Caring 4 You . Net's 10 Top NCLEX Tips

10. PRIORITIZE!! Remember to look for words that establish priority (most, first, best, & initial). These words will help you weed out info that you really don’t need!! Keep in mind Maslow’s hierarachy of needs, the nursing process, and patient safety. "Which patient should you see first?" is a popular question….understand the rules of management.

This is why I put together my Delegation and Prioritization seminar:
http://www.caring4you.net/review.htm

9. Know your NORMALS!! Normal lab and test values are good to know. They will help you decide when there is a problem or if it has already been fixed!

I put together a very helpful list for you in my NCLEX yahoo group.
Please go to yahoo group http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/annelieseRN/ LOOK FOR LabValues.pdf UNDER FILES.


8. Stay CALM!! You will get questions that you will have little confidence on how to answer, but staying calm and using key words to pick the best answer will never lead you wrong.

This is why I put together a free version of meditation for the nclex on TALKSHOE episode 22
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/22608

There is an extended version if anxiety is a real problem for you in the Delegation and Prioritization seminar


7. Always ASSESS before you IMPLEMENT. It is easy to get tripped up by implementing a nursing action before they assess the patient.


6. Assume you have an MD ORDER. There are no trick questions out there and the NCLEX wants to know if you know what to do as a nurse….not what the doc knows! So, your first response is probably not going to be "calling the doc".


5. Think PATIENT SAFETY at all times. Start remembering this mantra now because you will hear it over and over in practice.


4. The REAL WORLD is a different place from the NCLEX WORLD. Answer the questions by what you know from a textbook…..not what you remember about taking care of Mrs. X in your clinical rotation.


3. Remember the FIVE RIGHTS of MEDICATION administration. Know these frontwards, backwards, and sideways….you will use this on NCLEX and daily in the real world!


2. CONSIDER "THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION" WITH THE PATIENT. The wrong answers usually are ones that include you being a drill sergeant, asking closed-ended questions, or "why do you feel this way?" questions. Also be wary of any answers to patient questions that involve "don’t worry" or "that happened to me once".


1. REVIEW, STUDY, REVIEW, STUDY, REVIEW, STUDY!!!!!! Do not take the NCLEX until you have taken time to review what you learned in nursing school. One thing you did not learn in nursing school in an adequate amount was infection control. To fill this need, I have put together an infection control seminar.

http://www.caring4you.net/IC/