NCLEX Pediatrics Practice Questions
Free pediatric nursing practice questions on growth and development, family-centered care, and common childhood conditions tested on the NCLEX-RN.
Question 1Multiple choicePediatrics
A 2-year-old presents with a barky cough, inspiratory stridor, and hoarseness that worsen at night. The nurse suspects:
- Epiglottitis
- Croup (laryngotracheobronchitis)
- Asthma exacerbation
- Foreign body aspiration
Show answer & rationale
Correct: Croup (laryngotracheobronchitis)
Why: Croup causes subglottic edema: barky 'seal-like' cough, inspiratory stridor, hoarseness, worse at night; treated with cool mist, dexamethasone, and nebulized racemic epinephrine for moderate-severe cases. Epiglottitis looks toxic, drools, and sits tripod — never visualize that airway. Memory aid: croup barks like a seal — 'seal bark = croup'.
📚 Basis: Croup: subglottic edema (steeple sign on X-ray), barky cough, stridor, worse at night; epiglottitis: thumbprint sign, toxic appearance, do not instrument airway. · AAP croup clinical guidance
Question 2Multiple choicePediatrics
A child with Kawasaki disease is being discharged. The nurse's priority teaching point is:
- Avoid all physical activity for one year
- Continue low-dose aspirin and watch for cardiac symptoms; keep follow-up echocardiograms
- The rash will return monthly and is harmless
- Antibiotics must be taken for 6 months
Show answer & rationale
Correct: Continue low-dose aspirin and watch for cardiac symptoms; keep follow-up echocardiograms
Why: Kawasaki disease is a medium-vessel vasculitis that can aneurysm the coronary arteries weeks after fever resolves. Acute treatment is IVIG plus high-dose aspirin, then low-dose aspirin; discharge teaching = aspirin adherence, cardiac warning signs, and scheduled echocardiograms (at diagnosis and 6–8 weeks). Memory aid: Kawasaki crowns the heart — it attacks the coronary arteries with aneurysms.
📚 Basis: Kawasaki disease: medium-vessel vasculitis with coronary aneurysm risk; treated with IVIG + aspirin; echo surveillance at diagnosis and 6–8 weeks. · AHA Kawasaki disease scientific statement
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NCLEX Drill offers practice questions for study purposes only — not medical advice, and not a substitute for professional judgment or official study materials. Question bank grows daily; last updated 2026-10-09.