health assessment and physical examination class tips

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Oct 3, 2012

I'd start with the objectives of the course-- you know, the information on the front page of the first handout they gave you. What do they expect you to learn, and what are their expectations of how you will demonstrate that you know it?

Memorization is generally not a useful way to get through nursing school. There are data points to memorize, sure-- what's a normal serum sodium, how long do you collect urine for a VMA? This is because unlike the fact-based questions in other course work (What is the correct answer to this equation? Who was president of the US in 1824? What two colors mixed together make brown?) most nursing education expects you to understand, think about it, and decide on an answer based on what you learned in several different contexts and classes.

Only one answer is the best one, even though another may have factually correct information. As an example, imagine a question about counseling a woman in an abusive relationship. She has been in your clinic before with injury related to being beat up, and she is here again. She doesn't want to leave her partner, because he says he's sorry and promises never to do it again (and he has done this before), but she is here to see you and you can help her.

She asks you what she should do. What do you say to her? (discard the obviously-wrong two answers) Your choices are: 1) "We know that abusers will not stop their behavior and you are probably going to be hurt again." 2) "And yet here you are again. Let's think of a way to keep you safe."

While (1) is factually true, it is not the best answer. A nurse remembers that one of our prime directives is to promote safety, but also that the patient has the final choice on what to do or not do. Therefore, you involve her in defining a path towards better health and safety for herself, (2).

So... ask your faculty what they expect of you. They really do want you to succeed-- ask them for help. Ask THEM this question. Ask for extra study materials or references to other books you can read that will give you rationales to help you put all these data into an understandable big picture. Strive to understand things in context, not just to memorize.

nfleurant · Oct 9, 2012

Thanks for the advice appreciate it , made an appointment with my professor to discuss my exam and strategies to improve for the next exam.