How to survive med-surg

[golosa82]

I am a 2nd semester student taking med-surg , it is a very difficult course. When it comes down to the exam I study the information on the diseases, I do like a concept map of each and list the pathophys, diagnostics, interventions, nursing diagnosis, etc. My problem is that the questions on the exams ask things like what is the priority diagnosis or intervention to take and I always narrow it down to 2 that sound right but I always pick the wrong one. Does anyone have suggestions on how to best go about answering these kinds of questions ? On my first exam I scored a 75%, I was really bummed. I looked and re-looked at the chapters and they do list interventions and diagnosis but how do you know when to pick the best one? is that just supposed to be common sense or using your best judgement? If anyone has suggestions please post! thanks!

[zeppzepp2009]

Remember your ABC's and Maslow, also get yourself a NCLEX book to study along with. That's what helps me anyway, good luck!

[Despareux]

For Pharmacology and our Holistics (health/nutrition) course, our tests consisted of mostly NCLEX style questions, and yes, those questions can certainly make you want to rip your hair out.

Good study habits and good test taking skills will generally result in happy grades. So if you generally like the way you study, but freeze at test time, then it could simply be your test taking skills. It's hard to have confidence while studying for an exam when you have no clue what questions are going to be asked.

Anyway, here's a tip I learned from my Pharmacology instructor: underline abstract wording and underline the pertinent wording that defines what type of question I was to answer, doing this helped me choose the best answer. I would pass a question and answer it later if it was taking up too much time, because sometimes, you may find the answer in another question or you memory will be triggered by some other question.

So far this is what has helped me with those choose-the-best-answer questions.

Closing your eyes while taking a deep breath helps, too, (it gives your brain a little more O2) because many people use shallow-type breathing when they are not relaxed. Oh, and yoga type stretching also helps relieve test anxiety; I do this before I study, after I study, and always on test day.

[vindy]

I agree with Zepp,

ABC's, Safety, Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. I also don't do so well with test taking, my teacher says I look into the questions to much... don't add in information, focus on what the question is asking you to find, I found that once I started circling key words (if a paper test) it helped to focus on those words instead of rereading the question over and over.

[GeneralJinjur]

I always answer priority questions based on what will kill the patient quickest. Also, I second the recommendation for NCLEX practice questions. The more questions you see, the easier it becomes to prioritize the way NCLEX wants you to.