CNOR Trivia 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How long must a perioperative RN practice before being eligible to sit for the CNOR exam?
- 6 months with 300 hours in perioperative nursing
- 2 years with 2,400 hours in perioperative nursing (Correct answer)
- 1 year with 1,200 hours in perioperative nursing
- 3 years with any clinical nursing experience
Correct answer: 2 years with 2,400 hours in perioperative nursing
CNOR eligibility requires an RN with 2 years (24 months) of perioperative nursing practice and a minimum of 2,400 hours in the specialty.
Question 2: Which ethical principle obligates perioperative nurses to act in the patient's best interest?
- Autonomy
- Justice
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Non-maleficence
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence is the ethical principle that requires nurses to act in ways that promote the patient's well-being and best interests.
Question 3: When a circulating nurse opens a sterile package onto the sterile field, the CORRECT technique is to:
- Reach across the sterile field to place items in the center
- Open the package away from the body, peeling flaps to the side without reaching over the field (Correct answer)
- Drop all items from at least 12 inches above the sterile field
- Hand items directly to the scrub person after touching only the inner wrapper
Correct answer: Open the package away from the body, peeling flaps to the side without reaching over the field
The circulator opens sterile packages by peeling back the flaps away from the sterile field and presenting the item to the scrub person without crossing over the sterile field.
Question 4: Which type of hemostasis involves using high-frequency electrical current to coagulate or cut tissue?
- Chemical hemostasis
- Mechanical hemostasis
- Thermal (electrosurgical) hemostasis (Correct answer)
- Biological hemostasis
Correct answer: Thermal (electrosurgical) hemostasis
Electrosurgery uses high-frequency electrical current to produce thermal energy that coagulates blood vessels or cuts tissue.
Question 5: A dispersive electrode (grounding pad) used during monopolar electrosurgery should be placed:
- Over a bony prominence for best conductivity
- On a well-vascularized muscle mass, close to the surgical site (Correct answer)
- On the patient's hand for easy access
- Over the surgical site for direct current flow
Correct answer: On a well-vascularized muscle mass, close to the surgical site
The dispersive electrode should be placed over a well-vascularized, large muscle mass close to the surgical site to ensure safe current return and prevent burns.
Question 6: The perioperative 'hand-off' communication between the OR nurse and PACU nurse should include:
- Only the surgeon's name and procedure performed
- Patient history, procedure performed, anesthesia used, medications given, and any complications (Correct answer)
- The patient's insurance information and next of kin contact
- Instrument count results and implant lot numbers only
Correct answer: Patient history, procedure performed, anesthesia used, medications given, and any complications
A complete perioperative hand-off includes patient assessment data, the procedure performed, anesthesia type and agents, intraoperative medications, fluids, complications, and immediate postoperative needs.
Question 7: Which body structure is at greatest risk for injury when a patient is placed in the lithotomy position?
- Brachial plexus
- Femoral nerve and peroneal nerve (Correct answer)
- Radial nerve
- Ulnar nerve
Correct answer: Femoral nerve and peroneal nerve
The lithotomy position places the femoral nerve and common peroneal nerve at risk due to compression and stretch from hip flexion and stirrup placement.
CNOR Trivia 4
How long must a perioperative RN practice before being eligible to sit for the CNOR exam?