BKAT-Critical Care

Specialties Critical

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Does anyone have any suggestions on preparing for the BKAT? I know it is just an assessment tool but I would like to do well. I see on their website that you can actually order a copy of the exam but I don't have time to do that so any suggestions would be much appreciated!! I have not been able to find any study guide and very little information about how/what to study!!

I am a brand new nurse so I have taken a critical care class but only spent three months in the ICU so my practical application is still lacking.

Thanks so much for any suggestions!!!

Specializes in ED, ICU, Prehospital.

Took the BKAT 8.

Where I was working, it was and continues to be, used as an assessment tool. I was told, "We will give you the exam again at the end of orientation. I will not give you the answers right now. We will see the progress you have made and make adjustments in your teaching at that time."

They did not use it as a punative measure, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I did well...missed 6. I had no idea which ones. When I ended orientation, I answered all of them correctly.

So, it's not that bad, is what I am saying. Having an ER background and then going into Critical Care, I think I had some advantage over say, someone coming into CC from Aphoresis.

The person above who said that BKAT is being used to terminate travelers---I think they mean PBDS is being used.

PBDS is a different beast. It is being abused horribly in order to screen people, and the whole premise was not only as an assessment tool, but also that the company who developed it made it CLEAR that the "scoring" is only to be done thru their company with trained personnel.

Hospitals are using PBDS as a weapon and they don't use the developers to score, which is why when a seasoned traveler is considering a facility, one of the questions asked is, "Do they use PBDS?" If so, most of us avoid that facility like the plague.

BKAT is a competency based tool. I liked it and I wouldn't be afraid of it. NCLEX was nothing like nursing and it should inspire the fear that it does, because it's so completely arbitrary. BKAT is solid information that tests your ability at the point you are right now---and guides your educator in what to focus on with you during your orientation.

Quizlet has a bunch of BKAT cards that are literally word for word of the one I took, if you want a good idea of what to study.

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hey @HomeBound When you said, "Quizlet has a bunch of BKAT cards that are literally word for word of the one I took, if you want a good idea of what to study"

Did it look like this....

https://quizlet.com/256139317/icu-bkat-flash-cards/

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On 2/17/2019 at 8:48 PM, floridaflounder said:

hey @HomeBound When you said, "Quizlet has a bunch of BKAT cards that are literally word for word of the one I took, if you want a good idea of what to study"

Did it look like this....

https://quizlet.com/256139317/icu-bkat-flash-cards/

That link is what I had on my BKAT test for a PCU. And I just took mine March 9. Although all the questions in that quizlet link was on my test, there were about 12-15 on the BKAT test which were not part of that quizlet link. I got an 80% overall score.

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