Failed NCLEX - study/answer tips?

Nursing Students NCLEX

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Ooook, so here's my deal:

Took the NCLEX-RN a couple of weeks ago and failed. Half the questions were about things I had never even heard of, not even during school. I know that anything is game for the test and there's sooooooo much to study for. I hit the big things that we had in school and during the blasted HESI:

-anatomy

-lab values

-more common medications

-CAD, heart disease, arrhymthmias, most common procedures

-diabetes, hormonal disturbances...

Yada yada, I think you get the idea. I also used the Kaplan NCLEX-RN strategies guide book and the CD in the back of the book. Can't afford to take class. So my question is... how do I or anyone answer a question when you have no idea (because you've never heard of it, so how study for it?) what the medication/disease process/condition/whatever is? Even using the Kaplan strategies?

Any ideas/thoughts/advice would be helpful :D

TunBuk

Check your PM/email, I sent some information to you. :up:

I got the information you sent,thank you very much,may God bless you.

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I just wanted to say thanks to you smn 2009, as i knew of that site before and knew it was filled with good information, but never really looked at some stuff that i should have took the time to focus on, so again thanks!!!

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nurse.

dimples...

you're very welcome. :specs:

when i was studying for the nclex the www.nursereview.org website appeared too "busy" with lots of pop-ups so it was overwhelming and i also ignored the site for a long time. then, for some reason, i took the time to really review all the material and realized i had hit upon a gold mine!! :D so much free information (practice nclex questions, practice quizzes, study material by topic....etc.). it is a good site, especially if you cannot afford to purchase alot of nclex review books.

good luck to you and to others as you study/prepare for your nclex! :up:

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There is no magic to that unless you know what the question is asking. At time educated guess might work but not in all cases. Try understand what the question is asking and known what is the best response to such question. Take an example

You're caring for a pt with newly diagnosed COPD. what activities is the best for these pt

1- isometric leg exercise

2- lumbar sacral exercise

3- purse lip breathing

4- intercostal muscle expansion

Look @ the 4 option and see which intervention will benefit the pt. Also the stem question is asking about a pt with COPD. what do you understand about COPD will lead you to pick option 3, WHILE other option is of no benefit to the pt. The question is asking what activities can be done by the pt to improve breathing.

what action will you take first when a see a pt with right pneumothorax

1- assist the pt to cough and deep breath

2- administer sedative

3- prepare to insert chest drainage system

4- prepare the pt for CT

What do you know about pneumothorax first, will give you clue on how to answer these question. what is the best priority in these situation? A pt with pneumothorax has air trapped in the pleura space. What can you do to remove the air? preparing for CT can no remove the air, or administering sedative is of no use and importance but can be given before inserting the chest tube and also encouraging the pt to deep breath and cough can be done after chest tube to expand the lungs. The correct answer is insert chest tube to remove trapped air in the pleural space. This type of question is asking for Nursing process which is implementation.

what teaching will you give a pt with asthma to reduce exposure to allergy

1- maintain indoor humidity @ 80%

2- working outdoor early in the money only

3- cover pillow cases with plastic

4- washing sheet & pillow case in cold water

what do you understand about pt with asthma? These pt always have allergy to dust, dander, pollen because all these triggers asthma attack. Indoor humidity is too high, normal humidity shld be btw 40 -50%, washing sheet and pillow shld be with hot wter not cold water and working outdoor early in the morning shld be avoided because allergy are @ there highest in the morning. The correct answer is to cover the sheet and pillow case with plastic to reduce allergy exposure.

Hope that answer your question.

hello, im taking my nclex this dec. 31 pls give me tips about prioritizing, i know about ABCs and maslow but still der are some questions i got wrong even when im using that, and can u help me about the isolation, those who can put in together in one room, stuff like that, im having a hard time focusing right now, this website is a lot of help to me thank God i accidentally open this website. Thanks

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One person said that there are always 2 really bad answers and 2 good answers in each question. if you think about each questions this way, it should be easier for you to eliminate the really bad answers. for example if the question is about kosher diet, you know they can't eat dairy and meat in the same meal so if your choices are

a. pork roast , apples, milk

b. mashed potato, chicken, milk

c. broccoli, shrimp, iced tea

d. fettucini alfredo, mixed fuit, orange juice

you can eliminate a and b right off the bat bec they both contain meat with milk. those are the 2 really bad choices. then you have to decide between the other 2.

the jewish can only eat fish with scales and fins so you can eliminate C bec it contains shrimp. the correct answer choice would be d. Just use the process of elimination and it gets easier.

Also, usually if two answers are similar or alike as in choices a and b (bec they both contain milk) those two are usually wrong choices so you can probably eliminate them for that reason as well.

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One person said that there are always 2 really bad answers and 2 good answers in each question. if you think about each questions this way, it should be easier for you to eliminate the really bad answers. for example if the question is about kosher diet, you know they can't eat dairy and meat in the same meal so if your choices are

a. pork roast , apples, milk

b. mashed potato, chicken, milk

c. broccoli, shrimp, iced tea

d. fettucini alfredo, mixed fuit, orange juice

you can eliminate a and b right off the bat bec they both contain meat with milk. those are the 2 really bad choices. then you have to decide between the other 2.

the jewish can only eat fish with scales and fins so you can eliminate C bec it contains shrimp. the correct answer choice would be d. Just use the process of elimination and it gets easier.

Also, usually if two answers are similar or alike as in choices a and b (bec they both contain milk) those two are usually wrong choices so you can probably eliminate them for that reason as well.

thanks for the info, God Bless

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I'm not for sure that I failed but according to the Pearsonvue "trick" I did. If anyone has any good study tips or what works best, I would GREATLY appreciate them. I have three small children and a husband in the military and I just want to be done, I'm so overwhelmed! I'm new to this...

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sorry to bump an old thread but I have a question here:

"

what action will you take first when a see a pt with right pneumothorax

1- assist the pt to cough and deep breath

2- administer sedative

3- prepare to insert chest drainage system

4- prepare the pt for CT

What do you know about pneumothorax first, will give you clue on how to answer these question. what is the best priority in these situation? A pt with pneumothorax has air trapped in the pleura space. What can you do to remove the air? preparing for CT can no remove the air, or administering sedative is of no use and importance but can be given before inserting the chest tube and also encouraging the pt to deep breath and cough can be done after chest tube to expand the lungs. The correct answer is insert chest tube to remove trapped air in the pleural space. This type of question is asking for Nursing process which is implementation."

I also like answer 3 the best, but technically I don't like any of these answers as I haven't really been taught how to enter a chest drainage system I am only a second semester student, but I've never seen heard of a RN entering a chest tube. Can anyone help me make sense of why we would be asked that when we don't do chest tubes or am I mistaken?

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I was confused too. but here my reasoning.

Pneumothorax is an medical emergency. Which means everyone will be there helping out. So what can the nurse do right away to help in this situation: well you know that a chest tube is most likely going to be needed, so getting ready allows for it to be place immediately by the doctor.

sorry to bump an old thread but I have a question here:

"

what action will you take first when a see a pt with right pneumothorax

1- assist the pt to cough and deep breath

2- administer sedative

3- prepare to insert chest drainage system

4- prepare the pt for CT

What do you know about pneumothorax first, will give you clue on how to answer these question. what is the best priority in these situation? A pt with pneumothorax has air trapped in the pleura space. What can you do to remove the air? preparing for CT can no remove the air, or administering sedative is of no use and importance but can be given before inserting the chest tube and also encouraging the pt to deep breath and cough can be done after chest tube to expand the lungs. The correct answer is insert chest tube to remove trapped air in the pleural space. This type of question is asking for Nursing process which is implementation."

I also like answer 3 the best, but technically I don't like any of these answers as I haven't really been taught how to enter a chest drainage system I am only a second semester student, but I've never seen heard of a RN entering a chest tube. Can anyone help me make sense of why we would be asked that when we don't do chest tubes or am I mistaken?

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Find a way to take a review: Kaplan, Hurst, Saunders Book etc...

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Try NCSBN Learning Extension. They have alot of NCLEX style questions on there that are written by the same people that write the questions for the actual NCLEX.

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