ATI Adult Medical Surgical RN 3.0: RN Caring for the Surgical Client
Assessment Results
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
A nurse transfers a client to the PACU post operatively. During the hand-off report, the nurses
states that, “Dr. Jones performed a bowel resection” Which of the following sections of the
SBAR communication tool does this statement address?
A. Assessment
B. Situation
C. Recommendation
D. Background
Answer: B. Situation
Question 4
A nurse is preparing a client scheduled for right knee arthroplasty surgery. Which of the
following interventions should be the priority for the nurse to address to ensure client safety?
A. Provide client education regarding the surgical procedure
B. Have the surgeon mark the surgical site
C. Ensure the client showered the night before
D. Initiate the prescribed antibiotic upon admission to the hospital
Answer: B. Have the surgeon mark the surgical site
Question 5
A nurse is completing a preassessment for a surgical client. The nurse asks the client whether
they or anyone in their family has a history of complications from anesthesia. Which of the
following assessment findings is most concerning?
A. Malignant hyperthermia
B. Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
C. Frequent fails
D. Sleep apena
Answer: A. Malignant hyperthermia
Question 6
A nurse teaches a surgical client about breathing and relaxation exercise during the
preoperative phase. Which of the following post operative complication would breathing and
relaxation exercise help?
A. Pain
B. Malnutrition
C. Sleep apnea
D. Frequent falls
Answer: A. Pain
Question 7
A nurse is preparing a client for a surgical appendectomy. The nurse identifies an
appendectomy as which of the following types of surgical classification?
A. Expedited
B. Elective
C. Emergent
D. Urgent
Answer: D. Urgent
Question 8
A transplant nurse is providing care related to a client’s kidney transplant. Which priority
nursing action would be most likely to take place during the preoperative phase?
A. Monitoring the client for signs of organ rejection
B. Monitoring the client for signs of health care-associated infection
C. Education the clients caregivers about the transplant process
D. Administering fluids and surgical wound care
Answer: C. Education the clients caregivers about the transplant process
Question 9
A nurse is teaching a client how to perform deep breathing exercise postoperatively. Which of
the following instructions should the nurse include in her demonstration?
A. Breathe out through your nose for eight seconds’
B. Hold your breath for more than ten seconds or for as long as you can
C. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds
D. Relax at the end of the five seconds, then repeat five or more times
Answer: C. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds
Question 10
A surgical nurse receives addition training to become a transplant nurse. When the nurse
administers postoperative care to a transplant client for the first time, which element of care
will be new for that nurse?
A. Monitoring for signs of organ rejection
B. Administering IV fluids and blood if ordered
C. Assisting with pain management techniques
D. Cleaning and caring for the surgical site
Answer: A. Monitoring for signs of organ rejection
Question 11
A nurse is preparing to admit a client to an outpatient surgical center. Which of the following
will assist in collecting data that can be used to plan care during the preoperative phase?
A. Physical assessment
B. Surgical checklist
C. SBAR communicate tool
D. Document management
Answer: A. Physical assessment
Question 12
A nurse observes a client signing their informed consent for surgery. The client says to the
nurse, “I am not sure why I have to have this surgery”. Which of the following actions should
the nurse take first?
A. Inform the client of the surgery and the details of the procedure, then have them sign the
consent when completed
B. Notify the operating room staff as the client is brought into the room
C. Inform the client to sign the consent so they can get to the operating room
D. Contact the provider and notify them that the informed consent process is not complete,
then notify the perioperative staff that the surgery is on hold.
Answer: D. Contact the provider and notify them that the informed consent process is not
complete, then notify the perioperative staff that the surgery is on hold.
Question 13
A nurse is caring for a client in the PACU following a surgical procedure during which they
received moderate sedation. Which of the following interventions should the nurse
implement?
A. Determine ambulation status
B. Monitor level of consciousness
C. Maintain airway
D. Assess for numbness to extremities
Answer: B. Monitor level of consciousness
Question 14
An experienced transplant nurse is describing the transplant nursing process to a student
nurse. Which statement should the experienced nurse make?
A. “The nursing process for transplant nursing has more steps than other nursing processes”
B. “Transplant nursing is similar to other types of perioperative nursing”
C. “Transplant nursing is significantly more difficult than other types of perioperative
nursing”
D. “Transplant nursing is a unique type of perioperative nursing that requires a different
process”
Answer: B. “Transplant nursing is similar to other types of perioperative nursing”
Question 15
A nurse is caring for a client who is having a total abdominal hysterectomy. The nurse
prepares to teach the surgical client about minimizing the pain and discomfort
postoperatively. Which of the following priority instruction should the nurse give the client?
A. Inform the client to resume their regular diet after surgery
B. Recommend lower extremely range of motion (ROM) exercises
C. Ensure the client understand splinting the incision and performing deep breathing
exercises.
D. Encourage the client to remain in bed for a few days after surgery
Answer: C. Ensure the client understand splinting the incision and performing deep
breathing exercises.
Question 16
A nurse is preparing a client for surgery when the client expresses how nervous and anxious
they are about the surgery. Which of the following responses by the nurse would help initiate
assessment of the client’s need for further preoperative instruction?
A. “Tell me what you have already been told about the surgery”
B. “I would be happy to explain the whole procedure to you”
C. “No need to worry, everyone is nervous when they are going to have surgery”
D. “You are having a major surgery and you will experience some plan”
Answer: A. “Tell me what you have already been told about the surgery”
Question 17
A nurse is preparing a client for a surgical procedure. During which of the following
timeframes should the nurse initiate the prescribed antibiotic to help decrease surgical site
infections?
A. 90 minutes before entering the operating room
B. 30 minutes after admission to the hospital
C. 60 minutes before performing the surgical incision
D. 15 minutes after entering the presurgical holding area
Answer: C. 60 minutes before performing the surgical incision
Question 18
A transplant nurse is identifying client risk factors during the preoperative phase. Which of
the following potential should the nurse recognize puts the client a higher risk level due to the
medication and procedures for organ transplant?
A. Malignant hyperthermia
B. Postoperative pain
C. Acquiring a secondary infection
D. Fluid imbalance
Answer: C. Acquiring a secondary infection
Question 19
A nurse is using the “I Pass the Baton” hand-off tool when transferring a client to the
operating room. Which of the following steps of the tool should the nurse use when reporting
the client has allergies to latex and penicillin?
A. Assessment
B. Ownership
C. Safety
D. Timing
Answer: C. Safety
Question 20
A nurse is providing preoperative education to a client scheduled for an elective surgery.
Which of the following is the best time for the nurse to provide preoperative teaching?
A. When the client has arrived in the PACU
B. Three weeks prior to surgery
C. After preoperative medication have been given
D. The afternoon or evening prior to surgery
Answer: D. The afternoon or evening prior to surgery
Question 21
A nurse is providing information to a client being admitted to the surgical clinic for a right
knee arthroscopy. The nurse explains to the client that they will be receiving perioperative
care. The client asks, “When does that care occur?” Which of the following statements made
by the nurse is correct?
A. “This care occurs during your preadmission assessment and data collection”
B. “Perioperative care occurs before, during and after surgery”
C. “Perioperative care is care the nurse provides during surgery”
D. “This care is provided when you get out of surgery”
Answer: B. “Perioperative care occurs before, during and after surgery”
Question 22
A transplant nurse is part of a multidisciplinary care team creating a documented plan of care
for a client need of a heart transplant. Which of the following standards of professional
performance for transplant nursing is the nurse demonstrating by being part of the team?
A. Professional practice evaluation
B. Leadership
C. Resource utilization
D. Collaboration
Answer: D. Collaboration
Question 23
A nurse is using the SBAR communication tool when handing off a client to the PACU nurse.
Which of the following sections of the tool is the nurse using when describing the client’s
comorbidities?
A. Background
B. Situation
C. Recommendation
D. Assessment
Answer: A. Background
Question 24
A nurse documents how much solution is administered to a postoperative client
intravenously, as well as how much output is collected in the client’s catheter bag. Which of
the following elements of postoperative care is the nurse directly performing?
A. Ensure respiratory and cardiovascular stability
B. Manage postoperative pain
C. Maintain adequate fluid balance
D. Assist with early ambulation
Answer: C. Maintain adequate fluid balance
Question 25
A nurse administers IV medication and reviews breathing and relaxation techniques with a
client recovering from a mastectomy. Which element of post operative care is the nurse
performing?
A. Ensuring respiratory and cardiovascular stability
B. Maintain adequate fluid balance
C. Providing surgical site care
D. Managing postoperative pain
Answer: D. Managing postoperative pain
Question 26
A nurse is caring for a client who is scheduled for a laparotomy. The client states that they are
concerned about the possibility of postoperative infection. Which of the following actions
should the nurse take to address the client’s concern and decrease the risk of infection?
A. Ask the client whether they or their family have a history of complication from anesthesia
B. Educate the client during the preoperative phase about wound care
C. Teach the client breathing and relaxation exercises.
D. Evaluate the client’s risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE)
Answer: B. Educate the client during the preoperative phase about wound care
Question 27
A nurse is preparing a client for a surgical procedure, explaining that perioperative nursing
care is primarily focused on the client to provide high quality care. The nurse is
demonstrating knowledge of the perioperative patient focused model. Which of the following
domains of this model has more emphasis on structural standardized data elements and
analytical reporting?
A. Safety
B. Behavioral Responses
C. Physiological Responses
D. Health system
Answer: D. Health system
Question 28
A nurse is admitting a client to the surgical clinic for an elective surgery. Which of the
following is the priority focus during the preoperative phase?
A. Place the operating table in the correct position
B. Prepare the client mentally and physically for surgery
C. Ensure the there is a sterile field in the operating room
D. Inspect dressings and reinforce them as necessary
Answer: B. Prepare the client mentally and physically for surgery
Question 29
A nurse is preparing a client for total hip surgery. The client has been on anticoagulant
therapy for the last few months. During which of the following periods in the surgical
checklist is the risk of greater than 500 mL blood loss assessed and recored?
A. Sign-Out
B. Time-Out
C. Check-in
D. Sigh-in
Answer: D. Sigh-in
Question 30
