Failed NCLEX with 75 questions!! need your advice please!!!!!

sheila0313 · Feb 1, 2011

Sorry, to hear that. In my opinion Saunders comp review book is good for the content review. What I did is studied Saunders review book, then practice at least 100 questions a day on the cd-rom. I will copy and paste below my study plan which I used while preparing for the Nclex, Hope it will be helpful and easy to understand.

Okay, try this study plan. First off use the Saunders comp review book it is a good.

Second make a test date, give yourself 4-6 weeks. Third, pick a date to start your studying, Monday is a good day. Next, get the following books: Saunders comprehensive review, Saunders Q&A review, Saunders strategies for Alternate Items formats, Saunders review flash cards, Nclex Rn Q&A Incredibly made easy, Kaplan Strategies for RN. Get a nursing audio review like Feuer's. Okay so now start on a Monday, get a calendar and write out your plan day by day.

1/3/11 Monday: Review Saunders comp, start off with the systems. Integumentary Disorders and Nursing sciences. Go over the content Monday- Thursday and Practice questions on the Saunders cd-rom Friday, Saturday, Sunday over the Integumentary system. Do 100 practice questions on the cd- rom, do practice questions from Incredibly made easy, do practice questions from Saunders q&a, Saunders review cards. So, 4 days go over content, 3 days go over questions from all sources. Also if you want to kill two birds with one stone, When you go over an adult system go over the pediatric system also. So, M-F Integumentery Disorders adults, Integumentery Disorders peds.

1/10- 1/16: Oncological and Endocrine Disorders, review for the adults and peds 4 days, do questions 3 days

1/17- 1/23: Review GI disorders and Respiratory disorders, review content for the adults and peds 4 days, do Nclex questions for 3 days

So you get the point, and after you go through all the med-surg systems and peds go over Maternity, Fundamentals, Cultural, Meds math.

Okay I also want to include make sure you read the rationales for wrong and right answers, make sure if you don't understand a word or term look it up, I am a visual learner so I watch a lot of the disorders, diseases, diagnostic test, procedures on youtube. Look at picture images on google image. Study by the computer and internet. Also get the nursing audio, and whenever you're driving, cleaning, cooking, brushing your teeth listen to the nursing audio. It doesn't matter if you study in that order or not, or if you have a different study plan, just get a structured consistent study plan. The last 2 weeks before you take your test study in the Kaplan strategies book, Lacharity and practice sata questions. Practice as many questions as you can, 3000 at least. I always tell people to fast and pray. Be confident, keep faith, claim your success in the name of Jesus. I know this will help, God bless you and best blessings to you.

sayfocused · Feb 1, 2011

thanks for the study plan sheila0313! i have the saunders comp 5th ed, sauders q&a, sauders review flash cards, but wasn't too sure if the questions were hard enough to help me pass. thank you for giving your advice!

caliotter3 · Feb 1, 2011

You said it yourself, you did not study enough. Start now. Study long and study hard. Do as many questions as possible and study the rationales between now and test day. Good luck.

sheila0313 · Feb 1, 2011

Saunders is good enough, I actually felt overly prepare for the test. The questions on the Nclex seem just like practice questions from Saunders. Easy test, when you prepare this way!

sheila0313 · Feb 1, 2011

Also here are more copy and paste which I copied from allnurses below.

Learn it, know it! Good luck!

Transmission-based Precautions: ADC

A - Airborne

D - Droplet

C - Contact

AIRBORNE PRECAUTION (credit goes to the one who posted this on April thread, sorry can't remember your name)

My - Measles

Chicken - Chickenpox

Hez - Herpes Zoster (Disseminated)

TB - TB

Private room

Negative pressure with 6-12 air exchanges per hour

UV

Mask

N95 Mask for TB

DROPLET PRECAUTION

think of SPIDERMAN!

S - Sepsis

S - Scarlet fever

S - Streptococcal pharyngitis

P - Parvovirus B19

P - Pertussis

P - Pneumonia

I - Influenza

D - Diptheria (Pharyngeal)

E - Epiglottitis

R - Rubella

M - Mumps

M - Meningitis

M - Mycoplasma or meningeal pneumonia

An - Adenovirus

Private room

Mask

CONTACT PRECAUTION

MRS.WEE

M - Multidrug resistant organism

R - Respiratory infection - RSV

S - Skin infections

W - Wound infections

E - Enteric infections - clostridium defficile

E - Eye infections

Skin Infections:

V - Varicella zoster

C - Cutaneous diptheria

H - Herpes simplex

I - Impetigo

P - Pediculosis

S - Scabies, Staphylococcus

Private room

Gloves

Gown

sheila0313 · Feb 1, 2011

Insulin, Coumadin, Heparin, antihypertensives, viagra, digitalis, ritalin, actonel, accutane, anti-ulcer medications, nitroglycern, to name a few. Try to look at the suffixes:

ace inhibitors end with 'pril (eg: captopril) *note that this drug increases potassium in the blood,

angiotensinogen 2 inhibitors end in 'sartan (eg: losartan),

beta blockers end with 'olol (eg: metoprolol) *caution with patients who are diabetic or who are asthmatic,

cholesterol reducing drugs usually end with 'statin (eg: atorvastatin) * note that if the patient experiences muscular pain, they should stop immediately and report it to the doctor, also not to consume grapefruit juice,

impotence drugs end with "defil (eg: sildenefil-hope I spelled it correctly...if not please excuse the typo) *note that you cannot take this drug if you are taking nitrates such as nitroglycerin or isosorbide and go to the doctor if an erection last longer than 4 hours,

accutane is an acne drug, where a pregnancy test must be done on females before prescribing them

actonel (again, this may be a typo) cannot be taken unless a person is able to sit up for at least 1/2 hour to an hour after adminstration.

Know the acting times of insulin, which is fast acting, long acting or the lente. They may ask when will a person become hypoglycemic, and that would be during peak hours.

penicillin: if a person has an allergy to penicillin, they may be at risk for an allergy to a cephalosporin, in that case suggest a macrolide such as clarithromycin. Macrolides are known to cause severe stomach pain for some people. Also, if a nurse administers penicillin or cephalosporin, that the patient should remain with the nurse for 1/2 hour afterwards to intervene with allergic reactions.

Most drugs that end with 'mycin may cause nephrotoxicity or ototoxicity

Parameters for digitalis administration, and also that if potassium is low and calcium and magnesium is high, there is a higher chance for digitalis toxicity.

corticosteriods usually end with 'sone (eg: predinsone), may cause medication related diabetes, increase chances of infection, cause Cushoid symptoms (buffalo hump in back, thin skin, easy to bruise, etc...)

Aspirin should not be consumed with alcohol, increases bleeding, causes ulcers, should be taken with food to diminish gastric distress

Antidote for tylenol is Mucomyst.

dont forget your diuretics ... esp. those are imp. also I have some for now ...

meds that end in -sartan=decrease blood pressure, increase cardiac load (Used for those who side effect is cough with ACE)

ANGIOTENSIN II RECEPTOR BLOCKERS

side effects 2nd degree AV block, angina, muscle cramps monitor BUN,BP and pulse

-vastatin(Lovastatin)=decrease cholesterol, lower tricycerides (NOTE*Lipitor at night only do not take with grapefruit juice)

ANTIHYPERLIPIDEMICS

side effects muscle weakness, alopecia monitor liver/renal profile

cox=osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis(relieve pain by reducing inflammation)

NSAID/CO2 ENZYME BLOCKER

side effects tinnitus, dizziness monitor bowel habits (could cause GI bleed, platlet count) Increase risk of strokes, heart attacks***

tidine=GERD

HISTAMINE 2 ANTAGONIST(inhibit gastric acids)

side effects agranulocytosis, brady/tachycardia monitor gastric PH/BUN ***If taking antacids take one hour after or before taking these drugs***

-prazole=ulcers, indigestion, GERD (Take before meals better absorption)

PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS

side effects gas, diarrhea, hyperglycemia monitor LFTs

-parin=thin blood, DVT, M.I.,post surgeries (Antidote Protamine sulfate--check PTT should be 1.5-2.0x) anticoag. decread vit. K levels

side effects hematuria, bleeding, fever monitor PTT, hematocrit and occult testing q 3mths

-pam

-pate

-aze/azo =Benzos/Antianxiety/anticonvulsants

side effects incontinence, respiratory depression/ monitor for LFT, respirations

-caine (anesthetic)

-mab (monoclonal antibodies)

-ceph or cef (cephalosporins)

-cycline (tetracyclines)

-cal (calciums)

-done (opioids)

ganciclovir sodium causes neutropenia and thrombocytopenia and nurse should monitor for s/s of bleeding just as equiv. to a pt. on anticoag. therapy.

SSRIs and MAOIs used together potentially fatal

caine= local anesthetics

cillin= antibiotics

dine= anti-ulcer agents

done= opiod analgesics

ide= oral hypoglycemics

iam= antianxiety agents

micin= antibiotics

nium= neuromuscular blocking agents

olol= beta blockers

ole= anti-fungal

oxacin= antibiotics

pam= antianxiety agents

pril= ace inhibitors

sone= steroids

statin= antihyperlipidemics

vir= antivirals

zide= diuretics

sayfocused · Feb 1, 2011

thanks for all your help sheila0313! it is greatly appreciated!

Conqueror+, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2011

Great thread !

Cassandra RDH · Feb 1, 2011

Sheila ..thanks so much for your notes and helpful tips :) ..I hope I pass the second time, I will use this plan!!!

Cassandra RDH · Feb 1, 2011

What do you guys think of exam cram? who's the author? and is it very helpful?