a medication the provider ordered. What should the nurse do?
Respect the patient’s right to refuse, provide education if appropriate, assess why, notify appropriate staff per policy, and document.
A patient has a blood glucose of 58. What is your first nursing action if they are awake and alert?
Treat hypoglycemia with a quick carbohydrate (juice/glucose), then reassess.
Your patient receives furosemide. What lab should you pay close attention to? What vitals?
Potassium and blood pressure.
prioritize: 1. Blood sugar 310 2. New chest pain 3.Pain 10/10
New chest pain.
A patient reports calf pain and swelling in one leg. What complication concerns you? How do we diagnose?
DVT and with ultrasound/ Doppler.
A patient says, “Don’t tell my family about my diagnosis.” Later, the family asks what is going on. What should you do?
Maintain patient confidentiality and do not share information without patient permission.
Your CHF patient gained 4 lbs in 2 days. What does this likely indicate?
Fluid retention/worsening heart failure.
A patient is receiving opioids after surgery. What assessment matters most before giving the next dose?
Respiratory rate, sedation status, oxygenation.
Prioritize: 1. Fever 100.4F after surgery. 2. New sudden confusion. 3. Comfort patient resp 8.
New sudden confusion
Why should nurses encourage coughing, deep breathing, or incentive spirometry after surgery?
To prevent atelectasis/pneumonia and improve lung expansion.
Extra 100 points!
You walk in and your diabetic patient is sweaty, shaky, confused, and difficult to arouse. What do you suspect and what is your priority?
You notice another student about to administer a medication without checking the 5 rights. What should you do?
Speak up immediately to prevent harm and prioritize patient safety.
A patient’s WBC count is elevated and temperature is 101.9°F. What are you concerned about?
Possible infection.
Extra 100 points!
What vitals trend do we expect to see in someone going into septic shock?
Your patient takes an antihypertensive and suddenly reports dizziness when standing. What do we think is happening? What nursing teaching applies?
Orthostatic hypotension precautions, slow position changes, safety/fall prevention.
Your patient suddenly says, “I can’t breathe,” and looks anxious. What is your FIRST nursing action?
Assess ABCs, oxygenation, vitals, respiratory status, and stay with the patient. Rapid response or similar depending on vitals.
A patient who was alert and oriented this morning is now drowsy and difficult to arouse. What does this most likely indicate?
Possible acute change in condition such as hypoxia, infection, metabolic issue, or neurologic change. Requires immediate assessment.
Your alert and oriented patient wants to leave the hospital against medical advice, but the family begs staff to stop them. What ethical principle matters most?
Patient autonomy. A competent patient has the right to make healthcare decisions, even if others disagree.
Your patient becomes increasingly confused and restless. Oxygen saturation is 86%, respiratory rate is 28, and they were fine an hour ago. Which assessment finding concerns you most and what should you do first?
Acute hypoxia/clinical deterioration is the priority. Assess airway/breathing, apply oxygen per policy, obtain vitals, notify RN/provider, escalate if worsening.
Your patient is receiving Warfarin (Coumadin). During assessment they report feeling weak and dizzy and mention their stool has looked “really dark” for the last two days. What concerns you, and what should you do next?
Concern for possible bleeding, especially a GI bleed related to anticoagulation (melena/black tarry stool). Assess further, review vitals, evaluate for signs of bleeding, and notify appropriate staff/provider per policy.
Prioritize: 1. Patient with COPD who has O₂ saturation of 90% 2. Patient with CHF who reports 2 lb weight gain over 3 day 3. Patient with a new onset of restlessness and anxiety after surgery 4.Patient requesting help to ambulate to the bathroom
Patient with new onset restlessness and anxiety after surgery (possible hypoxia, PE, or acute complication).
You are helping a patient turn for hygiene and notice a reddened area on the coccyx. The patient says, “That spot has been sore.” What assessment would you perform next, and why?
Assess skin integrity further (location, size, blanching/non-blanching, open area, moisture, pain, surrounding skin) because early identification of pressure injury can prevent worsening breakdown. What can we implement to prevent further breakdown?
A classmate takes a picture of a patient room whiteboard “just to remember information for clinical paperwork later” and says, “It doesn’t matter, there’s no patient in the photo.” What concerns you?
Possible confidentiality/privacy violation because patient identifiers or protected information may still be visible. Patient information should not be photographed or stored on personal devices unless explicitly permitted by policy.