You are seeing a patient today that was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation (A. Fib) and prescribed amiodarone (Pacerone, Cordarone) by the health care provider (HCP).  You have been asked by the HCP to provide patient education prior to them leaving the clinic.  What pieces of education would you provide to the patient? Note: Full credit can only be obtained by selecting only all correct choices.

The intensive care unit nurse is caring for a client who experienced trauma in a workplace accident. The client is reporting dyspnea because of abdominal pain. An arterial blood gas test reveals the following results: pH 7.28, PaCO2 50 mm Hg, HCO3– 20 mEq/L. The nurse should recognize the likelihood of which acid–base disorder(s)?

A nurse is caring for a client with acute renal failure and hypernatremia.  In this case, which action can be delegated to the nursing assistant?

A surgical nurse is caring for a 65-year-old patient who is postoperative day 1 following a thyroidectomy. During shift assessment, the patient reports tingling in their lips and fingers. The nurse notes the patient has an intermittent spasm in the wrist and hand while exhibiting increased muscle tone. What electrolyte imbalance should the nurse suspect?

A 52-year-old patient is receiving care on the oncology unit for breast cancer that has metastasized to the lungs and liver. When addressing the patient’s pain in the plan of nursing care, the nurse should consider what characteristic of cancer pain?

A patient with a longstanding diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder presents to the emergency department (ED). The triage nurse notes upon assessment that the patient has been experiencing rapid, deep respirations since before arriving at the ED 20 minutes ago. This observation suggests that the patient is at risk for developing which form(s) of acid–base imbalance? 

The primary care provider has ordered a peripheral IV to be inserted before the patient goes for a computed tomography (CT) scan. What action would the nurse take when selecting a site on the hand or arm for insertion of an IV catheter? Select all that apply.

Which is the preferred route administration for potassium?

The nurse in a pain clinic is caring for an 88-year-old who is experiencing long-term, intractable pain. At this point, the pain team feels that first-line pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic methods of pain relief have been ineffective. What recommendation should guide this patient’s subsequent care?

The nurse is caring for a patient newly diagnosed with metastatic bone cancer. The patient asks the nurse why they had to keep getting larger doses of pain medication. What is the nurse’s best response?