A nurse is performing Weber's test for a client who has hearing loss. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

Rationale A. Ask the client to occlude one ear with a finger: Occluding one ear is part of the Rinne test, not the Weber test. The Weber test assesses lateralization of sound and does not require the client to block either ear initially. B. Place a vibrating tuning fork against the midline vertex of the client's head: In the Weber test, the vibrating tuning fork is placed on the midline of the skull, usually the forehead or vertex. This allows the nurse to assess whether sound is heard equally in both ears or lateralizes to one, helping differentiate between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. C. Whisper words for the client to identify: Whispered voice testing evaluates the client’s ability to hear and repeat words, but it is a separate assessment from the Weber test and does not determine lateralization. D. Have the client repeat a phrase spoken by the nurse while the nurse's mouth is hidden: This describes the whispered voice or speech discrimination test, not the Weber test. The Weber test focuses on bone conduction and sound lateralization rather than speech comprehension.