NLN NEX Science case studies
NLN NEX Science · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The NLN NEX is an assessment examination developed by the National League for Nursing (NLN), a professional organization for nursing education based in Washington, DC. Exams of this type are typically used by nursing programs and prospective students as a standardized measure of science and general academic readiness, and results are usually reported to the institution that administers the assessment rather than to the candidate alone. The NLN NEX Science case studies are 5 cases and about 3,632 words.
1Choosing a Cold Pack: Heat Capacity vs. Thermal Conductivity
A student athletic trainer is choosing a reusable cold pack for a 20-minute application to a sprained ankle. Two options sit on the bench: Pack A contains 250 g of water at 4 °C; Pack B contains a 250 g aluminum block at 4 °C.
638 words, about 3 min2Blood Gas With a Borderline Bicarbonate: Acute, Chronic, or Both?
A 58-year-old man with a 30-year history of COPD is admitted with worsening breathlessness and a productive cough. He is alert but tired, breathing 26/min with accessory-muscle use, on room air.
677 words, about 3 min3Picnic Outbreak: Attack Rates and a Negative Stool Culture
Forty people attend a Saturday church picnic. The potato salad was prepared Friday night, kept overnight in a car trunk, set out at 11 a.m.
735 words, about 4 min4A Supplement Trial With No Placebo: Reading the Confidence Interval Correctly
A supplement company recruits 20 student volunteers to test whether a 500 mg "focus" capsule speeds reaction time. Each student performs a computer reaction-time test twice at 9 a.m.; the first trial is discarded as practice.
805 words, about 4 min5Postoperative Hyponatremia: Free Water, SIADH, and Why Normal Saline Is Not the Fix
A 70-year-old woman weighing 60 kg is on postoperative day 2 after hip repair. Admission sodium was 138 mmol/L.
777 words, about 4 min