NCLEX-RN Exam Cram (revised edition) - Softcover

Rinehart, Wilda; Sloan, Diann; Hurd, Clara

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9780789732699: NCLEX-RN Exam Cram (revised edition)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789732696 ISBN 13: 9780789732699

Publisher: Pearson Education, 2005

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Prepare for your NCLEX-RN� exam with the most targeted book on the market. The NCLEX-RN� Exam Cram blends the ideal level of discussion, drawings and tables into an easily digestible format that allows you to train at your own pace. You will also find notes, tips, exam alerts, skill highlights and the popular Cram Sheet tearcard, perfect for last-minute studying, included in this Exam Cram. 900 practice questions and three practice exams are printed in the book, plus many additional questions are available on the included CD-ROM, which will help you prepare for this Computer Adaptive Test. Pair this book with the NCLEX-RN� Practice Questions Exam Cram for additional practice. Written by three experienced and well-educated RNs, the NCLEX-RN� Exam Cram is your best way to study quicker and score higher.

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About the Author:

NCLEX-RN Exam CramAbout the Authors

Wilda Rinehart received her associate degree in nursing from Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, Mississippi. After working as a staff nurse and charge nurse, she became a public health nurse and served in that capacity for a number of years. In 1975, she received her Nurse Practitioner Certification in obstetric-gynecology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1979, she completed her bachelor's of science degree in nursing from Mississippi University for Women and the following year completed her master's degree in nursing from the same university. In 1980, Ms. Rinehart accepted a faculty position at Northeast Mississippi Community College where she has taught medical-surgical nursing and obstetrical nursing. In 1982, she founded Rinehart and Associates Educational Consults. For the past 22 years, she and her associates have worked with nursing graduates and schools of nursing to assist graduates to pass the National Council Licensure Exam for Nursing. She has also worked with faculty who want to improve their item writing skills and as a curriculum consultant. Ms. Rinehart has served as a convention speaker throughout the southeastern United States and as a reviewer of medical-surgical and obstetric text. She has coauthored NCLEX� review materials and is presently working on DVD and CD review programs. As president of Rinehart and Associates, she serves as coordinator of a company dedicated to improving the quality of health through nursing education.

Dr. Diann Sloan holds an associate degree in nursing from Northeast Mississippi Community College, a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Mississippi, and a master's degree in nursing from Mississippi University for Women. In addition to her nursing degrees, she holds a master of science in education degree in counseling psychology from Georgia State University and a doctor of philosophy degree in counselor education, with minors in both psychology and educational psychology, from Mississippi State University. She has completed additional graduate studies in healthcare administration at Western New England College and the University of Mississippi.

As a nurse educator, Dr. Sloan has taught pediatric nursing, psychiatric mental health nursing, and medical surgical nursing in both associate degree and baccalaureate nursing programs. As a member of Rinehart and Associates Nursing Review, Dr. Sloan has conducted test construction workshops for faculty and nursing review seminars for both registered and practical nurse graduates. She has coauthored materials used in the item writing workshops for nursing faculty and Rinehart and Associates Nursing Review. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society.

Clara Hurd is an associate degree nurse graduate of Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, Mississippi (1975). Her experiences in nursing are clinically based, having served as a staff nurse in medical-surgical nursing. She has worked as an oncology, intensive care, orthopedics, neurological, and pediatric nurse. She received her bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of North Alabama in Florence, Alabama, and her master's degree in nursing from the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi. She is currently serving as a nurse educator at Northeast Mississippi Community College teaching medical-surgical content. Ms. Hurd has taught in both associate degree and baccalaureate nursing programs. She was a faculty member of Mississippi University for Women; Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee; and Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee. Ms. Hurd joined Rinehart and Associates in 1993. She has worked with students in preparing for the National Council Licensure Exam and with faculty as a consultant in writing test items. Ms. Hurd has also been a presenter at nursing conventions on various topics, including item writing for nursing faculty. Her primary professional goal is to prepare the student and graduate for excellence in the delivery of healthcare.

NCLEX-RN Exam Cram

NCLEX-RN Exam Cram

Introduction

Welcome to the NCLEX-RN� Exam Cram

This book will help you get ready to take and pass the Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses. This introduction discusses the NCLEX� exam in general and how the Exam Cram can help you prepare for the test. It doesn't matter whether this is the first time you're going to take the exam or if you have taken it previously; this book gives you the necessary information and techniques to obtain licensure.

Exam Cram books help you understand and appreciate the subjects and materials you need to pass. The books are aimed at test preparation and review. They do not teach you everything you need to know about the subject of nursing. Instead they present you with materials you are likely to encounter on the exam. Using a simple approach, we will help you understand the need-to-know information. First, you will learn medical-surgical content, psychiatric content, obstetric content, and pediatric content, with an emphasis on pharmacology, skills, and treatment of these disorders. In a well-organized format, you will learn the pathophysiology of the most common problems affecting clients, the treatment of these disorders, and the nursing care.

The NCLEX-RN� consists of questions from the cognitive levels of knowledge, comprehension, application, and analysis. The majority of questions are written at the application and analysis levels. Questions incorporate the five stages of the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation) and the four categories of client needs. Client needs are divided into subcategories that define the content within each of the four major categories. These categories and subcategories are

Safe, effective care environment: 8%–14%

Management of care
Safety and infection control

Health promotion and maintenance: 6%–12%
Psychosocial integrity: 6%–12%
Physiological integrity:

Basic care and comfort: 6%–12%
Pharmacological and parenteral therapy: 13%–19%
Reduction of risk: 13%–19%
Physiological adaptation: 11%–17%

Taking the Computerized Adaptive Test

Computer Adaptive Testing offers the candidate several advantages. The graduate can schedule the exam at a time that is convenient for him. The Pearson VUE Testing group is responsible for administering the exam. Because you might not be familiar with the Pearson testing centers, we recommend that you arrive at least 30 minutes early. If you are late, you will not be allowed to test. Bring two forms of identification with you, one of which must be a picture ID. Be sure that your form of identification matches your application. You will be photographed and fingerprinted upon entering the testing site, so don't let this increase your stress. The allotted time has been extended from 5 hours to 6, and the candidate can receive results within approximately 7 days (in some states even sooner). Remember that the exam is written at approximately the 10th-grade reading level, so keep a good dictionary handy during your studies.

The Cost of the Exam

The candidate wishing to write the licensure exam must fill out two applications, one to the National Council and one to the state in which she wishes to be licensed. A separate fee must accompany each application. The fee required by the National Council is $200. State licensing fees vary from state to state. For example, in Mississippi the fee is $60. Licensure applications can be obtained on the National Council's website at http://www.ncsbn.org. Several states are members of the multistate licensure compact. This means that, if you are issued a multistate license, you pay only one fee. This information can be obtained by visiting the National Council's website as well.

How to Prepare for the Exam

Judicious use of this book, either alone or with a review seminar such as that provided by Rinehart and Associates, will help you achieve your goal of becoming a registered nurse. As you review for the NCLEX� Exam, we suggest that you find a location where you can concentrate on the material each day. A minimum of 2 hours per day for at least 2 weeks is suggested. We have provided you with exam alerts, tips, notes, and sample questions—both multiple-choice and alternative items. These questions will acquaint you with the types of questions you will see during the exam. We have also formulated a mock exam with those difficult management and delegation questions that you can score to determine your readiness to test. Pay particular attention to the exam alerts and the Cram Sheet. Using these will help you gain and retain knowledge and reduce your stress as you prepare to test.

How to Use This Book

Each topical Exam Cram chapter follows a regular structure, along with cues about important or useful information. Here's the structure of a typical chapter:

Opening hotlists—Each chapter begins with a list of terms and concepts you must learn and understand before you can know the subject matter. The hotlists are followed by an introductory section that sets the stage for the rest of the chapter.
Topical coverage—After the opening hotlists, each chapter covers a series of topics related to the chapter's subject title. Throughout this section, we highlight topics or concepts that are likely to appear in the exam.

Even though the book is structured to the exam, these flagged items are often particularly important:

Exam Alerts—An exam alert stresses concepts, terms, or activities that are likely to relate to one or more test questions. For that reason, we think any information in an alert is worthy of unusual attentiveness on your part. A special exam alert layout is used like this:

Caution - This is what an alert looks like. Remember to pay particular attention to these items!

Notes—Throughout each chapter, additional information is provided that, although not directly related to the exam itself, is still useful and will aid your preparation. A sample note is shown here:

Note - This is how notes are formatted. Notes direct your attention to important pieces of information that relate to nursing and nursing certification.

Tips—A tip might tell you another way of accomplishing something in a more efficient or time-saving manner. An example of a tip is shown here:

Tip - This is how tips are formatted. Keep your eyes open for these, and you'll learn some interesting nursing tips!

Exam Prep Questions—Although we talk about test questions and topics throughout the book, the section at the end of each chapter presents a series of mock test questions and explanations of both correct and incorrect answers.
Practice Exams—In Chapters 21–24, you will find more practice questions within two practice exams. Use these to gauge your learning and to build the confidence needed to move forward to the real exam.
Glossary—At the end of the book you will find a glossary that defines critical nursing terms we cover in this book.
The CD—The CD includes a testing engine with many practice questions that you should use repeatedly to practice your test-taking skills and to measure your level of learning. You should be able to correctly answer more than 90% of the questions on the practice tests before taking the real exam. The CD also contains Appendix B, "Things You Forgot"; Appendix C, "Alphabetical Listing of Nursing Boards in the United States and Protectorates&quo...