A graduate nurse is reviewing information about the NCLEX exam on the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) website. Which of the following information should the nurse identify about the NCLEX exam?

Choice A reason: The reservoir is the environment or habitat where the infectious agent lives and multiplies. The client's mouth is not a reservoir, but rather a part of the susceptible host. The reservoir for hepatitis A is usually the feces of an infected person.

Choice B reason: The susceptible host is the person who is at risk of getting the infection. The client's mouth is not a susceptible host, but rather a part of the susceptible host. The susceptibility to hepatitis A depends on factors such as age, immunity, hygiene, and exposure.

Choice C reason: The portal of entry is the opening or route through which the infectious agent enters the susceptible host. The client's mouth is a portal of entry, as it is where the contaminated food entered the client's body and caused the infection. Hepatitis A is transmitted through the fecaloral route, meaning that the virus is ingested from contact with objects, food, or water contaminated by the feces of an infected person.

Choice D reason: The infectious agent is the microorganism that causes the infection. The client's mouth is not an infectious agent, but rather a portal of entry for the infectious agent. The infectious agent for hepatitis A is a virus that affects the liver and causes inflammation, jaundice, and fever.

Choice A reason: Providing competencies for the nurses to achieve before licensure is not a description of standards of practice, but rather a function of the nursing education and accreditation system. Standards of practice are authoritative statements that define the expected level of performance for nurses after they obtain their license.

Choice B reason: Establishing a protocol for care to provide for a specific health problem is not a description of standards of practice, but rather a function of the clinical practice guidelines and evidence based practice. Standards of practice are broader and more general statements that apply to all nurses regardless of their specialty or setting.

Choice C reason: Specifying that nurses provide care that reflects current and competent level of behavior when providing client care is a description of standards of practice, as it captures the essence of what standards of practice are and why they are important. Standards of practice are based on the best available evidence and professional consensus, and they guide nurses in delivering safe, quality, and ethical care to their clients.

Choice D reason: Listing a set of skills that all nurses should be competent in performing, outlining responsibilities that every nurse is expected to provide regardless of their role is not a description of standards of practice, but rather a function of the scope of practice. Scope of practice describes the services that a qualified health professional is deemed competent to perform, and permitted to undertake, in keeping with the terms of their professional license..