CMSRN Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CMSRN exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 CMSRN Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CMSRN Topics to Study (45)
✍️ Sample CMSRN Questions & Answers
1. A nurse is caring for a patient with heart failure who develops frothy, pink-tinged sputum and severe dyspnea. What is the priority nursing intervention?
Frothy pink-tinged sputum indicates pulmonary edema, and the priority is to position upright to reduce preload and administer supplemental oxygen.
2. A patient with hepatic encephalopathy is prescribed lactulose. What is the primary therapeutic goal of this medication?
Lactulose acidifies the colon, trapping ammonia as ammonium ion and promoting its fecal excretion, thereby reducing the serum ammonia causing encephalopathy.
3. A nurse is caring for a patient receiving a blood transfusion who develops fever, flank pain, and dark urine. What is the priority nursing action?
These symptoms indicate an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction, requiring immediate cessation of the transfusion to prevent further harm.
4. A patient who just had a colostomy surgery expresses distress about body image changes. Which nursing intervention is the priority?
Establishing therapeutic communication by allowing the patient to express feelings and validating concerns is the priority before education or referrals when addressing psychosocial distress.
5. Except for the following, all of the following list phosphodiasterase inhibitors:
Phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDEIs) like milrinone are known for their positive inotropic effects (increasing cardiac contractility) and their ability to cause vasodilation, which decreases systemic vascular resistance (SVR). They achieve this by preventing the breakdown of cyclic AMP (cAMP), leading to increased intracellular calcium in cardiac cells and smooth muscle relaxation in blood vessels. Therefore, 'Vasoconstrictor' is the characteristic that does NOT describe the action of phosphodiesterase inhibitors.
6. A patient with a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation asks why anticoagulation therapy is necessary. What is the nurse's best response?
In atrial fibrillation, ineffective atrial contraction causes blood stasis, increasing thrombus formation risk and subsequent stroke.