NCLEX-RN review buddies for Oct 2012 exam

[itk3838]

Hello everyone who is preparing for NCLEX-RN exam right now!

If you like me, still have some questions about your study materials or content, you are more then welcome to join us here. We will follow your advice on how to study more efficient but smart, with a plan in mind and rush in our hearts.

I follow few roots right now:

1. Saunders Comprehensive Review Book + CD.

2. LaCharity's "Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment".

3. Lippincott's Q & A 4000.

4. And some course materials from ATI and Cram Book.

I'm finishing Chapter's 9, 10, 11 in Saunders till the end of this week.

I still think we have plenty of time to prepare!

Let's get started!

ITK

[itk3838]

May I ask you... if you have patient with insulin dependent diabetes - what is DKA abbreviation means? Thank you!

[MiahMSN, MSN, RN]

DKA is Diabetic KetoAcidosis

Good luck studying

[itk3838]

While studying I came across one question that require priority action from a nurse, change position or assess, and acording to their answer... you must choose the least invasive action. If I will continue assessing then patient will be in more respiratory distress, changing position will bring relieve. It was one of these questions when you have all Implementation answers and only one Assessment. Dessision Tree failed here!

[itk3838]

Thank you!

DKA is Diabetic KetoAcidosis

Good luck studying

[MiahMSN, MSN, RN]

You may not have a good understanding of how to use the decision tree. When there is a question where there are both assessment and implementation answers, you do not always automatically pick the assessment answer. You have to look at the stem of the question to determine what is best. Is it a situation where you need to assess (or as Kaplan likes to put it "validate" what is going on with the patient) before you can move and do any of the other things that are given in the implementation answers? If yes, then go with the assessment. However, if the question gives enough information about what is going on to where the next logical step would be to do something, then you implement....this could be changing the patient's position.....contacting the physician....stoping the pitocin....etc.

Don't get stuck on picking an assessment answer merely because it is an assessment....because assessing when you clearly should implement could cause the patient his/her life....which is the same thing as doing nothing.

I think people confuse Kaplan with merely being strategy-based and teaching one how to "pass" the test, which it is the complete opposite. Kaplan teaches you how to critically think and dissect questions so that you can apply nursing knowledge, logic and common sense to a complex (and/or simple) situation and select the best answer.

Hope this helps!