Even artichokes have hearts.

[24nurse]

MNEMONICS & NCLEX STUDY GUIDE

Hey guys! I just wanted to share a study guide that I found on allnurses.com a while back when I was studying for the NCLEX. Hope you find this helpful! The original pdf can be found here though: http://allnurses.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8687&d=1310076980

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DO NOT delegate what you can EAT!

E - evaluate A - assess T - teach

addisons= down, down down up down

cushings= up up up down up

addisons= hyponatremia, hypotension, decreased blood vol, hyperkalemia, hypoglycemia

cushings= hypernatremia, hypertension, incrased blood vol, hypokalemia, hyperglycemia

No Pee, no K (do not give potassium without adequate urine output)

EleVate Veins; dAngle Arteries for better perfusion

A= appearance (color all pink, pink and blue, blue [pale])

P= pulse (>100, < 100, absent)

G= grimace (cough, grimace, no response)

A= activity (flexed, flaccid, limp)

R= respirations (strong cry, weak cry, absent)

Read More

[rightatrium]

Which client to see first on nclex? Click here for my re-post. Brought to you by Hurst Review.

[rightatrium]

Here are the 10 Kaplan Strategies used for answering nclex questions - broken down by me. Click each link for each step. Tip: use a computer or iPad screen instead of a cell phone to view each strategy. I didn’t even have to take the Kaplan review course after studying these strategies on my own. Hope it helps!

Step #1 Expected Outcomes

Step #2 Unfamiliar Questions

Step #3 Answers

Step #4 Real World

Step #5 Maslow

Step #6 Nursing Process

Step #7 Patient Safety

Step #8 Delegation

Step #9 Positioning

Step #10 Therapeutic Communication

[rightatrium]

Antidepressant nation

[rightatrium]

Electrolyte Series

[thenursingblog]

Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

[thenursingblog]

[lulabelleismyshihtzu]

Charts and Figures: Vital Signs

[rightatrium]

Step 6: This next strategy is well known – it’s the Nursing Process [AAPIE].

This type of question is assessment vs implementation. How do you choose the correct answer when both the correct assessment and implementation are given? Assessment is when you look at symptoms; you obtain objective and subjective data – by talking, taking a health history, performing a physical exam, and looking at lab results. You gather data then compare it to normal values. It is the FIRST step of the nursing process and takes priority over all the other steps. Don’t ever implement before you assess! Implementation is the care you provide. Activities of daily living, teaching, supervising, evaluating, etc.

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Step 7: Patient Safety

Nurses have the primary responsibility of ensuring the safety of clients. This includes at the hospital, in the home, at work, or in the community. Safety includes: meeting basic needs [Maslow]; reducing hazards that cause injury to the client [accidents, obstacles in the home]; and decreasing transmission of pathogens [vaccines, etc]. Nclex is checking to see if you are a safe nurse!

[rightatrium]

Step 9: Positioning

Immobility occurs when a client is unable to move about freely and independently. To answer questions on positioning, you need to know the hazards of immobility, normal anatomy and physiology, and the terminology for positioning.

You need to read the question and decide if the position for the client is designed to prevent something or promote something. Then, identify what is it you are trying to prevent. Think about anatomy & physiology. Which position BEST accomplished what you are trying to prevent or promote.

You cannot figure out an answer if you do not know the positioning terms [supine, fowler’s, etc.] You cannot figure out an answer if you do not know anatomy and physiology. You cannot figure out an answer if you do not know what you are trying to accomplish.

[rightatrium]

Step 2: Unfamiliar Questions.

You may see a question that concerns a disease process or procedure which you are unfamiliar with. Most test takers who are clueless about a question will read the question and answer choices over and over again in hopes that they will remember something! What usually happens? Absolutely nothing!! The student will then randomly select an answer choice. Meaning you now have a 1 in 4 chance of getting this question right. You can better those odds! Here’s how – look for clues in the answer choices instead of in the question stem.

[rightatrium]

[lulabelleismyshihtzu]

When I was studying for nclex I created a path for critical thinking, that I got straight out of the Kaplan book. It helped me correctly answer the questions, even if I had no clue what the correct answer was or what the question was asking me. It’s a series of 10 steps. I’ll post them one by one as individual entries. Hope it helps!

The first one is Expected Outcomes. Expected Outcomes are the behaviors and changes you think are going to occur as a result of nursing care. They allow the RN to evaluate whether goals have been met.

[rightatrium]

Step 10: Therapeutic Communication

DON’T EVER choose these types of answers: 1- “It’s going to be OK!” [don’t worry] 2- “Don’t worry; your doctors will do everything necessary for your care.” [don’t worry] 3- “Let’s talk about why you didn’t take your medication.” [let’s explore] 4- “Tell me why you really injured yourself.” [let’s explore] 5- “What makes you think that?” [why questions] 6- “Why do you feel this way?” [why questions] 7- Don’t insist that the client follow unit rules. [authoritarian answers] 8- Don’t insist that the client do what you command immediately. [authoritarian answers] 9- “That happened to me once.” [nurse focused] 10- “I know from experience this is hard for you.” [nurse focused] 11- “Are you feeling guilty about what happened? [close ended] 12- “How many children do you have?” [close ended]

Do choose these types of answers: 1- “You are experiencing alcohol withdrawal; you may see and feel things that aren’t real.” 2- “There are many reasons for memory loss; tell me more about what you have noticed.” 3- “I can see that you are frightened about being here.” 4- “You seem very upset. Tell me how you are feeling.”

[rightatrium]

Step 5: Maslow

You can recognize priority questions on Nclex because they will ask you what is the “BEST”, “MOST IMPORTANT”, “FIRST”, or “INITIAL RESPONSE.” It usually means that more than one answer choice could be considered correct. As you read this type of question you are probably thinking, “All of these look right!” or “how can I decide what I will do first?” As an RN you will be caring for clients who have multiple problems. You must be able to establish priorities by deciding which needs take precedence over the other needs.

Here is how you use the Maslow Strategy – look at the answer choices. Determine if the answer choices are both physiological and psychosocial, if they are – apply the Maslow strategy. Now, eliminate all psychosocial answer choices. If the answer choice is physiological, don’t eliminate it. Maslow states that physiological needs must be met first. Although pain certainly has a physiological component, it is considered a psychosocial need on Nclex.

Look at the remaining choices; can you apply the ABC’s? Airway – Breathing – Circulation.

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Step 3: Answers

In some questions you have to use critical thinking skills to figure out what the answer choices really mean. Nclex can take a concept with which you are very familiar with and make it difficult to recognize.

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[lulabelleismyshihtzu]

Step 4: This is made up of 2 pages, so make sure you look at both pictures.This is one of the longer ones, so pain attention!

The test does not reflect what happens in the real world, but is based on textbook nursing. The Nclex world is a perfect world. You have all the time and resources you need to provide appropriate care to your client. You have all the equipment you need. There are no staffing problems. You are caring only for the client described in the question. All care given to clients is by the book.

Take care of the client first. Take care of the equipment second.

You must know how to answer questions about lab values, and correctly interpret normal or abnormal lab test results. For medication questions, most of the time the question will list the name of the medication but will not give the reason the client is receiving the medication.

Another type of question involves answers in which you “call the physician.” More often than not, the answer choice that states “call the physician,” “contact the social worker,” or refer to the chaplain” is the WRONG answer. Usually there is something you need to do FIRST before you make that call. Nclex does not want to know what the physician will do. Nclex wants to know what you, the RN will do.

[nursetinkerbell-deactivated2014]

dosages quizzes from Prentice Hall! (At the completion of each quiz section you may submit your answers to receive an instant score of your results.) Chapter 1: Review of Arithmetic for Medical Dosage Calculations Chapter 2: Safe and Accurate Drug Administration Chapter 3:...