Fundamentals of nursing practice questions
Fifteen questions on the basics every nursing course tests first: infection control, vital signs, patient safety and communication. Pick an answer to see the explanation.
Written by the Quizard team. Last updated
Fundamentals exams test whether you would keep a patient safe: who to protect from what, which finding to report, and how to communicate it. Policies differ between hospitals and countries, so where your course teaches a local protocol, follow that.
| Sign | Typical adult range |
|---|---|
| Heart rate | 60 to 100 beats per minute |
| Respiratory rate | 12 to 20 breaths per minute |
| Blood pressure | Below 120/80 mmHg |
| Oral temperature | About 36.5 to 37.5 °C (97.7 to 99.5 °F) |
| Oxygen saturation | 95 to 100% on room air |
Questions
0 of 15 answered
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1. What is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infection in healthcare?
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Answer: Hand hygiene. Clean hands at the right moments prevent more transmission than any other single measure.
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2. After caring for a patient with which infection should you wash with soap and water instead of using alcohol rub?
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Answer: Clostridioides difficile. C. difficile forms spores that alcohol does not kill, so they must be washed off mechanically.
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3. A patient has active pulmonary tuberculosis. Which precautions are needed?
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Answer: Airborne precautions. TB spreads on tiny airborne particles, so the patient needs an airborne isolation room and staff wear fitted respirators.
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4. In what order is PPE usually put on?
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Answer: Gown, mask or respirator, goggles or face shield, gloves. Gloves go on last so they can cover the gown cuffs. This is the sequence the CDC recommends.
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5. A resting adult’s heart rate is 115 beats per minute. How is this described?
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Answer: Tachycardia. Above 100 beats per minute at rest is tachycardia in an adult.
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6. What is a typical resting respiratory rate for an adult?
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Answer: 12 to 20 breaths per minute. Most references give 12 to 20 breaths per minute for a resting adult.
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7. How should a nurse identify a patient before giving medication?
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Answer: With at least two identifiers, such as name and date of birth. Two identifiers, checked against the wristband and the medication record, prevent giving a drug to the wrong person. Room numbers are never used.
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8. Which of these is not one of the traditional rights of medication administration?
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Answer: Right price. The core rights include the right patient, drug, dose, route and time, plus documentation. Price is not one of them.
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9. A patient lying on their back in bed is at highest risk of a pressure injury over which area?
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Answer: Sacrum. Lying supine puts pressure on the sacrum, heels and back of the head, where bone sits close to the skin.
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10. What does the Braden Scale assess?
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Answer: Risk of pressure injury. It scores sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and friction and shear.
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11. Which position usually helps a patient who is short of breath, if nothing rules it out?
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Answer: High Fowler’s (sitting upright). Sitting upright lets the diaphragm move more freely and makes breathing easier.
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12. In SBAR communication, what does the B stand for?
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Answer: Background. Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation.
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13. Which finding after surgery should be reported straight away?
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Answer: A falling blood pressure with a rising heart rate. Falling blood pressure with tachycardia can signal bleeding or shock and needs urgent review.
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14. Which tool scores eye, verbal and motor responses to assess consciousness?
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Answer: Glasgow Coma Scale. The GCS adds eye, verbal and motor scores for a total between 3 and 15.
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15. A nurse makes an error in a paper chart. What should they do?
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Answer: Draw a single line through it, mark it as an error and initial it. The original entry must stay readable, because the chart is a legal record.
For exam study only, not clinical guidance. Doses, reference ranges and protocols vary, so follow your course, your local policy and current references. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Further reading
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