Haying a hard time

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Aug 20, 2014

What are your specific questions? Which book? Which class? Details matter ;-)

Thank you.

mrsboots87 · Aug 20, 2014

I am not familiar with the study site you are using. Is it using NCLEX style questions? If so, keep in mind that those types of questions are intended to make you critically think. You may think that the question was not reviewed, when really the content was. You also need to learn to cut out the fluff. A lot of the questions will give a patient scenario that you may not have learned about yet, but the question is asking about safety or prioritizing or something like that, which you will have learned. If that makes sense. Just keep practicing and you'll get it.

StudentOfHealing · Aug 20, 2014

PrepU I believe is by Lippincott. If your text is Lippincott I think it should give you a reference to how they got that answer. At the end of the prepu quiz it also tells you the rationale for the correct answer.

:HUGS: Hang in there. You WILL get the hang of this. Have confidence in yourself and in your professors. Combined they have hundreds of years of nursing experience to share. Don't be afraid to approach them. You also have us! =)

StudentOfHealing · Aug 20, 2014

I am not familiar with the study site you are using. Is it using NCLEX style questions? If so, keep in mind that those types of questions are intended to make you critically think. You may think that the question was not reviewed, when really the content was. You also need to learn to cut out the fluff. A lot of the questions will give a patient scenario that you may not have learned about yet, but the question is asking about safety or prioritizing or something like that, which you will have learned. If that makes sense. Just keep practicing and you'll get it.

I respectfully have to disagree about fluff. (Depending what you call fluff). Some classmates protested learning the patho behind drugs or disease.

OP another note is that patho is patho is patho and unless it's some outrageously rare disease the patho and symptoms of disorders will remain usually consistent across texts.

To a classmate understanding that diaphoresis and tachycardia was a sign aof HYPOglycemia was enough .... to me it was not enough.

WHY? I asked myself. It's because your body releases epinephrine to create some insulin resistance (meaning to keep from insulin from working thus keeping hypoglycemia from worsening) In doing so epinephrine also causes sympathetic response *cough cough the tachy*

Oh ... also why beta blockers can mask hypoglycemia in diabetics (because they block those receptors epinephrine targets).

mrsboots87 · Aug 21, 2014

I respectfully have to disagree about fluff. (Depending what you call fluff). Some classmates protested learning the patho behind drugs or disease.
QUOTE]
Many NCLEX style questions has fluff. I'm not saying that pathos or lab values or drug names are necessarily fluff. What I mean is, lets say the questions gives a brief scenario that includes a cardiac disease. But the actual question being asked is about safety. The cardiac info is meant as fluff to see if you are thinking about what the question is actually asking. There will probably even be answers about cardiac, but you will be looking for the answer about safety. If not lectured on cardiac yet, this may confuse a student who doesn't realize that the cardiac was fluff. Does that make more sense.

phuretrotr · Aug 21, 2014

Many NCLEX style questions has fluff. I'm not saying that pathos or lab values or drug names are necessarily fluff. What I mean is, lets say the questions gives a brief scenario that includes a cardiac disease. But the actual question being asked is about safety. The cardiac info is meant as fluff to see if you are thinking about what the question is actually asking. There will probably even be answers about cardiac, but you will be looking for the answer about safety. If not lectured on cardiac yet, this may confuse a student who doesn't realize that the cardiac was fluff. Does that make more sense.

Example:

Q: The charge nurse is observing a new RN assist patient with CHF to the restroom. Which intervention does the charge nurse need to remind the new RN of implementing before assisting the patient to the restroom?

1. Assess the patients I&O.

2. Apply yellow non-slip socks.

3. Obtain a walker.

4. Listen to the patients lung sounds.

A: 2. Apply yellow non-slip socks.

Rationale: The fact that the patient has CHF does not change the fact that wearing yellow non-slip socks is to prevent falls and therefore enhance safety. Although obtaining a walker and assessing the patient is important, the other choices are not priority in ensuring safety when assisting the patient to the restroom.

The question is about INTERVENTIONS to ensure SAFETY when walking.

tootRN · Aug 21, 2014

Hi, LNOUVRESE

NCLEX style questions are an animal of their own :) As I am sure you are finding out, these are not "black and white" questions that you can find exact answers to in a book. Rather, these require critical thinking and analyzing. What's that mean?.... based on the information that you are given in the question, your nursing knowledge, and the perfect world scenario all of these questions are set up in... you must make an educated nursing decision on what the correct thing to do is. The ability to do this (well) comes with some time and practice, so don't beat yourself up!

I don't know prepU and it's not something that I have used before with my students, but there are several helpful resources out there.

If you are going to invest in any books or other NCLEX practice material, be sure to get something that 1) gives you rationales for every answer option; reviewing these are a GREAT way to learn how to answer questions and 2) has a little bit of content review in it; just so you have a fast place to reference if you need it.

You'll get there.... Best wishes to you!

aimbig · Aug 21, 2014

I have previously used PrepU for another non nursing course ( A&P 1) and found that it was not very helpful at all. The book that corresponded with the online portion were not similar at all. There were many questions on PrepU that were not covered in the book. I also found that while I was taking quizzes with PrepU that some of the answers that they gave did not match up with what the book said or what the prof. said. I, for one, would not recommend using PrepU and that you save your money and find a better online learning tool that offers specific NCLEX style questions to the content you are studying in lecture! That is my two cents, take it or leave it

StudentOfHealing · Aug 21, 2014

I respectfully have to disagree about fluff. (Depending what you call fluff). Some classmates protested learning the patho behind drugs or disease.
QUOTE]
Many NCLEX style questions has fluff. I'm not saying that pathos or lab values or drug names are necessarily fluff. What I mean is, lets say the questions gives a brief scenario that includes a cardiac disease. But the actual question being asked is about safety. The cardiac info is meant as fluff to see if you are thinking about what the question is actually asking. There will probably even be answers about cardiac, but you will be looking for the answer about safety. If not lectured on cardiac yet, this may confuse a student who doesn't realize that the cardiac was fluff. Does that make more sense.
Yes! Absolutely. Glad the NCLEX days are over! Looking back they weren't that bad until the end of nursing school.
So OP, all I can say is KEEP practicing and also read NCLEX test taking strategies. Yes, for the love of all that is sweet be a prudent safe nurse and learn the content but for sake of obtaining your license ... Learn now opposed to a month before boards HOW to defeat the NCLEX and KNOW what they're really asking. Good luck.

StudentOfHealing · Aug 21, 2014

I suggest Saunders 6th ed. Helped me pass boards. It is a book and comes with I think like 3000 questions. It divides it by big units:

Mental health

Maternal

Peds

Fundamentals

Adult health

Pharmacology

Then subdivides:

Fundamentals: Elimination questions

Or maybe you want to customize your exam and have cardiovascular adult health ... so you go to adult health and drop down menu and pick cardiovascular

You wanna add cardiac pharmacology questions? You can do that too.