NCLEX-RN Exam Cram - Softcover

Rinehart, Wilda; Sloan, Diann; Hurd, Clara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789737051 ISBN 13: 9780789737052

Publisher: Pearson It Certification, 2008

Synopsis

Succeed with topical reviews, practice exams, and preparation tools

 

“The book offers a quick ‘cram’ approach to the NCLEX that is very user friendly and not time intensive. The overall approach is very learner-centered and the content is well-paced.”  –Catherine Dearman, RN, PhD

 

• Covers exactly what you need to know to score higher on your NCLEX-RN® exam.
• Includes more than 700 sample test questions to help you determine whether you’re ready to take the actual exam.
• Our popular Cram Sheet tearcard helps you remember key concepts.
• Exam Alerts provide important information found on the exam.
• Simplifies pharmacology for easy learning.

 

Written by Three Leading Nursing Experts!

Wilda Rinehart has a BS and MS in nursing and more than 30 years of experience as a nurse, consultant, and educator for nursing students.

Diann Sloan has a BS and MS in nursing, and a PhD. in counselor education and has worked as a nurse and educator for nearly 30 years.

Clara Hurd has a BS and MS in nursing and currently is a nurse educator at Northeast Mississippi Community College with 30 years experience.

 

Score Higher on the NCLEX-RN® Exam!

The CD features innovative Computer Adaptive Testing software by ExamForce, giving you an effective tool to assess your readiness for the NCLEX-RN® exam. Key features include:

• Detailed explanations of correct and incorrect answers
• Multiple test modes
• Random questions and order of answers
• Coverage of each NCLEX-RN® exam objective

 

NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN), which does not sponsor or endorse this product.

About this title

About the Author:

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 25 years, she and her associates have worked with nursing graduates and schools of nursing to assist graduates in passing 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.

 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Introduction

Introduction

Welcome to the NCLEX-RN® Exam Cram

Often when we are studying for a very important exam such as the NCLEX®, we feel overwhelmed by the amount of content there is to master. This book will help you organize your knowledge and 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:

• . Management of care: 13–19%

• . Safety and infection control: 8–14%

• 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

Computerized 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 on entering the testing site, so don't let this increase your stress. The allotted time is 6 hours. 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 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. 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 other books such as the NCLEX® Exam Prep book by the same authors, and a review seminar such as the one 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 them 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:

Exam Alert - This is what an exam 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—Practice Exam I and Practice Exam II provide additional practice questions. 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.

• 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.

• Cram Sheet—At the very beginning of the book is a tear card we call the Cram Sheet. This is a helpful tool that gives you distilled, compressed facts. It is a great tool for last-minute study and review.

About the Book

The topics in this book have been structured using the systems approach to nursing. We believe that the simple way to learn the disease process, treatments, and diagnostic studies is the best way. You will review material from each system and the related skills, diagnostics, diets, and so on with each system as we move through the content. You will also consider cultural and religious concerns when caring for the client experiencing threats or deprivations.

Aside from being a test preparation book, this book is also useful if you are brushing up on your nursing knowledge. It is an excellent quick reference for the licensed nurse.

Contact the Authors

The authors of this text are interested in you and want you to pass on the first attempt. If, after reviewing with this text, you would like to contact the authors, you can do so at Rinehart and Associates, PO Box 124, Booneville, MS 38829 or by visiting our website at http://www.nclexreview.net. You can also contact us by phone at 662-728-4622.

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pearson It Certification
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0789737051
• ISBN 13: 9780789737052
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 666