VTNE Surgical Nursing Practice Questions
Surgical Nursing makes up 7 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest VTNE practice test. Here are 10 of the 28 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Based on the AAVSB VTNE content outline approved March 2023. The real exam passes on a scaled score of 425; 70% here is a practice target.
1. Which scissors are designed for cutting delicate tissue and blunt dissection?
- A.Littauer suture scissors
- B.Metzenbaum scissors
- C.Mayo scissors
- D.Lister bandage scissors
Answer: B. Metzenbaum scissors have long handles and thin blades for fine tissue work. Mayo scissors are heavier and cut fascia and suture; bandage and suture-removal scissors never touch tissue.
2. Which hemostatic forceps are best suited to clamping a large pedicle such as an ovarian pedicle or uterine stump?
- A.Kelly hemostatic forceps
- B.Crile hemostatic forceps
- C.Halsted mosquito forceps
- D.Rochester-Carmalt forceps
Answer: D. Carmalts are large crushing forceps with longitudinal serrations and cross-hatched tips that grip a broad pedicle. Mosquito forceps are for small vessels and Kelly and Crile forceps for medium vessels.
3. Which tissue forceps are traumatic and should be reserved for tissue that will be removed?
- A.Allis tissue forceps
- B.Brown-Adson thumb forceps
- C.Babcock tissue forceps
- D.DeBakey thumb forceps
Answer: A. Allis forceps have interlocking teeth that crush whatever they hold, so they are used on tissue that is being excised. Babcock forceps are atraumatic for bowel and bladder; DeBakey and Brown-Adson forceps are fine thumb forceps.
4. Which self-retaining retractor holds the abdominal wall open during a laparotomy?
- A.Gelpi retractor
- B.Senn retractor
- C.Balfour retractor
- D.Finochietto retractor
Answer: C. The Balfour is the abdominal self-retaining retractor. The Finochietto spreads ribs for a thoracotomy, the Gelpi is a small self-retaining retractor for joints and muscle, and the Senn is hand-held.
5. Which scalpel blade is most often chosen for a stab incision into a hollow structure?
- A.#15 blade
- B.#20 blade
- C.#11 blade
- D.#10 blade
Answer: C. The #11 blade has a straight edge and a sharp point for stab incisions. The #10 is the general-purpose blade on a #3 handle, the #15 is a small curved blade for precise incisions, and the #20 is a large blade on a #4 handle.
6. A standard gravity-displacement steam sterilization cycle for wrapped packs runs at about:
- A.121 C for about 15 minutes
- B.160 C for about 10 minutes
- C.180 C for about 5 minutes
- D.100 C for about 30 minutes
Answer: A. Gravity steam cycles run at 121 C (250 F) and 15 psi for at least 15 minutes, up to 30 minutes for dense wrapped packs; immediate-use (flash) cycles use 132 to 134 C for 3 to 4 minutes. Boiling at 100 C disinfects but does not sterilize, and 160 to 180 C are dry-heat figures.
7. Autoclave indicator tape on a pack has changed color. What does that tell you?
- A.It was double-wrapped correctly
- B.Its contents are proven sterile
- C.It was sterilized within 30 days
- D.Its surface reached sterilizing heat
Answer: D. Indicator tape is an external chemical indicator: it shows the outside of the pack was exposed to heat, nothing more. An internal indicator shows conditions were met inside the pack, and only a biological indicator proves organisms were killed.
8. Which test is the only one that confirms an autoclave actually killed microorganisms?
- A.The autoclave cycle printout
- B.A biological spore indicator
- C.Indicator tape on the pack
- D.An internal chemical strip
Answer: B. Biological indicators contain Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores; if they fail to grow after the cycle, sterilization is confirmed. Chemical indicators and printouts show only that time, temperature or pressure were reached.
9. Which sterilization method is appropriate for a heat-sensitive item such as a flexible endoscope?
- A.Immediate-use steam cycle
- B.Ethylene oxide gas
- C.Gravity steam autoclave
- D.Dry heat oven
Answer: B. Ethylene oxide and hydrogen peroxide gas plasma sterilize at low temperature, so they suit plastics, optics and electronics. Items sterilized with ethylene oxide must be aerated before use because the gas is toxic.
10. Instruments immersed in a 2% glutaraldehyde solution are considered sterile after about:
- A.30 minutes
- B.2 hours
- C.10 minutes
- D.10 hours
Answer: D. Cold sterilization in glutaraldehyde needs roughly 10 hours of full immersion; a 10 to 30 minute soak only disinfects. Items must be rinsed with sterile water before they touch tissue.
Practice all 28 surgical nursing questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free VTNE training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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