Question

When the mental health nurse asks the client, "Do you recall what month and year this is?" the nurse is assessing which part of the mental status examination?

Answer 1

The nurse is assessing the 'orientation and memory' component of the mental status examination by asking the patient to recall the current month and year.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the mental health nurse asks the client, "Do you recall what month and year this is?", she is assessing part of the mental status examination that pertains to orientation and memory. This assessment is crucial as it checks the patient's awareness of current time and place, an important aspect of cognitive function.

Testing orientation includes understanding the patient's awareness of time (date and significant current events), place (knowing where they are and why), and personal identity (recognizing oneself and being able to relate that to the examiner). Other tasks that could be included to assess memory might involve reciting the months of the year in reverse, spelling words backwards, or recalling a list of numbers or simple words.