The mother of a school-aged boy tells the practical nurse (PN) that he fell out of a tree and hurt his arm and shoulder. The mother says the boy is in pain and needs medical help. The nurse should assess the injury and decide the appropriate action to take.

This is the correct answer, as it reflects the nurse's assessment of the injury and the appropriate action to take. The nurse should consider the mother's report of pain as a valid indicator of the severity of the injury, and should not dismiss or minimize it. The nurse should also observe the boy's arm and shoulder for any signs of fracture, dislocation, swelling, bruising, or deformity, and ask him to rate his pain on a scale of 0 to 10. The nurse should then decide whether to refer the boy to a physician or an emergency department for further evaluation and treatment.