NCLEX-RN case studies

NCLEX-RN · Put your knowledge to work in context.

The NCLEX-RN is the licensure examination that nursing regulatory bodies in the United States, Canada and Australia use to determine whether a candidate has the minimum nursing ability required to deliver safe, effective entry-level practice. NCSBN defines an entry-level nurse as a newly licensed nurse with no more than 12 months of nursing experience, and items are developed and reviewed against that benchmark. The NCLEX-RN case studies are 5 cases and about 3,843 words.

Charge Nurse at 06:45: Triage, Delegation, and an Unfamiliar Float RN

You are the day-shift charge nurse on a 32-bed medical-surgical unit. At 06:45 your team is one LPN, one unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP), and a float RN from the orthopedic unit who has never worked this floor.

878 words, about 4 min 2

AIIR Rooms Are Full: Suspected TB and C. difficile in the Same ED

You are the emergency department nurse. At 14:00 you receive a 47-year-old man with a 3-week history of fever, drenching night sweats, an 8-kg weight loss, and a productive cough with streaks of blood.

708 words, about 4 min 3

"I Feel Fine": Prioritizing Health Maintenance for a 45-Year-Old With a Family History

You are the RN in a primary care clinic seeing a 45-year-old man for a pre-employment physical. He has not seen a provider in 6 years and takes no medications.

727 words, about 4 min 4

"Make Sure My Daughter Gets My Truck": Suicide Risk on a Surgical Unit

You are the RN caring for a 62-year-old man on postoperative day 3 after a right below-knee amputation for a diabetic foot infection. He has type 2 diabetes, a 40-year history of alcohol use, and chronic pain managed with oxycodone and gabapentin.

706 words, about 4 min 5

Yellow-Green Halos: Digoxin Toxicity With Three Precipitants

You are the RN admitting a 79-year-old woman with heart failure (EF 30%) and atrial fibrillation for 2 days of nausea, vomiting, and increasing confusion. Home medications are digoxin 0.25 mg PO daily, furosemide 40 mg PO twice daily, lisinopril 10 mg daily, and carvedilol 3.125 mg twice daily.

824 words, about 4 min