ATI RN COMMUNITY HEALTH ACTUAL EXAM (VERSION 2)
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS 2023-2024 UPDATE
ALREADY A GRADED WITH EXPERT GUIDED FEEDBACK
ATI RN COMMUNITY HEALTH PROCTORED EXAM
(Detail Solutions)
1. A charge nurse is supervising the care of a new nurse. Which action by a new nurse
indicates the charge nurse needs to intervene?
A. Making an ethical clinical decision
B. Making an informed clinical decision
C. Making a clinical decision in the patient’s best interest
D. Making a clinical decision based on previous shift assessments
Answer: D
Rationale: The charge nurse must intervene when the nurse is using previous shift
assessments to make a decision; this is inappropriate. Nurses are responsible for assessing
their own patients to make decisions. Making informed, ethical decisions in the patient’s best
interest is practicing responsibly and does not need follow-up from the charge nurse.
2. Which action demonstrates a nurse utilizing reflection to improve clinical decision
making?
A. Obtains data in an orderly fashion
B. Uses an objective approach in patient situations
C. Improves a plan of care while thinking back on interventions effectiveness
D. Provides evidence-based explanations and research for care of assigned patients
Answer: C
Rationale: Reflection utilizes critical thinking when thinking back on the effectiveness of
interventions and how they were performed. It involves purposeful thinking back or recalling
a situation to discover its purpose or meaning. The other options are not examples of
reflection but do represent good nursing practice. Using an objective approach and obtaining
data in an orderly fashion do not involve purposefully thinking back to discover the meaning
or purpose of a situation.
Providing evidence-based explanations for nursing interventions does not always involve
thinking back to discover the meaning of a situation.
3. A nursing instructor needs to evaluate students’ abilities to synthesize data and identify
relationships between nursing diagnoses. Which learning assignment is best suited for this
instructor’s needs?
A. Concept mapping
B. Reflective journaling
C. Lecture and discussion
D. Reading assignment with a written summary
Answer: A
Rationale: Concept mapping challenges the student to synthesize data and identify
relationships between nursing diagnoses. The primary purpose of concept mapping is to
better synthesize relevant data about a patient, including assessment data, nursing diagnoses,
health needs, nursing interventions, and evaluation measures.
Reflective journaling involves thinking back to clarify concepts. Reading assignments and
lecture do not best provide an instructor the ability to evaluate students’ abilities to synthesize
data.
4. A nurse is using a critical thinking model to provide care. Which component is first that
helps a nurse make clinical decisions?
A. Attitude
B. Experience
C. Nursing process
D. Specific knowledge base
Answer: D
Rationale: The first component of the critical thinking model is a nurse’s specific knowledge
base. After acquiring a sound knowledge base, the nurse can then apply knowledge to
different clinical situations using the nursing process to gain valuable experience. Clinical
learning experiences are necessary to acquire clinical decision- making skills. The nursing
process competency is the third component of the critical thinking model. Eleven attitudes
define the central features of a critical thinker and how a successful critical thinker
approaches a problem.
5. Which action by a nurse indicates application of the critical thinking model to make the
best clinical decisions?
A. Drawing on past clinical experiences to formulate standardized care plans
B. Relying on recall of information from past lectures and textbooks
C. Depending on the charge nurse to determine priorities of care
D. Using the nursing process
Answer: D
Rationale: The nursing process competency is the third component of the critical thinking
model. In your practice, you will apply critical thinking components during each step of the
nursing process. Care plans should be individualized, and recalling facts does not utilize
critical thinking skills to make clinical decisions. The new nurse should not rely on the charge
nurse to determine priorities of care.
6. A nurse is using the critical thinking skill of evaluation. Which action will the nurse take?
A. Examine the meaning of data.
B. Support findings and conclusions.
C. Review the effectiveness of nursing actions.
D. Search for links between the data and the nurse’s assumptions.
Answer: C
Rationale: Reviewing the effectiveness of interventions best describes evaluation.
Examining the meaning of data is inference. Supporting findings and conclusions provides
explanations. Searching for links between the data and the nurse’s assumptions describes
analysis.
7. The patient appears to be in no apparent distress, but vital signs taken by assistive
personnel reveal an extremely low pulse. The nurse then auscultates an apical pulse and asks
the patient whether there is any history of heart problems. The nurse is utilizing which critical
thinking skill?
A. Evaluation
B. Explanation
C. Interpretation
D. Self-regulation
Answer: C
Rationale: Interpretation involves being orderly in data collection, looking for patterns to
categorize data, and clarifying uncertain data. This nurse is clarifying the data in this
situation. Evaluation involves determining the effectiveness of interventions or care provided.
The nurse in this scenario is assessing the patient, not evaluating interventions. Selfregulation is reflecting on experiences. Explanation is supporting findings and conclusions.
The nurse in this question is clarifying uncertain data (determining cause of the low pulse),
not supporting the finding of a low pulse.
8. A patient continues to report postsurgical incision pain at a level of 9 out of 10 after pain
medicine is given. The next dose of pain medicine is not due for another hour. What should
the critically thinking nurse do first?
A. Explore other options for pain relief.
B. Discuss the surgical procedure and reason for the pain.
C. Explain to the patient that nothing else has been ordered.
D. Offer to notify the health care provider after morning rounds are d. completed.
Answer: A
Rationale: The critically thinking nurse should explore all options for pain relief first. The
nurse should use critical thinking to determine the cause of the pain and determine various
options for pain, not just ordered pain medications. The nurse can act independently to
determine all options for pain relief and does not have to wait until after the health care
provider rounds are completed.
Explaining the cause of the pain does not address options for pain relief.
9. Which action should the nurse take to best develop critical thinking skills?
A. Study 3 hours more each night.
B. Attend all in service opportunities.
C. Actively participate in clinical experiences.
D. Interview staff nurses about their nursing experiences.
Answer: C
Rationale: Nursing is a practice discipline. Clinical learning experiences are necessary to
acquire clinical decision-making skills. Studying for longer hours, interviewing nurses, and
attending in services do not provide opportunities for clinical decision making, as do actual
clinical experiences.
10. While caring for a hospitalized older-adult female post hip surgery, the nurse is faced with
the task of inserting an indwelling urinary catheter, which involves rotating the hip into a
contraindicated position. Which action should the nurse take?
A. Postpone catheter insertion until the next shift.
B. Adapt the positioning technique to the situation.
C. Notify the health care provider for a urologist consult.
D. Follow textbook procedure with contraindicated position.
Answer: B
Rationale: The nurse must use critical thinking skills in this situation to adapt positioning
technique. In practice, patient procedures are not always presented as in a textbook, but they
are individualized. A urologist consult is not warranted for positioning problems. Postponing
insertion of the catheter is not an appropriate action.
11. The nurse enters a room to find the patient sitting up in bed crying. How will the nurse
display a critical thinking attitude in this situation?
A. Provide privacy and check on the patient 30 minutes later.
B. Set a box of tissues at the patient’s bedside before leaving the room.
C. Limit visitors while the patient is upset.
D. Ask the patient about the crying.
Answer: D
Rationale: A clinical sign or symptom (crying) often indicates a variety of problems. Explore
and learn more about the patient so as to make appropriate clinical judgments. This is
demonstrating curiosity, which is an attitude of critical thinking. Checking on the patient 30
minutes later, providing tissues, and limiting visitors may be appropriate actions but these
actions do not address critical thinking.
12. A patient is having trouble reaching the water fountain while holding on to crutches. The
nurse suggests that the patient place the crutches against the wall while stabilizing him or
herself with two hands on the water fountain. Which critical thinking attitude did the nurse
use in this situation?
A. Humility
B. Creativity
C. Risk taking
D. Confidence
Answer: B
Rationale: The nurse uses creativity in this situation to figure out how the patient can safely
get a drink of water. Humility is recognizing when more information is needed to make a
decision. Confidence is being well prepared to perform nursing care safely. This question best
illustrates the attitude of creativity. Risk taking is demonstrating the courage to speak out or
to question orders based on the nurse’s own knowledge base.
13. A nurse is pulled from the surgical unit to work on the oncology unit. Which action by the
nurse displays humility and responsibility?
A. Refusing the assignment
B. Asking for an orientation to the unit
C. Admitting lack of knowledge and going home
D. Assuming that patient care will be the same as on the other units
Answer: B
Rationale: Humility and responsibility are displayed when the nurse realizes lack of
knowledge and requests an orientation to the unit. The other answer choices represent
inappropriate actions in this situation and are not examples of humility and responsibility.
The nurse should explore all options before refusing an assignment. The nurse should not
make assumptions. Assuming is not an example of critical thinking. Admitting lack of
knowledge is an example of humility, but going home does not illustrate an example of
responsibility.
14. A nurse is using professional standards to influence clinical decisions. What is the
rationale for the nurse’s actions?
A. Establishes minimal passing standards for testing
B. Utilizes evidence-based practice based on nurses’ needs
C. Bypasses the patient’s feelings to promote ethical standards 7
D. Uses critical thinking for the highest level of quality nursing care
Answer: D
Rationale: Professional standards promote the highest level of quality nursing care.
Application of professional standards requires you to use critical thinking for the good of
individuals or groups. Bypassing the patient’s feelings is not practicing according to
professional standards. The primary purpose of professional standards is not to establish
minimal passing standards for testing. Patient care should be based on patient needs, not on
nurses’ needs.
