NCLEX-RN For Dummies with Online Practice Tests

Rhoda L. Sommer, RN, MSN Ed, spent 28 years in patient care before beginning a second career teaching and serving as a private tutor for nursing students preparing for the NCLEX-RN.Patrick R. Coonan, EdD, RN, CNAA, is the former Dean of the College of Nursing and Public Health at Adelphi University.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 2Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 3Part 1: Demystifying the Complexity of the NCLEX-RN 5Chapter 1: Meet the NCLEX-RN: Your Ticket to Getting a License 7The Big Deal behind the Big Exam 7You Must Remember This: Nursing Basics to Know by Heart 8The NCLEX-RN — Not Your Average CAT Scan! 9Thinking the NCLEX-RN Way 10Getting to the root of the question 10Navigating the grand inquisition, or the integrated exam 11Avoiding test-taking missteps 12Finding the real question behind the long scenario 13Keeping your cool when answering select-all-that-apply questions 13When All Is Said and Done 14Hey, nurse? Yeah, you! 14So, you failed — it’s not the end of the world 14Chapter 2: Preparing for T-Day: Paperwork and Whatnot 17How Long Should I Wait after I Graduate? Deciding When to Test 17Applying to Take the NCLEX-RN 18Completing the application process 18Paying your dues 19Hitting a bump: Potential problems with the licensure application 19Scheduling the Time and Place 21Planning Ahead for the Big Day 22Help, My Car Won’t Start! Rescheduling the Test 24Chapter 3: The NCLEX-RN Blueprint 25Considering the Four Main Categories of Client Needs 25Client need #1: Safe and effective care environment 26Client need #2: Health promotion and maintenance 28Client need #3: Psychosocial integrity 28Client need #4: Physiological integrity 30Queuing Up Question Types 32Putting knowledge into action: Application questions 33Becoming an assessor: Evaluation questions 34Slipping into Sherlock’s shoes: Analysis questions 34Getting creative: Synthesizing and creating questions 35Exercising individuality: Alternate test questions 35Chapter 4: Buffing Up: Study Tips and Test-Taking Strategies 43Setting Up an NCLEX-RN Study Schedule 44Identifying Your Weak Points and Hitting the Books 45Remembering Dear Maslow and His Needs 47Applying the Nursing Process in Test Questions 48Assessing the situation 49Analyzing the situation 51Planning your actions 52Implementing care 54Evaluating your actions 55Dissecting the Questions and Finding Keywords 57Pinpointing the keywords 58Putting the keywords in context 59Developing Critical-Thinking Strategies 60Knowing the expected outcomes 60Finding the elusive question topic 61Making an educated guess 62Picking the best answer when you’re completely clueless 62Knowing how to prioritize when all the answers are right 64Avoiding Test Question Pitfalls 67Don’t read into the question 67Read the whole question and reword it 68Eliminate wrong answers 68Try not to predict answers 69Part 2: Testing Your Knowledge of Client Needs 71Chapter 5: Management of Care 73First Things First: Knowing Your Patient’s Rights 73You must heed prearranged treatment options 74All lips must remain sealed 75Information and technology changes 76Nothing happens without informed consent 76Ethical decisions don’t require your opinion 77Rallying the Troops: Managing Care 78Assuring the quality of patient care 78Prioritizing when your hands are full: Group care 79Tailoring care for each patient: Case management 80Collaborating with other medical team members 81Getting others to lend a hand: Delegation 82Recognizing Legal Rights and Nursing Responsibilities 84Knowing Where to Get the Support You Need 86Keeping up with education and training 86Expecting adequate supervision 87Making referrals 88Chapter 6: Safety and Infection Control 89Preventing Accidents and Injuries 89Using electrical equipment safely 90Keeping clients from falling 91Disaster Planning and Emergency Response 92Sounding the alarm: When fires break out 93Responding to terrorism or bioterrorism 95Keeping Infectious Bugs at Bay 95Maintaining medical and surgical purity 95Differentiating among the types of infection precautions 97Handling hazardous and infectious materials 100Keeping Clients Down in a Way That Lifts Them Up 101Accidents Happen: Knowing the Next Steps and Preparing an Incident Report 103Code Pink: Understanding the Protocol for Infant Abduction 104Chapter 7: Health Promotion and Maintenance 107Surveying the Stages of Growth and Development 107For children 108For normal pregnancy and the birth of newborns 110For older adults 111To Your Clients’ Health! Promoting Well-Being 111Creating and Implementing Care Plans 112Assessing your patient’s physical condition 112Teaching patients from the moment of introduction 114Understanding and explaining screening tests 116Handling High-Risk Behavior and Alternate Lifestyle Choices 117Preparing Patients to Leave Your Care 118Helping patients take care of themselves 118Embracing the family system 118Chapter 8: Psychosocial Integrity 121Looking beyond the Surface: Factors That Influence Behavior 121Behavioral basics: Important development theories 122The spice of life: Cultural and family diversity 123Coping, Counseling, and Crisis Intervention 124Dealing with defense mechanisms 125Talking through troubles 126Teaching stress management 128Helping Patients through Grief and Loss 129Caring for Patients with Abuse Issues 130Recognizing different types of abuse 130Identifying stages of substance abuse 131Chapter 9: Basic Care and Comfort 133Giving Patients First What They Need Most 133Ensuring Adequate Nutrition and Hydration 134Identifying the building blocks of nutrition 135Modifying your patient’s diet 135Recognizing malnutrition 136Administering tube feedings 138Hydrating your patient 138Resting Easy, Sleeping Soundly 139Keeping ’em Clean: Personal Hygiene 140Understanding the Process of Elimination 142Measuring your patient’s urinary health 142Keeping bowels healthy 144Wading through Irrigations 145Providing Holistic Care with Alternative and Complementary Medicine 147Decreasing Pain without Pills 148Helping Patients Get Around (and What to Do if They Can’t) 149Training patients to use crutches, walkers, and canes 149Avoiding complications from immobility 150Chapter 10: Meditating on Meds: Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies 153Remembering the Factors You Must Verify before Giving Meds 153Medicating Patients Safely 155Assessing before medicating 155Calculating dosages 156Recognizing the effects of meds 159Answering questions about unfamiliar meds 161Using Medicine to Manage Pain 162Giving Meds and More with a Stick and a Poke: Parenteral Therapy 165Solving the puzzle of solutions 165Providing med therapy all in vein 168Hanging blood and blood products 169Chapter 11: Reduction of Risk 173Interpreting Lab Results without a Hitch 173Separating the oozing red stuff 174Looking closely at immunity defenders 178Examining pee (ha-ha) 179Recognizing the Main Diagnostic Assessments 180The daily routine: Checking vital signs 180Respiratory tests 181Cardiovascular tests 183Gastrointestinal tests 184Musculoskeletal tests 184Neurological tests 184Being Ready for the Bumps: Complications with Testing and Treating 185Taking stock of diagnostic risks 186Preventing postsurgical complications 186Taking a Load Off: Therapeutic Procedures and Diagnostic Tests 190Administering Conscious Sedation Safely 193Chapter 12: Physiological Adaptation 195Understanding What’s Normal So You Know What Isn’t 195The water of life: Accounting for fluid 196Getting the right pH: The key to acid-base balance 198Keeping an eye on respiratory health — the sum of water and pH 199Monitoring hemodynamics 201Anticipating the Results of Imbalance 202Knowing what to do when the body systems are out of whack 202Looking down the road to infection 204Pathophysiology: Recognizing and Managing Illness and Disease 205Houston, we have a problem: Focusing on microsystems 206Doing damage control of the medical kind 208Taking a Patient for Tests and Therapy 208Facing an MRI, the hot potato of medical tests 209Handling therapies, from dialysis to radiation 209Part 3: Just What You Were Looking For: A Full-Length Practice Test 213Chapter 13: A Story of Blood, Chills, and Pain: A Practice NCLEX-RN 215Chapter 14: The Answers to All Your Questions (and Explanations to Boot) 257Answers and Explanations 258Answer Key 284Part 4: The Part of Tens 287Chapter 15: Ten Myths about the NCLEX-RN 289Length Matters 289Every Question Counts 290Computer Savvy Is Essential 290You Can’t Stop ’til You’re Done 290The Test Plays Off Your Weakness 290You Have to Wait Eons to Retake a Failed Test 291Your First Instinct Is Probably Wrong 291The Same Question Popped Up Twice 292Your Test Schedule Chooses You 292Choice (3) Is the Magic Answer, and Other Multiple-Choice Fails 292Chapter 16: Ten Common Phrases Found in NCLEX-RN Questions 293Assessment and Priority 293Diagnosis 294Planning and Assigning Care 295The Teaching Plan 296Outcomes and Goals 296Best Response 297Priority Action 298Interventions 298Further Teaching 299Chapter 17: Ten Rules to Remember When Prepping for the NCLEX-RN 301Read Each Question in Its Entirety 301Don’t Read into the Question 302Answer Questions with the Ideal Situation in Mind 302Avoid Changing Your Answers 302Don’t Call the Doctor until You’re Sure You Need To 303Avoid Answers That Make You Choose All or Nothing 303Don’t Memorize Facts, Questions, or Other Useless Trivia 303Don’t Think You Can Be Ready without Hard Work 304Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses 304Be Kind to Yourself 305Part 5: Appendixes 307Appendix A: Additional Info about Exam and Licensing Logistics 309Identifying Individual State and Territory Licensing Requirements 310Testing and Licensing Information Arranged by State and U.S Territory 310Alabama 311Alaska 311American Samoa 312Arizona 312Arkansas 312California 313Colorado 313Connecticut 314Delaware 314District of Columbia 315Florida 315Georgia 316Guam 316Hawaii 316Idaho 317Illinois 317Indiana 318Iowa 318Kansas 319Kentucky 319Louisiana 320Maine 320Maryland 321Massachusetts 321Michigan 322Minnesota 322Mississippi 322Missouri 323Montana 323Nebraska 324Nevada 324New Hampshire 325New Jersey 325New Mexico 326New York 326North Carolina 327North Dakota 327Northern Mariana Islands 328Ohio 328Oklahoma 328Oregon 329Pennsylvania 329Puerto Rico 330Rhode Island 330South Carolina 330South Dakota 331Tennessee 331Texas 332U.S Virgin Islands 333Utah 333Vermont 333Virginia 334Washington 334West Virginia 335Wisconsin 335Wyoming 336Appendix B: Information for International Nurses Moving to the United States 337Following the Two-Step Process for Becoming Eligible to Take the NCLEX-RN 338Getting a VisaScreen certificate 338Securing a CGFNS certificate 338Getting the NCLEX-RN go-ahead without a certificate 340Taking the NCLEX-RN Abroad 340Navigating Nursing Roles in the U.S 342Forming partnerships with clients 342Teaching and instructing 342Providing care 343Working with other professionals 343Getting Accustomed to U.S Cultural Values 343Communicating Therapeutically 344Practicing therapeutic communication 344Steering clear of nontherapeutic techniques 345Applying U.S Nursing Know-How to the NCLEX-RN 347Appendix C: Glossary of Nursing Terms 351Index 371