Clinical Skills Flashcards
7 cards from real RPN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Clinical Skills flashcards as text
When performing a sterile dressing change, which action would break sterile technique?
Answer: Reaching over the sterile field to retrieve an item
Reaching over a sterile field contaminates it because non-sterile clothing or ungloved arms pass over sterile items.
A patient's blood pressure is 88/52 mmHg. What is the correct mean arterial pressure (MAP)?
Answer: 64 mmHg
MAP = (SBP + 2×DBP) / 3 = (88 + 2×52) / 3 = 192 / 3 = 64 mmHg.
Which catheter size (French) is most appropriate for a routine urinary catheterization of an adult female?
Answer: 14–16 Fr
A 14–16 Fr catheter is standard for routine adult female urinary catheterization, balancing drainage and patient comfort.
During a subcutaneous insulin injection, the nurse aspirates before injecting. Which statement is correct?
Answer: Aspiration is no longer recommended for subcutaneous injections
Current evidence and nursing guidelines no longer recommend aspiration before subcutaneous injections because the injection sites lack large blood vessels.
A patient is placed in the Trendelenburg position. Which clinical situation is this position CONTRAINDICATED?
Answer: Increased intracranial pressure
Trendelenburg increases venous return to the head, which raises intracranial pressure and is dangerous in patients with head injury or ICP elevation.
When inserting a nasogastric tube, the nurse asks the patient to swallow. At which landmark should advancement PAUSE to allow swallowing?
Answer: At the nasopharynx / back of throat
Pausing at the nasopharynx and asking the patient to swallow helps guide the tube into the esophagus rather than the trachea.
A nurse is preparing to administer a medication via metered-dose inhaler (MDI) with a spacer. What is the correct sequence?
Answer: Shake, exhale fully, actuate then inhale slowly, hold 10 seconds
Shaking disperses the medication, exhaling empties the lungs, slow inhalation during actuation deposits medication in the airways, and a 10-second breath hold maximizes deposition.
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