First Fundamentals Exam! Typical??

[yesitslaura]

So our class of 50 students took our first nursing exam this week and passing rate is 80%. 5 out of 50 students passed, ouch! It was tough, we are all straight A students, and were very shocked. The answers all sounded the same! Heres an example -

A patients skin is at risk for friction and excoriation. Blah blah blah, what should the nurse do?

1. avoid using any lotion

2. use a soft washcloth and towel

3. avoid bathing patient with very dry skin

4. do not using soap

Well, the correct answer was #3. But my thinking was, dont people still need bathed, even if they have dry skin?

Our book said for dry skin to apply lotion and avoid harsh soaps, so that was the database I had to draw from. I guess im just not getting the whole "critical thinking" thing! Our lectures consist of material straight from the book and occasional personal stories, they dont teach about critical thinking. Are there any tips or free websites that can assist with teaching me how to answer this type of question?

[mspontiac]

Hahahahaha!! Sorry I don't mean to laugh, but I swear we had that exact same question on one of my fundamentals tests in my first semester! And we were all like...what?

The skill of critical thinking is one you learn as you go. The tests get harder but figuring it out gets easier because your thought process builds on itself as you go, if that makes any sense. I truly loved our fundamentals instructor but her tests were nightmares...I think she would pick the tiniest little mundane pieces of info out of the book to ask questions about. But we all got through it OK...things will get better as time goes on.

[brokenroads27]

when i looked at the question & answers, my first answer would have definitely been #3. but if i looked at it too long i would've been thinking the same way you did, like don't all patients need to be bathed? i guess it could mean that you avoid harshly bathing a patient with very dry skin, like only bathe them every other day or something. that question is weird lol

[nneokill175]

yea i picked #3 also for my first choice.

then i your posts and i realized, i probably wouldnt have picked #3 if i wasnt trained to think this way.

its okay to make mistakes, remember those mistakes you made, and change them accordingly so that you will improve your way of thinking to improve your scores on these type of exam.

i failed my first fundamental exam too. so dont get discourage. and now, i am 8 months from graduating!

good luck guys, and DO NOT GIVE UP!

[tokidokifantasy]

hm...so how do you learn to think critically?! i am so scared now, as I am few months away from starting the program.

[the_london_sky]

I used a book called "Fundamentals Sucess" my first semester of nursing school and the question really helped me start to think critically for the tests. It is just a book of NCLEX like questions and it goes over many topics covered in a fundamentals class....I got it on Half.com for 4 bucks.....