Medical Emergencies Practice Test 18
Medical Emergencies NCLEX Practice Test
Medical Emergencies is a key topic within the NCLEX test plan, located under Physiological Integrity → Physiological Adaptation → Medical Emergencies. This section applies structured emergency frameworks to deliver timely, life-saving nursing care. Each test contains 50 questions designed to mirror the difficulty and variety of the real exam.
This is the 18th part of the Medical Emergencies series. To explore all practice tests under this topic, use the “Back to Main Topic” button at the end of the page.
Continue Learning
In the Medical Emergencies Study Cards section, shared by real NCLEX candidates, you’ll find concise summaries and high-yield insights related to the most tested concepts. It’s a perfect space to reinforce challenging topics and sharpen your recall through quick, focused repetitions. Short, powerful, and repeatable!
Medical Emergencies Practice Test 18
While shopping at a local mall, the nurse hears a pregnant client yell, “Oh my! The baby’s coming!” After placing the client in a supine position and trying to maintain some privacy, the nurse sees that the neonate’s head is delivering. Which of the following should the nurse do first?
- Suction the mouth with two fingertips.
- Check for presence of a cord around the neck.
- Tell the client to bear down with force.
- Advise the mother that help is on the way.
Explanation: Answer reason: The immediate priority as the head delivers is to identify and manage a nuchal cord because it can compress the cord and rapidly compromise fetal oxygenation. Checking the neck right away allows prompt action (eg, slipping the cord over the head or preparing for urgent intervention if tight) before the shoulders and body deliver. Suctioning is not the first step and is avoided unless secretions obstruct breathing, as routine suction can cause vagal bradycardia. Coaching forceful pushing can worsen perineal trauma and does not address an acute threat to the newborn. Reassurance that help is coming is appropriate but secondary to preventing immediate hypoxia.
An unconscious child is brought to the emergency room due to Tylenol poisoning. Which of the following is the most appropriate nursing action?
- Administer mucomyst P.O.
- Gastric lavage with activated charcoal.
- Gastric Lavage with activated charcoal and mucomyst.
- Administer ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).
Explanation: Answer reason: Acetaminophen overdose is a time-sensitive poisoning where care focuses on limiting further absorption and giving the specific antidote to prevent hepatic injury. Because the child is unconscious, airway protection is critical; decontamination (via gastric lavage when clinically indicated with a protected airway) plus activated charcoal addresses GI drug burden. N-acetylcysteine is the proven antidote that replenishes glutathione and detoxifies the toxic metabolite, reducing risk of fulminant liver failure. An option offering only charcoal omits the antidote, while EDTA is a chelator used for heavy metal poisoning rather than acetaminophen toxicity.
The nurse is caring for a client who was just resuscitated following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The client does not follow commands and remains comatose. What intervention does the nurse anticipate being added to the client's plan of care?
- Assisting the health care provider in discussing a do-not-resuscitate order with the family
- Obtaining equipment and cold fluids for induction of therapeutic hypothermia
- Placing a small-bore nasogastric feeding tube for enteral nutrition
- Planning for passive range-of-motion exercises to prevent contractures
Explanation: Answer reason: Targeted temperature management is recommended after ROSC in patients who remain unresponsive, and nursing preparation includes gathering cooling equipment and initiating chilled IV fluids per protocol. This intervention is time-sensitive and addresses the immediate life-threatening risk of secondary brain injury. In contrast, enteral feeding and ROM are supportive measures but are not the urgent evidence-based therapy that changes neurologic outcomes early after arrest. DNR discussion may be appropriate later, but it is not the standard immediate addition solely based on post-arrest coma.
Think you’re ready for the NCLEX?
Run through a full 150-question exam just like the real thing. You’ll hit the 85-question checkpoint and get a clear report showing where you stand.