Practice Test Geeks(RNC-NIC) Registered Nurse Certified in Neonatal Intensive Care Practice Test
← All RNC-NIC Flashcard Decks

Neonatal Assessment Flashcards

7 cards from real RNC-NIC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Neonatal Assessment flashcards as text

  1. A neonate at 28 weeks gestation has a PaO2 of 45 mmHg on room air. The nurse understands that fetal hemoglobin (HbF) affects oxygen transport by:

    Answer: Shifting the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve to the left, binding O2 more avidly

    Fetal hemoglobin has a higher oxygen affinity (left-shifted curve) than adult hemoglobin, allowing it to extract oxygen from maternal blood at the placenta but also making O2 release to tissues less efficient.

  2. A nurse assesses a neonate and notes jaundice visible on the thighs and upper arms. Using Kramer's rule, this distribution of jaundice corresponds to an estimated serum bilirubin level of approximately:

    Answer: 12-14 mg/dL

    Kramer's rule estimates that jaundice extending to the thighs (zone 4) correlates with serum bilirubin levels of approximately 12-14 mg/dL, progressing cephalocaudally with rising levels.

  3. During assessment of a neonate with suspected meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), the nurse should prioritize monitoring for which complication?

    Answer: Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN)

    Meconium aspiration causes pulmonary vasoconstriction and airway obstruction, frequently leading to persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) as a serious complication.

  4. A nurse is assessing a neonate for pain using the NIPS (Neonatal Infant Pain Scale). Which parameter is included in this tool?

    Answer: Facial expression

    The NIPS assesses facial expression, cry, breathing pattern, arm position, leg position, and state of arousal — blood pressure, SpO2, and pupillary response are not included.

  5. A neonate born at 39 weeks gestation has a head circumference of 37 cm, length of 52 cm, and weight of 3,900 g. These measurements plot at the 90th, 75th, and 85th percentiles respectively. This infant is classified as:

    Answer: Appropriate for gestational age (AGA)

    All measurements between the 10th and 90th percentiles classify the neonate as appropriate for gestational age (AGA), indicating normal intrauterine growth.

  6. A nurse observes a neonate having a seizure characterized by eye deviation, repetitive sucking movements, and pedaling leg motions without tonic-clonic components. This seizure type is classified as:

    Answer: Subtle seizure

    Subtle seizures are the most common neonatal seizure type, manifesting as eye deviation, oral-buccal movements (sucking, chewing), and autonomic changes without classic tonic-clonic activity.

  7. When assessing a neonate's skin turgor, the nurse pinches abdominal skin and it returns slowly over 3 seconds. In a 3-day-old term neonate, this finding most likely indicates:

    Answer: Dehydration requiring fluid assessment

    Skin turgor that returns slowly (tenting) in a neonate indicates dehydration and warrants assessment of fluid intake, urine output, weight loss percentage, and fontanelle status.