NCLEX-PN Exam Cram - Softcover

Gardner, Wilda Rinehart; Sloan, Diann; Hurd, Clara

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Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789758334 ISBN 13: 9780789758330

Publisher: Pearson It Certification, 2017

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Covers exactly what you need to know to score higher on your NCLEX-PN� exam
400 sample test questions help you gain confidence and decide when you’re ready to take the actual exam
Includes the popular Cram Sheet tearcard to help you remember key concepts and do extra last-minute
Exam Alerts identify important information found on the exam
Simplifies key medication aide concepts and techniques for easy learning

Covers the critical information you’ll need to know to score higher on your NCLEX-PN exam!

Discover how the NCLEX-PN exam works, and how best to prepare for it
Understand essential disease processes, treatments, and diagnostic studies
Care for clients with respiratory, genitourinary, hematopoietic, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, endocrine, cardiovascular, neurological, and many other disorders
Serve maternal, infant, and pediatric clients
Provide compassionate and effective psychiatric care
Consider cultural, religious, and legal concerns associated with client care
Review all stages of the nursing process: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation
Address client needs for a safe, effective-care environment; health promotion and maintenance; and psychosocial and physiological integrity

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About the Author:

Wilda Rinehart Gardner received an Associate Degree in Nursing from Northeast MississippiCommunity 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 the area of obstetrics-gynecology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1979, she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Mississippi University for Women. In 1980, she completed her Master of Science degree in Nursing from the same university and accepted a faculty position at Northeast Mississippi Community College, where she taught medical-surgical nursing and maternal-newborn nursing. In 1982, she founded Rinehart and Associates Nursing Consultants. For the past 26 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 as a curriculum consultant with faculty to improve test construction. Ms. Rinehart has served as a convention speaker throughout the southeastern United States and as a reviewer of medical-surgical and obstetric texts. She has co-authored materials used in seminars presented by Rinehart and Associates Nursing Review.

Dr. Diann Sloan received an Associate Degree in Nursing from Northeast Mississippi Community College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Mississippi, and a Master of Science degree in Nursing from Mississippi University for Women. In addition to her nursing degrees, she holds a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Georgia State University and a Doctor of Philosophy 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. 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 co-authored 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 received an Associate Degree in Nursing from 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, orthopedic, 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 of Science degree in Nursing from the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi. She currently serves as a nurse educator consultant and an independent contractor. Ms. Hurd has taught in both associate degree and baccalaureate degree nursing programs. She was a faculty member of Mississippi University for Women; Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee; Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee; and Northeast Mississippi Community College. 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-PN� Exam Cram: Introduction

NCLEX-PN� Exam Cram: Introduction

Welcome to the NCLEX-PN� Exam Cram

This book will help you prepare to take and pass the Licensure Exam for Practical 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 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 content as it applies to medical-surgical nursing, psychiatric-mental health nursing, obstetric nursing, and pediatric nursing, with an emphasis on pharmacology, skills, and management 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 required.

The NCLEX-PN� 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

A. Safe, effective care environment:

Coordinated care: 11%–17%
Safety and infection control: 8%–14%

B. Health promotion and maintenance: 7%–13%
C. Psychosocial integrity: 8%–14%
D. Physiological integrity:

Basic care and comfort: 11%–17%
Pharmacological and parenteral therapy: 9%–15%
Reduction of risk: 10%–16%
Physiological adaptation: 12%–18%

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 VUE testing centers, we recommend that you arrive at least 30 minutes early to acclimate yourself to the surroundings and learn what you need to do while testing at the center. 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 take the licensure exam must fill out two applications, one to the National Council and one to the state in which she wants 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. The candidate should contact the state where she wishes to become licensed for a list of fees for that specific state. 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 also be obtained by visiting the National Council's website. A list of phone numbers and websites is included on this book's CD, in Appendix C, "Alphabetical Listing of Nursing Boards in the United States and Protectorates."

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 to achieve your goal of becoming a practical 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 type of questions you will see during the exam. We have also formulated a mock exam, with those difficult management and delegation questions, which 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 help reduce your stress as you prepare to test.

How to Use This Book

Each topical Exam Cram chapter follows a regular structure and includes 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 to set 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.

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

Exam Alert—Exam alerts normally stress concepts, terms, or activities that are related to one or more test questions. Anything found in exam alert format is worthy of greater attention on your part. This is what an exam alert looks like:

Caution - Exam alerts are provided as a heads up that the content mentioned here might appear on the NCLEX-PN� exam.

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—Chapters 20–23 contain two exams written in the NCLEX� format. These have been provided to help you evaluate your readiness to test. Answers and rationale to these questions have also been provided. We suggest that you score the exam by subtracting the missed items from the total and dividing the total answered correctly by the total number of questions. This will give you the percentage of answers correctly. We sugges...