Help with Neuro

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2008

you can learn all the nursing interventions in the world, but that is not necessarily going to help you answer questions correctly on nursing tests. you have to learn how to think critically. to think critically you have to know how to use the nursing process. the nursing process is the problem solving process that nurses use every day of their nursing life to deal with all kinds of situations that come up at work. and, it works really well in answering test questions as well.

take note of the activities that goes on in each step of the process:

assessment (collect data, do a physical assessment of the patient, assess adl's, look up information about your patient's medical diseases/conditions to learn about the signs and symptoms and pathophysiology)
determination of the problem (make a list of the abnormal assessment data, decide on the problems)
planning (write measurable goals/outcomes and nursing interventions)
implementation (initiate the plan)
evaluation (determine if goals/outcomes have been met)

the basic strategy for answering critical thinking (application type) questions is as follows, you must:

know and consider the normal anatomy and physiology
know and consider abnormal anatomy for the disease in question
know and consider the resulting signs and symptoms when the disease occurs and how they proceed from mild to fatal - each sign and symptom can be related back to the pathophysiology of the disease
know and consider how the doctor diagnoses and treats the disease in question
know nursing interventions for the signs and symptoms you are being asked about
know the steps of the nursing process and what goes on in each of the steps and consider how they are affecting the question you are being asked
know and consider the principles behind the actions being done - there are many kinds of principles: principles of nursing, principles of biology, principles of chemistry, principles of physics, etc.
read the stem of the question carefully and answer that because the test makers try to trip you up by distracting you with conflicting information they give you in the answer choices that sounds good but has no relationship to what the question is asking for
ask yourself "why" a patient is experiencing some sign or symptoms to get at the underlying problem. nursing like other disciplines treats the problem/signs and symptoms.

one of the biggest misconceptions of nursing students is ignoring the learning of medical diseases, their pathophysiology, the signs and symptoms they produce, and the tests and treatments that are ordered by the docs to treat them. you have to know this information in addition to the nursing interventions. you also have to understand, from all those pre-requisite courses you took, the various scientific principles underlying some of the treatments and pathophysiology going on with diseases or patient conditions. you have to ask yourself "why" do we or the docs do this intervention as opposed to another one that sounds like it might be better. why, why, why. asking why gets you to better answers. dig for these answers in books other than your textbooks because they are out there. when you get a wrong answer on a test, determine why your thinking went to the wrong answer. where was the mistake in your thinking? there is a big difference between your thinking and the way you use the facts that go into your thinking. you can have the right facts but process them incorrectly if you misunderstand the concept referred to in a question.

also read the information on this thread:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/looking-test-taking-stratagies-224581.html - looking for test taking strategies (on the nursing student discussion forum)

Esther2007 · Mar 29, 2008

Neuro was a killer for me. I passed with a B, which was my lowest grade thus far in nursing.

What I did, I made a chart to compare and contrast the neuro disorders that were similar. I made another chart with the neutrotransmitters and color coded the highs and lows (acetylcholine, dopamine). I read to understand what each of the disease had in common (flaccid, paralysis, stiffness etc). I reviewed every day the newest information in the morning, when I was more alert. After I reviewed the materials, I used Lippincott's nclex review to test what I had read. Lippincott Nclex Review was great for neuro because the disorders are listed seperately as oppose to other books that pile up all the neuro questions in random. For example, if I read parkinson disease, I would just go and practice only questions pertain to it.

Neuro is not easy, you have to understand how the nervous system works. know the cranial nerves and spinal nerves well.

I still have my notes, so if you want you can send me a pm with your email address and I will share. Good luck to you.

kad13579 · Mar 29, 2008

That was the hardest test that we had in med/surg. I'm not really sure how, but I managed to get a 95 on it. My advice is just to research all of the illnesses on your own and understand them before you try to remember all of the aspects of the disorder. Then pick out the aspect that is different and focus on learning what makes it different. It will all fall into place.

yoginurse2b · Mar 29, 2008

Like what others just mentioned, it's best to understand and know your pathophysiology well. By learning and understanding the patho, you will have an idea what goes wrong with your pts, which leads you to the signs and symptoms. By knowing the S/S, it's easier to know what interventions that we should do.

I hope you do well. Neuro is not easy, but it's very interesting.

machita · Mar 31, 2008

Thank you all for your responses! You all have really good advice. I love being able to come to this site and getting the support from people who know exactly what I'm going through. :)

lorie101 · Oct 3, 2008

Neuro was a killer for me. I passed with a B, which was my lowest grade thus far in nursing.
What I did, I made a chart to compare and contrast the neuro disorders that were similar. I made another chart with the neutrotransmitters and color coded the highs and lows (acetylcholine, dopamine). I read to understand what each of the disease had in common (flaccid, paralysis, stiffness etc). I reviewed every day the newest information in the morning, when I was more alert. After I reviewed the materials, I used Lippincott's nclex review to test what I had read. Lippincott Nclex Review was great for neuro because the disorders are listed seperately as oppose to other books that pile up all the neuro questions in random. For example, if I read parkinson disease, I would just go and practice only questions pertain to it.
Neuro is not easy, you have to understand how the nervous system works. know the cranial nerves and spinal nerves well.
I still have my notes, so if you want you can send me a pm with your email address and I will share. Good luck to you.

I know this is an old thread but I am in my last semester & neuro is a challenge for me as well. I would love a copy of your notes if you still have them. I cannot pm

Thanks