A client comes to the clinic and says, "I get winded lately." Which question is the best open-ended way to explore this symptom further?
Do you have asthma, emphysema, or any other lung disease that runs in your family?
You have not been smoking or spending time around people who smoke, have you?
Describe what you notice when you get winded and what you were doing when it began.
Is it worse when you lie flat at night than when you are up during the day?
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C. Describe what you notice when you get winded and what you were doing when it began.
Topic: open-ended symptom questions
An open-ended request lets the client describe the symptom in their own words, including onset, setting, and associated features. Closed or leading questions narrow the answer before the nurse understands what the client means by winded.
Why the others are wrong
A – This closed question narrows the history to one cause before the symptom is described.
B – A leading question may prompt a defensive or inaccurate answer.
D – This tests one cause (orthopnea) and gives only a yes or no answer.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
2Question
A client with a history of sexual abuse becomes tense and quiet as the nurse prepares for a heart and breast examination. Which action reflects a trauma-informed approach?
Complete the examination as quickly as possible while keeping the client distracted with casual conversation
Reassure the client that the examination is routine and that everyone feels uneasy at first
Explain each step before it happens, offer a choice about who is present, and say the exam can be paused at any time
Ask the client to remove the gown entirely so that every stethoscope placement is accurate
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C. Explain each step before it happens, offer a choice about who is present, and say the exam can be paused at any time
Topic: trauma-informed physical examination
A trauma-informed approach prioritizes physical and emotional safety through predictability, choice, and control. Explaining steps in advance, offering options about who is present, and agreeing that the client can stop at any point rebuilds a sense of control.
Why the others are wrong
A – Speed and distraction take away predictability and can be retraumatizing.
B – Minimizing the client's reaction can feel dismissive and erode trust.
D – Only the areas needed should be exposed, with draping, to preserve dignity.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
3Question
While giving a history after being assaulted, a client begins to cry and stops answering. Which response by the nurse is best?
"Try to calm down so that we can finish these questions quickly."
Ask a relative to answer the remaining questions on the client's behalf
Move on to the next question without comment to avoid upsetting the client further
"Let's take a break. I will stay with you, and we can go on when you feel ready."
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: D. "Let's take a break. I will stay with you, and we can go on when you feel ready."
Topic: interviewing a traumatized client
A client who has been traumatized needs time, safety, and control over the pace. Offering a pause and staying present conveys respect and supports a more complete and accurate history later.
Why the others are wrong
A – Pressing the client to stop crying disregards the emotion and the pace the client needs.
B – Replacing the client's voice takes away control and may breach privacy.
C – Ignoring the distress is dismissive and may deepen the trauma.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
4Question
A 58-year-old client with heart failure calls the clinic. The client has gained 4 pounds in 2 days, has new ankle swelling, needs three pillows to sleep, and mentions that a daughter lives in another state and that the client retired as a teacher. Which items are cues the nurse should act on?
Select all that apply.
Weight gain of 4 pounds in 2 days
New swelling of the ankles
Needing three pillows to sleep
A daughter who lives in another state
Retirement from teaching
Taking medicine for heart failure
Show the answers and explanation
Answers: A, B and C.
A – Weight gain of 4 pounds in 2 days
B – New swelling of the ankles
C – Needing three pillows to sleep
Topic: cue recognition in heart failure
Rapid weight gain, new edema, and orthopnea are signs of fluid retention and worsening heart failure. The living situation and former job are background and do not show a clinical change, and taking prescribed medicine is context rather than a warning sign.
Why the others are wrong
D – Where a relative lives is social background, not a sign of worsening heart failure.
E – A former occupation is background information and not a clinical change.
F – Being on treatment is expected for this diagnosis and is not a new finding.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
5Question
A client reports new dizziness when standing. The nurse recognizes the symptom needs further analysis. Which questions should the nurse ask?
Select all that apply.
How long does the dizziness last, and what were you doing when it began?
What is your favorite hobby?
Have you started any new medicines or changed doses recently?
How many siblings do you have?
Have you fainted or fallen, or had trouble seeing with the episodes?
What kind of music do you enjoy?
Show the answers and explanation
Answers: A, C and E.
A – How long does the dizziness last, and what were you doing when it began?
C – Have you started any new medicines or changed doses recently?
E – Have you fainted or fallen, or had trouble seeing with the episodes?
Topic: symptom analysis questions
Analyzing a symptom means learning its timing, triggers, associated features, and possible causes such as new medicines. Questions about duration, setting, medication changes, falls, and vision changes help the nurse judge significance and safety.
Why the others are wrong
B – A hobby does not help interpret the dizziness.
D – The number of siblings does not help interpret this symptom.
F – Music preference is unrelated to the symptom.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
6Question
An adult client in a clinic becomes pale and sweaty and slides from a chair to the floor, responding only to voice. Which objective findings must the nurse gather without delay?
Select all that apply.
Airway and breathing
Pulse rate and rhythm
Blood pressure
Extraocular eye movements
A detailed family history
Oxygen saturation
Show the answers and explanation
Answers: A, B, C and F.
A – Airway and breathing
B – Pulse rate and rhythm
C – Blood pressure
F – Oxygen saturation
Topic: primary survey and vital signs
In an acute change, the nurse first checks airway, breathing, and circulation and gathers the vital signs that show how unstable the client is. Pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation give immediate objective data, while eye movements and family history can wait.
Why the others are wrong
D – Eye movement testing is a detailed neurologic step that can wait.
E – Family history is background data and can be collected later.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
7Question
Which questions address the timing element of the PQRSTU mnemonic?
Select all that apply.
When did the pain start?
What makes the pain worse?
Does the pain come and go or stay constant?
What does the pain feel like?
How long does each episode last?
Where do you feel the pain?
Show the answers and explanation
Answers: A, C and E.
A – When did the pain start?
C – Does the pain come and go or stay constant?
E – How long does each episode last?
Topic: pain assessment mnemonic
The timing element asks about onset, pattern, and duration. Questions about when the pain started, whether it is constant or intermittent, and how long episodes last all describe time. The others address provocation, quality, and region.
Why the others are wrong
B – This asks about provoking factors.
D – This asks about the quality of pain.
F – This asks about the region of pain.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
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