This semester is giving me the smack down - failing another test

smf0903 · Oct 16, 2013

I don't know if this will help or not but I have been doing practice exams on *******. Every answer you can see what is the rationale. There are quite a few med-surg exams on there, with pharm embedded in many of the questions. Good luck to you!!

Summer Days · Oct 18, 2013

I cannot overemphasize how much practicing questions will not only improve your retention of the material, but also increase your chances of getting good grades. Want to pass? Practice. Want to practice? Find time. Unfortunately, there is no circumventing this. Much like PedsHopeful said, repetition is the way to go. You mentioned ATI, my school also uses ATI. There is a "practice assessment" section that I go to see how I am doing, you can give it a try. Youtube videos are excellent; there are some that explain concepts way much better and easier than the books. Another thing too, learn the test taking strategies and things will get a bit easier. Here are a few examples that I abide by:

A) If you come to a question, you want to know if it’s an expected outcome or unexpected outcome. If it’s an expected outcome, your answer choice will either be to continue to monitor or document the findings. If the outcome is unexpected, you will either do an intervention that will make a positive difference or call the doctor.

B) Stable and unstable patient: if you know the patient is unstable pick an answer that you know if you do not do may result in the patient dying.

C) Know your ABCs. Know your Maslow hierarchy of needs

D) Assess before you act (implement). Do you have all the information (assess) before implementation? If you do not know what is going on with the patient, you must first assess (do not call the doctor)! The exception to this rule is if the patient is in distress, you will not assess. You either take an action that will make a (positive) difference or call the doctor.

E) Before you call the doctor try to collect all the information (assess). Absolutely no doctor wants a phone call at 0200 and when he/she asks you a question you are unable to answer.

F) Always do the least invasive intervention first. Then reassess. This also holds true for giving the lowest dose of medicine first.

G) Never trust hearsay! Go and assess your patient first. (Refer to D & E)

H) Always empower your patients. This means allowing them independence to do their ADLs if they are capable of it. The exception to this rule is if the patient is depressed you will do the action for them.

I) Do not delegate unstable patients to LVN or NAP. Do not also delegate a task that is within the NAP's scope to an LVN.

J) Sometimes it’s eliminating the answer choice you know is false. If a word/phrase in an answer choice is wrong/false, the whole answer choice is wrong/false no matter how true you think it feels.

K) How to approach Select All That Apply questions:

a) Do not panic

b) Forget that it is a “select all that apply”. Most students have a negative reaction to this type of question

c) These are really a series of true/false questions all put in one question

d) Read the stem carefully and thoroughly before looking at the options

e) Look at each option one by one and answer true of false

f) Eliminate as many false choices as you can

g) Consider each remaining options and select those that correctly answer the question

L) Read all the answer choices. As you read each answer choice don’t stop reading if you think you found the correct one

M) Go with your gut. If you are the kind that's prone to erasing answers that were correct after the fact, use a pencil without an eraser.

N) Does an answer option allow the nurse to act within the scope of nursing practice? For example the nurse does not order labs, supplies or medication. We can ask the physician to order them

O) Understand that you don’t have to be an expert you just have to be familiar with the material.

P) “Most effective” means all the time, wouldn’t make the difference what the setting is.

Q) You gotta think what you want to do Right Now (Priority: do no harm) If you can only do one thing, what’s that one thing you can do that will prevent injury! (E.g. patient using accessory muscles with oxygen saturation of 94.5% or patient trying to climb out of the side rails!

R) As a nurse you address the situation when you are asked (by the patient), you never pass it to the doctor (for example "that is something you should ask the doctor")

Well that's it. Wish you all the best. Study smart, not hard.

ArrowRN, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2013

Just to update for anyone following my Med surg 1 terrors. I finally passed and on my way to being successful in the course. I'll probably write an article on this at the end of the semester because MedSurg 1 is one of the areas where all knowledge has to come together . Also its one of the courses that ends the careers of many nursing students.

I did lots of reciting and recording my own voice. I recorded several pencasting templates to explain things to myself.It was time consuming but I'm getting faster at it and it will be easy to study for my final test. Once I get good at it, I might start posting my pencasts to youtube to help other students. Also go through each lecture slide and make sure you understand it, make additions to the slide for easy review so you wont have to go back to the text.

In addition I did maybe 200 practice questions from various sources such as the Medsurg Success and Rn pedia , also used reviews and rationales and Saunders and Kaplan exam prep to help learn the "meat" of the content I really need to know. The Kaplan exam prep is really basic but I like it. Finals in 3 weeks.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2013

Just to update for anyone following my Med surg 1 terrors. I finally passed and on my way to being successful in the course. I'll probably write an article on this at the end of the semester because MedSurg 1 is one of the areas where all knowledge has to come together . Also its one of the courses that ends the careers of many nursing students.
I did lots of reciting and recording my own voice. I recorded several pencasting templates to explain things to myself.It was time consuming but I'm getting faster at it and it will be easy to study for my final test. Once I get good at it, I might start posting my pencasts to youtube to help other students. Also go through each lecture slide and make sure you understand it, make additions to the slide for easy review so you wont have to go back to the text.
In addition I did maybe 200 practice questions from various sources such as the Medsurg Success and Rn pedia , also used reviews and rationales and Saunders and Kaplan exam prep to help learn the "meat" of the content I really need to know. The Kaplan exam prep is really basic but I like it. Finals in 3 weeks.

And I notice there's no more "I didn't have time to put the work in." :) Good on ya.

ArrowRN, BSN, RN · Nov 20, 2013

I literally spent hours on it, like 12-16 hours for the past week, with short breaks of course and 4-5 hours sleep but it was worth it. Once I put the time in I got the results I needed. All of my tests need to average 75% like most nursing schools, to be successfully and I got it up to 73%. So their is hope for me yet.

ArrowRN, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2013

Well it's been a stressful semester but thanks to some awesome classmates and hard work studying I was able to pass all my finals and raise my averages above 75%...Yep this means I passssed my 3rd semester. "Nursing Student 2015" thanks tonnes for your tips and for everyone else who helped me through my darkest semester. I got all C's and I'm extremely happy with that..Best of all I'm officially a senior nursing student.

PedsHopeful · Dec 15, 2013

I REALLY wish my school's pass average was a 75%, for us its 85%. :no:

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Dec 16, 2013

The last part is the hardest. Don't think you've got it made in the shade-- keep looking for ways to be better, because you'll need them. Good luck!

Jacobyo · Dec 16, 2013

I used lots of youtube videos.