Saunders_2024_2025_Clinical_Judgment_and_Test_Taking strategies

Welcome to Saunders Pyramid to Success! Saunders Clinical Judgment and Test-Taking Strategies: Passing Nursing School and the NCLEX® Exam is one in a series of products designed to assist you in achieving your goal of passing your nursing courses and becoming a licensed nurse. This product provides you with test-taking strategies that will help you pass your nursing examinations and the NCLEX examination. Organization Saunders 2024–2025 Clinical Judgment and Test-Taking Strategies: Passing Nursing School and the NCLEX® Exam contains 3 parts and 20 chapters. The chapters in Part I include information on test preparation and the NCLEX exam. The chapters in Part II describe test-taking strategies and include several sample questions that illustrate how to use each test-taking strategy. The sample questions represent all types of question formats, including multiple choice and alternate item formats. The Next Generation NCLEX® (NGN) Item Types are described; samples of these item types can be located both in the book and on the accompanying Evolve site. Part III presents practice questions, and the accompanying Evolve site contains the practice questions from the book along with additional practice questions, for a total of 1200 practice questions. All of the practice questions reect the framework and the content identied in the most current NCLEX test plans. The practice questions in this resource relate to each Client Needs category, each Integrated Process of the NCLEX exam, and the Cognitive Skills identied in the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (NCJMM). The Client Needs categories include Safe and Effective Care Environment, Health Promotion and Maintenance, Psychosocial Integrity, and Physiological Integrity. The Integrated Processes include Caring, Clinical Judgment, Communication and Documentation, Culture and Spirituality, Nursing Process (Clinical Problem-Solving Process), and Teaching and Learning. The Cognitive Skills include Recognize Cues, Analyze Cues, Prioritize Hypotheses, Generate Solutions, Take Actions, and Evaluate Outcomes. Part I: Study and Test Preparation Chapter : Clinical Judgment and Nursing Examinations This chapter describes Clinical Judgment, the NCJMM and the Cognitive Skills of the Model, case studies, and the NGN Item Types. The chapter also focuses on the exams that you will take during your nursing program and provides you with information on how to prepare for these exams. Topics include why nursing exams exist, what you can expect on nursing exams, how nursing exams are different from other exams, and what types of questions are found on nursing exams. Additional topics include preparing for a nursing exam using your syllabus, textbook, classroom notes, ash cards, study guides, and study groups. Chapter : Developing Study Skills This chapter discusses several topics related to study skills and study habits. It provides strategies for developing or rening study skills and developing good study habits so that you will be well prepared for your nursing exams. Included are the top 10 Pyramid Points and study habits. Also, study skills such as listening, notetaking, reading, remembering content, and critical thinking skills are discussed. Chapter: Reducing Test Anxiety This chapter focuses on the important points related to test anxiety. In this chapter, you are provided with self-assessment points to determine if you experience test anxiety. Additionally, what causes test anxiety, how to prevent test anxiety, and how to control test anxiety before and during an exam are discussed. Points about maintaining a positive attitude and what you can do when you experience test anxiety are presented in this chapter. Chapter : NCLEX® Preparation This chapter focuses on preparing for the NCLEX exam—the exam that you must take and pass after you graduate from nursing school to become a licensed nurse. This chapter emphasizes the important point that NCLEX preparation begins the moment you enter your nursing program. Specic to the NCLEX, it provides you with the steps for preparing for the NCLEX, self-assessment points to determine your readiness, and a plan for preparation. Part II: Strategies for Success Chapter : Alternate Item Formats and the Next Generation NCLEX® (NGN) Item Types Alternate item format questions and NGN items are designed to test competency in nursing skills and clinical judgment abilities. This chapter describes the various types of alternate item format questions that you may encounter on the NCLEX examination and on nursing school examinations and provides you with test-taking strategies to answer them correctly. Additionally, strategies for answering NGN item types are presented. Sample alternate item formats and NGN items are illustrated. Chapter : How to Avoid “Reading into the Question” One of the pitfalls that can cause a problem when answering a traditional test item is “reading into the question.” This means that you are considering issues beyond the information presented in the question. This chapter describes the strategies to use when answering traditional test questions to prevent this from happening and includes topics such as reading a question, using strategic words, identifying the subject of the question, recognizing and analyzing cues and determining if an abnormality exists, focusing on the client of the question, considering available resources, and using nursing knowledge and the process of elimination. Chapter : Positive and Negative Event Queries This chapter describes the differences between a positive and a negative event query in a question. Reading the question carefully and noting the type of query used are important to assist in answering a question correctly. This chapter also identies the strategic words or phrases that indicate whether the question contains a positive or negative event query. Chapter : Questions Requiring Prioritization Many of the test questions on your nursing exams and on the NCLEX will require you to use the skill of prioritizing nursing actions. These types of questions can be difcult because when a question requires prioritization, all of the options may be correct, and you will need to determine the correct order of importance. This chapter describes the test-taking strategies that you can use to answer prioritizing questions correctly. Some of these strategies include the ABCs—airway, breathing, and circulation, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory, and the steps of the nursing process (clinical problem-solving process). Also included in this chapter are the strategies for determining the need to contact the physician. Chapter : Leading and Managing, Delegating, and AssignmentMaking Questions Some test questions that you will need to answer will relate to the nurse’s responsibilities regarding delegating care and assignment-making and the supervisory role of these responsibilities. This chapter reviews the guidelines and principles related to delegating and assignment-making, two very important roles of the nurse as a leader and manager. It also provides you with information about the tasks and activities that can be delegated and assigned to unlicensed assistive personnel, licensed practical/vocational nurses, and registered nurses. Guidelines for time management are also reviewed, because managing time efciently is a key factor for completing activities and tasks within a given time period. Chapter : Communication Questions Communication is a process through which information is exchanged, either verbally or nonverbally, between two or more individuals and is an extremely important role of the nurse. This chapter reviews the guidelines to follow when answering communication questions and identies various aspects to consider when communicating and caring for clients. Additionally, therapeutic and nontherapeutic communication techniques are presented. Chapter : Pharmacology, Medication, and Intravenous Calculation Questions Pharmacology is one of the most difcult nursing content areas to master and feel comfortable with. One reason that it is so difcult is because of the enormous number of medications available. Another reason is that there is a vast amount of information to know about each medication. It is important for you to spend ample time studying and reviewing pharmacology in preparation for your nursing exams and for the NCLEX and to use this knowledge to answer pharmacology questions. However, you may be presented with pharmacology questions on your exams that present medications you are unfamiliar with, in which case you will need to make an educated guess to answer the question. This chapter provides you with the strategies and general guidelines to use to answer pharmacology questions correctly. This chapter also includes medication and intravenous calculations strategies and examples. Chapter : Additional Pyramid Strategies This chapter reviews additional helpful strategies that will assist in answering a test question correctly. Also included in this chapter are strategies that are useful for answering questions related to laboratory tests, client positioning, and therapeutic diets. Strategies that will be helpful when answering questions related to disasters are also presented in this chapter. Part III: Practice Tests Part III is composed of eight practice tests that provide the opportunity to practice answering exam questions using various test-taking strategies. These tests include Chapter 13, Foundations of Care Questions; Chapter 14, Adult Health Questions; Chapter 15, Mental Health Questions; Chapter 16, Maternity Questions; Chapter 17, Pediatrics Questions; Chapter 18, Pharmacology Questions; Chapter 19, Delegating/Prioritizing Questions; and Chapter 20, Leadership/ Management Questions. The correct answer, rationales for correct and incorrect options, a test-taking strategy, a tip for the nursing student, and question codes including cognitive skills codes are provided. Special Features of the Book Pyramid Points Pyramid Points are the bullets that are placed at specic areas throughout the chapters. The Pyramid Points identify content and strategies that are important in preparation for the NCLEX examination. Tips for the Nursing Student A tip for the nursing student is provided for each sample question in the book. Additionally, a tip for the nursing student accompanies each question in the practice tests located in Part III and on the accompanying Evolve site. This tip provides the nursing student with a description of the content or health problem addressed in the question. NCLEX® Tips NCLEX tips are located throughout Parts I and II of the text. These tips relate to NCLEX information and detail important points associated with the content addressed and with the NCLEX exam. Lifestyle Planning Tips Lifestyle planning tips are located throughout Parts I and II of the text. These tips provide information about healthy lifestyle choices that will help you live a wellbalanced life, leading to success in nursing school. Practice Readiness Tips Practice readiness tips are located throughout Parts I and II of the text. These tips provide information about what you, as a nurse or nursing student, are able to do in your practice settings. These tips will also help you answer questions related to delegation and assignment-making. Student-to-Student Tips Student-to-student tips provide information from a student’s perspective on various topics that you will encounter during nursing school, such as tips for answering certain types of questions encountered on your nursing exams. These tips are located throughout Parts I and II of the text. Preparing for Clinical Tip Preparing for clinical tips are located throughout Parts I and II of the text. These tips provide information particularly related to working in the clinical setting and ways to be the most prepared when you start your clinical rotations. Practice Test Questions The chapters in this book contain several sample practice questions that illustrate specic test-taking strategies. In addition to the sample practice quest integrated into the chapters, there are practice test questions in the book. The accompanying Evolve site contains a total of 1200 questions (practice questions from the book and additional questions). The practice test questions in the book and all of the questions on the Evolve site provide the correct answer, rationales for correct and incorrect options, a test-taking strategy, a tip for the nursing student, and question codes including cognitive skill codes. Alternate Item Format Test Questions In addition to multiple choice questions, alternate item format test questions are included throughout the book, the practice tests located in Part III, and on the accompanying Evolve site. These alternate item format types include ll-in-theblank, multiple response (select all that apply), prioritizing (ordered response), gure or illustration (hot spot), scenario/exhibit, graphic item options, and audio. Case Studies and Next Generation NCLEX® (NGN) Item Types In addition to the sample questions in the book, single episode, stand-alone, and unfolding case studies are presented on the Evolve site and are accompanied by NGN format practice questions. Refer to for additional information on these question types that are a part of the NCLEX exam. Answer Section for Practice Test Questions The answer sections for each practice test question in Part III and on the accompanying Evolve site include the correct answer, rationale, tip for the nursing student, test-taking strategy, and question categories. The structure for the answer section is unique and provides the following information: Rationale: The rationale provides you with the signicant information regarding both correct and incorrect options. Tip for the Nursing Student: This tip provides you with a description of the content or health problem addressed in the question. Test-Taking Strategy: The test-taking strategy provides you with the logical path to select the correct option and assists you in selecting an answer to a question on which you must guess. This feature reinforces what you learned in the book about the use of test-taking strategies. The specic strategy is colored blue. Each test-taking strategy also provides a “suggestion for review.” Content to review is colored in magenta. Question Categories: Each question is identied based on the categories used by the NCLEX test plan. Additional content categories are provided with each question to help you identify areas in need of review. The categories identied with each practice question include Level of Cognitive Ability, Client Needs, Integrated Process, Clinical Judgment/Cognitive Skill, Priority Concepts, Level of Nursing Student, and the specic nursing Content Area. All categories are identied by their full names so that you do not need to memorize codes or abbreviations. Evolve Site The accompanying Evolve site contains 1200 practice questions in the multiple choice format or in the alternate item format such as ll-in-the-blank, multiple response (select all that apply), prioritizing (ordered response), gure or illustration (hot spot), scenario/exhibit, graphic item options, and audio. Case Studies and NGN type questions are also presented on the Evolve site. This Windows- and Macintosh-compatible program offers two testing modes for review: Study: All questions in a selected Cognitive Level, Strategies, Client Needs, Integrated Process, Priority Concepts, Clinical Judgment/Cognitive Skill, or specif