What’s the Definition of a Good Nurse?

What is the the Definition of a Good Nurse?

Now let me give you my definition of a Nurse: A nurse is an individual who works towards providing great patient care and customer service. The goal as a nurse should be to help the patient return to optimal health.

A Good Nurse is one that goes above and beyond. No, I didn’t say that phrase to sound fancy. But what I meant is that this nurse is willing to go into work each shift and work towards making his/her patients hospital stay as pleasant and comfortable as can be. This nurse will make sure to cater to his/her patients needs, providing quality time to just talk to the patients and their family members. A good nurse isn’t looking at the dollar signs that come with the career, or the beauty of having the title “Nurse” but rather, they are looking at how they can touch or inspire their patients to keep pushing for the next day.

As a repeat NCLEX taker, I struggled with that term. It can have a negative connotation. It can make you, as it did for myself, feel inferior, and incompetent. I feared that by being a repeat tester, I would be solely identified as such. I later learned that it doesn’t really matter. Did you read that correctly? I hope you did!! It doesn’t really matter.

Just because you didn’t pass your NCLEX exam on the first or second try, doesn’t mean that you aren’t a great nurse. If you passed your exam on the first try, doesn’t automatically define you as a great nurse either.

It doesn’t matter how many times you took your NCLEX, just as long as you developed the skills that the NCLEX exam makers wanted you to obtain and utilize those skills on the job. It doesn’t matter how long it took you to pass your exam. If you kept trying then I believe that that qualifies you as the real MVP. You did it! You didn’t give up on your dreams and for that, you are already a great nurse.

Today, I can stand tall, despite any current struggles, realizing that I am a great nurse. I didn’t give up on my dreams. I worked hard towards passing my NCLEX exam. It didn’t come easy for me. I had to literally work so hard. (Not because I am less than intelligent, but because I wanted to make sure that I knew my material well enough to be a competent nurse).

I know that I am a great nurse because I have my story to tell all about my journey just to get to this point. The struggle was and is still real. But Life is filled with struggles. You just have to remain calm and focus on overcoming them with strength and perseverance.

You are a great nurse if you kept going throughout the setbacks, the tears, the embarrassment and struggles. Now my question to you, is do you believe that? You have a story to tell and with that story you will inspire and help others.

 

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How to make Pharmacology Cards

Hey guys, if you are anything like me, pharmacology was extremely difficult to study and apply when it came to nursing school/NCLEX exam. NCLEX exam loves to give questions on Pharmacology because it is very important. Will acknowledging its importance, it made me develop anxiety whenever I would see a Drug in a question.

During my last NCLEX RN experience, I decided to make detailed Pharmacology aka Drug cards. This was the best decision I ever made in regard to studying for this exam.

 

In my previous posts, I shared some tips on how to study for pharmacology and how to answer any pharmacology question without really knowing what the drug is. If you missed those following videos, please go check them out.

                                           🔵You can watch them here, click the links! 🔵

How to Study Pharmacology | Nursing School | NCLEX

How to answer any Pharm Question | Nursing School | NCLEX

Many of my lovely subscribers requested that I show them how I made my Pharm cards, which helped me pass my NCLEX. So here it is!

 

❤Example of Pharm card : ANTACIDS ❤

 

I HOPE THAT IT HELPS YOU!!

JOIN ME ON TWITTER & PERISCOPE NOW SO WE CAN CONTINUE WITH PHARM CARDS! INVITE SOME FRIENDS, PLEASE!

 

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How to Break down SATA NCLEX Questions

Hey everyone, in today’s blog post. I will share with you Four steps on how to answer Select All That Apply (SATA) NCLEX Questions. In a previous post, I shared with you some tips that I used and were very helpful for me. I included a video as well, How to answer SATA Questions

Here are the Four Steps to answering Select All That Apply questions:

Step 1: What is the topic?

Step 2: What do you know about the topic? (Content?)

Step 3: What is the question really asking? (Rephrase the question)

Step 4: Eliminate

 

Here are the sample questions I went over in the related video: How to Br

eak Down SATA Questions

1. Which conditions are signs of vascular insufficiency? Select all that apply
   1. Decreased pedal pulses
   2. Thickened toenails
   3. Chronic foot wounds
   4. Hairy legs

What is the answer to this question? Leave the answer in the comment section below

Hurst, M. (2008). NCLEX-RN review. New York: McGraw-Hill Medical.

Page 430 Question 76

2. Which of the following diagnoses require Droplet Precautions? Select all that apply

1. Varicella
2. Rubella
3. Streptococcocal pharyngitis
4. Scarlet Fever
5. Shigella
6. Hepatitis A

Gardner, W. R., Sloan, D., & Hurd, C. (n.d.). NCLEX-RN (4th ed.).

Page 422 Question 9

Must Know Lab Values for NCLEX

Are you wondering which labs you need to know for NCLEX? There’s so much information that you need to know for the NCLEX RN, NCLEX PN exam. Knowledge of the lab values are highly important as a change in lab value measurements can indicate whether a patient is returning to optimal health or is not. I decided to share my personal list that I used while studying for my NCLEX exam. I hope that you found it informative and helpful.

Here is my list of the Lab Values that you NEED TO KNOW!!

                                                         ▼▼

ARTERIAL BLOOD GASES (ABG’S)

pH: 7.35-7.45 (High pH=Alkalosis, Low pH= Acidosis)

pCo2- 35-45 (High pCo2=Respiratory Alkalosis, Low pCo2= Metabolic Acidosis)

P02= 80-100

HC03= 22-26 (High HC03=Respiratory Alkalosis, Low HC03= Metabolic Acidosis)

Sa02= 94-100%

 

ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (ESR)

ESR indicates inflammation.

Normal is <30mm/hr

 

TOTAL CHOLESTEROL <200

 

HDL (GOOD) >60

 

LDL (BAD) <130

 

TRIGYLCERIDES

100-200; you want <150

If patient is on medication, you want <100

 

LIVER ENYZMES/HEPATIC FUNCTION TESTS

ALT = 10-30

➢Identifies hepatocellular disease of the liver; monitors improvement of disease

AST = 8-40

➢Evaluates a client with suspected hepatocellular disease/ cardiac markers to evaluate coronary artery occlusive disease

➢Increased levels of ALT & AST indicates Jaundice, Liver Problems

 

ALBUMIN 3.5-5.0

➢Volume expander, a protein

➢Indicates nutritional status

 

BILIRUBIN 0.1-1

infant levels= 10-14

Increased Bilirubin=jaundice

 

GLUCOSE 70-110 (Fasting State Normal)

<50 (Low) >400 (High)

1 hr- 190 mg/dL

2 hr- 140 mg/dL

3hr- 125 mg/dL

 

HBA1C <7%

Its a 3 month review of Glucose management

 

BUN (RENAL FUNCTION) 10-20

➢Increased BUN indicates Dehydration via GI bleed, poor renal perfusion, corticosteroid use

 

CREATININE (RENAL FUNCTION) 0.6-1.5

Increased Creatinine indicates Renal dysfunction

 

HEMOGLOBIN (HGB)

Measures Oxygen carrying capacity of the RBC

Male = 13-18 g/dL

Female = 12-16 g/dL

Child = 11-12.5 g/dL

Increased Hgb= Dehydration

Decreased Hgb= Bleeding, Anemia, Hemorrhage, Hemodilution

HEMATOCRIT (HCT)

The percentage of RBC per fluid volume of Blood

Male = 42-52%

Female  = 35-45%

Child = 35-45%

➢Increased Hct= Dehydration

➢Decreased Hct= Bleeding

 

WHITE BLOOD CELL (WBC)

Helps fight infections; immune system cells (leukocytes)

Adult = 5,000-10,000

Child = 5,000-13,000

➢Increased WBC = immunosuppressed, infections (bacterial/viral), inflammation (Rheumatoid arthritis, IBD, Leukemia, Allergies)

➢Decreased WBC =  neutropenic; bone marrow disorders, lymphoma, lupus, HIV

 

RED BLOOD CELL (RBC)

Male = 4.6-6.2 million/mm3

Female = 4.2-5.4 million/mm3

Child = 3.2-5.2 million/mm3

➢Decreased RBC- hypoxia, anemia

 

PLATELETS 150,000-450,000/ mm3

Used to diagnose hemorrhagic disease, thrombocytopenia

<20,000 = Risk for bleeding

<100,000 = Thrombocytopenia

 

COAGS

PT  9.5-12 seconds

➢Measures amount of time it takes in seconds for clot formation

➢Monitors effectiveness of Warafin (Coumadin) and detects coagulation disorders

➢Longer than 30 seconds = risk for Bleeding

➢Antidote for Coumadin = Vitamin K

PTT 20-45 seconds

Therapeutic – 1.5-2.5 times

Lower limit of normal 20-25 second

Upper limit of normal 32-39 second

➢Monitors effectiveness of Heparin

➢Detects coagulation disorders

➢Antidote for Heparin = Protamine Sulfate

INR  2-3 (therapeutic)

➢Monitors effectiveness of anticoagulation therapy

➢Monitors Warafin Therapy

AMMONIA  10-80

➢Metabolized by liver, excreted by kidneys as Urea

URIC ACID 3.5-7.5

 

DIGESTIVE ENZYMES (PANCREAS)

LIPASE 0-110 (Most specific)

AMYLASE 45-200 (made by Pancreas & salivary glands, helps with digestion)

 

TROPONIN <0.6 mg/mL

>1.5 = indicates MI

➢Cardiac Marker

PHENOBARBITAL 10-30

 

LITHIUM 0.5-1.5

➢Mood stabilizer for Depressed/Manic patients

➢Don’t use in Renal/Cardiac patient

➢Loss water & sodium; so increase sodium intake

➢Give with meals

➢Safety- causes orthostatic hypostension

DIGOXIN 0.5-2.0

➢Dig toxicity = >2.5

➢Decreases Heart Rate

➢Early signs of toxicity= GI symptoms (N/V)

➢Late signs of toxicity= yellow halos, visual changes

DILANTIN (PHENYTOIN) 10-20

➢Phenytoin toxicity = >30

➢Turns urine Brown

THEOPHYLLINE 10-20

➢Theophylline toxicity = >20

Central Venous Pressure (CVP)

2-11 mm/Hg

5-13 cc/H20

➢Measures pressure in Right Atria of the heart.

➢Remember: more volume, more pressure

SPECIFIC GRAVITY 1.010-1.030

➢Less than 1.010 = Diluted urine

➢Higher than 1.030 = Concentrated urine

 

TYLENOL TOXICITY >4,000 mg/day

➢Can cause liver problems

➢Antidote for Tylenol = Acetocysteine 

FLUID & ELECTROLYTES

Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Chloride, etc.

♢◆♢◆♢◆♢ For my NCLEX exam, I memorized these lab values. (I wrote them all out over and over again until I knew them. Then I quizzed myself as I had them on index cards and/or I asked family members to quiz me).

                         During my exam I wrote down the lab values that I definitely knew that I had trouble remembering. This was helpful because while I was answering questions, I had the information in front of me as reference.

 * Note: Testers are not allowed to write down information on the whiteboard immediately after getting the whiteboard. I suggest that you wait until you’ve started your first exam question to write the lab values down* ♢◆♢◆♢◆♢

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Infection Control Precautions| Demo

Hey everyone, how are you doing?

In my previous post, I shared Easy Way to Learn Precautions for NCLEX. If you haven’t read it, please head over there. I provided a detailed list of diseases that belong in each precaution category.

Today I would like to share with you a demonstration video on how you should put on and remove your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while caring for your patients in Contact, Airborne, Droplet and Standard precautions.

Here is a list of the order you should put on and remove PPE for each precaution.

▷Airborne Precautions

      ➨Put On: Hand Hygiene, N95 Mask, Gloves

      ➨Remove: Gloves, N95 Mask, Hand Hygiene

▷Droplet Precautions

      ➨Put On: Hand Hygiene, Mask,Goggles, Gown,  Gloves

      ➨Remove: Gloves, Gown, Goggles, Mask, Hand Hygiene

▷Contact Precautions

      ➨Put On: Hand Hygiene, Gown, Gloves

      ➨Remove: Gloves, Gown, Hand Hygiene

▷Standard Precautions

      ➨Put On: Hand Hygiene, Gloves

      ➨Remove: Gloves, Hand Hygiene

I hope that you find this video helpful. If you so, please comment below letting me know. I would appreciate your feedback.

Let me know which topics you are interested in seeing next. Thank you so much for joining me here!

 

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How I Passed NCLEX

Hi guys, I noticed that I didn’t get to share with you how I passed my NCLEX RN exam. I was a repeat tester. What? Yes, I was. There is no shame in telling you all this because I am human. NCLEX  wasn’t an easy experience for me. It was definitely a journey. I appreciate the ride to success because it has taught me more about myself as a young woman.

Most times when people hear about nursing school they are aware that its tough,  it is mentally draining, and its a beautiful career. But what about the final exam of them all, the NCLEX? Well, I personally feel like this exam mentally tested me not only on the nursing material but it tested me physically and spiritually.

If you would like to hear about how I passed my NCLEX, then please watch this video. =)

If you found it helpful or inspirational, please share it along with friends and family. Join me here for more posts and subscribe to my youtube channel.

I would love for you to share your experience with the NCLEX exam below. Or if you are getting ready to take it, share how you are feeling about it, questions or concerns.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

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