Which client should the nurse in a pediatric clinic see first?

A. A 3-year-old who is drooling, sitting forward, and has muffled speech
B. A 7-year-old needing a school physical
C. A 5-year-old with an ear infection and a temperature of 101°F (38.3°C)
D. A 2-year-old with a diaper rash

Show answer and rationale

Correct answer: A

Drooling, tripod positioning, and a muffled voice suggest epiglottitis or another upper airway obstruction, an emergency.

Source: Hockenberry. Wong's Nursing Care of Infants and Children, 12th ed.

Keep practicing Management of Care

This question is one of 193 Management of Care items in NCLEXSim. On the NCLEX-RN, this category makes up 15–21% of the exam.

Practice more Management of Care questions free Create a free account

Study tip

Work every 'who first' item through the same ladder: airway, breathing, circulation; then unstable before stable, acute before chronic, actual before potential.
Delegation: the RN keeps initial assessment, care planning, teaching, evaluation, and any unstable client. LPNs take stable, predictable clients. Assistive personnel take routine tasks such as vital signs on stable clients, hygiene, feeding without swallowing risk, and ambulation.

Practice the way the NCLEX tests you

1,059 fact-checked questions, a full adaptive exam that stops by the real rules, a proctored test-day mode with an integrity report, 8 NGN case studies, bedside simulations, and ACLS megacodes. Free.

Take the free adaptive exam Rehearse test day

Which client should the nurse in a pediatric clinic see first?

Keep practicing Management of Care

More free Management of Care questions

Practice the way the NCLEX tests you