1. True
2. False

Terminology is extremely important in nursing, and you'll see some simple vocabulary questions on this quiz. However, the actual NCLEX is a test of judgment and decision-making. The questions will be short, but multi-sentence, describing a particular situation and asking questions based on that.

1. Blood pressure levels
   Blood types
2. Stages of cancer
   Types of chromosomes

These are the four essential blood types. You don't necessarily have to be a medical professional to know this; people who give blood regularly also know their blood type.

1. Call a physician
   Put on sterile gloves
2. Offer soft foods
   Administer the prescribed analgesic

Of course there are times when nurses will need to notify a physician about a patient's status or ask about care. But beware of "call the physician" responses on the NCLEX, because the test is designed to find out what *you* know about signs, symptoms, procedures, medications and more; "notify a doctor" does not clarify any of this.

1. Natural
   Necessary
2. Normal
   No

As a nurse, you'll see the abbreviation "WNL" often; it means that one of a patient's stats is acceptable and healthy. However, cynics in the medical profession joke that this shorthand stands for "We Never Looked."

1. Microgram
   Magnesium
2. Management
   It means the same thing; the capital letter doesn't matter

Magnesium is the 11th-most common element in the human body, and there is a recommended daily dietary intake. It's about 400 mg for men and 300 for women.

1. A client does not speak English.
   A client is refusing to consider organ donation.
2. A returned veteran is experiencing anxiety.
   A pregnant woman is not gaining appropriate weight.

Behavioral issues are ones of mental health, like the PTSD the veteran might be exhibiting. Other behavioral health issues include alcoholism, drug abuse and suicidal thoughts.

1. By mouth
   Once a day
2. Twice a day
   Topically

This is an abbreviation for "bis in die," which is Latin for "twice a day." If Latin isn't your jam, you can remember it by thinking of "bi-" as the prefix for "two" and "d" for "day." (Note: if Latin isn't your jam, though, you're going to have some trouble with medical terminology overall.)

1. Eloped
   Ghosted
2. Self-discharged
   Said an Irish goodbye

This term is the common one in nursing homes or behavioral-care facilities. To the rest of the world, though, it has romantic implications -- lovers running off to get married.

1. Ten times
   One hundred times
2. One thousand times
   Ten thousand times

We bring this up because it underscores the need for clear communication, and especially good handwriting. The abbreviations "mg" and "mcg" are easily confused with each other if not written clearly, and could result in an overdose by a measure of 1,000!

1. They mean the exact same thing.
   It's almost the same thing, except written in standard, not metric, terms.
2. It's the medium -- liquid, tablet, et cetera.
   It's the schedule on which the doses are taken.

Many people use these words interchangeably, but that's not right. "Dosage" refers to the timing of medication, whether once a day, twice a day, as needed, or so on.

1. A burn victim
   A coma patient
2. A newborn infant
   A psychotic person

The APGAR score was named for Virginia Apgar, an anesthesiologist with an interest in obstetrics. She developed this test of a newborn's condition in hopes of increasing the survival rate for infants in their first 24 hours.

1. Emergency room work
   Home health care
2. A neonatal unit
   The recovery room

Home health care nurses often make visits to discharged patients who have had a permanent or semi-permanent change in status; for example, a stroke in which full recovery is unlikely. A nurse will assess how well this patient can perform the "activities of daily living" in their own home, without help.

1. Activity
   Blood pressure
2. Pulse
   Skin tone

"APGAR" is both an acronym and a name in honor of its creator. As the former, it stands for "Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity and Respiration." It does not include taking a baby's blood pressure.

1. Patient rights
   Successful collaboration with other practitioners
2. Responsible delegation of duties
   All of these

Management of care is a sort of "meta" category. It deals with good administration and best practices for working with patients and with other practitioners, whether they're your superiors or your subordinates. It won't include questions about signs, symptoms, medications and the like.

1. "My brother felt the exact same way, but he survived."
   "Let me get the chaplain for you."
2. "Cancer is a frightening diagnosis. We'll do everything we can to help you through it."
   "Don't say that. I'm sure you're going to beat it."

It's best not to offer false assurance, or turn the attention to an anecdote of your own. Nor is this a special situation that requires a clergy member. Offering an open-ended, empathetic response is the best choice.

1. If they were within normal limits
   If they are life-threatening and the friend might need to say goodbye
2. If the friend is mentally ill and can't communicate normally
   None of these

Confidentiality is an extremely important concept in medical care. The "yeah, but" circumstances above might sound tempting, and a friend might push you for information on those grounds, but you need to stand firm.

1. A ham-and-cheese sandwich and an apple
   Grilled skinless chicken and green beans
2. A hamburger, salad and ice cream
   Steak and potatoes

The meal of chicken and green beans offers the best nutrition without including high-fat or high-calorie elements.

1. Speak to the patient privately, assuring her that you'll respect her wishes, but want to be sure this is really her decision
   Speak to the family privately, telling them that the pressure they are putting on the patient might result in her death
2. Talk to everyone in the same room, stressing that the patient might die completely unnecessarily
   Call the family's priest or minister, asking that person to intervene in the situation.

Nurses with a grounding in modern, evidence-based medicine can have a hard time understanding the mindset of people who refuse care on religious or cultural grounds. But calling a clergy member or pressuring the family is beyond the scope of a nurse's duties.

1. Blood clotting
   Capillary refill
2. Stomach emptying
   Heart valve opening and closing

A "PTT" tests how long it takes a patient's blood to clot; unnaturally slow clotting can indicate an underlying blood disorder that could be life-threatening.

1. 10 seconds
   30 seconds
2. 40 seconds
   55 seconds

A normal partial thromboplastin time is 20 to 45 seconds. 10 seconds is rather fast, which might be a whole other issue ... but as long as 55 seconds falls in the "too long" category.

1. Feverfew
   Heparin
2. Vioxx
   All of them

Many drugs or herbs (feverfew, above, is an herbal supplement) have have an effect on clotting time, often a lengthening one. Heparin is of special note, because its purpose, as diagnosed, is to thin the blood. If a patient is on any of these, you should expect a longer PTT, and this is acceptable.

1. Chambers of the heart
   Endocrine glands
2. Lobes of the brain
   Lobes of the liver

These are lobes, or regions, of the brain. Different lobes are responsible for different functions, but many important functions are "global," or seated in several places in the brain, so that a traumatic injury won't wholly wipe out important things like memory. This is why memory loss is often partial, not total.

1. "Patient has apparent burn marks, round in shape, on the arm."
   "Patient has apparent cigarette burns on the on arm."
2. "Patient has apparent cigarette burns from abuse on the arm."
   None of these. It's not related to the patient's complaint, so is not necessary to chart.

While you might have a strong intuition about what's going on, only what you literally see goes in the chart. Suspicions of abuse should be followed up on, though, in a discussion with your supervisor.

1. Breast cancer
   Hypoxia
2. Prediabetes
   Thyroid cancer

"Arterial blood gas" is an unfamiliar term to many non-medical people, and sounds a bit scary. However, it refers to the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the bloodstream, which can tell a doctor or nurse if the patient is hypoxic, or low on oxygen.

1. "So, light exercise like walking is OK."
   "So, I can stop taking my medication if I have side effects."
2. "So, I should take my medication with meals."
   "So, I should call my doctor if I experience new chest pains, no matter how minor."

Any decision to discontinue medication should be discussed with one's doctor. The patient needs to be made (politely) to understand this before she leaves, in order to prevent another heart attack.

1. Alkalinity
   Lipidity
2. Salinity
   Vicosity

You've probably heard health gurus preaching about the importance of being alkaline. This makes health practitioners crazy. Blood pH can't be controlled with diet any more than you control your body temperature by eating hot or cold foods. In addition, "alkaline" does not mean "benign" -- highly alkaline substances are very corrosive, like the interior of an alkaline battery.

1. Arterial
   Venous
2. Parenteral
   Serum

"Serum" is a word that might remind you of skincare products or miracle treatments in sci-fi movies. But it's the preferred term for blood levels of, for example, testosterone.

1. Diabetes
   High-carb, low protein dieting
2. Heavy metal toxicity
   Hypothyroidism

Poorly-controlled diabetes can cause ketoacidosis, which is a buildup of acids called ketones in the blood. During the high-protein diet craze of the 2000s, there was some concern that followers would get ketoacidosis -- but it's hard for a non-diabetic person to diet themselves into ketoacidosis, fortunately.

1. Fruity-smelling breath
   Headache with sudden onset
2. Nausea
   Just fruity breath and nausea

Headache isn't generally a symptom of ketoacidosis. The signs to look out for are, in addition to the above, confusion, shortness of breath, fatigue, frequent urination and excessive thirst.

1. Ensuring that a consent form is attached to the patient's chart
   Ensuring that the patient is physically comfortable
2. Providing a detailed explanation of the surgical procedure
   Making sure the patient is wearing his or her ID bracelet

The other three choices are within the bounds of a what a nurse does, though they might not be solely his or her responsibility. But explaining a procedure to the patient should be done by the patient's doctor or the surgeon who'll perform it.

1. Administering meds a doctor has prescribed
   Changing the dressing on a wound
2. Changing an IV
   Taking a patient with mobility issues to the bathroom

Taking a patient to the bathroom is the task above that requires the least amount of medical knowledge, and falls within the skill set of a nursing assistant. Knowing how to safely delegate jobs is an important part of being a nurse.

1. Alcoholism
   Bipolar disorder
2. Borderline personality disorder
   Schizophrenia

Paranoid and irrational thinking are signs of schizophrenia, a serious mental disorder with a genetic component. The other three conditions are mental disorders, but rarely involve a break with reality as severe as the ones schizophrenics have.

1. A mother's or father's role in care
   A skin condition
2. A condition that is moderately serious
   Something that happens outside or avoids the intestine, especially nutrition

This term confuses people outside the medical world, because it doesn't have anything to do with "parents." It's refers to something extra-intestinal, like parenteral nutrition administered with an IV.

1. An unknown donor
   A donor with a different blood type
2. The patient's doctor
   The patient himself or herself

"Autologous" means that that patient's own blood is used. This cuts the risk of a bad reaction to the blood, and it also lessens the demand on the blood supply from agencies like the Red Cross. The patient should have the blood drawn about six weeks before it'll be needed.

1. "I can open my time-released capsules and take the medicine with applesauce."
   "Taking medication with meals can lessen stomach upset."
2. "Taking medication at the same time each day keeps blood levels steadiest."
   All of them

Often, it's OK to crush medication, or open capsules, and take medication in soft food. However, a time-release capsule must be swallowed whole in order to get the time-release effect.