NUR 140 HESI TESTING STRATEGIES

Nursing Process

100

Analysis

Diagnosis- Analysis questions are the most difficult because they require you to understand physiological and psychological responses to situations and to interpret data presented in the question. You must be able to think critically and determine the rationale for therapeutic prescriptions or interventions that may be addressed in the question. 

200

Determine the goals of care and outcome criteria, develop a plan of care, and communicate and document the plan of care. With regard to nursing diagnoses, remember that actual client problems, rather than potential ones, will most likely be the priority.

Planning

300

 Questions address the process of gathering subjective and objective data on the client, confirming that data, and communicating and documenting the data.

Assessment- When you are asked to select your first (or, in some questions, "initial") nursing action, follow the steps of the nursing process to prioritize the options. If an option contains the concept of assessment or the collection of client data, it is best to select that option. If an assessment action is not one of the options, follow the steps of the nursing process to select the initial action. Look for strategic words in the options that reflect assessment. Possible exception to the guideline: If the question presents an emergency situation, read carefully; in such a situation, an intervention may be the priority.

400

 Implementation

• In an implementation question, you are asked to address the process of organizing and managing care, counseling and teaching, providing care to achieve established goals, supervising and coordinating care, and communicating and documenting nursing interventions.
• Focus on the nursing action rather than the medical action unless the question is asking you what prescribed medical action is anticipated.
• Answer questions from a textbook (i.e., ideal) point of view and remember that the nurse in the question has the necessary time and equipment (e.g., dressing materials, blood pressure equipment) readily available at the client's bedside.

500

• You are asked to compare the actual outcomes of care with the expected outcomes and decide how to monitor or make a judgment regarding a client's response to therapy or a nursing action.
• In these questions you must evaluate the client's ability to implement self-care, the ability of healthcare team members to implement care, and the process of communicating and documenting evaluation findings.
• Watch for negative event queries, which are frequently used in evaluation-type questions.

Evaluation

Maslows

100

Oxygen, food, water, excretion, shelter, sexual expression

Physiologic needs

200

Physical safety, emotional security

Safety and security 2

300

The need for friendship, intimacy, family, and love

Love and belonging 3

400

Encompassing confidence, strength, self-belief, personal and social acceptance, and respect from others

Esteem and recognition 4

500

People are aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinion of others and interested in fulfilling their potential.

Self-Actualization 5

Strategic words or phrases

100

E

_Early

200

L

Late

300

B

Best

400

F

First

500

I

Initial

Strategic words or phrases

100

I

Immediately

200

ML & LL

Most Likely and Least Likely

300

MA and LA

Most appropriate and Least appropriate

400

P

Priority

500

FU/FT

Follow-up/Further Teaching

Say What

100

How do you read a strategic question?

• Some strategic words indicate that all of the options are correct to some degree and that it will be necessary for you to prioritize them to identify the correct option.
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• As you read the question, look for the strategic words, which make a difference in the focus of the question.

200

Type of Queries ask, ("Which statement by a client indicates understanding of the side effects of the prescribed medication?"). 

Positive event queries- Include strategic words that ask you to select an option that is correct in regard to the information in the question 

300

What type of queries ask ("Which statement by a client indicates a need for further teaching about the side effects of the prescribed medication?").

Negative event queries- Include strategic words that ask you to select an option that is incorrect with regard to the information in the question. 

400

Closed-ended words

• Those that carry a fixed or extreme connotation. Closed-ended words tend to indicate that an option is incorrect; if you note a closed-ended word in an option, eliminate that option.
• Options that contain open-ended words—for instance, may, usually, normally, commonly, or generally—should be considered as possible correct options.

500

Use the process of ____________with answer options

Use the process of elimination when options are presented, and reread the question to determine what it is specifically asking before you make your final choice(s)