National Certification Exam Candidates

Welcome to Week #3 of our online study group! I am so sorry for the delay!

We are moving ahead in the Selekman/Cogan School Nursing Certification Review book to Chapter 3 - Health Appraisal – this accounts for approximately 26% of the exam questions

      Principles of Health Appraisal
      Screening
      Health History
      Physical Assessment

Corresponding chapters in Selekman, Shannon, and Yonkaitis School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text 3^rd Edition

Chapters 14-18

14. Health Promotion and Screening for School-Age Children
15. Disease Prevention in Schools
16. Students with Common Health Complaints
17. Health Issues Related to Physical Activity and Athletics
18. Skin Disorders

____________________________________________________________________________________

As promised, here are more nursing test-taking strategies for multiple-choice questions: (retrieved from 11 Test Taking Tips & Strategies For Nurses * Nurseslabs)

3. Pay Attention to Specific Details

The well-written multiple-choice question is precisely stated, providing you with only the information needed to make the question or problem clear and specific. A careful reading of details in the stem can provide important clues to the correct option. For example:

A male client is told that he will no longer be able to ingest alcohol if he wants to live. To effect a change in his behavior while he is in the hospital, the nurse should attempt to:

• 1. Help the client set short-term dietary goals
• 2. Discuss his hopes and dreams for the future
• 3. Discuss the pathophysiology of the liver with him
• 4.  Withhold approval until he agrees to stop drinking

The specific cause to effect a change in his behavior while he is in the hospital is critical. Option 2 is not really related to his alcoholism. Option 3 may be part of educating the alcoholic, but you would not expect a behavioral change observable in the hospital to emerge from this discussion. Option 4 rejects the client as well as his behavior instead of only his behavior. Option 1, the correct answer, could result in an observable behavioral change while the client is hospitalized; for example, he could define ways to achieve short-term goals relating to diet and alcohol while in the hospital.

4. Eliminate Clearly Wrong or Incorrect Answers

Eliminate clearly incorrect, inappropriate, and unlikely answers to the question asked in the stem. By systematically eliminating distractors that are unlikely in the context of a given question, you increase the probability of selecting the correct answer. Eliminating. obvious distractors also allow you more time to focus on the options that appear to be potentially sound answers to the question. For example:

The four levels of cognitive ability are:

1. Assessing, analyzing, applying, evaluating
2. Knowledge, analysis, assessing, comprehension
3. Knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis
4. Medical-surgical nursing, obstetric nursing, psychiatric nursing

Option 1 contains both cognitive levels and nursing behaviors, thus eliminating it from consideration. Option 4 is clearly inappropriate since the choices are all clinical areas. Both options 2 and 3 contain levels of cognitive ability; however, option 2 includes assessing, which is a nursing behavior. Therefore option 3 is correct. By reducing the plausible options, you reduce the material to consider and increase the probability of selecting the correct option.

Don't forget to check out the free Test Taking Strategies from Nurse Builders at https://ecourses.nursebuilders.net/courses/test-taking-techniques-a-guide-for-nursing-certification-exams

Need Test Prep Materials? https://www.nbcsn.org/ncsn/the-exam/exam-prep/
__________________________________________________________________

Enjoy the process, nurses are life-long learners, it is in our DNA.  I am looking forward to hearing all about your experience.  Please share your comments this week in this thread.

------------------------------
Sarah T. Portle M.Ed., BSN RN, NCSN
Director for Arizona
Lead Nurse - Arizona State University Prep Academy
PhD Student - Arizona State University, Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
------------------------------

Welcome to Week #3 of our online study group! I am so sorry for the delay!

We are moving ahead in the Selekman/Cogan School Nursing Certification Review book to Chapter 3 - Health Appraisal – this accounts for approximately 26% of the exam questions

      Principles of Health Appraisal
      Screening
      Health History
      Physical Assessment

Corresponding chapters in Selekman, Shannon, and Yonkaitis School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text 3^rd Edition

Chapters 14-18

14. Health Promotion and Screening for School-Age Children
15. Disease Prevention in Schools
16. Students with Common Health Complaints
17. Health Issues Related to Physical Activity and Athletics
18. Skin Disorders

____________________________________________________________________________________

As promised, here are more nursing test-taking strategies for multiple-choice questions: (retrieved from 11 Test Taking Tips & Strategies For Nurses * Nurseslabs)

3. Pay Attention to Specific Details

The well-written multiple-choice question is precisely stated, providing you with only the information needed to make the question or problem clear and specific. A careful reading of details in the stem can provide important clues to the correct option. For example:

A male client is told that he will no longer be able to ingest alcohol if he wants to live. To effect a change in his behavior while he is in the hospital, the nurse should attempt to:

• 1. Help the client set short-term dietary goals
• 2. Discuss his hopes and dreams for the future
• 3. Discuss the pathophysiology of the liver with him
• 4.  Withhold approval until he agrees to stop drinking

The specific cause to effect a change in his behavior while he is in the hospital is critical. Option 2 is not really related to his alcoholism. Option 3 may be part of educating the alcoholic, but you would not expect a behavioral change observable in the hospital to emerge from this discussion. Option 4 rejects the client as well as his behavior instead of only his behavior. Option 1, the correct answer, could result in an observable behavioral change while the client is hospitalized; for example, he could define ways to achieve short-term goals relating to diet and alcohol while in the hospital.

4. Eliminate Clearly Wrong or Incorrect Answers

Eliminate clearly incorrect, inappropriate, and unlikely answers to the question asked in the stem. By systematically eliminating distractors that are unlikely in the context of a given question, you increase the probability of selecting the correct answer. Eliminating. obvious distractors also allow you more time to focus on the options that appear to be potentially sound answers to the question. For example:

The four levels of cognitive ability are:

1. Assessing, analyzing, applying, evaluating
2. Knowledge, analysis, assessing, comprehension
3. Knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis
4. Medical-surgical nursing, obstetric nursing, psychiatric nursing

Option 1 contains both cognitive levels and nursing behaviors, thus eliminating it from consideration. Option 4 is clearly inappropriate since the choices are all clinical areas. Both options 2 and 3 contain levels of cognitive ability; however, option 2 includes assessing, which is a nursing behavior. Therefore option 3 is correct. By reducing the plausible options, you reduce the material to consider and increase the probability of selecting the correct option.

Don't forget to check out the free Test Taking Strategies from Nurse Builders at https://ecourses.nursebuilders.net/courses/test-taking-techniques-a-guide-for-nursing-certification-exams

Need Test Prep Materials? https://www.nbcsn.org/ncsn/the-exam/exam-prep/
__________________________________________________________________

Enjoy the process, nurses are life-long learners, it is in our DNA.  I am looking forward to hearing all about your experience.  Please share your comments this week in this thread.

------------------------------
Sarah T. Portle M.Ed., BSN RN, NCSN
Director for Arizona
Lead Nurse - Arizona State University Prep Academy
PhD Student - Arizona State University, Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
------------------------------

Thank you Sarah for week 3 lesson plans.

Welcome to Week #3 of our online study group! I am so sorry for the delay!

We are moving ahead in the Selekman/Cogan School Nursing Certification Review book to Chapter 3 - Health Appraisal – this accounts for approximately 26% of the exam questions

      Principles of Health Appraisal
      Screening
      Health History
      Physical Assessment

Corresponding chapters in Selekman, Shannon, and Yonkaitis School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text 3^rd Edition

Chapters 14-18

14. Health Promotion and Screening for School-Age Children
15. Disease Prevention in Schools
16. Students with Common Health Complaints
17. Health Issues Related to Physical Activity and Athletics
18. Skin Disorders

____________________________________________________________________________________

As promised, here are more nursing test-taking strategies for multiple-choice questions: (retrieved from 11 Test Taking Tips & Strategies For Nurses * Nurseslabs)

3. Pay Attention to Specific Details

The well-written multiple-choice question is precisely stated, providing you with only the information needed to make the question or problem clear and specific. A careful reading of details in the stem can provide important clues to the correct option. For example:

A male client is told that he will no longer be able to ingest alcohol if he wants to live. To effect a change in his behavior while he is in the hospital, the nurse should attempt to:

• 1. Help the client set short-term dietary goals
• 2. Discuss his hopes and dreams for the future
• 3. Discuss the pathophysiology of the liver with him
• 4.  Withhold approval until he agrees to stop drinking

The specific cause to effect a change in his behavior while he is in the hospital is critical. Option 2 is not really related to his alcoholism. Option 3 may be part of educating the alcoholic, but you would not expect a behavioral change observable in the hospital to emerge from this discussion. Option 4 rejects the client as well as his behavior instead of only his behavior. Option 1, the correct answer, could result in an observable behavioral change while the client is hospitalized; for example, he could define ways to achieve short-term goals relating to diet and alcohol while in the hospital.

4. Eliminate Clearly Wrong or Incorrect Answers

Eliminate clearly incorrect, inappropriate, and unlikely answers to the question asked in the stem. By systematically eliminating distractors that are unlikely in the context of a given question, you increase the probability of selecting the correct answer. Eliminating. obvious distractors also allow you more time to focus on the options that appear to be potentially sound answers to the question. For example:

The four levels of cognitive ability are:

1. Assessing, analyzing, applying, evaluating
2. Knowledge, analysis, assessing, comprehension
3. Knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis
4. Medical-surgical nursing, obstetric nursing, psychiatric nursing

Option 1 contains both cognitive levels and nursing behaviors, thus eliminating it from consideration. Option 4 is clearly inappropriate since the choices are all clinical areas. Both options 2 and 3 contain levels of cognitive ability; however, option 2 includes assessing, which is a nursing behavior. Therefore option 3 is correct. By reducing the plausible options, you reduce the material to consider and increase the probability of selecting the correct option.

Don't forget to check out the free Test Taking Strategies from Nurse Builders at https://ecourses.nursebuilders.net/courses/test-taking-techniques-a-guide-for-nursing-certification-exams

Need Test Prep Materials? https://www.nbcsn.org/ncsn/the-exam/exam-prep/
__________________________________________________________________

Enjoy the process, nurses are life-long learners, it is in our DNA.  I am looking forward to hearing all about your experience.  Please share your comments this week in this thread.

------------------------------
Sarah T. Portle M.Ed., BSN RN, NCSN
Director for Arizona
Lead Nurse - Arizona State University Prep Academy
PhD Student - Arizona State University, Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
------------------------------