Musculoskeletal NCLEX Practice Questions
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Question 1 of 5.
Until a translator is available, which nursing action is best when teaching the client who speaks English as a second language about body mechanics?
A. Speak slowly while looking at the client.
B. Write the instructions on paper.
C. See the client and the patient.
D. Have the client watch a video.
Explanation: Speaking slowly while maintaining eye contact enhances comprehension for a non-native speaker, using nonverbal cues to reinforce verbal instructions until a translator is available.
Question 2 of 5.
The client is 12-hours post-lumbar laminectomy. Which nursing interventions should be implemented?
A. Assess ability to void and log roll the client every two (2) hours.
B. Medicate with IV steroids and keep the bed in a Trendelenburg position.
C. Place sandbags on each side of the head and give cathartic medications.
D. Administer IV anticoagulants and place on O2 at eight (8) L/min.
Explanation: Post-lumbar laminectomy, assessing voiding prevents urinary retention, and log rolling maintains spinal alignment. Steroids/Trendelenburg, sandbags/cathartics, and anticoagulants/O2 are inappropriate without specific indications.
Question 3 of 5.
The client diagnosed with OA is a resident in a long-term care facility. The resident is refusing to bathe because she is hurting. Which instruction should the nurse give the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)?
A. Allow the client to stay in bed until the pain becomes bearable.
B. Tell the UAP to give the client a bed bath this morning.
C. Try to encourage the client to get up and go to the shower.
D. Notify the family the client is refusing to be bathed.
Explanation: Encouraging the client to shower promotes mobility, which reduces OA stiffness, while addressing pain. Bed rest worsens stiffness, bed baths enable immobility, and family notification is unnecessary.
Question 4 of 5.
The client is complaining of joint stiffness, especially in the morning. Which diagnostic tests should the nurse expect the health-care provider to order to R/O osteoarthritis?
A. Full-body magnetic resonance imaging scan.
B. Serum studies for synovial fluid amount.
C. X-ray of the affected joints.
D. Serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).
Explanation: X-rays reveal OA characteristic joint space narrowing and osteophytes. MRI is excessive, synovial fluid studies are not routine, and ESR is for inflammatory conditions, not OA.
Question 5 of 5.
The female client diagnosed with osteoporosis tells the nurse she is going to perform swim aerobics for 30 minutes every day. Which response is most appropriate by the nurse?
A. Praise the client for committing to do this activity.
B. Explain to the client walking 30 minutes a day is a better activity.
C. Encourage the client to swim every other day instead of daily.
D. Discuss with the client how sedentary activities help prevent osteoporosis.
Explanation: Walking, a weight-bearing exercise, better promotes bone density than swimming for osteoporosis. Daily swimming is less effective, sedentary activities worsen osteoporosis, and praise ignores efficacy.