what must the Emergency Room Nurse do FIRST?

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: When a patient arrives in the emergency room, the nurse's first priority is to assess the patient's airway, breathing, and circulation, following the ABCs of emergency care. In this scenario, positioning the patient with the head lower than the extremities ensures proper blood flow to vital organs, especially the brain. This position helps to maintain perfusion to the brain and prevent complications such as hypotension and shock. Once the patient's position is optimized, the nurse can proceed with further interventions such as starting an intravenous line, stopping bleeding, and requesting laboratory examinations as needed.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The APCAR (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration) score is used to evaluate a newborn's condition in the first few minutes after birth. This assessment typically occurs within the first 1 to 3 minutes after the baby is born. The score helps healthcare providers quickly assess the baby's overall well-being and determine if any immediate interventions or further monitoring are necessary.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The pharynx is the structure responsible for transporting food from the oral cavity to the esophagus during swallowing. When food is chewed and mixed with saliva in the oral cavity, it forms a bolus that is propelled to the pharynx by the tongue. The pharynx serves as a common passageway for both air and food, allowing the bolus to pass into the esophagus while preventing it from entering the trachea. The epiglottis, although important in preventing food from entering the airway, is not directly involved in the transportation of food from the oral cavity to the esophagus.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The symptoms described—tachycardia, weight loss, and tremors—are consistent with hyperthyroidism. Graves' disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism and is an autoimmune disorder in which the thyroid gland is overactive. This condition can lead to an increased production of thyroid hormones, resulting in symptoms such as rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), unintended weight loss, and tremors. In contrast, Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder that causes hypothyroidism, leading to symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, and cold intolerance. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar levels, which typically presents with symptoms such as increased thirst, frequent urination, and fatigue. Thyroid nodules are growths within the thyroid gland that can sometimes be associated with overactive (hyperthyroidism) or underactive (hypothyroidism) thyroid function, but they do not

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: In a patient with severe abdominal pain due to end-stage pancreatic cancer, the priority intervention to manage their symptoms would be to provide adequate pain relief. Opioid analgesics are the cornerstone of pain management for cancer patients experiencing severe pain. They work by binding to opioid receptors in the central nervous system, thereby reducing the perception of pain. Opioids are highly effective in managing cancer pain, including abdominal pain, and can significantly improve the patient's quality of life by providing relief from distressing symptoms. Therefore, administering opioid analgesics should be the nurse's primary intervention in this case to address the patient's severe abdominal pain. Initiating enteral nutrition, recommending hot compresses, or referring to a gastroenterologist may be relevant interventions depending on the patient's overall care plan but addressing the pain should be the immediate priority in this scenario.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: During pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD, smoking cessation should not be avoided but instead strongly encouraged. Smoking cessation is a crucial component in managing COPD and improving lung function. Continued smoking can exacerbate COPD symptoms and hinder the progress made through rehabilitation efforts. Therefore, it is essential for patients to quit smoking while undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation to maximize the benefits of the program and improve their overall lung health.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, pruritic inflammatory skin condition that typically presents in individuals with a personal or family history of asthma and allergic rhinitis (hay fever). The characteristic presentation includes erythematous papules, vesicles, and excoriations on the flexural surfaces of the elbows and knees. This type of dermatitis is commonly seen in patients with atopy, which refers to a genetic predisposition to develop allergic diseases like asthma, hay fever, and eczema. Therefore, given the patient's personal history of asthma and hay fever along with the described rash distribution and appearance, atopic dermatitis is the most likely diagnosis.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct response would be "Absorption of iron is enhanced with Vitamin C." Iron absorption is increased in the presence of Vitamin C. Therefore, recommending Evelyn to take her iron supplement with a source of Vitamin C such as orange juice or a Vitamin C tablet would optimize the absorption of iron in her body and help prevent maternal anemia more effectively. Taking iron with other vitamins separately, after a full meal, or with milk would not have the same beneficial effect on iron absorption as combining it with Vitamin C.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The most significant contributory factor to the development of lung cancer is being a cigarette smoker. Cigarette smoking is directly linked to approximately 85% of lung cancer cases. The harmful substances in tobacco smoke, such as carcinogens, damage the cells in the lungs, leading to the development of cancer over time. Smokers are at a significantly higher risk of developing lung cancer compared to non-smokers. Therefore, being a cigarette smoker is the primary and most influential risk factor for developing lung cancer.