Test question, your thoughts?

was it asking what tests or functions? I would have gone with hearing because I think its called a "hearing test" but I don't think its called a "renal function" test...I think its a serum or something?? good question.

Our micro book put more emphasis on ototoxicity..

sorry it was too late for me to "edit" my post.

I do think we would probably give renals priority over hearing though...I honestly don't know if they are trying to be tricky or what...but in the end I probably would have gone with renals ESPECIALLY if your class put emphasis on it. For all I know there is a "renal function" test??

Was "creatinine clearance" an option?

sorry it was too late for me to "edit" my post.

I do think we would probably give renals priority over hearing though...I honestly don't know if they are trying to be tricky or what...but in the end I probably would have gone with renals ESPECIALLY if your class put emphasis on it. For all I know there is a "renal function" test??

Was "creatinine clearance" an option?

No. I can't remember what the others were, but they were no where close. I also can't remember exactly how the question and answers were phrased. I think that the question actually asked "what would you monitor" not "what tests would you monitor." I remember thinking that they mgiht get tricky and say, "As a nurse, you can't order any renal tests, but you can check the hearing" to which I was prepared to say, "The question didn't say LAB tests...as a nurse I can monitor renal function by watching urine output."

We just got an email that tests will be back on Friday. However, at our school, that just means the scores. It'll probably be next week until we have a test review and get to see the correct answers to questions. When I find out, I'll let you know.

So, I emailed the instructor who wrote the question and asked if she could tell me what the correct answer was. I told her that I wasn't questioning the question, I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing something.

She wrote back a long email about how she was reviewing all the questions and that grades would be posted Friday and that she would be fair and all this. But didn't say what the correct answer was. I wrote back saying, "I'm not worried about it not being fair, or even with whether or not I got the question right, I'm more interested in making sure that I'm not missing something."

That's pretty typical of my school, more concerned with making sure that it's "fair" and having a justification for why this answer is correct than in making sure that a student understands the material.

I'd have answered the same thing you did.

No. I can't remember what the others were, but they were no where close. I also can't remember exactly how the question and answers were phrased. I think that the question actually asked "what would you monitor" not "what tests would you monitor." I remember thinking that they mgiht get tricky and say, "As a nurse, you can't order any renal tests, but you can check the hearing" to which I was prepared to say, "The question didn't say LAB tests...as a nurse I can monitor renal function by watching urine output."

We just got an email that tests will be back on Friday. However, at our school, that just means the scores. It'll probably be next week until we have a test review and get to see the correct answers to questions. When I find out, I'll let you know.

You can't necessarily order the tests, but you can monitor urine output which is a sign of renal function. Also you would be calling the doctor if he didn't order BUN/Creatinine GFR tests (which are the basic panel of renal function tests) Kidneys would always have priority over hearing. I think you're fine.

I probably would've gone with "hearing test" because (according to Mosby's Drug Guide For Nurses 2007, p 958):

1) Ototoxicity is a common adverse effect. Nephrotoxicity, while potentially lethal, is not common.

2) It says to assess hearing before, during, and after treatment

3) It does say to monitor I&O being aware of hematuria and oliguria as signs of nephrotoxicity. It only says to monitor routine BUN/CC on pts with compromised renal function.

To decide for certain I'd have to look at the precise wording of the test but I'd lean toward screening for ototoxicity.

I.

That is the COOLEST screen name! I wish I had known we could use pics. I'm so jealous!

What would occur first? Hearing issues or renal issues? I would pick the one that is most likely to display problems early on. I don't know which this is though

I would have picked renal, since ototoxicity commonly presents as ringing in the ears - I don't know that there's a test for that (although you would ask the pt to report it). Plus, we're generally taught to go with whatever could kill the pt - if you forget to ask about his hearing, ototoxicity won't kill him. If you don't monitor his renal fx, you might.

Renal function is what I'd have gone with. That is a higher priority than hearing (although hearing is definitely important). Don't read too much into the questions they ask, they're usually more straight forward than they appear .