Help With Assessment and Prioritizing

[GoodGuyStudentNurse]

Hello All,

I am in my second year of nursing school and having difficulty with test questions which give a nursing senerio and we have to give the proper assessment and sometimes prioritize nursing procedures. Currently we are doing cardiovascular/critical care.

Any suggestions, websites, books, etc. would be much appreciated.

Thanks :)

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

First, read the question. Read it over a couple of times to make sure you know what they want. Then, remember your ABCs--airway, breathing, circulation.

I used to prioritize by reasoning out which scenario is going to kill the patient the fastest and tried to resolve them in that order.

Best wishes! :)

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

Awesome website here:

http://icufaqs.org/

[GoodGuyStudentNurse]

Thanks for your help and quick response.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

hi, goodguystudentnurse!

angie o'plasty's answer "i used to prioritize by reasoning out which scenario is going to kill the patient the fastest and tried to resolve them in that order" had me roflol :rotfl:

let me, however, add something else. test questions are usually designed to test your critical thinking skills. the instructors try to design the questions so that you take nursing theory, the facts you are presented and the nursing process into account and choose the best answer from the choices you have been given. this critical thinking is something that is very important to the practice of nursing. critical thinking is very simply making judgments based on facts rather than making random guesses based on nothing.

now, having said that, i have to confess that i answered a question earlier today that was one of these critical thinking things and it seems i may have been wrong. the thread is here. go see how a 30-year veteran screwed up! and, to be honest, i double checked the nursing care of a patient with a cast and compartment syndrome in one of my nursing books before answering the question to be sure of my answer!

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/nursing-101-question-how-would-you-answer-187954.html

here are two other websites on studying nursing that you might find helpful. many students also recommend having at least one nclex review book to help in learning to prioritize care and study/prepare for exams.

http://go.dbcc.edu/hhps/nursing/study_skills.html - study skills for the nursing student from daytona beach community college nursing department with some good advice.

http://go.dbcc.edu/hhps/nursing/test_taking_skills.html - test taking skills also from daytona beach community college nursing department. a couple of sample questions and how to choose the correct answer for these application type questions.

http://www.efn.org/~nurses/ - this is a website maintained by the nursing students at lane community college in eugene, oregon. for study and learning tips specific to nursing students click on "tips for learning" at the left side of this home page.

see you on the nursing student forums. welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

Hi, GoodGuyStudentNurse!

Angie O'Plasty's answer "I used to prioritize by reasoning out which scenario is going to kill the patient the fastest and tried to resolve them in that order" had me ROFLOL :rotfl:

Whatever works, right?

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Whatever works, right?

Right! But, GoodGuyStudentNurse, you are hearing this from two already licensed nurses who have already gone through nursing school and a licensing exam. You do what you have to do to get through school and get your license. Do honestly try to find the logic and critical thinking being asked of you. Then, damn the torpedoes. . .. . .whatever gets you to the right answer works for me.

[GoodGuyStudentNurse]

Thanks for your time and information. The websites are a help too.