Endocrine
NCLEX® practice.

Free practice set · 2 questions

2 more free endocrine NCLEX-RN® practice questions

Real questions from the same bank the app serves. Pick an answer in your head, then open the rationale to see why the correct option holds and why each other option falls short. No account needed for these.

1. Question 1 of 2 · Endocrine Imbalances & Glucose Management

   A nurse in a skilled nursing facility obtains a point-of-care glucose of 32 mg/dL on a client with type 1 diabetes mellitus who is difficult to arouse, diaphoretic, and tremulous. The facility reference range is 70–110 mg/dL, and the critical-value alert threshold is below 40 mg/dL. Which statement correctly classifies this result?

   1. AThe result should be recorded in the chart only, since no other action is required.
   2. BThe result is a critical value that requires immediate action and provider notification.
   3. CThe result can wait to be reported until the provider's next scheduled visit.
   4. DThe result is within the normal reference range and needs no urgent action.
   Show the answer and rationale

   Correct answer: B. The result is a critical value that requires immediate action and provider notification.

   A glucose of 32 mg/dL falls below the facility's critical-value threshold of 40 mg/dL, meaning it is not simply "low normal" but a panic value that signals immediate physiologic danger, consistent with the client's diaphoresis and difficulty arousing. Critical values are defined by the institution specifically because they demand action that cannot wait: they must be acted on right away, documented, and communicated to the provider using a read-back process, not deferred to a routine visit. Recognizing that this number falls outside both the reference range and the critical-value cutoff is the first fact a nurse must know before deciding what to do next. One option wrongly treats the result as if it were within normal limits, ignoring that 32 mg/dL is far below both the reference range and the panic-value cutoff. Another option wrongly assumes the finding can be saved for the next scheduled provider round, which misunderstands that critical values are time-sensitive and cannot be deferred. A third option assumes documentation alone satisfies the nurse's responsibility, missing that critical values require direct provider notification with read-back, not charting alone. Only recognizing the value as a true critical value needing immediate action and communication reflects correct classification.

   A. The result should be recorded in the chart only, since no other action is required.

   Incorrect: this assumes charting alone fulfills the nurse's duty, but critical values require direct provider notification with read-back, not documentation without communication.

   B. The result is a critical value that requires immediate action and provider notification.

   Correct: 32 mg/dL is below the critical-value threshold of 40 mg/dL, making it a panic value that requires immediate nursing action, documentation, and provider notification per read-back policy, not routine handling.

   C. The result can wait to be reported until the provider's next scheduled visit.

   Incorrect: this defers a true critical value to a later, non-urgent time, misunderstanding that panic values must be reported immediately rather than saved for the next scheduled provider visit.

   D. The result is within the normal reference range and needs no urgent action.

   Incorrect: this treats an abnormally low, dangerous value as though it were within the normal 70–110 mg/dL range, missing that the result is far below both the reference range and the critical-value cutoff.

2. Question 2 of 2 · Endocrine Imbalances & Glucose Management

   A 22-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes is receiving care on a medical-surgical unit after oral glucose treatment for symptomatic hypoglycemia, completed at 0945. The expected response is a glucose level at least 70 mg/dL with improving mentation and symptoms within 15 minutes. At 1000, glucose is 64 mg/dL; she remains confused and diaphoretic, with BP 104/68, pulse 112/min, respirations 20/min, and oxygen saturation 98% on room air. She reports mild nausea; her chronic ankle edema is unchanged. Which action should the nurse take first?

   1. ARecord the findings and continue observation without giving additional glucose because the treatment was already completed.
   2. BDocument the glucose and confusion as expected, then wait for the next scheduled glucose check.
   3. CRepeat the complete admission assessment before intervening, while reporting the client’s unchanged ankle edema as the priority.
   4. DProtect her airway, administer IV dextrose per hypoglycemia protocol, and notify the health care provider after immediate treatment.
   Show the answer and rationale

   Correct answer: D. Protect her airway, administer IV dextrose per hypoglycemia protocol, and notify the health care provider after immediate treatment.

   Option D is correct. Fifteen minutes after oral glucose, the client should have a glucose level of at least 70 mg/dL with improving mentation and symptoms. Her glucose remains 64 mg/dL, and persistent confusion, diaphoresis, and tachycardia show that the response is outside the expected treatment window. The nurse should immediately protect the airway and provide IV dextrose according to protocol, then notify the health care provider and document the response. Waiting, charting without intervention, or completing an unrelated full assessment delays treatment of a true deviation. Mild nausea and unchanged chronic edema do not supersede the persistent hypoglycemia.

   A. Record the findings and continue observation without giving additional glucose because the treatment was already completed.

   Documentation is required, but it cannot replace intervention. This choice records a clear deviation without treating it, allowing neuroglycopenia to continue. Completing the prior treatment does not prove that the client achieved the expected glucose or clinical response.

   B. Document the glucose and confusion as expected, then wait for the next scheduled glucose check.

   This option incorrectly labels persistent confusion and a glucose of 64 mg/dL as expected at 15 minutes. It ignores the defined response window and delays treatment of a continuing hypoglycemic emergency. The nurse should not wait for a routine check when the client has actionable symptoms.

   C. Repeat the complete admission assessment before intervening, while reporting the client’s unchanged ankle edema as the priority.

   A complete admission assessment is poorly timed when focused findings already meet criteria for immediate action. Unchanged chronic ankle edema is unrelated to the glucose treatment, while confusion and persistent hypoglycemia are procedure-response deviations. The nurse should treat the urgent problem first rather than redirect attention.

   D. Protect her airway, administer IV dextrose per hypoglycemia protocol, and notify the health care provider after immediate treatment.

   This action compares the current response with the 15-minute expected window and recognizes treatment failure. Persistent low glucose and altered mentation require immediate nursing interventions, including airway protection and protocol-directed dextrose, followed by escalation and evaluation of the response.