NLN NEX Verbal case studies
NLN NEX Verbal · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The NLN NEX Verbal section is the verbal-ability component of the National League for Nursing's NEX assessment suite, a standardized pre-admission exam used by many nursing schools to gauge readiness for nursing coursework. It is intended for prospective nursing students - typically applicants to practical/vocational, associate-degree, or baccalaureate programs - whose schools require or accept a standardized entrance assessment as part of the admissions file. The NLN NEX Verbal case studies are 5 cases and about 2,596 words.
1Discharge Handout Revision Under Word and Readability Limits
You are reviewing two drafts of a discharge-instruction handout for patients leaving the emergency department after a concussion. The handout must be written at or below a sixth-grade reading level, stay within 160 words, and include a mandatory warning verbatim: 'Call 911 if you vomit repeatedly or cannot stay awake.' Draft A is 212 words, scores at a ninth-grade level, and includes the sentence: 'If the patient has a headache that will not go away after taking the medicine, they should call the clinic because it can be serious.' Draft B is 143 words, scores at a sixth-grade level, and says: 'Take acetaminophen as directed.
469 words, about 2 min2Incident Report: Separating Observation From Inference
A patient fall occurred on a medical-surgical unit at 14:10. Unit policy requires incident reports to contain only directly observed or verified facts, with no statements about cause, blame, or staff intent.
549 words, about 3 min3Clinic Voicemail With Missing Identifiers and Ambiguous Dates
You are a clinic receptionist checking voicemails at 9:05 a.m. um, calling about my mother, Mrs.
561 words, about 3 min4Interpreting a Scheduling Policy With Discretionary Language
Unit policy states: 'Schedule requests must be submitted at least 14 calendar days before the requested date. A request submitted with less than 14 days' notice may be approved when the absence is due to (a) an emergency involving immediate family, (b) a court-ordered appearance, or (c) a documented medical appointment that cannot be rescheduled.' An employee submits a request on March 3 for March 13-10 days' notice-to attend a custody hearing.
534 words, about 3 min5Evaluating an Abstract's Causal Claim
A nursing journal abstract reports: 'In a convenience sample of 120 patients discharged from a 30-bed unit, 62% of patients who received a new handoff checklist (n=60) correctly stated three discharge instructions, compared with 48% of patients who received usual care (n=60). The difference was statistically significant (p=0.03).' The authors conclude: 'The handoff checklist proves that structured handoffs cause better patient comprehension and should be mandated hospital-wide.' The checklist was implemented on the day shift only, and nurses were not blinded.
483 words, about 2 min