ATI RN
ATI Proctored Mental Health Questions
Question 1 of 9
Which nursing intervention would establish trust with a client who is experiencing concrete thinking?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A because consistency in adhering to unit guidelines provides a structured environment that can help a client experiencing concrete thinking feel safe and secure. It establishes predictability, which is crucial for building trust. Calling the client by name (B) is a common courtesy but may not directly address the client's concrete thinking. Sharing what the client is feeling (C) may not be effective as the client may have difficulty understanding or processing emotions. Teaching the meaning of idioms (D) is irrelevant to establishing trust with a client experiencing concrete thinking.
Question 2 of 9
A client with obsessive-compulsive disorder has been taking fluoxetine for 1 month. The client tells the nurse, These pills are making me sick. I think I'm getting a brain tumor because of the headaches. Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Rationale: 1. Correct Answer (D): This response educates the client about a potential side effect of the medication, linking headaches to fluoxetine. It addresses the client's concern directly and provides accurate information. 2. Incorrect Answer (A): Focusing on rituals doesn't address the client's specific complaint of headaches and brain tumor fears. 3. Incorrect Answer (B): Asking about hand washing is unrelated to the client's symptoms of headaches and brain tumor fears. 4. Incorrect Answer (C): Inquiring about relaxation exercises doesn't address the client's concern about medication side effects causing headaches.
Question 3 of 9
A nurse is using a genogram as an intervention strategy based on the understanding of which of the following?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B because a genogram is a visual representation of a family's medical history and relationships over several generations. This tool helps the nurse and the family understand patterns of behavior, health issues, and dynamics across generations. Other choices are incorrect because genograms do not primarily focus on problem-solving methods (A), provide subjective yet factual perspectives (C), or identify family beliefs about mental illness (D).
Question 4 of 9
A nurse is pulled from a medical/surgical floor to the psychiatric unit. Which of the following clients would the nurse manager assign to this nurse? Select all that apply.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A because a nurse with a background in medical/surgical care would likely have experience managing chronically depressed clients, who may require a more general medical approach. Choices B, C, and D involve more specialized psychiatric care, such as managing active psychosis, paranoid thinking, or personality disorders, which may require specific psychiatric training and interventions beyond the nurse's medical/surgical expertise. Therefore, assigning a nurse to care for a chronically depressed client aligns with their skill set and minimizes the risk of inadequate care or potential harm to clients with more acute psychiatric needs.
Question 5 of 9
What is the scope of psychiatric-mental health nursing practice?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A because psychiatric-mental health nursing practice involves assessing clients, providing education, administering medications, and screening for suicide risk. Assessment helps in understanding the client's mental health status. Education empowers clients to manage their condition. Medication administration ensures proper treatment. Suicide risk screening is crucial for client safety. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect as they include tasks outside the scope of psychiatric-mental health nursing such as medical diagnosis, giving orders, assisting with ADLs, and giving advice.
Question 6 of 9
A nurse is working with a group of clients diagnosed with schizophrenia in a community setting. Which of the following would least likely be a priority?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: Managing psychosis. In a community setting, the priority is typically to support clients in functioning well in their daily lives and improving their overall well-being. While managing psychosis is important, it may not be the immediate priority as the focus is on holistic care, quality of life, instilling hope, and preventing relapse. Managing psychosis can be addressed through medication and therapy, but the primary goal in a community setting is to help clients live fulfilling lives and maintain stability.
Question 7 of 9
A nurse is reviewing information about the various types of outpatient mental health care programs. The nurse demonstrates understanding of these types when identifying which of the following as involved in providing the most intensive outpatient nursing care?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Partial hospitalization programs. Partial hospitalization programs provide the most intensive outpatient nursing care among the options listed. This is because these programs offer structured, comprehensive services during the day while allowing patients to return home at night, providing a higher level of care compared to traditional outpatient programs. The other choices - crisis intervention programs, outpatient detoxification programs, and rehabilitation programs - do not typically offer the same level of intensity and comprehensive care as partial hospitalization programs.
Question 8 of 9
A psychiatric nurse is reviewing prescriptions for a patient with major depression at the county clinic. Since the patient has a mild intellectual disability, the nurse would question which classification of antidepressant drugs:
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Patients with intellectual disabilities may have difficulty understanding and adhering to dietary restrictions required with MAOIs, increasing the risk of hypertensive crisis. SSRIs and SNRIs (A and C) are generally safer and easier to manage in such patients. Therefore, MAOIs would be the classification of antidepressants that the nurse would question for a patient with a mild intellectual disability.
Question 9 of 9
What term refers to the pain that has a slower onset, is diffuse, radiates, and is marked by somatic pain from organs in any body activity?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Visceral pain refers to pain originating from internal organs. It has a slower onset, is diffuse, and often radiates. Somatic pain refers to pain originating from the skin, muscles, or bones, not internal organs. Acute pain is sudden and short-lived, not slow onset. Chronic pain is persistent and long-lasting, not necessarily marked by somatic pain from internal organs. Superficial pain is pain originating from the surface of the body, not internal organs. Therefore, the correct answer is D (visceral pain) as it aligns with the characteristics described in the question.