ATI Capstone Content Review Tips of the Week 1-1
Nursing Capstone
ATI Capstone Content Review Tips of the Week: Week 1
Understanding the difference between ATI Assessments and your Unit Exams:
In nursing school you have been given examinations to “examine” how much you had learned from the specific
material that was theoretically presented to you in lecture, reading, skills labs, clinical, etc. Your score was based
on the 100% scale & you were probably expected to score anywhere from around 75% to 100% over that material
in order to pass.
Now—there is NO WAY that any nursing program can teach everything there is to know about nursing in a 2-4 year
program. In fact, one of my colleagues always said that nursing school is so tough because students are expected
to learn in 2-4 years what med students have 6+ years to learn!! Therefore, each program has a bit different focus
& uses different textbooks & materials based on their focus.
This is where ATI assessments come in - these assessments are broad & are used to “assess” what you know in
comparison to the exit exam and ultimately the NCLEX blueprint. Therefore your score—while still based on the
100% scale—is not looked at in the same way it is a typical exam. It would be totally unreasonable to expect you
to score 75-100% over material that you may have never even seen before!! Research has determined that
students scoring at the 60% range on the ATI assessments, do very well on their exit exams. Scores below 60%
are indication that additional review needs to be done in a particular area.
So—when you take the ATI assessments—think of them as a means to identify areas that you might see on your
exit exam and ultimately NCLEX so that you can prepare for them through the review & remediation I have you do
as well as by your focused reviews/school practice assessments. This is also where the tips and strategies that I
will be sending you weekly will help you.
Laboratory Values
While lab values vary slightly according to the source, knowing an average range for the following common lab
tests will be very helpful on to you when answering questions.
Sodium 136-145 mEq/L
Potassium 3.5-5.0 mEq/L
Total Calcium 9.0-10.5 mg/dL
Magnesium 1.3-2.1 mg/dL
Phosphorus 3.0 –4.5 mg/dL
BUN 10-20 mg/dL
Creatinine 0.6 – 1.2mg/dL males, 0.5 – 1.1 mg/dL females
Glucose 70 -105 mg/dL
HgbA1c <6.5%
WBC5,000-10,000/mm3
RBC Men 4.7-6.1 million/mm3, Women 4.2-5.4 million/mm3
,Hemoglobin Men 14-18g/100 mL, Women 12-16 g/100 mL
, Hematocrit Men 42-52%,Women 37-47%
Platelet150,000-400,000/mm3
pH 7.35-7.45
pC02 35 to45 mm Hg
p02 80-100 mmHg
HCO3 21-26mmol/L
Normal PT = 11-12.5 sec, Normal INR = 0.7-1.8 (Therapeutic INR 2-3)
Normal PTT = 30-40 sec (Therapeutic PTT 1.5 – 2 x normal or control values)
Digoxin 0.5 to 2.0ng/mL
Lithium 0.8 to 1.4 mEq/L
Dilantin 10-20 mcg/mL
Theophylline 10 to 20mcg/mL
Latex Allergies:
Note that clients allergic to bananas, apricots, cherries, grapes, kiwis, passion fruit, avocados, chestnuts, tomatoes,
and/or peaches may experience latex allergies as well.
Order of assessment:
I-inspection
P-palpation
P-percussion
A-auscultation
Except with abdomen it is IAPP-inspect, auscultate, percuss and palpate.
Cane walking:
C-cane
O-opposite
A-affected
L-leg
Crutch walking:
Downloaded by mary daniel ()
, Remember the phase “step up” when picturing a person going up stairs with crutches. The good leg goes up first
followed by the crutches and the bad leg. The opposite happens going down the stairs….OR “up to heaven…down to
hell”
Delegation:
RNs DO NOT delegate what they can EAT-evaluate, assess, teach
Helpful tool to remember Isolation Precautions:
AIRBORNE: "My Chicken Hez TB"
-Measles
-Chicken pox
-Herpes zoster
-TB
Management: neg. pressure room, private room, mask, n-95 for TB.
DROPLET: "SPIDERMAn"
-Sepsis
-Scarlet Fever
-Strep
-Pertussis
-Pneumonia
-Parvovirus
-Influenza
-Diphtheria
-Epiglottitis
-Rubella
-Mumps
-Adenovirus
Management: Private room/mask
CONTACT: "MRS WEE"
-MRSA
-RSV
-Skin infections (herpes zoster, cutaneous diphtheria, impetigo, pediculosis, scabies, and staph)
-Wound infections
-Enteric infections (C-Diff)
-Eye infections (conjunctivitis)
Management: gown, gloves, goggles, private room
VRSA - contact and airborne precautions (private room, door closed, negative pressure)
Test taking tip: Slow Down!
Reading questions too quickly can lead to errors. When you are testing, try to slow down a bit so that you do not
miss any key words - Before each and every question try this:
Take a deep breath in then out. Read the stem of the question, read the choices. REREAD the stem of
the question to make sure to understand what is really being asked -then make your selection. Start
the process all over with a deep breath in and out.
Downloaded by mary daniel ()
Nursing Capstone
ATI Capstone Content Review Tips of the Week: Week 1
Understanding the difference between ATI Assessments and your Unit Exams:
In nursing school you have been given examinations to “examine” how much you had learned from the specific
material that was theoretically presented to you in lecture, reading, skills labs, clinical, etc. Your score was based
on the 100% scale & you were probably expected to score anywhere from around 75% to 100% over that material
in order to pass.
Now—there is NO WAY that any nursing program can teach everything there is to know about nursing in a 2-4 year
program. In fact, one of my colleagues always said that nursing school is so tough because students are expected
to learn in 2-4 years what med students have 6+ years to learn!! Therefore, each program has a bit different focus
& uses different textbooks & materials based on their focus.
This is where ATI assessments come in - these assessments are broad & are used to “assess” what you know in
comparison to the exit exam and ultimately the NCLEX blueprint. Therefore your score—while still based on the
100% scale—is not looked at in the same way it is a typical exam. It would be totally unreasonable to expect you
to score 75-100% over material that you may have never even seen before!! Research has determined that
students scoring at the 60% range on the ATI assessments, do very well on their exit exams. Scores below 60%
are indication that additional review needs to be done in a particular area.
So—when you take the ATI assessments—think of them as a means to identify areas that you might see on your
exit exam and ultimately NCLEX so that you can prepare for them through the review & remediation I have you do
as well as by your focused reviews/school practice assessments. This is also where the tips and strategies that I
will be sending you weekly will help you.
Laboratory Values
While lab values vary slightly according to the source, knowing an average range for the following common lab
tests will be very helpful on to you when answering questions.
Sodium 136-145 mEq/L
Potassium 3.5-5.0 mEq/L
Total Calcium 9.0-10.5 mg/dL
Magnesium 1.3-2.1 mg/dL
Phosphorus 3.0 –4.5 mg/dL
BUN 10-20 mg/dL
Creatinine 0.6 – 1.2mg/dL males, 0.5 – 1.1 mg/dL females
Glucose 70 -105 mg/dL
HgbA1c <6.5%
WBC5,000-10,000/mm3
RBC Men 4.7-6.1 million/mm3, Women 4.2-5.4 million/mm3
,Hemoglobin Men 14-18g/100 mL, Women 12-16 g/100 mL
, Hematocrit Men 42-52%,Women 37-47%
Platelet150,000-400,000/mm3
pH 7.35-7.45
pC02 35 to45 mm Hg
p02 80-100 mmHg
HCO3 21-26mmol/L
Normal PT = 11-12.5 sec, Normal INR = 0.7-1.8 (Therapeutic INR 2-3)
Normal PTT = 30-40 sec (Therapeutic PTT 1.5 – 2 x normal or control values)
Digoxin 0.5 to 2.0ng/mL
Lithium 0.8 to 1.4 mEq/L
Dilantin 10-20 mcg/mL
Theophylline 10 to 20mcg/mL
Latex Allergies:
Note that clients allergic to bananas, apricots, cherries, grapes, kiwis, passion fruit, avocados, chestnuts, tomatoes,
and/or peaches may experience latex allergies as well.
Order of assessment:
I-inspection
P-palpation
P-percussion
A-auscultation
Except with abdomen it is IAPP-inspect, auscultate, percuss and palpate.
Cane walking:
C-cane
O-opposite
A-affected
L-leg
Crutch walking:
Downloaded by mary daniel ()
, Remember the phase “step up” when picturing a person going up stairs with crutches. The good leg goes up first
followed by the crutches and the bad leg. The opposite happens going down the stairs….OR “up to heaven…down to
hell”
Delegation:
RNs DO NOT delegate what they can EAT-evaluate, assess, teach
Helpful tool to remember Isolation Precautions:
AIRBORNE: "My Chicken Hez TB"
-Measles
-Chicken pox
-Herpes zoster
-TB
Management: neg. pressure room, private room, mask, n-95 for TB.
DROPLET: "SPIDERMAn"
-Sepsis
-Scarlet Fever
-Strep
-Pertussis
-Pneumonia
-Parvovirus
-Influenza
-Diphtheria
-Epiglottitis
-Rubella
-Mumps
-Adenovirus
Management: Private room/mask
CONTACT: "MRS WEE"
-MRSA
-RSV
-Skin infections (herpes zoster, cutaneous diphtheria, impetigo, pediculosis, scabies, and staph)
-Wound infections
-Enteric infections (C-Diff)
-Eye infections (conjunctivitis)
Management: gown, gloves, goggles, private room
VRSA - contact and airborne precautions (private room, door closed, negative pressure)
Test taking tip: Slow Down!
Reading questions too quickly can lead to errors. When you are testing, try to slow down a bit so that you do not
miss any key words - Before each and every question try this:
Take a deep breath in then out. Read the stem of the question, read the choices. REREAD the stem of
the question to make sure to understand what is really being asked -then make your selection. Start
the process all over with a deep breath in and out.
Downloaded by mary daniel ()
