CRITICAL THINKING EXERCISES
Making Room Assignments
RULE: “LIKE ILLNESSES” CAN BE PUT IN THE SAME ROOM TOGETHER.
IN THE STEM OF THE QUESTION THE NCLEX® LADY WILL TELL YOU THAT THE
TWO CLIENTS HAVE THE EXACT SAME CONDITION.
NCLEX® CRITICAL THINKING EXERCISE FOR MAKING ROOM
ASSIGNMENTS:
You are caring for a client with AIDS that is in a semi-private room. Of the following, which
client would you put in the room with the client with AIDS?
Critical Thinking
1. A client with asthma.
2. A client that is 8 hours post-appendectomy.
Exercises
3. A client with bronchitis
Notes:
Copyright protected. Reproduction prohibited without authorization and release by Hurst Review Services. 121
NCLEX® Critical Thinking Exercise:
You’re working in the ED and an 18-month old little girl comes into the hospital. She has been diagnosed
with rotavirus. She is severely dehydrated. She has not cried or wet a diaper in 5 hours. The primary
healthcare provider has written the following order: Give D5 ¼ NS with 20mEq of KCL at 20 mLs per hour
per pump. Would you carry out this order? Why or why not?
NCLEX® Critical Thinking Exercise:
Part I:
Let’s say that you are the charge nurse on an adult medical surgical unit. You are short an RN staff member,
and the nursing supervisor has sent an RN with neonatal intensive care experience to your unit. The nurse
Critical Thinking
states on arrival, “I have not worked on an adult unit for 6 years.” As the charge nurse, what should you do
first?
Exercises
1. Send the RN back to NICU and give the nurses working on the floor already an extra client.
2. Call the nursing supervisor and demand a RN with med-surgical experience.
3. Attend the shift report.
4. Assign the nurse to do nursing assistant duties.
Part II:
Which of the following clients would you assign the NICU nurse that is working on your floor?
1. 4 hour post cholecystectomy client experiencing pain every 2 hours.
2. Elderly client with unexplained syncope.
3. Teenager client 8 hours post hypophysectomy.
4. New admit diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency.
NCLEX® Critical Thinking Exercise:
You are caring for a client that has hypothyroidism. Your client is scheduled to be given an AM dose of
Levothyroxine (Synthroid®). While you are in the client’s room, she states that she’s been feeling this
“fullness” in her chest that started after she ate and has lasted for the last 2 hours. What should the nurse do
first?
1. Administer Aluminum/Magnesium concentrate and suspension (Maalox®) 30 mL.
2. Administer the Levothyroxine (Synthroid®)
3. Obtain a 12- lead ECG
4. Call the primary healthcare provider
122 Copyright protected. Reproduction prohibited without authorization and release by Hurst Review Services.
