Study Strategies & Test Taking Skills

1. Study Strategies & Test Taking Skills Ryan Rickley, SN Kristie Panas, SN NUSNA Peer Mentor Program

2. Goals • Learn study strategies for success • How to read a NCLEX style question • How to answer a NCLEX style question • Q&A’s @ END

3. studying

5. You’re not in Kansas anymore • Read, Read, Read, Regurgitate. • Those days are gone. • Read. Check. Apply. Repeat. • Welcome to Nursing School.

6. Read • There are a lot of books. I get it. I read them too. • Saunder’s NCLEX-RN Comprehensive Review • ATI Online Books • ATI Comprehensive NCLEX-RN Review • Our Textbooks…

7. Read • What stands out? • What are the CALL to attention items? • What affects patient safety? • What are the charts? • CRITICAL information is always clear as day!

8. Check • HOW do you KNOW what you KNOW? • Q&A • Switching it up • Explaining the WHY

9. Apply • Apply it everywhere you can. • SPEAK UP in class • ASK questions early and often • Use what you’ve learned in clinical (MAKE IT HAPPEN!) • Q&A • Rewrite your notes. Look things up. Write the WHY’s down. • ATI Practice Exams • Flashcards • Make comparison/contrast charts

10. Repeat • This part is actually the hardest step, if you ask me. • Keep going. Don’t think “I know enough”. Do you? • Look at all the resources. Are you ready? • ATI • NCLEX Review • Q&A

11. Be SMART • Remember this from Assessment? • Specific: What will you study? • Measureable: How will you know you learned the content? • Achievable: Is your plan achievable? • Realistic: Even with all your other work? ;) • Timely: When will you do what?

12. Be SMART • Remember this from Assessment? • Specific: Phone book chapters, ATI Chapters • Measureable: Fundes Success Q&A • Achievable: I have the tools, and I have set out the time. • Realistic: I can’t read everything, so I choose these tools. • Timely: Mapped out on my calendar which days/time for studying, and what I’ll study

13. Test taking: Reading

14. Each question has 3 parts • The STEM • The stem is the question itself. • The Case • The Patient condition, or scenario you are being faced with • The Answer • The answer is amongst the four choices. The other options are called the “distractors.”

15. STEM, CASE, Distractors A nurse is performing a skin assessment on a client. Which of the following should the nurse consider expected findings? (Select all that apply.) • A. No clubbing noted • B. Capillary refill less than 2 seconds • C. 3+ pitting edema in feet bilaterally • D. Numerous light brown macules, < 3 mm in size, located on nose and cheeks • E. Shiny and thin skin without hair on shins

16. Reading carefully is… • Looking FOR your DIRECTIONS • Rephrasing questions • Knowing your NCLEX language

17. Looking at your directions • Expected vs. unexpected findings • Which should the nurse do FIRST? • What action should the nurse anticipate? • What is the priority action of the nurse? • Whichintervention should the nurse anticipate? • What is the priority assessmentby the nurse? • Select all that APPLY!

18. TIPS • NO Absolutes • All, Always, Cannot, Every, Must, Never, None, Not, Only, Will Not • Choose Open Ended Words • Generally, May, Possibly, Usually • There are NO absolutes in nursing – you always use the nursing process to guide your practice

19. TIPS • Find the life-saving, or safest choice for your patient • Never leave your patient. Who is taking care of them? • Never delay care. You can always do something. • Always act as the BEST PATIENT ADVOCATE. • Don’t overthink it.

20. TIPS • Anticipating an order….Your scope of practice. • YOU ARE A NURSE! You don’t write orders. • You can ANTICIPATE an order • Ask yourself, is this the priority? • In other words, can you do something NOW? • Your client had a blood pressure reading of 175/90 • A. Check BP again in 15 minutes after letting them rest • B. Provide education on the hypertensive reading • C. Call the doctor for an order for PRN Labetalol • D. Refer the client to their primary care MD for follow up

21. Knowing your NCLEX language • A nurse is providing dietary instructions to a client about a low-fat diet. The nurse teaches the client to: • Never use butter for cooking. • Drink flavored beverages only if they are calorie free. • Eat only foods that have less than 1% fat content. • Read the labels on food items to determine the fat content.

22. Knowing your NCLEX language • Know your values, general concepts, and major ideas. • They’re looking for content knowledge,not memorization. • YOU ARE THE CHARGE NURSE. THE NURSE MANAGER. THE EVERYTHING BUT THE DOCTOR AND THE UAP!! • NCLEX writes the questions like you are the ONLY nurse, with all you need to help your patient. You still need orders from the doctor, which you can anticipate!

23. How to Answer a NCLEX Style Question

24. Start global • What do you know about the topic? • What’s the case? • What’s the stem? • Do I need a priority framework? • What do I know about this disease/lab value/system/etc. • Which answer BEST answers the question? • How do you know?.... • Ensure your answer addresses the stem.

25. We don’t guess– we eliminatedistractors.

26. Visualize the Case Sometimes this tool will come into play in other situations… • Learn disease processes by thinking of what they “look like” • Remember what to expect, by visualizing what that client would look like in your head. • Use it to play out a scenario, or answer complicated questions.

27. Select all that apply!!! You have to be systematic in your approach. • Read the stem/case. • Identify, “what is the question looking for.” • Answer each question as a “true” “false”. • Use your TOOLS! Don’t abandon what you know.

28. The umbrella answer In a telephone call from emergency medical services, a nurse in the emergency department is told that several victims who survived a plane crash and are suffering from cold exposure will be transported to the hospital. The initial nursing action of the ED nurse is which of the following: • Call the nursing supervisor to activate the emergency plan. • Supply the trauma rooms with bottles of sterile water and NS. • Call the ICU to request RN’s sent to the ED. • Call the laundry department to request additional linens.

29. Opposite answerspairs often eliminate distractors Which of the following findings would indicate development of a wound infection? • A. Decreased pulse rate • B. Increased pain • C. Decreased WBC count • D. Decreased pain

30. When to call the doctor • Always ASSESS before you INTERVENE • What appropriate nursing actions should be implemented BEFORE calling the doctor? • You’ve assessed and intervened and there’s nothing else you can do…NOW you can call the doctor

31. When to call the doctor • When you encounter something NOT expected with the normal disease process • The stem of the question has provided the assessment findings and you know they are ABNORMAL • To clarify a physician’s order you cannot read/understand

32. Priority Frameworks • ABC’s • ADPIE • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

33. Priority frameworks ABC’s • Airway • Assess; Positioning or Artificial • Breathing • Assess; Positioning, O2, Rx • Circulation • Assess; Positioning, IVF, Cardiac

34. Priority frameworks • Nursing Process: ADPIE Always Ask: Is this answer an assessment, diagnosis, intervention, etc. Does this answer make sense?

35. Priority frameworks

36. Wrap UP

37. Best Practices • One question at a time. • Take your time – use it wisely. • Trust your gut – don’t doubt yourself. • Think things out – consider all you know.

38. Q & A