Study Guide
Field 236: School Nurse
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions
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Each multiple-choice question has four answer choices. Read each question and its answer choices carefully and choose the ONE best answer.
During the test you should try to answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all. You will NOT be penalized for choosing an incorrect response.
Objective 0001
Understand human growth and development, the learning process, and factors that
affect development and learning of different school-age populations.
1. A third-grade student's family has recently experienced stressful events. The parents have been unemployed for six months and one of the student's young siblings has a health impairment. The parents have exhibited periods of depression. The school nurse should be alert to the fact that these factors are likely to influence the student's development most significantly in which of the following areas?
- receptive language
- higher-order thinking
- social relationships
- motor development
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0002
Understand the roles and responsibilities of the school nurse as a health expert
and resource person in the school community.
2. A school nurse who serves elementary and middle school populations believes that many students and families in the district would benefit from resources available through family health and human services agencies. Which of the following strategies is likely to be most effective for the school nurse to use to facilitate families' use of these resources?
- requesting that health and human services agencies maintain a sign-up sheet at the school for families to request assistance
- asking health and human services agencies to provide information that the nurse can share and discuss with all families
- educating students about the types of support their families are eligible to receive through health and human services agencies
- providing relevant health and human services agencies with contact information for families who appear to be in the greatest need
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0003
Understand diversity among students, families, and communities; the influence of
diversity; and strategies for communicating effectively in a diverse school community.
3. Which of the following approaches is likely to be most effective for a school nurse to use in working with families in a respectful and nondiscriminatory manner?
- being professional and sensitive to factors related to socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds
- attempting to discover pertinent characteristics of families' backgrounds before meeting with them
- acknowledging obvious differences in background right away and using humor to put families at ease
- remaining friendly and curious while asking specific questions about families' backgrounds and living situations
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0004
Understand the characteristics and needs of students with disabilities and factors
that affect their development and learning.
4. A high school student has a seizure disorder that is characterized by frequent absence seizures. Which of the following statements accurately describes the most important implication of this condition for the student's learning?
- The student's ability to regulate his or her mood and behavior may be diminished due to a limited attention span.
- Additional reinforcement may be needed to ensure the student maintains focus on personal and academic interests.
- The student may be at risk for low academic achievement due to gaps in concentration and missed information.
- Additional social support may be needed to facilitate positive peer relationships for the student.
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0005
Understand the provision and management of school nursing and student health services.
5. Which of the following statements accurately describes a research-supported reason why school nurses are advised to keep on hand a nonspecific order of epinephrine medication, in addition to the epinephrine stocked for individual students?
- A significant number of epinephrine administrations to students are for allergies unknown at the time of anaphylaxis.
- Epinephrine administrations by teachers or other lay people are often ineffective on the first dose; school nurse–administered second doses are often needed.
- In addition to treating anaphylaxis, epinephrine can also be used in heart-related emergencies involving asystole.
- Because epinephrine deteriorates over time, the shelf life of epinephrine auto-injectors is typically only one year; therefore, backup supplies are needed.
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0006
Understand the care and management of illnesses and chronic health conditions and
the development of Individualized Healthcare Plans (I H Ps).
6. In the development of Individualized Healthcare Plans (I H Ps), school nurses carry out comprehensive assessments of students. Nurses review past and current educational and medical records, interview family members and primary care providers, complete physical examinations, and evaluate self-care skills and needs. Which of the following additional types of assessment would be most useful in developing an I H P that addresses the educational implications of a student's health impairment?
- observing the student unobtrusively in a variety of school settings
- evaluating the student's care in terms of how the student's daily health needs compare to those of other students
- checking tentative diagnoses of possible learning problems with colleagues
- making a home visit to assess family capacity for assisting the student with his or her illness or condition
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0007
Understand the roles and responsibilities of the school nurse in the multidisciplinary
evaluation of students and the development of Individualized Education Programs
(I E Ps) and Section 504 Plans.
7. Benchmarks are important components of a student's Individualized Education Program (I E P) primarily because of their usefulness in:
- clarifying expectations for the student's academic performance.
- identifying the student's preferred learning styles and modalities.
- monitoring the student's shorter-term progress toward longer-term educational goals.
- establishing the student's current level of knowledge and skill in various developmental domains.
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0008
Understand laws, policies, ethical guidelines, and professional standards that influence
the practice of school nursing and the provision of health services.
8. According to professional standards embodied in the Illinois Nurse Practice Act, newly licensed advanced practice registered nurses (A P R Ns) are expected to:
- supervise, rather than carry out personally, routine clinical procedures involving students.
- remain in communication with a licensed physician while performing any clinical procedure beyond advanced first aid.
- carry out procedures and services that physicians normally perform, but only if a physician is on-site.
- maintain a written collaborative agreement with a physician that specifies the types of care the A P R N may perform.
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0008
Understand laws, policies, ethical guidelines, and professional standards that influence
the practice of school nursing and the provision of health services.
9. A student with a health impairment is receiving therapy from a psychologist at a local medical center. The school nurse would like to consult with the psychologist. Which of the following steps should the nurse take to facilitate consultation?
- inviting the psychologist to a meeting with the student's parent at the school to compare information about the student
- requesting that the student's parent set up a meeting between the nurse, the psychologist, and the parent
- telling the student's parent that psychologist reports would be beneficial and asking the parent to pass updates along
- asking the student's parent for written permission to exchange information with the psychologist
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0009
Understand the importance of acquiring and maintaining current credentials and evidence-based
knowledge and competency in school nursing practice.
10. Which of the following statements accurately describes a valuable benefit of membership in the Illinois Association of School Nurses (I A S N)?
- The I A S N provides a network of support and access to continuing education opportunities and resources related to school health programs.
- The IASN's members receive free training and education in areas such as pathophysiology, biology, and chemistry to help deal with emerging environmental health issues.
- The I A S N sponsors community events such as health fairs and free immunization clinics that help highlight the school nurse's role in the community.
- The IASN's Web site provides links to the offices of physicians who have collaborative agreements with the organization, so members may consult online with physicians.
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0010
Understand health promotion and disease prevention concepts underlying school health
and nursing services.
11. A school nurse who is conducting a health screening of three- to five-year-olds as part of the Illinois Child Find Screening Data Collection System identifies a child who may have special educational needs. The nurse refers the child for a case study evaluation, and the district approves the request. Once the child's parents/guardians give permission for an evaluation, which of the following procedures should be followed?
- The referral for a case study evaluation must be authorized by a qualified, licensed physician within 10 school days.
- Types and durations of related medical services to benefit the child must be documented by the school nurse within 30 school days.
- A comprehensive case study evaluation of the student must be completed by a multidisciplinary team within 60 school days of the referral.
- The school nurse must complete a health history and a vision and hearing screening of the child before the case study evaluation is conducted.
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0011
Understand curriculum development and instruction in the school health program.
12. A middle school student has multiple disabilities, including cerebral palsy and an intellectual impairment. The student uses a wheelchair and an electronic communication board. The student currently attends a special education classroom and receives related services from the school nurse, the speech-language pathologist, and the occupational therapist. Which of the following statements describes an important principle that the student's team should keep in mind when providing instruction related to self-help skills?
- Each of the student's service providers should be exclusively responsible for providing instruction in specific functional tasks.
- Practice in functional tasks should take place primarily in settings where the student will perform those tasks in daily life.
- Functional tasks should be initially presented to the student in the special education classroom to the greatest extent possible for the student's comfort.
- A variety of functional tasks should be presented to the student each day so that the student remains physically engaged and motivated to learn.
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0012
Understand the processes of assessment and evaluation in the development of school
health programs.
13. Which of the following strategies would be most effective in helping to document and monitor the quality of school nursing practices and interventions?
- forming a task force to critically evaluate current practices and local standards related to school nursing
- seeking local media coverage of unexpected health cases or situations as they occur
- maintaining daily program data sheets and detailed records of individuals served
- conducting ongoing research into school nursing practices and publishing findings in professional journals
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0012
Understand the processes of assessment and evaluation in the development of school
health programs.
14. When presenting student health assessment data in a professional meeting or published document, the school nurse is ethically bound to ensure that:
- students whose assessment results have been presented are described using only their defining characteristics.
- individual students cannot be identified on the basis of any of the data presented.
- the data is distributed before publication to the families of the students whose assessment results have been used.
- data are presented as individual results rather than as aggregate data or data in summary form.
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0013
Understand effective approaches to collaboration and delegation in the school health
program.
15. According to state guidelines related to responsibilities of school health program staff, which of the following functions is most appropriate for a school nurse to assign to a health services clerk?
- assessing the nutritional needs of the overall student population in the school
- overseeing medical treatment regimens that are self-administered by students
- carrying out developmental screening tests that involve observation and interviewing
- collecting, maintaining, and updating emergency information for all students
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0014
Understand the role of the school nurse in preparedness response and coordination
during emergencies, crises, and disasters.
16. According to N A S N guidelines on the role of the school nurse in emergency management, which of the following responsibilities is the school nurse expected to fulfill during the recovery phase of emergency management?
- meeting the direct physical and mental health-care needs of students and staff and training first-aid response teams
- identifying and documenting the unique emergency-related medical and security concerns of students with special needs
- providing direct support and serving as the liaison between school community members in need and local resources
- educating students and staff about recognizing and reporting potential hazards and suspicious persons or situations
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Use the information below to answer the four questions that follow.
A middle school nurse is developing an Individualized Healthcare Plan (I H P) for a student with type 1 diabetes who is beginning his first year at the middle school. The school nurse would like to use a collaborative style in the health management of this student.
Objective 0006
Understand the care and management of illnesses and chronic health conditions and the development of Individualized Healthcare Plans (I H Ps).17. At the beginning of the school year, in addition to developing a diabetic management plan for the student, it is most important for the school nurse to:
- confer with the student, his family, and his health-care provider regarding interventions for blood sugar fluctuations.
- review with the student and his family current recommended nursing interventions for treating and monitoring episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis.
- ensure that the student's family understands the etiology of diabetes as a pancreatic cell abnormality that is initiated by a viral or autoimmune disorder.
- discuss the pathology and physiology of diabetes and what the future might hold for the student in relation to the disease.
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0005
Understand the provision and management of school nursing and student health services.18. The school nurse plans to meet with the student periodically to check on how he is managing his diabetes in the middle school setting. In these meetings, a primary goal of the nurse should be to:
- ensure that the student has a wide array of coping strategies, both short-term and long-term, for managing the disease.
- summarize, in straightforward terms, the latest research into effective treatment and management of diabetes.
- ensure that the student is accurately implementing diet and exercise routines established by his primary care provider.
- address any difficulties or barriers in the student's accommodations or concerns related to the treatment regimen.
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0014
Understand the role of the school nurse in preparedness response and coordination during emergencies, crises, and disasters19. The school nurse checks the emergency care plan (E C P) on file that outlines steps to take if the student exhibits signs of hypoglycemia. According to current standards of school nursing practice, which of the following actions is most appropriate to take first in response to a hypoglycemic reaction in a conscious student?
- administering warm clear fluids or diet soda in sips
- administering a quickly digestible protein source and monitoring the student for 15 minutes
- administering insulin according to the dose specified in the student's insulin schedule
- administering glucose tabs or a fast-acting carbohydrate such as juice, cake gel, or candy
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Objective 0013
Understand effective approaches to collaboration and delegation in the school health program.20. The school nurse would like to collaborate with the student's middle school teachers in managing his health-care needs. Which of the following strategies is the most appropriate way of involving teachers in a health care plan for this student?
- suggesting to teachers that they buy and store healthful snacks in the classroom in case of an acidosis or hypoglycemic reaction
- increasing teachers' understanding of diabetes, signs of early insulin reaction, and what to do if symptoms appear
- asking teachers to designate a private corner or place in the classroom where the student can test and record his blood levels
- developing a protocol and training course for teacher administration of medication in emergencies
- Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded