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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

CNA Exam Questions

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1.

Inactivity and immobility may result in all of the following except:

  • Muscle improvement

  • Skin breakdown

  • Increased risk of pneumonia

  • Constipation

Correct answer: Muscle improvement

Immobility and inactivity can have serious repercussions, especially for the elderly. Skin breakdown may occur when a patient spends too much time in one position. Pneumonia occurs when secretions in the lungs build up because the patient is not taking deep enough breaths. Constipation is a side effect of inactivity. Exercise increases intestinal motility. Muscles do not improve with inactivity, rather they lose strength and tone rapidly when patients are inactive.

2.

Which of the following is not an expected change during the aging process?

  • Depression

  • Deteriorating vision

  • Drying and thinning of the skin

  • Slowing responses

Correct answer: Depression

All of these are expected consequences of aging, except depression. Although many seniors develop depression as a result of losing a spouse, having to leave their home, or loss of physical function and independence; depression is not a natural part of aging and should never be viewed as such.

3.

The five stages of grief identified by Kubler-Ross include:

  • Bargaining and acceptance

  • Betting and denial

  • Grief and anger

  • Confusion and depression

Correct answer: Bargaining and acceptance

The five stages of grief, also called "stages of dying," as outlined by Dr. Kubler-Ross include denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Patients and their family members may proceed through all of these stages or only a few. There is no set order that one must adhere to in terms of grief or dying.

4.

During pregnancy, mothers must avoid all of the following except:

  • Flu vaccine

  • Smoking

  • Alcohol

  • Increased caffeine consumption

Correct answer: Flu vaccine

If the mother has not yet had her yearly influence vaccine, she should receive it while pregnant to reduce the risk of contracting influenza during pregnancy.

The mother's health during pregnancy affects the baby's risk. Women should receive regular prenatal care and avoid smoking, alcohol, too much caffeine, and illegal drug use during pregnancy.

5.

When rinsing the soap off your hands during the hand washing procedure you should do which of the following?

  • Keep your fingers lower than your wrists

  • Keep your fingers higher than your wrists

  • Air dry your hands

  • Use your hands to turn off the water faucet

Correct answer: Keep your fingers lower than your wrists

When rinsing the soap off your hands, keep your fingers lower than your wrists to allow the dirty water to drip into the sink. Dry your hands with paper towels and use a paper towel to turn off the water faucet, not your clean hands, to prevent re-contaminating your hands.

6.

You are performing AM care. Your patient tells you that she fell during the night. She complains of a painful right shoulder and seems to be in pain when using her right hand. When should you inform the patient's nurse?

  • Immediately

  • At the end of your shift

  • Never - this information is not important enough to report

  • When you have time

Correct answer: Immediately

The patient fell and has suffered an apparent injury. Any acute change in a patient's condition should be reported immediately to the nurse assigned to the patient.

7.

When assisting a patient with hair care, you should:

  • Style hair according to patient preference

  • Assist with hair care only when visitors are expected

  • Force the patient to do their own hair

  • Style their hair the way you think best suits them

Correct answer: Style hair according to patient preference

Hair care is done 3-4 times a day and as needed. Always assist with hair care before visitors arrive. Assist the patient to care for their own hair, but encourage the patient to do as much as they can independently. Allow the patient to choose how their hair is styled. 

8.

Which of the following should you report immediately after giving an enema?

  • Retention of the enema

  • A large formed stool

  • Large amount of flatus

  • Expulsion of watery brown fluid

Correct answer: Retention of the enema

Should the patient retain the contents of the enema, this may indicate an obstruction. Retention will likely cause abdominal distention and pain and should be reported immediately.

Large formed stools, flatus and expulsion of watery brown fluid are all common findings after administering an enema.

9.

You smell smoke and follow the odor to a patient's room, where you discover a fire in the patient's trash can. What should you do first?

  • Remove the patient from the room

  • Call the fire department

  • Pull the fire alarm

  • Pour water from the patient's water pitcher on the fire to extinguish it

Correct answer: Remove the patient from the room

During a fire, remember RACE. Your first step is to remove any patients in danger. Then, you should pull the fire alarm (if no one else has already done so), and make sure 911 or the fire department is called. Close doors and windows to confine the fire, turn off oxygen or electrical items used in the area. Then extinguish the fire, only if you can safely do so without putting yourself in harm's way.

10.

How often should bedridden patients be turned and re-positioned to prevent skin breakdown?

  • Every 1-2 hours

  • Once a shift

  • Every three hours

  • Every four hours

Correct answer: Every 1-2 hours

Patients who are bedridden should be turned and re-positioned every one to two hours to prevent skin breakdown and pressure ulcers.

11.

Where can one find synovial fluid?

  • Hip

  • Ear

  • Tibia/fibula

  • Brain

Correct answer: Hip

Synovial fluid is secreted by the synovial membrane, found in our joints. Synovial fluid lubricates joints so that they move smoothly. The hip joint is a good example of where one can find synovial fluid.

The inner ear contains fluid that carries sound waves from the middle ear to the acoustic nerve. Bone marrow is a substance that can be found inside the hollow centers of tibia and fibula bones. Cerebrospinal fluid is found in the brain and spinal cord.

12.

Your patient has just had abdominal surgery. You note that his dressing has become saturated with fresh blood. You should:

  • Report it to the patient's nurse immediately

  • Do nothing as bleeding is to be expected following surgery

  • Apply pressure to the surgical site for 5 minutes

  • Reinforce the dressing with gauze

Correct answer: Report it to the patient's nurse immediately

Immediately inform the patient's nurse of any unusual bleeding. Applying pressure to an abdominal surgical site would be painful for the patient. Reinforcement of the dressing may be called for, but this should be assessed by the nurse first.

13.

You find a resident lying on the floor of his bathroom when you are making rounds during the night. The patient is conscious and alert. What should you do?

  • Call the nurse to assist you

  • Start CPR

  • Provide artificial ventilations by giving mouth-to-mouth

  • Assist the patient to sit up

Correct answer: Call the nurse to assist you

If the patient is conscious and alert, you should call and wait for the nurse before moving the person. The nurse will assess the patient thoroughly before moving the patient. Patients who are conscious and alert after falling might still have suffered serious injury that might be made worse if they are moved. Patients who are conscious and alert do not require artificial ventilations or CPR.

14.

A sudden loss of brain function is:

  • A stroke

  • Hemiplegia

  • Parkinson's disease

  • Multiple sclerosis

Correct answer: A stroke

Stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts or when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain and blood flow stops. Brain cells in the affected area do not get enough oxygen/nutrients and damage occurs. Functions controlled by that part of the brain are lost. Stroke is the leading cause of death in the United States.

Hemiplegia is paralysis of one side of the body and can result from stroke. Parkinson's Disease is a progressive disorder affecting movement. Multiple sclerosis is a central nervous system disease; the myelin (covers the nerve fibers) in the brain and spinal cord become damaged and nerve impulses are not sent to and from the brain in a normal way.

15.

Your patient has not yet been told by their physician that their diagnosis is terminal. Your patient asks you if they are going to die. You should:

  • Inform the patient's nurse that the patient is asking questions that are not within your scope of practice to answer

  • Tell the patient that they are dying

  • Ignore the issue

  • Change the subject quickly

Correct answer: Inform the patient's nurse that the patient is asking questions that are not within your scope of practice to answer

Patients deserve accurate answers to their questions regarding their medical condition(s), and should never be ignored. However, it is not within your scope of practice to answer questions regarding their condition or prognosis. It is the doctor's responsibility. Nurses may clarify what the doctor has said.  It is perfectly acceptable in such a situation to state that you can't answer the question but that you will inform the appropriate people that the patient has questions.

16.

A tort (wrongful act committed by a person against another person or their property) may be intentional or unintentional. An example of an unintentional tort is:

  • Negligence

  • Defamation of character

  • False imprisonment

  • Invasion of privacy

Correct answer: Negligence

Negligence is an unintentional wrong in which a person fails to do what another reasonable person would have done in the same situation. An example is leaving a confused patient's bed rails down. If the patient falls out of bed and breaks his hip, the person who failed to ensure the bed rails were up is guilty of negligence, although there was no intent to cause harm.

Character defamation, false imprisonment, and invasion of privacy are all examples of intentional torts.

17.

You are preparing to assist a resident to dress for the day. What should you do?

  • Allow the patient to choose the clothes he or she would like to wear that day

  • Choose the clothes yourself so the patient does not choose inappropriate attire

  • Choose the same clothes the patient wore the day before if they are clean

  • Choose whatever clothes are at hand in the closet

Correct answer: Allow the resident to choose the clothes he or she would like to wear that day

The patient should be encouraged to choose his or her own clothing. Patients have the right to make their own choices as it contributes to autonomy and a sense of self. Soiled clothing should be placed in the laundry for cleaning.

18.

The nurse fails to turn a comatose patient regularly. As a result, the patient develops a large pressure sore on his coccyx that results in prolonged treatment and the need for surgery. In this case, the nurse is guilty of which of the following?

  • Negligence

  • Neglect

  • Battery

  • Abuse

Correct answer: Negligence

In this case, the nurse is guilty of negligence, which is defined as patient harm due to an unintentional wrong. The person causing the harm did not intend or mean to cause harm. The nurse (negligent person) omitted care and/or incorrectly provided care to the patient, thus failing to act in a reasonable and careful manner.

Neglect results in patient harm due to the nurse intentionally ignoring the needs of the patient. Abuse is when the patient suffers from physical or mental harm that was either committed or threatened. Battery is when a patient is subjected to unlawful personal violence.

19.

Medications may increase the risk for:

  • Falls

  • A restful sleep

  • Pain relief

  • Relief of nausea

Correct answer: Falls

Medications may cause balance and coordination problems, as well as drowsiness, which can increase the risk of falls. The elderly are at high risk for falls, especially when they take multiple medications.

Depending on the type of medication, sleep, pain and/or nausea relief would be desired effects.

20.

Where on the body of a child would you palpate for a brachial pulse?

  • Upper arm

  • Wrist

  • Groin

  • Foot

Correct answer: Upper arm

The brachial pulse is easier to palpate than a radial pulse in a small child. The brachial pulse is located in the upper inner arm above the elbow. The apical pulse (directly over the heart with a stethoscope) is most accurate in infants and children under two years.

The radial pulse (wrist) is most commonly used in adults. The femoral pulse (located in the groin area) is a pulse site used commonly in the newborn. The pedal pulse (located on top of foot) is used to check circulation in the foot.

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