Question

To assess for the presence of kyphosis, which action should the nurse take?

Answer 1

Correct Answers:

Observe the client's overall body posture.

Rationale :

🦴Kyphosis is an exaggerated thoracic spinal curvature that is best identified through inspection of the client’s posture from the side and back.

🧭Observing overall alignment reveals rounded shoulders, forward head posture, and increased thoracic convexity, which are hallmark signs of kyphosis.

🩺Tests like bone density evaluate mineralization (osteopenia/osteoporosis), not spinal curvature, so they do not confirm kyphosis.

🏃Active range-of-motion or palpation for joint tenderness targets function and inflammation, not the structural sagittal profile that defines kyphosis.

📌Core Message

Visual inspection of posture is the primary method to detect thoracic curvature changes consistent with kyphosis, whereas tests of bone density, ROM, or tenderness do not establish this structural finding.

Answer 2

Correct Answers:

Compare muscle strength bilaterally.

Rationale :

💪Muscular atrophy suggests disuse or neuro-muscular compromise, so directly comparing strength side-to-side targets the most relevant functional deficit.

🧭Bilateral comparison controls for individual baseline variability and highlights asymmetry, a key indicator of focal weakness.

🩺BMI and vital signs provide global health information but do not localize neuromuscular impairment in a specific limb.

🧴Skin elasticity (turgor) reflects hydration/aging, not motor unit function, and thus won’t clarify the cause or impact of the atrophy.

📌Core Message

For limb atrophy, prioritize side-to-side strength testing to detect focal neuromuscular weakness, as general measures like BMI, vitals, or turgor don’t localize the problem.

Answer 3

Correct Answers:

Ask the client to swallow while palpating along the sides of the trachea.

Rationale :

🫁During swallowing, the thyroid gland ascends, allowing gentle bimanual palpation along the trachea to better detect enlargement (goiter).

🖐️Deep, firm palpation is contraindicated, can be uncomfortable, and isn’t necessary to evaluate the superficial thyroid.

👀Lack of visible enlargement does not rule out goiter; palpation with swallowing is the proper next step before concluding size is normal.

🧪Observing for myxedema is useful in hypothyroidism but defers the actual thyroid exam, which remains the appropriate assessment action.

📌Core Message

Proper thyroid assessment uses gentle palpation during swallowing to detect goiter, avoiding deep pressure and not assuming normal size from inspection alone.

Answer 4

Correct Answers:

Usual bed time and time of awakenings.

Rationale :

🛌Establishing the client’s baseline sleep schedule (sleep and wake times) is foundational for an effective plan of care.

🧭Knowing the pattern first allows targeted exploration of precipitating factors like caffeine, allergies, or nocturia in context.

☕Caffeine intake, though important, should be assessed after the baseline pattern is defined to determine timing and impact.

🚽Nocturia and allergies are contributing factors, but prioritizing them before the core pattern risks an unfocused plan.

📌Core Message

In sleep assessment, first determine the baseline sleep–wake pattern to guide targeted evaluation of contributors (e.g., caffeine, allergies, nocturia) and craft an effective POC.

Answer 5

Correct Answers:

"You sound angry. Would you like to tell me about it?"

Rationale :

🗣️Acknowledging feelings demonstrates therapeutic communication and invites the client to express concerns safely.

🤝This response uses reflection and exploration, which can reduce defensiveness and improve cooperation with care.

🙅Ignoring the outburst invalidates emotions and risks escalating tension or nonadherence.

✋Touching without permission may be non-therapeutic or intrusive, and suggesting they return later blocks care rather than addressing the concern.

📌Core Message

Reflecting the client’s emotion and inviting discussion is a core therapeutic technique that de-escalates anger and fosters collaboration in care.

Answer 6

Correct Answers:

Pain in the neck, jaw, or medial side of the left arm.

Rationale :

❤️Classic AMI pain is chest discomfort with radiation to the neck, jaw, or left arm, reflecting cardiac visceral referral patterns.

🫁Pain that worsens with respiration or movement suggests pleuritic or musculoskeletal causes, not typical AMI.

🦴Localized sternal border pain that’s tender to palpation points to costochondritis rather than myocardial ischemia.

🪓Inter-scapular radiation is more consistent with aortic pathology (e.g., dissection) than with a routine AMI presentation.

📌Core Message

The most indicative AMI feature is ischemic chest pain with typical radiation (neck/jaw/left arm), while pleuritic, reproducible, or interscapular pain suggests non-cardiac etiologies.

Answer 7

Correct Answers:

Open ended questioning.

Rationale :

🗣️Open-ended questions elicit a rich, client-centered description of sputum (color, amount, consistency) without leading.

🧭Starting broad allows the nurse to narrow with focused questions afterward using frameworks like OLDCART.

❌Closed-ended or leading questions risk incomplete or biased data, which can miss important diagnostic clues.

🩺Detailed/focused questions are valuable after the initial open-ended prompt to clarify specific characteristics.

📌Core Message

Use open-ended questions first to capture a comprehensive sputum description, then apply focused probes for diagnostic detail.

Answer 8

Correct Answers:

Keep the examination room warm, and warm the stethoscope
Ensure the room is as quiet as possible
Wet the chest hair before auscultating
Reach under a gown to listen and take care that no clothing rubs on the stethoscope

Rationale :

🌡️Warming the room and stethoscope reduces shivering and skin recoil noises, lowering artifact.

🔇A quiet environment minimizes ambient interference, improving auscultatory clarity.

💧Moistening chest hair decreases friction sounds from hair rubbing the diaphragm/bell, reducing “roaring” artifacts.

👚Listening under the gown while preventing fabric contact avoids clothing rustle, a common extraneous noise.

📝Documenting “roaring and crackles” without mitigation risks misinterpretation, since artifacts can mimic adventitious sounds.

📌Core Message

Minimize artifacts by controlling temperature, noise, hair friction, and clothing contact; only then document true auscultatory findings.

Answer 9

Correct Answers:

Document the findings as observed.

Rationale :

🛏️JVD is properly assessed with the client at 30–45° (semi-Fowler’s) using tangential lighting, matching the described setup.

👀Bilateral distension indicates elevated central venous pressure, commonly seen in right-sided HF, and should be recorded.

🔁Changing position to supine can exaggerate venous distension and isn’t needed once clear findings are present.

💡Abandoning tangential lighting or adding neck flexion can obscure venous pulsations, reducing accuracy.

📌Core Message

With correct positioning and lighting, observed bilateral JVD signifies elevated CVP and warrants straightforward documentation.

Answer 10

Correct Answers:

Right calf swelling and tenderness.

Rationale :

🦵Unilateral calf pain, swelling, and tenderness are hallmark signs of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a medical urgency due to PE risk.

🧨Untreated DVT can embolize to the lungs causing life-threatening pulmonary embolism, necessitating immediate intervention.

🧭Lack of hair growth is a chronic sign of peripheral arterial disease, requiring evaluation but not urgent stabilization.

🩹A stage 2 pressure injury and varicosities are important yet typically non-emergent compared with the acute DVT threat.

📌Core Message

Unilateral calf tender swelling strongly suggests DVT, which is urgent due to PE risk, while other findings are generally chronic or less emergent.

HESI RN Health Assessment spring 2025

No.

1 :
To assess for the presence of kyphosis, which action should the nurse take?

2 :
In completing a physical assessment of a young adult, the clinic nurse observes muscular atrophy of the right thigh and calf to gather additional data related to this finding, which action should the nurse take?

3 :
The nurse is assessing a client for a goiter and is unable to observe the thyroid gland. Which action should the nurse take?

4 :
The nurse assesses a client with a sleep pattern disturbance. While developing a plan of care (POC), which assessment data should the nurse obtain first?

5 :
While the nurse is taking a health history, the client announces, "l dont have time for this. This is a waste of time. I need treatment." Which response is best for the nurse to provide?

6 :
The nurse assesses a male client who is brought to the emergency department (ED) by his family who believes he is having a heart attack. Which finding is the best indicator that a client is experiencing an acute myocardial infarction (AMI)?

7 :
While completing a health assessment for a client being admitted with bilateral pneumonia, the nurse asks the client to describe the sputum. Which communication technique should the nurse use to obtain this information?

8 :
A nurse is caring for a 35-year-old male client.

Answer Options

9 :
During an assessment for jugular vein distension of a client with right sided heart failure (HE), the nurse observes distension bilaterally using tangential lighting with the client in a semi-Fowler's position. Which action should the nurse take next?

10 :
When assessing a client's lower extremities, which finding requires immediate intervention by the nurse?

HESI RN Health Assessment spring 2025

No.

1 : To assess for the presence of kyphosis, which action should the nurse take?

2 : In completing a physical assessment of a young adult, the clinic nurse observes muscular atrophy of the right thigh and calf to gather additional data related to this finding, which action should the nurse take?

3 : The nurse is assessing a client for a goiter and is unable to observe the thyroid gland. Which action should the nurse take?

4 : The nurse assesses a client with a sleep pattern disturbance. While developing a plan of care (POC), which assessment data should the nurse obtain first?

5 : While the nurse is taking a health history, the client announces, "l dont have time for this. This is a waste of time. I need treatment." Which response is best for the nurse to provide?

6 : The nurse assesses a male client who is brought to the emergency department (ED) by his family who believes he is having a heart attack. Which finding is the best indicator that a client is experiencing an acute myocardial infarction (AMI)?

7 : While completing a health assessment for a client being admitted with bilateral pneumonia, the nurse asks the client to describe the sputum. Which communication technique should the nurse use to obtain this information?

8 : A nurse is caring for a 35-year-old male client.

Answer Options

9 : During an assessment for jugular vein distension of a client with right sided heart failure (HE), the nurse observes distension bilaterally using tangential lighting with the client in a semi-Fowler's position. Which action should the nurse take next?

10 : When assessing a client's lower extremities, which finding requires immediate intervention by the nurse?

1 :
To assess for the presence of kyphosis, which action should the nurse take?

2 :
In completing a physical assessment of a young adult, the clinic nurse observes muscular atrophy of the right thigh and calf to gather additional data related to this finding, which action should the nurse take?

3 :
The nurse is assessing a client for a goiter and is unable to observe the thyroid gland. Which action should the nurse take?

4 :
The nurse assesses a client with a sleep pattern disturbance. While developing a plan of care (POC), which assessment data should the nurse obtain first?

5 :
While the nurse is taking a health history, the client announces, "l dont have time for this. This is a waste of time. I need treatment." Which response is best for the nurse to provide?

6 :
The nurse assesses a male client who is brought to the emergency department (ED) by his family who believes he is having a heart attack. Which finding is the best indicator that a client is experiencing an acute myocardial infarction (AMI)?

7 :
While completing a health assessment for a client being admitted with bilateral pneumonia, the nurse asks the client to describe the sputum. Which communication technique should the nurse use to obtain this information?

8 :
A nurse is caring for a 35-year-old male client.

9 :
During an assessment for jugular vein distension of a client with right sided heart failure (HE), the nurse observes distension bilaterally using tangential lighting with the client in a semi-Fowler's position. Which action should the nurse take next?

10 :
When assessing a client's lower extremities, which finding requires immediate intervention by the nurse?