Had this question on a nursing practice test

Nursing Students NCLEX

Published

I had this question on a practice test on Quizlet. If this question was found on the NCLEX would it be above the passing line?

A client with a headache arrives in the emergency department and is staggering, confused, smells of alcohol, and is verbally abusive. The nurse explains to the client that the health care provider will need to perform an assessment before the administration of medication. When the client becomes verbally abusive, the nurse threatens to place the client in restraints. With what can the client legally charge the nurse as a result of this nursing action?

Assault ----

battery

negligence

Your question could be above the passing line or if you answered it incorrectly it may be grouped below the line---all of which is based on your competency level. As you probably know, the NCLEX exam has statistical methods to determine your competency level. For each question you answer correctly, the next question becomes progressively more difficult. This is CAT-computerized adaptive testing.

When you answer a more difficult question incorrectly, the questions start to become easier again. When you teeter on the line (meaning your competency level NOT YET DETERMINED BY CAT METRICS) , you will continue to get questions from the NCLEX pool--you keep going.

When CAT analyzes your results and determines 50% above or 50% below the line of competency is achieved or not achieved---you have passed or you have failed. I don't think the NCLEX competency components have changed very much over the last couple of years.

Also, your question would be coming from Legal & Ethical Issues in Nursing--see Ginny Wacker Guido, sixth edition (2014). Depending on your competency level, this may be a more difficult question, or it may be among your easier questions. Hope this helps to clarify your question.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.

I would say battery.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

In some jurisdictions assault is defined as the threat of bodily harm that reasonably causes fear of harm in the victim while battery is the actual physical impact on another person. If the victim has not actually been touched, but only threatened (or someone attempted to touch them), then the crime is assault.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

I think the answer they are going after is assault, since that refers to threatening physical abuse against someone, but that's not really correct based on the question. While the question said the patient was "verbally abusive" with no mention of being physically abusive, verbal abuse can be considered threatening enough to justify physical restraint, which typically the nurse can initiate if there is reasonable belief that the patient poses an imminent threat, with the requirement that the patient's need for continuing the physical restraints be evaluated by the MD within one hour with a face to face assessment.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Unless you are a an expert in educational pedagogy and Bloom's Taxonomy of cognitive learning domains and testing/assessment your question is impossible to answer accurately. (Which is a specialized graduate level of studies) My family member who is such an expert cannot answer your as it is fully out of context. No one single question is above/at/below the mythical passing line. It's just not that simple.

Instead know basic nursing and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. You will drive yourself insane trying to guess "question levels"

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I had this question on a practice test on Quizlet. If this question was found on the NCLEX would it be above the passing line?

A client with a headache arrives in the emergency department and is staggering, confused, smells of alcohol, and is verbally abusive. The nurse explains to the client that the health care provider will need to perform an assessment before the administration of medication. When the client becomes verbally abusive, the nurse threatens to place the client in restraints. With what can the client legally charge the nurse as a result of this nursing action?

Assault ----

battery

negligence

Answer is Assault

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The literal answer to your question is assault. In regards to your second question (I am not an expert, let me just make that clear) of it being "above the passing line", there is really no way of telling. I do think that to answer that specific question it just takes knowing the definition of assault and battery to answer, which doesn't really involve too much "critical thinking". So if you're looking for questions to help you prepare for the NCLEX (again, just another assumption) I would recommend that you find a practice book with questions that involve a little more critical thinking so that you'll be able to answer what they throw at you. The test has x amount of questions in it's database and the way it works, from my understanding is that they categorize those questions in level of difficulty, your question appears to be a level1, easy. So if you get it right they may select a question with a difficulty level of2, and etc. I can recommend the book Comprehensive review for NCLEX-RN by Pearson and also Uworld.com, both of those really helped me prepare to take the NCLEX. Out of my 75 questions, I had very basic knowledge questions on NCLEX (maybe 3-4, but for the most part most questions I had involved a lot more thinking than just knowing the basic disease process and/or definition of the word by heart. Also, you may want to read on computerized Adaptive Testing, which is the type of test that NCLEX is, you can find valid info from the experts at the NCSBN website. Hope this helps!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

there is no way to tell if that question is considered above or below the passing "line". i did alot of research b4 taking my PN NCLEX on 6/20. i had the same question on my exam. in my research i read that there are about 20-25 questions that they use as like "practice questions" for future exams that don't even count towards what u answer correctly or incorrectly. i also read that the average "passing %" for the NCLEX is only like 58%. the NCLEX is made for u to fail unfortunately. it asks a question, u get it right, it asks a harder question. u answer a question, u get it wrong, it asks u an easier question. but, there is like an "imaginary line" that u are supposed to stay above, but, there's no telling what that "actual passing % is". again, it was said it was 58% but, all u need to do is make the minimun requirement to practice as a "safe nurse". i also heard that the PN exam and the RN exam have the same questions, I'm not sure how true or false that is either. of course there are probably 1000's of questions in the test bank that are randomly selected, but, i did hear that frm an RN who started out as a PN.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
there is no way to tell if that question is considered above or below the passing "line". i did alot of research b4 taking my PN NCLEX on 6/20. i had the same question on my exam. in my research i read that there are about 20-25 questions that they use as like "practice questions" for future exams that don't even count towards what u answer correctly or incorrectly. i also read that the average "passing %" for the NCLEX is only like 58%. the NCLEX is made for u to fail unfortunately. it asks a question, u get it right, it asks a harder question. u answer a question, u get it wrong, it asks u an easier question. but, there is like an "imaginary line" that u are supposed to stay above, but, there's no telling what that "actual passing % is". again, it was said it was 58% but, all u need to do is make the minimun requirement to practice as a "safe nurse". i also heard that the PN exam and the RN exam have the same questions, I'm not sure how true or false that is either. of course there are probably 1000's of questions in the test bank that are randomly selected, but, i did hear that frm an RN who started out as a PN.

PN & RN questions definitely are not the same question bank

US educated nurses have a first attempt pass rate of >87% for RN and >83% due PN (which include those that challenge the exam such as CA). Internationally educated nurses is much lower. But combined it's not 57% pass rate; it's >70% for all testers regardless if first or 10th attempt and where educated.

Statistics from the source for 2017 first quarter: https://www.ncsbn.org/Table_of_Pass_Rates_2017.pdf

2016: https://www.ncsbn.org/Table_of_Pass_Rates_2016.pdf

https://www.ncsbn.org/2017_NCLEX_Fact_Sheet.pdf

https://www.ncsbn.org/2016_NCLEX_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Exam FAQ: Creating the NCLEX & Passing Standard | NCSBN

How the NCLEX Works | NCSBN

Info on computerized adaptive testing:

Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) | NCSBN

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment