My Nursing Education

Dear Future Nursing Students;

Passing the Nursing Entrance Test the first time with high scores many be your only opportunity to get into nursing school. There is a tutorial that will help you pass the HESI A2, TEAS, and THE N.E.T. (Nursing Entrance Test). You can choose from individualized PDF subjects such as Math or Reading Comprehension, or the comprehensive Pass The N.E.T. book which contains over 450 pages of tests, tutorials and explanations on the following subjects; Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, English Grammar, Biology, Math, and Reading Comprehension.

Students who call me have very intense apprehension about taking the Nursing Entrance Test. I have spent many hours with students on the phone talking with them and helping to give them the confidence that they need to pass. Unfortunately they find my material after they have failed the NET the first or second time. This is a very important test. Let no one tell you different. Therefore the student needs the most up to date and comprehensive materials to help them PASS the First Time. As a professor, nurse, and author, I have spent many years developing The Nursing Entrance Tutorial material in an easy to understand fashion. I feel so bad for students who are given a small book to study that does not even prepare them for what is on the test. Students must be very careful what they choose to be their study guide. I have lectured on the steps to Pass The NET in Michigan and have tutored many nursing pre nursing students to success. I am in your corner. Please see some of the content regarding the PDF books below;

Reading Comprehension for the NET, HESI, HESI A2 and The TEAS, over 140 pages of topics, passages, tutorials, tests and detailed answers with explanations.
The Pass The NET Reading Comprehension Section in PDF; the Student will be able to…
1. Analyze the passage and determine the Authors point of view.
2. Recognize the key words whose meaning reflects the passages points.
3. Find the main concept or subject.
4. Identify proofs of concepts
5. Illustrate subjective points.
6. Integrate all information
7. Formulate the correct idea that the author is trying to convey.
8. Build reading comprehension skills
9. Develop their critical thinking skills (This is a must for Nursing School)
The Methods that the student will use to achieve the above goals are the following;
10. Practice answering questions on many scientifically based passages in such topics as Biology, Nursing, and Psychology.
11. Questions and tests at the end of each passage.
12. Complete explanations, not just answers.
13. Workbook spaces to answer questions posed after several sentences.

By Nancy Kimmel R.N. Ph.D.

O.k., so you want to become a nurse. Good choice. Did you know that National surveys of registered nurses, physicians, and hospital executives document considerable concern about the U.S. nurse shortage?(1) Will you have job security? Absolutely! Now all you need to do is to become a nurse. As the population continues to grow, so does the need for educated nursing professionals. With such a strong need for nurses many would think it would be easy to get a nursing education. The fact is it may be harder than many people think. Today the United States also has a shortage of nursing educators and this makes many nursing programs hard to get into often with long waiting lists.
Getting onto these waiting lists is all dependent on how well the student performs on the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST This is a three hour exam that tests the students knowledge from reading comprehension to anatomy and physiology. Student aspirations of having a career in nursing can come true if they know how to study intelligently for the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST. This test can become a stumbling block for students who do not adequately prepare for the N.E.T. Comprehensive study materials can be found online at the Nurses Learning Center
Students have online access twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, as long as they need the program. Having access to a comprehensive battery of tutorial test that will help raise students score on the N.E.T is a must is the student plans to get into nursing school on the first try. Not pass the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST is a great set back for everyone trying to get into nursing school, and one that most people can’t afford to take.
Nursing forum – career planning and education advice for nursing careers

Even with all these hurtles in place, a nursing career is still a great choice as long as you select the correct career path. As with any career you choose, you want to create a plan and time line so you can advance into a senior position in the future.While in fact the program of nursing is a grueling one, the rewards of helping others outweighs all other factors considered. The five steps are outlined below.
Step 1. Have a great desire to help others. Becoming a nurse means caring about others as you would care for yourself, your children, your parents and other loved ones. Love of mankind is definitely a prerequisite. This is the most important step. Read more »

Computerized Adaptive Testing For Nursing Education

By Nancy Lydia Kimmel R.N., Ph.D., C.H.M.M.

Those who are graduate nurses and those who are going into nursing school will soon be sitting for their national boards known as the NCLEX, or taking the N.E.T, the HESI or the TEAS. The state nursing board examinations are computerized and set up to test the candidate’s skill level. In order to pass the NCLEX. the candidate must demonstrate the level of skill required to practice the art of nursing safely in their state. In order to determine this level of skill, the NCLEX. is formatted to adapt to the testers knowledge base.

This type of computerized adaptation is termed, “computerized adaptive testing” or CAT. This type of testing is not new. It has been in use for many years. This is the method that the Graduate Entrance Exams (GRE.) have been using. To better understand how computerized adaptive testing works, think about taking a test where all of the questions are very easy. This type of test does not really test the ability of the tester that knows the material thoroughly. Therefore the tester’s true mastery of the subject is not assessed. Some of the nursing entrance tests are also test via computerized adaptive testing.

It is similar to being in class, where the teacher is asking questions. As the student answers the questions, the level of difficulty continues to increase, until the student reaches a point where they cannot answer a question, then the level of difficulty decreases, and the cycle begins again. This type of testing then does away with the redundancy of questions wherein the level of each is on a plateau, but rather poses questions that challenges the tester’s ability to the point that their true ability of their mastery of the subject matter can be assessed.

Therefore, those student’s, sitting for the NCLEX who are answering easier questions, may find themselves answering more questions than those students who are able to answer the harder questions and thereby have fewer questions. One could say that computerized adaptive testing is geared to each individuals own knowledge base. After each question the tester is scored. Each following question will be chosen to match their skill based on how they answered the previous question. There is a statistical program built into the main program that estimates the tester’s knowledge proficiency. There is a pre-set statistical data base that dictates the percentage of questions that are needed for a graduate nurse to pass or to fail.

“The CAT usually ends when the amount of measurement error around the ability estimate reaches an acceptable level. Low levels of measurement error are required for high-stakes certification tests and indicate that the test would likely produce a similar score if re-administered immediately afterwards. It is not known exactly when the test will shut off or how many questions have to be completed. The computerized adaptive testing usually presents a variable number of questions, and a minimum and maximum number is pre-set.”

Therefore, if the graduate nurse answers incorrectly the easy questions, as well as the more difficult questions, they will be less likely to sit for the entire six hours and their test may shut off after the minimum of seventy five questions. It is the seventy five questions that many graduate nurses are fearful of receiving, because they think that they have failed the NCLEX. If the tester has a good solid knowledge base and has prepared for the test by practicing NCLEX questions, then the seventy five questions shut off is actually a good sign. The score is based upon the level of difficulty that is achieved. This is the methodology that the NCLEX uses to test the nursing school graduates.

The HESI, The N.E.T. and The T.E.A.S. will shut off at a specific length of time, which is usually a 3 hour test. So not all of the questions that one student has, will the other student have. The most important preparation is to begin studying soon and to begin with the right materials that will help you to pass. You can begin to study for your Nurse Entrance Test at the Nurses Learning Center, where you can get immediate access to over 1000 questions and answers, tests are available 24 hours, 7 seven days per week, and you only have to pay a one time fee. This material is set up just like the HESI, The N.E.T. and The TEAS.

Now there are available online, all the tests and practice tests that students need to be able to pass such tests as the HESI, The TEAS, HESI A2, and the NET.  These tests simulate the actual computerized tests and help prepare the student to pass with high scores.  Just go to the Nurses Learning Center and read more about the wonderful options that await those struggling to find reliable testing material that will help them to not only prepare for the Nursing Entrance Test, but pass the first time with high scores.
Students need some extra help in studying for the various tests that are currently out there. Unfortunately there is not enough reliable resources on the internet to help students sufficiently prepare for the nursing entrance tests. Even the companies that produce them, such as ATI, (ERI World), and others do not give students the necessary information. The only online practice tests that they give are such that the student has only a few hours or days to practice, then the service is turned off. The fee is sizable for their service. Here at the Nurses Learning Center, students can access tests that include Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, English Grammar, Reading Comprehension, and Mathematics. Over one thousand questions and answers are available to the students. They can track their test scores and determine their weak points. There is no limit, and the service does not terminate. The student can simply access the internet then  begin their practice testing anytime throughout the day or night.

The best way to study is the right way to study.  The online tutorial testing is user friendly.   Students can log in at www.nurseslearningcenter.com/testing
All the student has to do is to choose a user name and password when they purchase the online product. This will be their password each time that they log in, no matter where they are.  Start studying today.

The following is an example of a reading comprehension passage that you would find on THE NURSING ENTRANCE TEST OR THE N.E.T.. The student who is sitting for the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST needs to remember that they must not bring any previous knowledge into answering the questions. The passage will be on a computer screen and the student must scroll through out the passage until finally arriving at the questions. Time yourself on the passage below.

Childhood behavioral disorders such as ADD and ADHD have been are on the rise. It is important for parents to realize that children are not fully developed with respect to their bone growth and metabolism as adults. Just as an expectant mother’s deficiency in folic acid can lead to defects in the newborns neural tube, so can metal ions and complex organic compounds cause damage to a child’s bones, liver, kidneys and neurotransmitters. Why should we as parents, educators and doctors treat the symptoms of the above mentioned disorders with more chemicals in the form of pills? It is interesting to look at what are some of the chemicals that go into foods that we consume regularly. Below is a list of some of the food additives taken from Casarett and Doull’s Toxicology, The Basic Science of Poisons, 4th Ed.,McGraw Hill copyright, 1991. Page 823. Read more »

How hard is the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST MATH SECTION?
Does the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST, OR N.E.T. contain any medication calculations?
The answer is yes! This may intimidate many students who are getting ready to take the N.E.T. There is hope. At the Nurses Learning Center students can study online tests and tutorials with unlimited access without worrying that they will lose their access. There are indeed some questions requiring knowledge of medication dosing calculations. These questions however can be broken down into simple ratios and proportions. The student will be using these formulas quite a bit during nursing school, where they can expect frequent medication calculation tests. The N.E.T. Study Guide author, Nancy Kimmel has broke down exactly how to solve for these ratio and proportion problems at the Nurses Learning Center. Whether the student is studying the drip factor of an IV or exactly how much medication to dispense, the student will find the information that they need to pass the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST MATH SECTION.

It is important for the student to prepare for the N.E.T. by getting a thorough understanding of how to use ratio and proportions prior to nursing school. One of the reasons that so many people do not do well on the MATH SECTION OF THE NURSING ENTRANCE TEST, is due to their lack of study in such subject matter.

MEDICATION SAFETY

While medications do a lot of good, most of them can cause a patient physical harm or death if too high a dose is administered. Because of this nurses typically double-check  and triple check their calculations when they are giving a new or potentially deadly medication, or have another nurse check their calculations.  As a nursing student you will check every doctor’s order with your instructor before the two of you act on the order. For a student to give a medication or change an IV rate without consultation with a professional is not permitted by this School or the clinical agencies. Medication safety is crucial. Below you will find some examples of ratio and proportion problems.

IV FLUIDS

The amount of fluids administered intravenously each hour should never be more than you would want to drink in an hour. Most often doctors order only about 4 ounces of IV fluid per hour for their clients. The Metric System is usually used by doctors to order the infusion rate for an IV. There are 30ml in an ounce of fluid. “Infuse 125 ml/ hour” is a common IV order. If the client has a heart or kidney problem, IV fluids might be restricted to 50 – 80ml/ hour. More than that could cause their lungs to fill with fluid, drowning them from the inside causing congestive heart failure.  In the following exercises if you get an answer wildly different from these numbers, your logic should tell you that your answer is probably wrong.

BASIC INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AN IV

1. Usually IVs come in clear plastic bags with lines on the side showing how much fluid is left in the bag so a nurse can see how much of the IV has infused.
   
2. The most common size is about a quart which is equal to 1000 ml. 1000 ml is one liter. The total amount is printed on the bag.
   
3. There are many different solutions in these bags, but they all look the same. The name of the solution is printed on the bag. Even though they may be all piled in a heap on a shelf, it is critical that the correct solution be hung for each patient. The wrong solution could kill.
   
4. The tubing that connects the bag to the client comes in different diameters. The wider the tubing, the faster fluid gets into the client. When you look at the box the tubing came in it could give a “Drop Factor” of 10 drops/ ml or 12 or 15 or 20 drops/ ml. When the Drop Factor is between 10 – 20 it is called “macrodrip tubing”. A drip rate can’t be figured out unless you know the Drop Factor for the tubing being used.
   
5. Some tubing has a needle built in that limits the size of the drop that can enter the tubing from the IV bag. Pediatric nurses use this kind of tubing because their little patients can only tolerate tiny amounts of IV fluid. It takes 60 of these little drops to equal one ml. When the Drop Factor is 60 the tubing is called “microdrip tubing”
   
6. All IV tubing has a chamber at the end near the IV bag where nurses can see the fluid dripping out of the bag before the fluid enters the tubing. This is where they count the rate of the falling drops using the second hand on their watches. So you can check your answers for logic be aware that if the tubing delivers one ml every 10 drops, a drip rate of 21 will give the patient 125 ml in an hour. If the tubing delivers one ml every 15 drops, a drip rate of 31 will give the patient 125 ml in an hour.
   
7. If the drip rate is less than 10 drops each minute the client’s vein may clot off the IV, meaning s/he might have to get stuck again to start a new IV.
   
8. Just because the IV is no longer in the IV bag a nurse can not assume that it infused into the client. It could have disconnected and be in a puddle on the floor. Nurses always check the client’s infusion site to make sure everything is connected and the client’s arm looks okay.
   

FORMULAE AND PRACTICE

The goal for these exercises is for you to be able to quickly formulate and calculate IV problems.

This is a useful formula to compute the drip rate of an IV. Memorize it. You will need to prove that you can use it in every clinical course before you will be allowed into the clinical area.

= drops/minute

Another way of saying the same thing is:

Example #1

Dr. A. orders your client to receive 125 ml of D5W an hour for the next 8 hours. The nursing unit used tubing with a drop factor of 10. What is the drip rate?

Fill in the formula putting an X for the drip rate because that is what you want to know.

Notice that the fact that the information about 8 hours was not needed to figure out the drip rate.

Example #2

Dr. B. orders a liter of D5W to run this 8-hour shift. The drop factor is 15. Put this information in the formula with the X in the spot for the drip rate.

Example #3

Dr. C. wants your client to have 50 ml of a pre-mixed antibiotic. The Pharmacy writes, “infuse in 30 minutes”. The tubing box says drop factor = 15.

Many Thanks to the wonderful faculty at Fairleigh Dickinson College of Nursing

http://www.fdu.edu/
If you would like to begin to prepare to study for the N.E.T today, you will be making a decision that will help your chances at being placed on the nursing school waiting list before the other testers.

Anatomy and physiology review for the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST, THE TEAS-ATT, OR THE HESI, require that the student apply the nursing process. However, no one tells that student that those are the type of questions that they will see on the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST. The best preparation is for the student to read about how the nursing process applies to real world nursing, and thus see how their knowledge of anatomy and physiology is used in the health care field.

Nursing care for allergies include some of the following; identifying the level of health care deficit, providing comfort care, encouraging self care, promoting comfort, assuring that the patients airway is patent and free of any obstruction, and that is no further injury to skin integrity caused by scratching. Nursing diagnoses that are applicable to those suffering from allergies can include but are not limited to; impaired skin integrity related to persistent scratching secondary to an allergic reaction, knowledge deficit related to treatment of allergy symptoms and insufficient air exchange related to congestion secondary to an allergic reaction. Notice that nursing care and nursing diagnoses are not medical diagnoses, such as the diagnoses of an allergy or an allergic response. Nurses who specialize in care for patients with allergies and asthma are able to assist with diagnosis, establishing nursing care objectives and providing treatment. Nurses help determine the cause and treatment of allergic reactions, administer medication and monitor the patients progress throughout the treatment program. Allergy nurses must have knowledge of signs and symptoms allergic reactions and are trained to provide emergency treatments such as, resuscitation, emergency intubation and administration of proper medications when necessary. Allergy nurses help patients understand their conditions, medications and self-care skills.
To learn more about how to better study for the A&P section on the HESI, TEAS TEST, or THE NURSING ENTRANCE TEST, just go to the Nurses Learning Center.

So you are thinking about your career or next career as a nurse. Your first hurtle is to pass the Nursing Entrance Test, the HESI or the TEAS TEST. The next step is nursing school. What then? Well, there are many avenues that nurses can take other than hospital or long term care nursing. There is the field of professional nurse medical expert.
The primary role of the nurse medical expert is to offer up their opinion to the jury in a fair and balanced manner. Nurses with specialty experience and training are more often called in as medical experts in many cases.  This is a upcoming field in the realm known as forensic nursing.  Forensic nursing is a relatively new medical practice that combines elements of law enforcement with health care. Forensic nurses may treat victims of violent crime, perform crime scene investigations or work as detectives in a clinical setting to help police catch and convict perpetrators. One of the most important duties in forensic nursing is assisting in the physical and emotional recovery of patients while protecting their rights.  The wealth and breadth of nursing experience in their field of specialty is widely accepted as testimony. Nurses are used in hotly contested legal proceedings, both sides have bias and both want to win. The goal of the nurse medical expert is to showcase his or her knowledge in an impartial way. However, this is difficult in some cases, especially since each side often hires its own medical expert, and the medical expert is collecting his paycheck from the attorney, who has a clear and strong bias. Read more »

The health-care job market for nurses is booming and so is the enrollment in nursing programs.  Nursing Schools across the United States are having difficulty keeping up with the high numbers of students seeking to get into their nursing programs.  There are not enough teachers to go around.  Those who wish to become nurses must wait until there is an opening in the next class.  It is not unusual for students to have to wait two to three years to get into nursing school.     So how hard is it to get into nursing school?  It all depends on you. First and foremost, you must first begin by finding out which of the NURSING ENTRANCE TESTS the school of your choice requires. The nursing school which you decide to attend may offer the HESI, THE TEAS-ATT, OR THE N.E.T. The pre-requisites vary, depending on whether a student chooses a two year or four year degree program.  Most two year associate degree nursing programs require at least one year of pre-requisites.  These pre-requisites include, Biology (two semesters), Anatomy and Physiology (two semesters), English, (two semesters), Political Science, Psychology, Child Psychology, Sociology, Basic Math, Beginning Algebra, Chemistry, and Pharmacology.  It seems that each year the list of pre-requisites gets longer.  These courses could take longer than a year to complete, depending on the students home life and job commitment.  Then there are the nursing entrance tests.  There are several variations of nursing entrance tests circulating throughout the United States.  There is the HESI, the TEAS and the NET.  Each nursing school requires a different score for passing.  Passing implies that the student has scored sufficiently high enough to get their name on the nursing school waiting list.  To make matters more difficult, some schools only allow the student to take the nursing entrance test three times.  If the student fails on the third try,then they are not allowed entrance into the schools nursing program.  This can be a devastating blow to someone who has just completed over one year of pre-requisites and have set their entire two year calender by one school.  There is indeed some very stiff competition for nursing school seats.  Some of the other criteria that is examined prior to students gaining admission includes, grade point average, past medical or healthcare experience, and nursing entrance test scores.  As unbelievable as it may seem, there are actually some schools that require students to have a 4.0 grade point average just to get placed on the nursing school wait list. It is no wonder that so many nursing school students are over stressed. The high expectations required by so many nursing schools are actually acting as a deterrent. Some students who contemplated a carrer in nursing change their path when faced with the daunting expectations of nursing schools. They go into other health-care fields that do not require as much preparation. These fields include patient care technicians, emergency technicians, and medical assistants. Though these careers do not pay as well as nursing, the student has a greater comfort level and can therefore perfrom better in class and in clinical. What’s the best advice to give someone who wants to become a nurse? To begin with, people should be selective when choosing a nursing school. Find out what are the requirements. Look into their pass rate on the NCLEX State Boards. Certainly, one would not want to put in three years of school, only to find out that their school had one person pass the State Boards out of 50. Also it is important to find out if the pre-requisites change while in the program and if it is necessary to take more classes. Most importantly find out if there is a limit to how many times the nursing entrance test can be taken, and if each failed attempt is counted as a strike against the student. Knowing the playing field ahead of time can save a lot of heartache not to mention money. Much of a students money and time is lost when they are not accepted to the nursing program. This takes a toll on the student and their family. Many nursing students are well into their thirties and forties. These are people that have had mortgages, prior schooling and have had their share of debts. When a student is fully aware of what is expected of them with regard to the school and the nursing program, there is less chance of failure. Good advice is to remember to keep the dream. Don’t give up, and plan well in advance for any road blocks that may occur.

Nursing is an exciting field. Many would be nurses entertain the idea of going into critical care nursing. The first thing that the potential nurse must do however is to pass the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST, THE N.E.T., THE TEAS-ATT OR THE HESI. These exams are crucial to get entrance into any nursing school program. So one of the first things that a potential nursing student must do is to prepare. It is good to learn about nursing as much as possible. Studying for the NURSE ENTRANCE TEST will help prepare the students critical thinking skills as well as test their knowledge of anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry and English Grammar. Students can feel assured that they are studying the right materials when using the online program at the Nurses Learning Center.
Critical care nurse practitioners, or Acute Care Nurse Practitioners(ACNPs) help assess and manage acutely ill patients with the physicians supervision. Within the inpatient/hospital setting and across hospital-to-clinic settings, including the emergency department, intensive care unit, specialty labs, acute care wards, specialty clinics or any combination of the above, critical care nurse practitioners are vital in assisting patients to improved health. ACNPs diagnose and treat medical conditions, and some ACNPs provide direct patient management from admission to discharge in collaboration with the physician and other health care team members. They are not yet allowed in the state of Michigan to operate as an independent practitioner. Nurse Practitioners still must have a physician who is oversees and monitors their work, such a writing prescriptions and assessing patients. Many ACNPs have a good working relationship with the physicians. In most cases an agreement between the physician and the nurse practitioner is entered into so as to facilitate the job description and duties of the nurse practitioner. Generally, the doctor knows the ACNP and places their trust in their judgment. Nurse Practitioners in critical care have a masters level education with a specialization in trauma or emergency care from an accredited institution of higher learning. ACNPs also may continue to follow the patient into the outpatient setting to ensure successful transition after discharge and complete resolution of transition needs. The nations complex health care system is becoming increasingly focused on the care of the acute or critically ill patient, and acute care nurse practitioners are becoming a critical component of successful health care today.
To learn more about how to first prepare for a career in nursing, by first passing the NURSING ENTRANCE TEST, just go to the Nurses Learning Center. The author Nancy Kimmel has written The N.E.T. Study Guide, and has has tutored many students to success as nurses. An Registered Nurse in the State of Michigan, Professor Kimmel continues to be an educator and now has her own school.