Tag Archive for 'NCLEX licensing'

High Tech NCLEX Studying

Published
by
admin
on July 8, 2010
in Nursing Education
. 2 Comments

i_student_2Technically, all of nursing school is a crash course in NCLEX exam preparation.  From your very first “welcome to the magical world of nursing” quiz all the way to your advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology and biochemistry exams.

After graduation, however, the real NCLEX studying fun begins.  It is almost as if on graduation day, towards the end of the ceremony, the dean of nursing is standing on the stage with a stopwatch, counting down…. 3, 2, 1… “Okay now you’re graduated, let the NCLEX studying begin!”

As I recall, I was the dork who had already purchased my twenty pounds of NCLEX study books, workbooks and CD’s before graduation day. NCLEX studying almost seemed like an extension of nursing school to me.

I had been studying like a madwoman for four and a half years (counting required summer sessions that made nursing students stand out from the rest).  A few more months of hitting the books couldn’t hurt.  Of course, I had to keep reminding myself of this as I was cramming more and more details from the study aids into my head as the exam date approached.

Fortunately, a nurse has created a website to help nursing students prepare for their NCLEX exam. AllNurses.net also serves as a comprehensive resource for nurses and student nurses to look up other vital pieces of data and clinical knowledge. This includes nursing guides, tutorials, disease references, lab values and medication information, all at the click of a button.

The site’s “PDA Reference Software” is a portable version of the website resources that nurses and student nurses can have with them in their uniform pockets as they see patients and handle often complex situations where running back to the nurse’s station for information is not an option.

There is a lot of information to be absorbed in nursing school and interactive tools like this can be a very helpful addition to the student and new grad’s resource kit.

Nurse’s Role in Prescriptions

Published
by
admin
on March 9, 2010
in Nursing Education
. 0 Comments

i_pharmacist_femleI remember learning as a nursing student, that if a physician makes an error in prescribing a medication (name, dosage… handwriting) and a nurse administers that medication to the patient, the nurse is held responsible for the error. The math just did not add up.  Physicians have to go to school for at least six years before they can prescribe meds and their total education is closer to twelve.

My BSN program, when all was said in done came out to about four and a half years (with required summer courses). A BSN program typically includes a massive amount of pharmacology and medication training as reflected by all the medication questions on the NCLEX licensing exam. But, I still was left wondering how nurses are supposed to be able to spot a medication error unless we know everything that the prescribing doctor knows about meds.

I soon learned, once on the floor, that the best ways to avoid a problem are to have a current drug reference on hand and to always, always, always ask the doctor if you have any questions or doubts.  As a night shift nurse this took a bit of courage to wake up a physician at three in the morning – but it sure beats being named in a malpractice lawsuit and even more importantly risking a human life.

As reported by the May 5th Oregonian, there is apparently some controversy brewing in Oregon, where the state legislature is debating whether psychologists, who lack the same amount of training as physicians, should be allowed to prescribe “the most dangerous and lethal pharmaceuticals” to patients. The bill does include certain restrictions regarding psychotropic medications (ex. antidepressants, anti-psychotics).

I should note that physicians are not the only one authorized to prescribe medications. This privilege also is extended to doctors of osteopathy, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Psychologists in America, at this point, do not have universal prescribing privileges – only some are given permission to dole out the meds.

In the meantime, Oregon House Bill 2702, according to recent reporting, is currently stalled in the Oregon house pending review of a medical task force later this year.