DHCA Nursing Exam case studies
DHCA Nursing Exam · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The DHCA Nursing Exam is a multiple-choice credentialing assessment built around eight practice domains: patient safety and infection control, pharmacology and medication administration, medical-surgical nursing, maternal and newborn nursing, pediatric nursing, mental health nursing, critical care and emergency nursing, and professional practice, ethics, and legal issues. It is designed for nurses and nursing candidates who want independent evidence of broad clinical competence across the lifespan rather than deep specialization in a single unit. The DHCA Nursing Exam case studies are 5 cases and about 3,345 words.
1Postoperative Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression
J is a 58-year-old man, 80 kg, who is 6 hours post laparoscopic cholecystectomy. He has an IV PCA with morphine (1 mg bolus, 6-minute lockout, 4-hour limit 30 mg).
712 words, about 4 min2Pediatric Asthma Exacerbation with Suspected Viral Trigger
A 7-year-old girl, 25 kg, with a history of mild persistent asthma, presents to the emergency department with increased work of breathing, audible wheeze, and a dry cough. She has had a runny nose and low-grade fever for 2 days.
665 words, about 3 min3Ethical Dilemma: Blood Transfusion in a Jehovah's Witness Teen
A 16-year-old male, 60 kg, is admitted with a GI bleed and hemoglobin 7.0 g/dL. He is tachycardic (HR 120), hypotensive (BP 90/50), and dizzy.
635 words, about 3 min4Critical Care: Septic Shock with Fluid Resuscitation Dilemma
A 72-year-old woman, 70 kg, is admitted to the ICU with septic shock from a urinary tract infection. She has a history of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF, EF 35%) and chronic kidney disease stage 3 (baseline creatinine 1.8 mg/dL).
644 words, about 3 min5Mental Health: Suicidal Ideation in the Emergency Department
A 22-year-old college student is brought to the emergency department by campus police after a friend reported that he sent a text saying he 'wants to end it all' and had been researching suicide methods online. On arrival, he is calm, cooperative, and denies current suicidal ideation, stating 'I was just venting; I'm fine now.' He has a history of depression and is prescribed sertraline 50 mg daily, but admits he stopped taking it 2 weeks ago.
689 words, about 3 min