Isolation Precautions for the NCLEX
Updated October 27, 2026
Isolation precautions are among the most tested topics in Safety and Infection Prevention and Control on the NCLEX-RN. Questions ask which precautions a client needs, which PPE to use, and which clients can share a room. Here’s a reference based on CDC guidance, followed by free practice questions.
Follow your facility’s infection prevention policies.
The precautions
| Type | Examples | PPE and room |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Every client | Hand hygiene; gloves and other PPE based on expected exposure |
| Contact | MRSA, VRE, C. difficile, scabies, RSV | Gown and gloves; dedicated equipment; private room or cohort |
| Droplet | Influenza, pertussis, mumps, rubella, meningococcal meningitis | Surgical mask; private room or cohort; client wears a mask during transport |
| Airborne | Tuberculosis, measles, varicella (chickenpox) | Fit-tested N95 respirator; airborne infection isolation room (negative pressure) with the door closed |
Room assignments
- Clients with the same infection can usually share a room (cohorting).
- A client on airborne precautions needs a negative pressure room.
- Don’t place an infectious client with a client who is immunocompromised, such as a client with neutropenia.
PPE (typical CDC sequence)
- On: gown, mask or respirator, goggles or face shield, gloves.
- Off: gloves, goggles or face shield, gown, mask or respirator, then hand hygiene.
Free isolation precautions practice questions
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A client has suspected pulmonary tuberculosis. Which room assignment is most appropriate?Answer: BTuberculosis is airborne, so it needs a negative pressure room with the door kept closed, and staff wear fit-tested N95 respirators.
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Which clients could share a room?Answer: AClients with the same infection can be cohorted. Infectious clients shouldn't share with immunocompromised clients, and varicella needs an airborne isolation room.
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A client with pertussis needs to go to radiology. What should the nurse do?Answer: BPertussis requires droplet precautions. During transport, the client wears a surgical mask to contain droplets.
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Which precautions does a child with RSV need?Answer: CRSV spreads mainly by direct contact with secretions and contaminated surfaces, so contact precautions are used in addition to standard precautions.
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The nurse is caring for a client on contact precautions. Which action is correct?Answer: ADedicated equipment prevents carrying organisms to other clients. Gloves are usually removed first, and C. difficile requires soap and water.
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Which disease requires airborne precautions?Answer: DMeasles is spread by the airborne route. Influenza and mumps need droplet precautions, and MRSA needs contact precautions.
Pass the NCLEX-RN on your first try
- All 178 questions across the eight Client Needs categories of the 2026 NCLEX-RN test plan
- An explanation for every answer, with the guideline, drug label or priority rule behind it
- Unlimited full 85-question practice exams, with each area in its test plan share