NUR208 Supplemental Instruction

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Medical-Surgical Final Exam Practice and Review

Here are some quick links to help you practice your test-taking and review content.

Do you want to know how to approach NCLEX-style multiple choice questions?

Check out this video: Intro to Test Taking Strategies. It's only about 15 minutes long, but it is very valuable in helping you identify where you go wrong in testing and in helping you develop a testing strategy.

Do you need to practice your test-taking skills?

Use the NCLEX Review included in each chapter of Prentice Hall's Medical-Surgical Nursing: Critical Thinking in Client Care online supplement.
Check out the NCLEX review books provided free online by the JSRCC library: McGraw-Hill Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination and Davis's NCLEX-RN Review. (See this post for details about locating EBSCOhost eBooks.)
Practice with questions on these Kaplan NCLEX review tests: http://nur208si.blogspot.com/2011/10/kaplan-nclex-sample-exams.html.
Take this med-surg practice test: http://www.nurseana.com/MedicalSurgNursingReview1.htm.

Do you need to review content?

Check out this quick review book: NCLEX-RN Notes: Core Review & Exam Prep.
Go to Books@Ovid to review with the Lippincott Handbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing. (See this post for details about locating Books@Ovid.)
Check out the review resources at NurseAna.com.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Accessing Electronic Books through the JSRCC Library

eBooks Collection (EBSCOhost)

Go to http://library.reynolds.edu/.
Select the Databases tab.
Click on "E" under Browse by Database Title.
Click on "eBooks on EBSCOhost."
If you're on campus, you'll be able to enter the site immediately. If you are off campus, you will need to log in using your VCCS username and password (the same information you use to log onto MyJSRCC).
Use the search box at the top of the page to find books.

Here are some of the available nursing titles that may interest you:

Critical Thinking: An Interactive Tool for Learning Medical-Surgical Nursing by E. V. Vanetzian (2001, F. A. Davis Company)
Davis's NCLEX-RN Review (3rd ed.) by P. G. Beare (2001, F. A. Davis Company)
McGraw-Hill Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination by F. D. Monahan (2008, McGraw-Hill)
Medical-Surgical Nursing Demystified by M. DiGiulio, D. Keogh, & J. Edward (2007, McGraw-Hill Professional)
Nursing Care Plans: Guidlelines for Individualizing Patient Care (6th ed.) by M. E. Doenges, M. F. Moorhouse, & A. Geissler-Murr (2002, F. A. Davis Company)
Understanding Medical-Surgical Nursing (3rd ed.) by L. S. Williams & P. D. Hopper (2007, F. A. Davis Company)

Books@Ovid

Go to http://library.reynolds.edu/.
Select the Databases tab.
Open the Databasess by Subject Area drop-down menu.
Click on Health, Medicine & Nursing.
Click on "Books@Ovid."
If you're on campus, you'll be able to enter the site immediately. If you are off campus, you will need to log in using your VCCS username and password (the same information you use to log onto MyJSRCC).

Update (December 15, 2011): Books@Ovid is not listed under the new Health & Medicine subject tab. Follow these steps to locate it:

Go to http://library.reynolds.edu/.

Select the Databases tab.

Click on "Y" under Browse by Database Title.

Click on "Your Journals@Ovid."

If you're on campus, you'll be able to enter the site immediately. If you are off campus, you will need to log in using your VCCS username and password (the same information you use to log onto MyJSRCC).

Click on the Books tab at the top of the page.

More Test-Taking Strategies

Follow this link for Austin Community College's tips on nursing test-taking. These are especially helpful because they address your testing style. Plus, there are example questions.

http://www.austincc.edu/adnlev2/Tutoring_Web/Documents/Testtaking.htm

Quick video for figuring out multiple choice questions - "Professor Nightengale's Test-Taking Strategies" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc5L3SmPs4Q

More detailed video about multiple choice - "Intro to Test Taking Strategies" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUoE4e1j0qI

Sunday, October 30, 2011

NCLEX: How to Choose the Right Answer | NCLEX Online

National Guideline Clearinghouse

http://www.guideline.gov

The NGC mission is to provide physicians and other health professionals, health care providers, health plans, integrated delivery systems, purchasers, and others an accessible mechanism for obtaining objective, detailed information on clinical practice guidelines and to further their dissemination, implementation, and use.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Medi-Smart - Study Tips from Former Nursing Students

GET THE MOST OUT OF CLASSES

During even the most boring lecture, look interested. The secret of a good image is striving to be that which you wish to appear.
Remember, some teachers are just jerks. Deal with it. Learning how to deal with jerks is a good skill to cultivate in any discipline.
Introduce yourself to your instructors. You don't want to just be a "face in the crowd.

GET THE MOST FROM YOUR BOOKS

Take your materials out of your house to study. Get away from distractions, undone dishes, radio and TV. The doughnut shop or all night cafe will offer quiet and ample amounts of coffee.
Read nursing journals and magazines. Often current articles will compliment your text and make the information more easily understood.
Use individual sheets of paper or large index cards to make a file of disease/conditions and their treatments. List etiology, signs and symptoms, diagnostic tests, interventions, etc. and keep them in a binder for future reference as well as present study.
Take notes from your notes! After taking notes in class or from the book, put away the book and tape player and outline the notes.
Turn course objectives (as found in the beginning of each chapter or from the course syllabus) into questions - instant study guide!

THRIVE IN CLINICALS

Whether you don't know how to make a bed or have been an EMT for years, remember everyone begins clinicals as different levels of experience. Focus on where you are going, what you will learn - not on how much (or little) you know now.
If you have trouble remembering protocols, lab values or even your patient's name :) write them down on index cards and keep them in your pocket. The more you use them the more you study them.
In Psych rotation, take a moment to center yourself before working with patients. Most respond best to a calm focused approach.
Study your instructors. The more you know them the more likely you are to understand them and what they are expecting from you.
If you don't know how to do a procedure, look it up, check the protocols, ask for help. Instructors would rather be "bothered" walking you through the procedure than fixing the mess or hearing the complaints if you do something wrong.
Be helpful to the nurse you are assigned to for clinical. Take all the vitals, never contradict publicly, don't ask constant questions (that's what you have instructors for) In general, kiss-up! The nurse will be glad of the help and be more likely to help you.
Don't make your supervising nurse hold your hand. Even if you're scared and have never done something before, jump in and do anything suggested.
Volunteer information! Instructors like to be informed about your patients. If they can trust you to keep them informed, you are likely to be trusted to work independently.
Explore volunteer opportunities in your area. It ain't just for candy stripers any more. Many clinics and outreach organizations are completely run by volunteers. The experience can help you shine on the floor.