Practice NCLEX question

[guest769224]

Here is a practice NCLEX question for all the nursing students taking a pediatrics class out there. Let's see how everyone does.

A nurse is caring for a hospitalized 2-year-old child who throws a tantrum when his parent leaves. Which of the following toys should the nurse provide to help alleviate the child's stress?

A. Set of building blocks

B. Toy hammer and pounding board

C. Picture book about hospitals

D. Stuffed animal

Good luck!

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I say D. The child is throwing a tantrum out of fear of a new, scary environment in the parents' absence. The stuffed animal can act as a surrogate for the comfort normally provided by the parents.

[guest769224]

Good job everyone! The correct answer is B.

With the rationale being, "A toy hammer and pounding board aids in the expression of the anger and frustration that the child feels (at the parent for leaving), but lacks the verbal ability to express."

For the other three answers, the answer guide gives this rationale, "While a stuffed animal, picture book, and building blocks would be an age-appropriate toy for a 2-year-old child, they would not be the most therapeutic toy."

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Good job everyone! The correct answer is B.

With the rationale being, "A toy hammer and pounding board aids in the expression of the anger and frustration that the child feels (at the parent for leaving), but lacks the verbal ability to express."

For the other three answers, the answer guide gives this rationale, "While a stuffed animal, picture book, and building blocks would be an age-appropriate toy for a 2-year-old child, they would not be the most therapeutic toy."

I see rationales like this all the time in my studies, and they are aggravating. A full rationale would be why the correct answer was right, and why the other choices were wrong.

The rationale assumes the child is angry and frustrated. That's the part I don't agree with.

[direw0lf, BSN]

Good job everyone! The correct answer is B.

With the rationale being, "A toy hammer and pounding board aids in the expression of the anger and frustration that the child feels (at the parent for leaving), but lacks the verbal ability to express."

For the other three answers, the answer guide gives this rationale, "While a stuffed animal, picture book, and building blocks would be an age-appropriate toy for a 2-year-old child, they would not be the most therapeutic toy."

Thanks I love these questions. This was tricky though because my lifespan development class specifically mentioned gross motor skills and blocks for toddlers. Guess you'd have to look at it from a nurse pov not Piaget et al pov. :)

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

Thanks I love these questions. This was tricky though because my lifespan development class specifically mentioned gross motor skills and blocks for toddlers. Guess you'd have to look at it from a nurse pov not Piaget et al pov. :)

Piaget is cool and all but the question is asking for the nurse to specifically and therapeutically address the tantrum. The 4 things are appropriate for a toddler, but in this instance, the toddler with the tantrum should be given another outlet for his emotions and so the pounding board is a good way to go and hence therapeutically addresses the immediate issue of the tantrum.

The building blocks are good for developing motor skills. The picture book about hospitals might help with communicating to a toddler (when they are receptive) information that might aid in decreasing anxiety. The stuffed toy is a good move as a comfort item of familiarity but is not a substitute when the parents are gone. They're all developmentally appropriate but only the hammer/pounding board focuses on alleviating the emotional stress of the tantrum.

But, I agree with dudette10. I hate these vague situation questions. It does not seem as if the toddler is actually currently having a tantrum but it seems as if it is a preventative measure type question.

[NuGuyNurse2b]

^ the question says the child is throwing a tantrum.

[NuGuyNurse2b]

I picked the teddy bear simply because it was soft and the child couldn't hurt himself or anyone else with it. that was my line of reasoning.

[annabellatwo]

c..picture book about hospitals

[Farawyn]

Thanks I love these questions. This was tricky though because my lifespan development class specifically mentioned gross motor skills and blocks for toddlers. Guess you'd have to look at it from a nurse pov not Piaget et al pov. :)

And a mom's POV is don't leave your 2 year old in the hospital!

(Love your name, btw)

[WellThatsOod]

Excuse me, getting building blocks thrown at you by an angry toddlers can in fact hurt quite a bit. As can a toy hammer and (possibly) a book.

But seriously, if my 3 year old was in the hospital I wouldn't leave.

[NuGuyNurse2b]

I know some hospitals don't allow overnight stays in their peds dept (obviously negotiable for extenuating circumstances like an end of life disease), so that might not be a possibility. I know when my nephew was kept overnight for observation following an asthma flare up, they said no overnight, even for the parents.

[8&$$]

Agreed stuff animal, even though getting your frustration out helps. I don't think that a 2 years young would understand much about that. And actually feeling scare and abandoned by parents teddy will comfort the baby.