Preparing for the CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse) exam? Assessment is one of the areas our deck drills hardest: 106 of its 1120 flashcards focus on assessment, covering topics like SUD, Substance Use Disorder. Try the sample questions below — every card is a real question-and-answer pair from the full deck.
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A patient presents with sudden onset leg pain and coldness. List the 6 P's of acute limb ischemia and identify which is typically the earliest clinical manifestation.
Show answer →The 6 P's are: Pain, Pallor, Pulselessness, Paresthesia, Paralysis, and Poikilothermia (coolness). **Pain** is typically the earliest and most common symptom; it is often sudden, severe, and located distal to the occlusion. BCEN Strategy: Recognize that Pulselessness and Pallor are often late signs, while Paresthesia and Paralysis indicate advanced ischemia and high risk for limb loss. If the patient has lost sensation, the limb is threatened.
A patient presents with sudden homonymous hemianopsia with macular sparing, memory deficits, and thalamic pain syndrome, but no motor weakness. Which artery is likely occluded?
Show answer →Posterior Cerebral Artery (PCA). Rationale: PCA supplies the occipital lobe (vision), thalamus, and midbrain. Macular sparing is a classic sign of PCA-related visual field loss. Thalamic involvement causes sensory disturbances and chronic pain. Exam Tip: PCA strokes are often motor-light, meaning they lack the hemiparesis seen in MCA/ACA strokes unless the midbrain/peduncles are involved.
During the assessment of a patient with a suspected migraine, the patient reports that even lightly touching her hair or skin feels painful. What term should the nurse use to document this?
Show answer →Allodynia. This is the perception of pain from a stimulus that does not normally provoke pain (e.g., combing hair, light touch, or a breeze). It indicates central sensitization and is common in chronic or severe migraine attacks. Strategy: Allodynia is a high-yield term for CEN. It often suggests the migraine has progressed and may be more resistant to standard triptan therapy.
Which specific psychiatric diagnosis, when comorbid with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), carries the statistically highest risk for a lethal suicide attempt?
Show answer →**Bipolar Disorder** (specifically during a Mixed Episode). **Rationale:** Patients in a mixed state have the hopelessness of depression combined with the energy and agitation of mania. When substance use (which increases impulsivity) is added, the risk of a lethal attempt skyrockets. **Clinical Pearl:** While Borderline Personality Disorder has high rates of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and attempts, Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia often have higher rates of completed, high-lethality suicide.
A patient's clothing needs to be collected as forensic evidence following an assault. How should the nurse properly handle and store these items to maintain the chain of custody?
Show answer →Each item of clothing should be placed in a separate PAPER bag. Never use plastic bags for wet or bloody clothing, as plastic traps moisture and promotes the growth of mold/bacteria, which destroys DNA evidence. Procedure: Place a clean sheet on the floor for the patient to stand on while undressing to catch any trace evidence (hair, fibers). Seal the bags with evidence tape and sign across the seal. Exam Tip: Maintaining the Chain of Custody is a frequent CEN topic. This means the evidence must be accounted for every second from collection to handoff to law enforcement.
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Try 30 free CEN cards firstThe full CEN deck contains 1120 flashcards, and 106 of them focus on assessment. This page shows 5 free samples.
Our CEN deck dedicates 106 of 1120 cards (9%) to assessment — always cross-check the official BCEN exam outline for the current blueprint weighting.
Yes — the samples on this page are free, and the CEN preview page has 30 more free cards. Full access to all 1120 cards is a one-time $7.
Basics
20 cards
Diagnostics
50 cards
Management
310 cards
Pathology
420 cards
Pharmacology
100 cards
Procedures
110 cards
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