directional terms

HESI A2
Vocabulary and General Knowledge
Multiple choice
Difficulty 2 of 5

Question

A clinician notes that a mark is medial to another mark on the client’s chest. What does medial mean?

Closer to the body’s midline✓ Correct

This matches the meaning of medial in the note.
Closer to the body’s outer side✗ Incorrect

This describes a different position or direction than medial.
Closer to the head✗ Incorrect

This describes a different position or direction than medial.
Closer to the feet✗ Incorrect

This describes a different position or direction than medial.

Answer

A. Closer to the body’s midline

Rationale

Medial locates something nearer the body’s center line. It contrasts with a location farther toward either side.

RememberMedial points toward the center line.

Sources

Sources marked “Adapted from” are licensed under CC BY 4.0. We changed the material: its facts are rewritten into an original question, answer options and rationale. The original authors and publishers do not endorse SwipeExam.

Adapted from Open RN Medical Terminology, 2nd edition: Chapter 2 Medical Language Related to the Whole Body Open RN (Chippewa Valley Technical College) · License: CC BY 4.0 · Retrieved November 2, 2026 · Anatomical View of the Body, Positions, Locations, and Directional Terms › Directional Terms · 2nd edition, 2024
Anatomical Terminology SEER Training Modules, National Cancer Institute · License: US government work (public domain) · Retrieved November 2, 2026 · Directional Terms

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