Nothing is impossible- the word itself says

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Nothing is impossible- the word itself says “I’m Possible”

NCLEX TIPS

1) Do not read into the question- never assume anything that has not been specifically mentioned (in the question) and do not add extra meaning or history to the question—do not make up a story to validate choosing an answer 2) NCLEX land is set at Utopia General Hospital- you have all the time, all  the resources, and all the staff you need!3)Least invasive to most invasive – least restrictive to most restrictive (restraints are rarely a good choice) 4) Avoid using absolutes- always, never, must, etc.5) Assess the client first before implementing a treatment or action—if there’s a choice that pertains to assessment of the patient—it is the usually answer – assess unless in distress 6) Priority goes to assessments and answers that deal with the patient (patient-focused) directly and not with machines/monitors/equipment (unless the question is specifically asking about them)

a.Ex: Auscultate fetal heart rate before checking the monitor

7)If it is the time doing something for or with the patient (such as FIRST vital signs upon admission to the floor/unit, or when a transfer is involved), the must complete the assessment- including vital NURSE signs 8) If patient is an adult, answers with family options can be ruled out (unless patient is not competent to make own decisions) 9) In emergency situations (mass casualty), patients with greater chance to live are treated first 10)If you are asked about the action you would take in a FIRST

prioritization/discrimination question think: “If I can only do one

action, and then I must go home, what will the outcome be?” 11)Therapeutic communication- reflect feelings and provide correct information 12)Do not ask “why” questions (or yes/no) and do not say “I understand”

13)An answer that delays care or treatment is usually wrong (Ex: reassess in

15 minutes, monitor the patient for a continuation of symptoms) 14)When determining interventions to enhance a client’s wellness, consider options that promote healthy nutrition, regular exercise, proper weight maintenance, proper rest, and avoidance of harmful chemicals (nicotine) and risk-taking behaviors (not wearing a seat belt) 15)If two of the answer choices are the exact opposite, one is probably the answer (ie. bradycardia, tachycardia)

16)If two or three answers are similar, none are correct (*be careful—sometimes answers may seem similar but in fact are saying something different) 17)Always look for the option—one that is a broad universal UMBRELLA statement and usually contains the concepts of the other options with it—often the correct answer 18)If you have never heard of an answer—do not eliminate it—work around it…if you can safely eliminate all other answers, that is your answer—if you are down to two answers and you know one answer is right, go with what you know 19)Prioritize problems over problems actual potential 20)DO NOT leave the patient – think safety 21)DO NOT “do nothing”- you always have to do something 22)If the question is about endorsement—always report anything new or different to the next shift 23)Only select “ ” if the assessment is normal document 24)Put patients with the same or similar diagnoses in the same room-clean vs.dirty patients 25)Never increase a patient’s fluids to “catch up” 26)Answer SATA questions as true or false for each answer option 27)Rephrase the question in your own words—this ensures you understand what the question is asking—if you cannot rephrase the question, you do not know what the topic is 28)If you cannot determine the topic of the question, read all answer choices to help you understand the problem (look for patterns) 29)Try not to determine the answer before reading the answer choices—NCLEX uses traps and answers that scream “pick me” but are wrong 30)More often than not, will not be your answer -- pain is considered pain psychosocial—exception to this rule are signs and symptoms of compartment syndrome 31)Try to focus on the and as much as possible here now 32)With positioning questions- you are trying to prevent or promote something—evaluate the outcome of each option 33)When the question asks what is —think ESSENTIAL SAFETY 34)If you do not know what a word means, try to break it down using medical terminology

a.Ex: Rhabdomyosarcoma – muscle (myo), tumor (sarcoma) →

tumor of the muscle tissue b.Same idea applies to medications- use suffixes and prefixes to recognize classifications 35)Make an educated guess—if you can’t make the best answer for a question after carefully reading it, choose the answer with the most information 36)When in doubt, SAFETY

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“Keep them breathing, keep them safe”

Prioritization Techniques ●Prioritize vs. (life before limb) systemiclocal ●Prioritize before chronic acute  ●Prioritize before future problems actual potential ●Prioritize according to Maslow’s- needs before psychosocial physiological  (acute safety can take priority- ATI) ●Recognize and respond to trends vs. transient findings (recognizing a gradual deterioration) ●Recognize signs of emergencies and complications vs. “expected client findings” ●Apply clinical knowledge to procedural standards to determine the priority action- recognizing that the timing of administration of antidiabetic and antimicrobial medications is more important than administration of some other medications

How to tackle- WHO DO YOU SEE FIRST- questions:

●Who is your most stable patient? ELIMINATE ANSWER ●Who is your most stable patient (of the 3 remaining)? ELIMINATE

ANSWER

●Who is your most unstable patient (of the 2 remaining)? Airway?Breathing? Circulation? SELECT ANSWER

Transmission-Based Precautions

AIRBORNE

MTV M- measles T- TB V- Varicella (chicken pox), varicella zoster (disseminated shingles)

*Private room- negative pressure with 6-12 air exchanges/hr, mask, N95

Chicken pox can be rapidly transmitted to other clients—should be isolated quickly and placed in negative pressure room

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