What advice would you give...?

Katnip, RN · Aug 21, 2003

Personally, I'd focus on getting through my senior year first. Your school is probably giving critical thinking type exams to get you accustomed to it.

During your last semester, you might want to start looking into books and programs. If you can, get a large group of fellow students and take the Kaplan Review course. You get a discount for a group, and a lot of hospitals will reimburse you on employment.

I used the Saunder's book and CD, the Kaplan review and their book, and Mosby's. I overdid it, but I passed.

As far as tools on prioritizing and delegating, those should have been taught from day one. Use your ABCs and Maslow. Don't focus too heavily on those, though. Each test is different. I know someone who got a LOT of pharmacology questions.

Learn testing strategies for those questions that you'll run into that you don't have a clue about.

But FIRST get through this semester.

USA987, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 23, 2003

I agree with the above post. Get through your senior yr. Get used to "critical thinking". Learn how to take a test. When it comes time to study...study smart. If peds is your weakness...concentrate on that. My professor said that you should study approx. 3000 questions before taking the NCLEX. In all honesty, I studied maybe 1000...

Don't stress though....you have enough stress in your life as a student!

Good luck

fourbirds4me · Aug 23, 2003

I had Saunder's and Lippincott. I found the Lippincott to be easier. I thought neither were like the NCLEX. Also we had to do 1000 NCLEX questions per semester so I tried to focus on thing that we were studying. For example if we were studying respiratory I did 100 question on respiratory. etc.... It helped be study and acheived the goals of getting by 1000 questions done and prepared me for NCLEX.

Good Luck to you!

Gator,SN · Aug 23, 2003

Congratulations on being a senior! I wish you the best of luck!

Like you I also used the NCLEX review books during school and I found them helpful. I learned more sometimes than what I needed to pass the test in class. They were helpful somewhat for the NCLEX too. I had Davis's, Mosby's and a CD rom (which I liked better than anything else)

One thing that I disliked: careplans. All 14 pages of them! I would often hear nurses say that they are not used the same way in the 'real world' and I decided that they were just a torture device for students. How wrong I was!!!

During my NCLEX I was asked a lot of priority and delegation questions. When I look back it was the careplans that taught me how to prioritize my nursing care and how to critically think about my interventions, rationals and goals. When I was revising my goals I learned how to use the clients medical diagnosis, developmental level and physical limitations and thus have a better outcome for all. Being at clinical helps with organizational skills and delegation tasks. Who is legally and safely able to perform duties needed.

Everything comes together to help you be successful on the NCLEX. I did have questions that were from lecture material, like which lab value would indicate the need to return the pt to the ventilator, but they were not the majority.

Look over your careplans with a critical eye and it will help.

Best to you!

Gator

tinyhands4Him · Aug 23, 2003

questions, questions, question! definately do tons of questions. We had to do 200 per wk for our last semester and it definately helped. we also had to take a hesi exam after each area we studied...OB, psych, med/surg, pediatrics, critical care, and an overall one. our exam questions were also all NCLEX like questions that made you want to scream, but I am thankful now. I also found that the most helpful thing in the world was a series of books by Sylvia Rayfield ...they are called Nursing made insanely easy and they go through all the body systems and tell you the big dz processes, meds you need to know, and lab values....they have tons of cool pics and mnemonic devices to help you remember all the things NCLEX focuses on...there is one for med/surg, pharmacology, and a NCLEX review book, she even does a Review course. I studied this book alot b/c it was a quick and easy way to review and highlight the most important things and actually remember them! Good luck but remember to enjoy your senior year!

caseyspen · Aug 24, 2003

I have a better idea of how and when to start preparing. I know senior year is tough so of course my current studies will be my focus but I will do questions here and there to keep medsurg fresh in my mind and keep using saunders with my textbooks to get through ob and peds. I'll start my major prep towards the end.

Thanks for replying everybody.

Casey

zambezi, BSN, RN · Aug 24, 2003

As others have mentioned, get through your senior year first. I started studying my final semester. In my program, it was built into the last semester anyway. We had to come up with plans/goals that we wanted to focus on in clinicals each week. One of our goals was to pick a system and only study that system for that week, try to focus your clinicals on that for the week also; ie: if you picked GI to study, pick patients with primarily gi issues. Obviously, you won't be able to study all systems this way but it is a start. By studying a system for a few hours each week, body systems are broken down and it is not such a daunting task. I used a book, Princeton REview, that I got on sale at a used book store for 5$...it was an old book, 2000 (I graduated in 02), but it got the job done, allowed me to focus and just gave a general review. We also had a meeting with our clinical group each week and at the beginning, the first ten minutes or so the teacher would ask questions nclex style and we would have to answer/discuss the questions. Anyway there are as many ways to study as there are people so stick with the system that has worked for you for the past two years of school. Have fun your final year!!Good luck

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Aug 24, 2003

IMHO, nursing school assignments are much harder than the NCLEX.

I was shocked and surprised that the NCLEX was really no big deal as far as difficulty. Its bark is FAR worse than its bite.

The vast majority of those who take the test pass without any problem.

It's too bad that the reputation that the test has gained over the years practically scares us to death!

renerian, BSN, RN · Aug 24, 2003

Focus on what you have to do now not what you will be doing in the future. Take things in little bites.

renerian

itsnowbegun · Aug 25, 2003

i agree with the others..as well as HELLLLO NURSE. dont stress too much over the nclex, if you pass nursing school... then there is a high chance you will pass the nclex. imo MY nclex exam was not difficult at all...

good luck to you..and enjoy being a student while you can...

babynurse32 · Aug 27, 2003

I agree tht you should worry about finishing up school first. In my last year, I tried to study for that, find a job and keep up with my usual work, I got so stressed out. One of my instructors told me first you have to worry about graduating, then passing boards and last finding a job. I would definately use that Saunders book. I went through that entire thing while I was in school and again before I took my test. The test had alot of which patient would you see first, what would you do, etc. You really can't prepare for that, it all goes back to the basics. You will do great.