Traige questions. Why do you hate me? So much?

Published

Im currently studying for a 2nd attempt on NCLEX.

Last year when I took the test, i studied day an night for 2 straight months right after i graduated.

turned of my cable, twitter, fb, instagram and all that jazz!!!

I devoted my time to study. Had little to no time for family and friends, but i made them understand how much i needed to pass it.

All that aside, on the testing day, i felt confident yet nervous, excited but scared.

I felt that I was gonna pass as i answered the questions until...

the computer started asking me TRIAGE QUESTIONS!!!!!

IN:

-select all that applies

-who do you see first

-who do you see last

-alternative type questions

All repetitively and constantly coming at me!

I was sweating bullets.

I cant remember a single question but i know it went something like this:

"someone's dying, someones bleeding to death, someone is an inch from death, someone is about to jump into traffic and kill himself.

WHO DO YOU SEE FIRST?"

I am not exaggerating. This is how intense every question was:

"someone's having a heart-attack, someone's foot is severed, someone's having a respiratory depression, someone's has a stiff neck with headache. [This time while there is a tornado, a fire, a train-wreck, a tsunami, a fire on the 5th floor while you're in the 9th floor] Who do you see first?"

OR:

"They're all calling from home, who do you call back first?!"

I swear I AM NOT EXAGGERATING!

They used every possible disaster scenario in at least 40% of the test [i took it upto 185 questions, i think].

To be honest I was confused, because mostly all my options are correct and it's hard to pick out the "best" answer when all your patients are dying and in need of immediate medical attention. Why can't there be an option that says "pick one patient and call 3 other nurses to take care of the other 3 patients?"

Why can't I have questions like "a patient has these lab values, what do you do next?" or "a patient is experiencing nausea and has a low blood pressure, and lithium levels reveal that the patient is toxic, what color lipstick should she wear?" idk. lol

Anyhoo... wow this makes me feel better expressing all the bottled up frustrations.

I'm not bitter, it just felt unfair. reviewing again now, everything seems easier with a few "oooh i didn't know that"s. I also found religion again, so prayers and daily affirmations are definitely working! xoxo

PS:

I cant find a book or website or even a blog that is dedicated on answering "prioritization" or triage in the hospital, clinic or disaster, because i'm sure that prioritization in those places are different. or not? Anyone know of any?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Caring4you.net have some free resources that is very helpful. All the best to you Bioncabase. Happy and Successful New Year to you and your family.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Actually, there's a lot of info out there on triage. Emergency Medicine in particular has written the book (and most of the protocols) for triage, whether the scenario is pre-hospital, disaster-based, or occurring in an ER. As physiology doesn't vary by location, the triage process is standardized across the board.

This is a fairly simple line of questioning if you are familiar with even the most basic principle of triage, which is the ABCs:

1. Airway

2. Breathing

3. Circulatory

"someone's dying, someones bleeding to death, someone is an inch from death, someone is about to jump into traffic and kill himself.

WHO DO YOU SEE FIRST?"

Well, you'd have to get more specific about the "dying" and "inch from death" contenders, but your bleeding to death comes before suicidal ideation.

"someone's having a heart-attack, someone's foot is severed, someone's having a respiratory depression, someone's has a stiff neck with headache.

Respiratory depression first. You could make the argument that your MI should be seen first, too, if respiratory depression or a compromised airway is present, but generally speaking, you need to see respiratory depression first. Then MI & severed foot (circulatory compromise), then headache.

In pre-hospital settings (and frequently in disasters), a tag system is used:

  • Red tags - (immediate) are used to label those who cannot survive without immediate treatment but who
    have a chance of survival.
  • Yellow tags - (observation) for those who require observation (and possible later re-triage).
    Their condition is stable for the moment and, they are not in immediate danger
    of death. These victims will still need hospital care and would be treated
    immediately under normal circumstances.
  • Green tags (wait) are reserved for the "walking wounded" who will
    need medical care at some point, after more critical injuries have been treated.
  • White tags - (dismiss) are given to those with minor injuries for whom a doctor's care is not
    required.
  • Black tags - (expectant) are used for the deceased and for those
    whose injuries are so extensive that they will not be able to survive given the
    care that is available.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

PDA (Prioritization, Delegation and Assignment) by LaCharity is a great resource for those types of questions. Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Caring4you.net have some free resources that is very helpful. All the best to you Bioncabase. Happy and Successful New Year to you and your family.

Thanks ill look at it

xo

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in School Nursing.

I got a TON of prioritizing questions (took the exam today).. I didn't get any delegation questions. In fact, I really felt like the prioritizing was the bulk of my exam..

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks.

Ive actually gone thru those already and you are correct.

At that time of test taking, i was just too overwhelmed since i havent experienced those types of questions and thye just bombarded me with it over and over, which made it harder for me.

thanks for your reply tho!

xo

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I got a TON of prioritizing questions (took the exam today).. I didn't get any delegation questions. In fact, I really felt like the prioritizing was the bulk of my exam..

How did you feel as you go through the prioritization questions?

did you feel like they really wanna make that you know how to prioritize by asking you the same types of questions?

And i sincerely hope you pass!! :]

did you do the Pearson vue trick? or does ur state boards have same-day result thingy?

let me know!!!

xoxox

Up Vote Up Vote ×
PDA (Prioritization, Delegation and Assignment) by LaCharity is a great resource for those types of questions. Good luck!

Hey thanks!

ill go thru that as well!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
How did you feel as you go through the prioritization questions?

did you feel like they really wanna make that you know how to prioritize by asking you the same types of questions?

I'm aware this wasn't directed at me, but I felt compelled to reply.

Triaging and prioritizing are not just handy tricks up your sleeve to have just in case you find yourself in a mass casualty incident or working in an ER.

You need those skills every day. You need them when your 85-year-old male patient feels some tightness in his chest, your 35-year-old female patient wants her pain meds, your 45-year-old male patient popped a suture and is actively bleeding, and your 50-year-old COPD patient is having difficulty breathing.

Who do you see first? How do you decide? How do you justify that decision? Are you using a system based on acuity (your COPDer with dyspnea) or are you catering to the whims of a demanding patient (the pain med patient) instead of looking at the big picture?

These are all very real and very relevant questions to your practice in any setting where you have multiple patients to tend to at once, and often times, you won't have a chance to sit down, map out your options and then decide. You need to be familiar with how to prioritize/triage so that if you find yourself in a scenario like the one above, you don't get flustered and make the wrong decision.

Ingrain this concept in your consciousness. Practice it. Make peace with the idea and master it, because you won't leave this behind with the NCLEX--you'll see this soon in real life.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in School Nursing.
How did you feel as you go through the prioritization questions?

did you feel like they really wanna make that you know how to prioritize by asking you the same types of questions?

And i sincerely hope you pass!! :]

did you do the Pearson vue trick? or does ur state boards have same-day result thingy?

let me know!!!

xoxox

Exactly how you felt! lol

I had between 80 and 90 questions (I wasn't watching the counter question by question) and I have the 'good' pop-up. I'm not convinced anymore the trick works.. lol I'm praying.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i love u!

xo

u make a lot of sense

thank you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion