Test taking ABC's life threatening priorities or How to read a book efficiently. -HELP

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · May 11, 2015

Prioritizing is simply about knowing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and going from there. You look at physiologic, then safety, and go on up the pyramid I think to self-actualization at the top. If all the needs are physiologic, look at other things like airway and electrolytes. If the airway is not clear, they can't breathe, then they die. Sodium and Potassium levels are extremely important. Look at what can happen if any of those are off. Learn how to prioritize now, because in MedSurg II there is going to be way more of it. Each semester the questions go from knowledge to advanced application and critical thinking skills. Reading the chapter word for word is not going to help you prioritize. You need to look at what that patient needs at that moment. What is their assessment telling you? That is how you prioritize.

Natasha A., CNA, LVN · May 11, 2015

Thank you Heathermaizey. So highest priority are life threatening right such as ABC, electrolytes. Where does uncontrolled bleeding and positioning the patient fall into maslow? or nutrition or suctioning? which one in physio comes first?

Also, how can I learn to skim the chapters and get good at picking out the "must know" stuff abc/maslow from the factual info while reading the chapter? How can I improve on coming up with possible test questions and have that 'ah hah' moment while reading and say to myself: "this will be a great test question because I read through the factual information and saw a life threatening information"

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · May 11, 2015

This is all part of learning to "think like a nurse". Maslow is a good mental model for lots of decisions. When it comes to determining a priority for 'positioning' - it depends upon why you're re-positioning. If it's for comfort, then it's toward the top of the heirarchy (low priority). But if you're re-positioning to prevent possible aspiration or take pressure off the umbilical cord for a laboring patient with decels.... it would be high priority because it would be a life-support measure to support airway (aspiration) or neonatal circulation.

Everyone learns at a different pace. If it takes you 5 hours to read & understand, then that's how much time you need to devote to it. It's OK to listen to other students' advice on study skills, but keep in mind that these techniques may not be appropriate for you. Also - some students may be exaggerating their abilities in order to impress colleagues... "Yeah, I only skim the material in about 30 minutes. I guess I'm a fast learner"

Me? I'm a compulsive highlighter also. In fact, I actually used a color-code system for some courses - LOL. But the key is to stop reading every couple of minutes and just think... recall what you have just read and make sure that you really understand it. Draw a picture to illustrate complex ideas. It's a neuro-biological fact... Unless you do this, the information will not move into your long term memory. Learning takes effort. But if you do it right, it'll be stuck in there forever. Case in point - I can still explain the Krebs Cycle, and it's been a looooong time since I had to do that for a class.

esipbisn · May 11, 2015

Out of curiousity, what was your color code?

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · May 11, 2015

Thank you Heathermaizey. So highest priority are life threatening right such as ABC, electrolytes. Where does uncontrolled bleeding and positioning the patient fall into maslow? or nutrition or suctioning? which one in physio comes first?
Also, how can I learn to skim the chapters and get good at picking out the "must know" stuff abc/maslow from the factual info while reading the chapter? How can I improve on coming up with possible test questions and have that 'ah hah' moment while reading and say to myself: "this will be a great test question because I read through the factual information and saw a life threatening information"

It depends on what else is going on at that moment. Does your school utilize ATI at all? We do and we got books for every subject at the beginning of the program. I'm like you where I try to think of what would make a good test question. I try to anticipate what is going to be on the test and how they might ask. Right before every test, usually the night before or morning of, I would open up my ATI book and look at the chapters that corresponded with what we learned and I would read those chapters and I would do the questions at the end of each chapter. Doing those questions kind of got me into nursing school test thinking mode. It would make me switch into nurse thinking right before each test. It's something that really helped me.

I still sometimes have problems prioritizing but I have got much better at it by thinking about Maslow. It's something my instructors stress. I had my ah ha moment at the beginning of this semester. It was like all of the sudden it clicked in my head. This was my second semester. Some people had that moment earlier than me, and some people are still struggling with it. I also have a couple of apps on my phone that I like to use. They just throw out some nursing questions at you and you have to answer quickly because it times you. The app is called Nursing IQ. It has a lot of medsurg questions in it.

Good luck!! You will get there. It just takes some time and figuring out how you learn and study the best. I know of people who just seem to retain everything the instructors say and get As on everything. That is not me. But I know people who do nothing but study and they still do terrible on the tests. And I feel for them because I know they put their heart and soul into this and are having a really hard time. I'm somewhere in the middle. And that is ok with me. :yes:

Moriah02 · May 11, 2015

You should go to you tube. There is a website called simple nursing. He has lots of nursing videos and he breaks down prioritizing.

NuGuyNurse2b · May 12, 2015

don't fall into the trap of ABC's, cause it's backfired on me on several exam questions. Really know your prioritization. Like in one of our exam, the question was on end of life care, and it described the labored breathing pattern (you had to know that this was the so-called "death rattle" aka cheyne stroke respiration), so the choices were give O2, give pain medication, and 2 other distractors. using ABC you'd pick the O2. It was the wrong option. Cause the patient's dying, ABC's wouldn't be the priority in this case.

Natasha A., CNA, LVN · May 13, 2015

thanks everyone.. I have a question which is higher priority infection or oxygen? also what is an example of tissue perfusion?

esipbisn · May 13, 2015

If you don't have oxygen, you can't breathe so oxygen.

loving2024, BSN, RN · May 13, 2015

If you don't have oxygen, you can't breathe so oxygen.

Oxygen is not always the right answer to every question.

esipbisn · May 13, 2015

I know it isn't but it is most of the time and then if you look at the rationale and oxygenation is involved, it will most likely be the right answer. That's my test taking experience