Home › Certifications › NCLEX-PN › Reduction of Risk Potential
17 multiple-choice questions and 2 flashcards on Reduction of Risk Potential, about 10% of the NCLEX-PN bank. Every one carries a written rationale.
Reduction of Risk Potential is one of 8 chapters in CoStudy's NCLEX-PN bank, and it holds 17 of the bank's 162 multiple-choice questions — roughly 10% of the total. That proportion is not arbitrary: chapters follow the certifying body's published exam outline, and the number of questions in each is set by that domain's published weight, so the share of your practice time this chapter takes matches the share of the real exam it accounts for.
Studying by chapter is worth doing once you have a diagnostic score. A single overall percentage tells you whether you are close; it does not tell you which domain is dragging. Working a weak chapter in isolation, and re-testing it in isolation, is the fastest way to move a score that has stalled — and it is why the mock exams in CoStudy report by domain rather than as one number.
9 questions drawn from this chapter, with the full rationale shown — the controlling principle behind the right answer, and why each wrong option tempts and fails.
A patient develops new-onset rapid irregular heart rate of 140 bpm. The LPN should:
Answer: C — Notify the RN and provider immediately and obtain a 12-lead ECG per orders
A) Inadequate. C) Correct — possible atrial fibrillation; escalate for evaluation. B) Inappropriate. D) Inappropriate.
A term newborn appears yellow on the face and chest on day 4 of life. The LPN recognizes this requires provider notification because:
Answer: C — Jaundice appearing or worsening after day 3, or spreading below the chest, may indicate pathologic hyperbilirubinemia needing evaluation
A) Physiologic jaundice is common, but new or worsening jaundice still warrants bilirubin evaluation, especially beyond the expected 2-3 day window. C) Correct — jaundice extending below the chest or persisting/worsening suggests rising bilirubin levels that risk kernicterus if untreated, so it must be reported and evaluated. D) Fever is not a reliable marker of bilirubin severity. B) Term newborns can also develop clinically significant hyperbilirubinemia.
Post-cardiac catheterization through the femoral artery, the LPN observes for:
Answer: A — Bleeding or hematoma at the site, distal pulses, and bedrest with leg straight
A) Correct — assess site, distal pulses, and maintain immobility per orders. B) Risks bleeding. C) Increases bleeding. D) Frequent vital signs required.
A diabetic patient is to receive 10 units of regular insulin subQ. The vial reads U-100. The LPN draws up:
Answer: A — 0.1 mL in an insulin syringe (10 units mark)
A) Correct — use an insulin syringe for accuracy; 10 units = 0.1 mL of U-100. B,C,D) Not accurate practice.
Pre-procedure teaching for a colonoscopy includes:
Answer: A — Clear liquid diet the day before with a prescribed bowel prep
A) Correct — clears the colon for visualization. B) Increases stool burden. C) Reduces visualization. D) NPO before procedure.
When suctioning a tracheostomy, the LPN should:
Answer: B — Apply suction only during withdrawal for no more than 10-15 seconds and pre-oxygenate
A) Increases trauma. B) Correct — pre-oxygenate, limit duration, suction on withdrawal, rotate the catheter. C) Causes hypoxia. D) Sterile technique for new trach.
When monitoring a patient receiving IV heparin, which lab is followed?
Answer: A — aPTT
A) Correct — aPTT (or anti-Xa) for unfractionated heparin. B) INR for warfarin. C) Important but not the titration lab. D) Not specific.
Which lab finding is critical and requires immediate notification?
Answer: D — Potassium 2.5 mEq/L
A,C,B) Within normal. D) Correct — severe hypokalemia risks arrhythmia; notify immediately.
A patient with COPD has SpO2 of 88% on room air at rest. The LPN should:
Answer: C — Apply low-flow oxygen 1-2 L/min nasal cannula and notify the RN
A) High-flow may suppress hypoxic drive in some patients. C) Correct — titrate low and escalate per protocol; communicate. B) Hypoxemia harms. D) Worsens hypoxemia.
1 cards from the 2 in this chapter.
Tracheostomy care priority?
Maintain airway patency. Suction PRN, keep obturator at bedside, change ties carefully.
These are a sample. The full Reduction of Risk Potential chapter runs 19 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.