gjudy

Sad to say, I do know of someone that had the computer turn off at 85 and they failed....they had trouble answering questions right from the start. That is very rare...but it did happen.

My advice... ~look at your grades from PN school - what did you do well in, what did you not do well in. Focus on the units of study that gave you a hard time then do the easy areas last. ~don't forget to look at your anatomy grades too - NCLEX questions can evaluate your knowledge of anatomy through different types of questions ~know nursing interventions for the different disorders/diseases you learned about. All nurses must be good at figuring out what to do to help the patient through their situation - and interventions are the key. Years ago the answer "call the doctor" or "notify the supervisor" would be THE answers...now, the LPN must know what to do to help the patient before (or at the same time) you are calling for help ~ pharm is a toss up - look at common endings of the generic names of drugs - these are clues to you regarding their classifictaion Ex: -- pril endings are ACE inhibitors, -sone endings tend to be steroids...If you can do this, then even if they throw a drug at you that you never heard of, you may be able to figure the answer out ~ EAT before taking the test - your brain energy source is glucose...you need food in order to keep your brain snappy ~ before you answer a question - put yourself in the question - and review the disorder/disease/pharm classification in your head BEFORE you choose an answer. These ideas might help...and get a good review guide. I hear Saunders is hard - so that's the book you want. If you can do the hard questions, you can get through the exam. Goodluck to you!

Hi - so sorry about your first LPN experience...working as a "real" nurse can certainly be a culture shock...One thing I would like to share - and that is, when you interview for a job -- no matter where it is....interview the facility too. Most give new grads a quick 3 day orientation - and then they "throw" you "to the wolves". Look for facilities that provide shadowing experiences, lengthy orientations, mentorships....here in our area there are a few places that will work with the new grad nurse over several weeks. Any place that would put you - and your residents - at risk - is one to be avoided. Also, when working - organize and prioritize your work...make a daily jot sheet....watch your time and challenge yourself to "beat" your time. Delegate too...teach your CNA's about things that can make their and your workload easier. Your CNA's can be your best friends....tell them ahead of time that you will be doing a dressing so that they get the patient ready for you...same thing with medications. Whatever you do, stay away from corner cutting....do it right --> or the wrong will catch you sooner or later! Take care - keep your chin up...there is a place for you out there....and sometimes it may be in another area besides LTC....Think outside the box!:redpinkhe

Hmmm...not me - my only trip to Brooklyn was an Sept 10, 2001...

Hi Anjoon - You are certainly right when you say it is hard to critically think through nursing school questions. I tell my PN students to picture themselves standing at the bedside - and that puts them right where the action of the question is. Sometimes trying to picture yourself there - in the question - helps. Also, another hint that may help is that when you read the question - read the question first - don't look at any choices - just read the question - and think of what the question is asking, think about the disease or problem - such as if its for anatomy, think of the anatomy - in the question - and start to recall info you were taught about the disease, anatomy etc... review it for a moment or two...then look at the choices. Also, always remember ABC (airway, breathing circulation) and maslow's hierarchy of needs - those two things can often help you prioritize your answer...they are priorities (what is important)...gjudy