CEN Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (11–20)

Question 1

There are four different levels of triage during a disaster. If a patient has arterial bleeding, capillary refill of five seconds or stridorous breathing, which level are they classified?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

【3】Red. Red or Immediate is described above. Black or Deceased is pulseless, breathless, massive head trauma, or death is impending. However, if it’s a pediatric patient with a pulse that is breathless, reposition their airway and give 5 rescue breaths before leveling them as black. Yellow or Delayed is a patient with a fractured femur, stable abdominal pain or minor head injury that is alert and talking. Lastly, Green or Minor are the “walking wounded” patients meaning they are similar to lacerations, corneal abrasions or radial or ulnar fractures.

Question 2

A hurricane is coming, and nurses have been activated to open a shelter.

What items should the public be encouraged to bring to the shelter?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

【2】Medication and records. The public should be encouraged to bring all medications and medical records to the shelter. Space will be limited at the shelter so they should not bring food, clothing or any type of electronics. Animals may or may not be allowed at the shelter.

Question 3

A patient has been diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to fluid overload. It can be expected that arterial blood gases early in the process will show:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

【3】Respiratory alkalosis. Early in the ARDS process, the patient will experience an increased respiratory rate resulting in decreased PCO2 which will cause a respiratory alkalosis. Later in the process, metabolic acidosis may occur as the body tries to rid itself of metabolic wastes.

Question 4

A 2-year-old comes into the emergency department with dry, hacking nonproductive cough. He is in respiratory distress and is afebrile. The physician diagnosis the patient with acute bronchitis.

What discharge instructions should be given to the parents?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

【2】Use humidification in the child's room. Acute bronchiolitis is usually virally related and does not require antibiotics. You should not give OTC cough meds to children at age 2. You need to increase fluids to help thin out any secretions. Adding humidification (humidified air) to the child will help with his symptoms, as the symptoms are self-limiting.

Question 5

Which of the following four patients in triage should be seen by a provider first?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

【1】A 23 year old male who fell off a 20 foot ladder and is having problems breathing. This patient is having problems breathing and may have some internal trauma due to his fall, such as a pneumothorax. Airway or breathing problems should be prioritized over the other complaints.

Question 6

A 45-year-old patient presents to the emergency department with pallor, weakness, tachycardia, syncope and abdominal pain for the last few days. This morning, she vomited coffee ground emesis. Systolic blood pressure is 90 mm Hg. Management of this patient will include:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

【3】All of these. For an UGI bleed, it is important to monitor the ABCs and administer oxygen since the patient is exhibiting signs of hemodynamic compromise. It is also important to administer Ringer's lactate and packed RBCs or whole blood. Particularly in older patients, there is a risk of MI secondary to hypovolemia so continuous monitoring is critical. An NG tube allows gastric lavage, which will remove blood and facilitate endoscopy.

Question 7

The leading cause of maternal injury is:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

【0】Motor vehicle crashes. Motor vehicle crashes cause the most maternal and fetal injuries.

Question 8

A chronic pain in the upper abdomen with a sensation of fullness, associated belching, bloating and sometimes vomiting is which of the following?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

【1】Dyspepsia. Dysphagia is difficulty with swallowing. Dyspareunia is painful intercourse. Dysuria is painful urination.

Question 9

Although Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis can both cause inflammatory diseases of the colon, what other organ can be affected by Crohn’s disease?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

【2】Stomach. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease that can involve any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to anus, including the stomach.

Question 10

What is the main intervention that needs to occur if a patient develops a perforation of the gastro intestinal tract?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

【0】Surgical intervention. The main intervention that needs to occur if a patient develops a perforation of the gastrointestinal tract is surgical intervention. Perforation of the gastro intestinal wall results in peritonitis which can lead to sepsis, septic shock and death.

CEN Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (11–20)

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