indonesiannursing.com

by: Robyn Knapp

The final step after graduation from nursing school is to sit for the national nursing board exams, termed the NCLEX. This is a very grueling test. It behooves all who are going to sit for the exam to get as much information as possible. The more information the better and the less stress there is going into the exam. The first step is to be prepared with the necessary information needed to pass.

This comes from everything that has been taught in nursing school. However, that is not sufficient. Practicing test questions that are similar to those from the NCLEX is a very good way to increase scores. Although nursing school tests are designed to help students pass the NCLEX, they are not always sufficient in building the necessary critical and analytical thinking skills necessary to pass the boards. There are many NCLEX study guides on the market. Choose the ones that are recommended by nursing instructors.

The process of obtaining licensure as a Registered Nurse is governed by authorities within each state. The NCLEX is developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. The purpose of the exam is to test the candidate to be sure that they are capable of the width and breadth of knowledge to practice nursing safely, in accordance with the Nurse Practice Act of each state and the Boards of Nursing act. More information is available at their web site at www.ncsbn.org

Although the exam is considered a national board exam, each state offers it separately. The fee for the exam is about two hundred dollars. Upon graduation the nursing school will send all of the information necessary to the state of issuance. Once the state is in possession of all of the students information, then the state will notify the National Council of Licensing Exams for Registered Nurses. Therefore the student needs only to fill out the application and pay the fee. The fee and registration are only good for one year from the date of acceptance.

Once the student has exceeded that time frame, they have automatically forfeited their opportunity to take the boards and then must reapply. This is a time consuming process, since all paper work must be once again submitted to various licensing authorities. It is highly advisable that all graduate nurses sit for their state boards soon after graduation. Research has shown that the scores of state boards go down dramatically the longer the applicant waits to take the exam.

According the a 2003 report from the Oklahoma Board of Nursing research task force, it was concluded that the negative factors effecting the graduates scores were the following employment hours and family responsibilities, English as a second language, delaying taking the exam five months or more and the limited knowledge by the nursing faculty not adequately preparing students with sufficient practice at answering questions requiring critical and analytical thinking skills.

Toward the end of the students graduating semester, the nursing department will send candidate information to the State Board of Nursing. It is important that the student follow up to be sure that all information that is being sent is accurate and up to date. One omission can mean a set back of several weeks.

The organization that administers the exam is Pearson Vue. Their testing centers are centrally located so that students don’t have far to drive. For a list of centers and scheduling times their web site address is www.pearsonvue.com.

Testing

It is always good to arrive at the testing center at least thirty minutes prior to the test. Be sure to bring with you driver license and any and all important papers, such as graduation transcripts, birth certificate and social security card. Like any test, it is beneficial to get a good nights rest, have a healthy breakfast, and think positive. The student should feel confident that they know the material. The many practice tests that nursing schools make the students take online throughout nursing school are all part of the preparation to take their boards.

Learn more about nursing education at The NET Study Guide.

The NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure EXamination-Registered Nurse) is a computer-adaptive test (CAT) of entry-level nursing competence. Passing the exam is required of candidates for licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) by all US state and territorial Boards of Nursing.

The NCLEX-RN® and NCLEX-PN® examinations are developed and owned by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN®). NCSBN administers these examinations on behalf of its member boards which consist of the boards of nursing in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands.

To ensure public protection, each board of nursing requires a candidate for licensure to pass the appropriate NCLEX® examination, NCLEX-RN for registered nurses and the NCLEX-PN for practical/vocational nurses. NCLEX examinations are designed to test the knowledge, skills and abilities essential to the safe and effective practice of nursing at the entry-level.

NCLEX examinations are provided in a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) format and are presently administered by Pearson VUE in their network of Pearson Professional Centers (PPC). Authorized testing centers are located throughout USA and in selected foreign countries, including the most recently approved the Philippines and Mexico. Click on external link and visit the NCSBN for a list of approved countries where the NCLEX exam is given.

The test is given only in English.

All items are developed and validated using the expertise of practicing nurses, educators and regulators from throughout the country. The content of the items of the NCLEX examinations is based on a practice analysis conducted every three years. There many well written preparation guidelines, manuals and textbooks on the how to score well on the NCLEX exam; all serve well and enhance the probabilities of the examinee when taking the exam. Some have been bilingually edited for foreign educated nurses. Visit NclexMasters.com and Nclex-Masters.com both site have some bilingual elements and/or website translators of acceptable quality. All students considering taking the NCLEX and/or CGFNS exams must keep in mind that the exams are about basic nursing intervention, and not about nursing intervention beyond the level of practice of any entry level nurse.

The two most important elements when considering and discerning the most correct answer are whether the answer is part of an intervention that is ’safe’ and ‘effective’. Student should use this as a guideline; if an answer doesn’t have the elements of a ’safe’ and ‘effective’ intervention, whether seeking the physical and/or pycho-social integrity of a patient, that answer cannot be the ‘best’ answer. It can be partially correct, but most likely is not the best answer of the multiple possible answers.
Exam content
The majority of test items are written at the application or higher levels of cognition but the exam may include items at all of the cognitive levels.

The exam’s content is based on client needs:

* Safe Effective Care Environment
o Management of Care
o Safety and Infection Control
* Health Promotion and Maintenance
* Psychosocial Integrity
* Physiological Integrity
o Basic Care and Comfort
o Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
o Reduction of Risk Potential
o Physiological Adaptation
Question types

Most of the questions of the NCLEX-RN exam are worded multiple choice questions. In recent years, however, the Boards of Nursing have added broader questions that don’t involve choices. For example, some questions:

* Require identifying and selecting a particular area of a drawn body part pertaining to the question
* Involve selecting multiple correct answers (via check box)
* Calculating an answer for a mathematical question (usually for medication dosages) and inputting the answer