National Certification Exam Candidates

for your comments and clarification on important questions raised. Your suggestion to share our nursing journeys was wonderful and the contributions from the school nurses have been fascinating to read! Thanks to all who are participating in this group. We are off to a great start!

Suggested Reading for Week #2, we are digging deeper into Chapter 2 of the Review book. We introduced it last week, but with so much to absorb, we believe that focusing on this Chapter by itself this week will give you all space to review and get used to the pacing of the online study group. We will not be repeating other chapters, it only happens this week as a way to ease you into setting your study time.

Selekman, Cogan: School Nursing Certification Review book Chapter 2. We give this chapter an extra week of attention because it is the basis of our practice.

Foundations of Pediatric Nursing Children and Their Families

I  Growth and Development

II Foundations of School Nursing Practice

This comprises 27% of the exam.

Selekman, Shannon and Yonkaitis School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text 3rd Edition Chapters
1-4 and 11-13:

1. Foundations of School Nursing Practice Chapters 1-4
2. Growth and Development Chapters 11-13

Recommended contribution to the group for Week #2:  Doesn't that sound better
than assignment ;).

Share your outcomes with the group this week.  Comment on what surprised you about the process, what you learned, and what resources you chose to reinforce areas that needed more focused attention. How are you staying motivated this week?

As promised, here are some test-taking tips specifically geared toward multiple-choice
Nursing exam questions! (11 Test-Taking Tips & Strategies For Nurses * Nurseslabs)

1. Read Questions Carefully
Scores on tests are greatly affected by reading ability. In answering a test item,
you should begin by carefully reading the stem and then asking yourself the
following questions:
 What is the question really asking?
 Are there any keywords?
 What is information relevant to answering this question included in the stem?
 How would I ask this question in my own words?
 How would I answer this question in my own words?

After you have answered these questions, carefully read the options and then ask
yourself the following questions:
 Is there an option that is similar to my answer?
 Is this option the best, most complete answer to the question?

Deal with the question as it is stated, without reading anything into it, or
making assumptions about it. Answer the question asked, not the one you would like to
answer. For simple recall items, the self-questioning process usually will be completed
quickly. For more complex items the self-questioning process may take longer, but it
should assist you in clarifying the item and selecting the best response.

2. Identify Keywords
Certain keywords in the stem, the options, or both should alert you to the need
for caution in choosing your answer. Because few things are absolute without
exception, avoid selecting answers that include words such as always, never, all, every,
only, must, no, except, and none. Answers containing these keywords are rarely correct
because they place special limitations and qualifications on potentially correct answers.

For example:

All of the following are services of the National Kidney Foundation except:
1. Public education programs
2. Research about kidney disease
3. Fund-raising affairs for research activities
4. Identification of potential transplant recipients

This stem contains two keywords: all and except. They limit the correct answer choice
to the one option that does not represent a service of the National Kidney Foundation.
When except, not, or a phrase such as all but one of the following appears in the stem,
the inappropriate option is the correct answer in this instance, option 4.
If the options in an item do not seem to make sense because more than one option
is correct, reread the question; you may have missed one of the keywords in the stem.
Also, be on guard when you see one of the keywords in an option; it may limit
the context in which such an option would be correct.

Here is a free "Test Taking Strategies" course from NurseBuilders: 
Test Taking Techniques - A Guide For Nursing Certification
Check out the Exam Prep Materials on www.nbcsn.org.
Happy digging in and learning! Keep us posted on your progress!​​​

​

------------------------------
Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN
New Jersey NASN Director
School Nurse & Faculty
Rutgers-Camden School of Nursing
Camden City School District
------------------------------

Thanks to @RobinCogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN, for your continued participation in the study group. Before there even was a study group Robin offered suggestions to help others preparing to take the exam.After passing the exam in 2017, at my request, she developed and revises the curriculum we use today.
I can’t stress how important discussion is in this process.
Thanks to all who participated last week.

Sent from my iPhone
Pat Krin


Original Message:
Sent: 9/9/2022 5:06:00 AM
From: Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN
Subject: Welcome to Week #2 of our online study group

Welcome to Week #2 of our online study group!


 

We are moving full-steam ahead in preparation for the upcoming Summer exam window.  It is energizing to see how many school nurses have joined the group and are

contributing to the ongoing conversation. Thank you to those who have shared your experiences and posted questions.

Special appreciation to @Pat Krin, MSN, M.S., RN, NCSN-E, FNP-BC-Retired, FNASN

for your comments and clarification on important questions raised. Your suggestion to share our nursing journeys was wonderful and the contributions from the school nurses have been fascinating to read! Thanks to all who are participating in this group. We are off to a great start!

Suggested Reading for Week #2, we are digging deeper into Chapter 2 of the Review book. We introduced it last week, but with so much to absorb, we believe that focusing on this Chapter by itself this week will give you all space to review and get used to the pacing of the online study group. We will not be repeating other chapters, it only happens this week as a way to ease you into setting your study time.

Selekman, Cogan: School Nursing Certification Review book Chapter 2. We give this chapter an extra week of attention because it is the basis of our practice.

Foundations of Pediatric Nursing Children and Their Families

I  Growth and Development

II Foundations of School Nursing Practice

This comprises 27% of the exam.

Selekman, Shannon and Yonkaitis School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text 3rd Edition Chapters
1-4 and 11-13:

1. Foundations of School Nursing Practice Chapters 1-4
2. Growth and Development Chapters 11-13

Recommended contribution to the group for Week #2:  Doesn't that sound better
than assignment ;).

Share your outcomes with the group this week.  Comment on what surprised you about the process, what you learned, and what resources you chose to reinforce areas that needed more focused attention. How are you staying motivated this week?

As promised, here are some test-taking tips specifically geared toward multiple-choice
Nursing exam questions! (11 Test-Taking Tips & Strategies For Nurses * Nurseslabs)

1. Read Questions Carefully
Scores on tests are greatly affected by reading ability. In answering a test item,
you should begin by carefully reading the stem and then asking yourself the
following questions:
 What is the question really asking?
 Are there any keywords?
 What is information relevant to answering this question included in the stem?
 How would I ask this question in my own words?
 How would I answer this question in my own words?

After you have answered these questions, carefully read the options and then ask
yourself the following questions:
 Is there an option that is similar to my answer?
 Is this option the best, most complete answer to the question?

Deal with the question as it is stated, without reading anything into it, or
making assumptions about it. Answer the question asked, not the one you would like to
answer. For simple recall items, the self-questioning process usually will be completed
quickly. For more complex items the self-questioning process may take longer, but it
should assist you in clarifying the item and selecting the best response.

2. Identify Keywords
Certain keywords in the stem, the options, or both should alert you to the need
for caution in choosing your answer. Because few things are absolute without
exception, avoid selecting answers that include words such as always, never, all, every,
only, must, no, except, and none. Answers containing these keywords are rarely correct
because they place special limitations and qualifications on potentially correct answers.

For example:

All of the following are services of the National Kidney Foundation except:
1. Public education programs
2. Research about kidney disease
3. Fund-raising affairs for research activities
4. Identification of potential transplant recipients

This stem contains two keywords: all and except. They limit the correct answer choice
to the one option that does not represent a service of the National Kidney Foundation.
When except, not, or a phrase such as all but one of the following appears in the stem,
the inappropriate option is the correct answer in this instance, option 4.
If the options in an item do not seem to make sense because more than one option
is correct, reread the question; you may have missed one of the keywords in the stem.
Also, be on guard when you see one of the keywords in an option; it may limit
the context in which such an option would be correct.

Here is a free "Test Taking Strategies" course from NurseBuilders: 
Test Taking Techniques - A Guide For Nursing Certification
Check out the Exam Prep Materials on www.nbcsn.org.
Happy digging in and learning! Keep us posted on your progress!​​​

​

------------------------------
Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN
New Jersey NASN Director
School Nurse & Faculty
Rutgers-Camden School of Nursing
Camden City School District
------------------------------