Pediatric Nurse Exam Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the Pediatric Nurse Exam 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.
📋 Pediatric Nurse Exam Exam Format at a Glance
📚 Pediatric Nurse Exam Topics to Study (21)
✍️ Sample Pediatric Nurse Exam Questions & Answers
1. Which organism is responsible for hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in children?
HFMD is most commonly caused by Coxsackievirus A16, an enterovirus, producing vesicular lesions on the hands, feet, and oral mucosa.
2. Which set of findings is most consistent with left-sided heart failure in a pediatric patient?
Left-sided heart failure causes blood to back up into the pulmonary circulation, producing pulmonary congestion with crackles (rales), tachypnea, and respiratory distress as the hallmark signs.
3. A newborn has not passed meconium within 48 hours of birth. Which condition should the nurse suspect?
Failure to pass meconium within 24–48 hours is a classic sign of Hirschsprung disease, caused by absence of ganglion cells in the colon.
4. A child diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta would most likely demonstrate which blood pressure finding on assessment?
Coarctation of the aorta creates a mechanical obstruction that causes hypertension proximal to the narrowing (upper extremities) and hypotension or diminished pulses distal to it (lower extremities).
5. A 4-year-old with Tetralogy of Fallot is experiencing a hypercyanotic (tet) spell with sudden severe cyanosis and irritability. What is the priority nursing intervention?
Placing the child in the knee-chest position increases systemic vascular resistance by compressing femoral arteries, which reduces right-to-left shunting and improves pulmonary blood flow and oxygenation.
6. A child with varicella (chickenpox) should be excluded from school until which point?
Varicella is contagious until all lesions have crusted, indicating the end of viral shedding and the infectious period.