New Nursing Student, Struggling a bit with NCLEX style questions

[crs1978]

I'm on my 8th week of an accelerated BSN program. By background is, I have a MA in counseling psychology and am a licensed mental health therapist in 2 different states. My goal is to eventually become a psychiatric NP.

Anyway, the BSN program starts with psychiatric and mental health nursing course and lab the first semester, and I figured that would be an easy class while I adjust to nursing school, and focus on subject matter I'm less familiar with. So far, I'm doing well in all classes, but the psychiatric nursing class is by far the most frustrating. I do not know how to really explain it, but I frequently find myself getting thrown off by the NCLEX style questions that seem kinda ridiculous when applied to mental health. I often I find that the available answers are inadequate, or several of the responses are equally correct. The priority questions for mental health -- outside of assessing and dealing with DTO/DTS -- are usually irrelevant in the real world and many approaches can be taken.

Perhaps, my experience is actually hindering my success to some degree. I'm not sure. Does anybody have an pointers on approaching psych questions on the NCLEX or Hesi?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Your thread has been moved to our Nursing Student Assistance forum. Good luck to you.

[Natasha A., CNA, LVN]

Hi, hope this helps Safety is the priority. https://allnurses.com/psychiatric-nursing/help-with-psych-372607.html

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

I worked as a psych nurse LVN/LPN prior to bridging to my RN.

My experience helped me regarding actually working with clients in Clinicals and reasoning.

However, when doing NCLEX RN prep Qs, my experience made it harder for me to answer correctly.

I simply made myself accept the rationales given. Remember, it's NCLEX world, and not real life.,

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[windsurfer8, BSN, RN]

It doesn't matter if you think they are "ridiculous" as passing the NCLEX is required to become a Registered Nurse. So let that thought go and focus on successfully navigating the obstacle in front of you. Just because you "find" the answers are "irrelevant" does this mean you are correct? And if you are correct what does this have to do with anything? Maybe the "relevancy" is simply in passing the test.

I wouldn't even spend 5 seconds worrying about "relevancy" and would focus 100% to determine what is required and completing that task.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

You may be having trouble because your scope as a therapist is different than the scope of a psych nurse. The role is very, very different. I worked in psych before nursing school, but I was not a therapist. I found psych to be very easy because I had background knowledge of the illnesses and drugs, but I wasn't used to a role that is outside the scope of psych nursing.

For NCLEX style questions that stump you:

1. Use the process of elimination

2. Eliminate answers that state "always" or "never"

3. Eliminate 2 answers that are saying the same thing.

4. When doing a question that requires you to prioritize, safety is always the priority.

5. For psych, eliminate answers that suggest/tell the patient what to do, judge the patient, make statements about the patient's future, eg. "everything will be all right". Choose answers that validate patient's feelings and/or provide relevant information.

Look for patterns in what you are getting wrong.