Exam (elaborations) Nursing Exam Cram Sheet for the NCLEX

The final mountain that nursing students must summit before becoming a registered nurse is the NCLEX. Preparing for the NCLEX can be stressful as taking in colossal amounts of information has never been easy. This is where this cram sheet can help-- it contains condensed facts about the licensure exam and key nursing information. When exam time comes, you can write and transfer these vital information from your head to a blank sheet of paper provided by the testing center. 1. Test Information  Six hours—the maximum time allotted for the NCLEX is 6 hours. Take breaks if you need a time out or need to move around.  75/265—the minimum number of questions you can answer is 75 and a maximum of 265.  Read the question and answers carefully—do not jump into conclusions or make wild guesses.  Look for keywords—Avoid answers with absolutes like always, never, all, every, only, must, except, none, or no.  Don’t read into the question—Never assume anything that has not been specifically mentioned and don’t add extra meaning to the question.  Eliminate answers that are clearly wrong or incorrect—to increase your probability of selecting the correct answer!  Watch for grammatical inconsistencies—Subjects and verbs should agree. If the question is an incomplete sentence, the correct answer should complete the question in a grammatically correct manner.  Rephrase the question—putting the question into your own words can pluck the unneeded info and reveal the core of the stem.  Make an educated guess—if you can’t make the best answer for a question after carefully reading it, choose the answer with the most information. 2. Vital Signs  Heart rate: 80—100 bpm  Respiratory rate: 12-20 rpm  Blood pressure: 110-120/60 mmHg  Temperature: 37 °C (98.6 °F) 3. Hematology values  RBCs: 4.5—5.0 million  WBCs: 5,000—10,000  Platelets: 200,000—400,000  Hemoglobin (Hgb): 12—16 gm (female); 14—18 gm (male).  Hematocrit (Hct): 37—47 (female); 40— 54 (male) 4. Serum electrolytes  Sodium: 135—145 mEq/L  Potassium: 3.5—5.5 mEq/L  Calcium: 8.5—10.9 mEq/L  Chloride: 95—105 mEq/L  Magnesium: 1.5—2.5 mEq/L  Phosphorus: 2.5—4.5 mEq/L 5. ABG Values  pH: 7.36—7.45  HCO3: 24—26 mEq/L  CO2: 35—45 mEq/L  PaO2: 80%—100%  SaO2: >95% 6. Acid-Base Balance  Remember ROME (respiratory opposite/metabolic equal) to remember that in respiratory acid/base disorders the pH is opposite to the other components.  Use the Tic-Tac-Toe Method for interpreting ABGs. Read more about it here ( 7. Chemistry Values  Glucose: 70—110 mg/dL  Specific Gravity: 1.010—1.030  BUN: 7-22 mg/dL  Serum creatinine: 0.6—1.35 mg/dL  LDH: 100-190 U/L  Protein: 6.2—8.1 g/dL  Albumin: 3.4—5.0 g/dL  Bilirubin: <1.0 mg/dL  Total Cholesterol: 130—200 mg/dL  Triglyceride: 40—50 mg/dL  Uric acid: 3.5—7.5 mg/dL  CPK: 21-232 U/L Via: 8. Therapeutic Drug Levels  Carbamazepine (Tegretol): 4—10 mcg/ml  Digoxin (Lanoxin): 0.8—2.0 ng/ml  Gentamycin (Garamycin): 5—10 mcg/ml (peak), <2.0 mcg/ml (valley)  Lithium (Eskalith): 0.8—1.5 mEq/L  Phenobarbital (Solfoton): 15—40 mcg/mL  Phenytoin (Dilantin): 10—20 mcg/dL  Theophylline (Aminophylline): 10—20 mcg/dL  Tobramycin (Tobrex): 5—10 mcg/mL (peak), 0.5—2.0 mcg/mL (valley)  Valproic Acid (Depakene): 50—100 mcg/ml  Vancomycin (Vancocin): 20—40 mcg/ml (peak), 5 to 15 mcg/ml (trough) 9. Anticoagulant therapy  Sodium warfarin (Coumadin) PT: 10—12 seconds (control). The antidote is Vitamin K.  INR (Coumadin): 0.9—1.2  Heparin PTT: 30—45 seconds (control). The antidote is protamine sulfate.  APTT: 23.3—31.9 seconds  Fibrinogen level: 203—377 mg/dL 10. Conversions  1 teaspoon (t) = 5 ml  1 tablespoon (T) = 3 t = 15 ml  1 oz = 30 ml  1 cup = 8 oz  1 quart = 2 pints  1 pint = 2 cups  1 grain (gr) = 60 mg  1 gram (g) = 1,000 mg  1 kilogram (kg) = 2.2 lbs  1 lb = 16 oz  Convert C to F: C+40 multiply by 9/5 and subtract 40  Convert F to C: F+40 multiply by 5/9 and subtract 40 11. Maternity Normal Values  Fetal Heart Rate: 120—160 bpm  Variability: 6—10 bpm  Amniotic fluid: 500—1200 ml  Contractions: 2—5 minutes apart with duration of < 90 seconds and intensity of <100 mmHg.  APGAR Scoring: Appearance, Pulses, Grimace, Activity, Reflex Irritability. Done at 1 and 5 minutes with a score of 0 for absent, 1 for decreased, and 2 for strongly positive. Scores 7 and above are generally normal, 4 to 6 fairly low, and 3 and below are generally regarded as critically low.  AVA: The umbilical cord has two arteries and one vein. 12. STOP—Treatment for maternal hypotension after an epidural anesthesia:  Stop infusion of Pitocin.  Turn the client on her left side.  Administer oxygen.  If hypovolemia is present, push IV fluids. 13. Pregnancy Category of Drugs  Category A—No risk in controlled human studies  Category B—No risk in other studies. Examples: Amoxicillin, Cefotaxime.  Category C—Risk not ruled out. Examples: Rifampicin (Rifampin), Theophylline (Theolair).  Category D—Positive evidence of risk. Examples: Phenytoin, Tetracycline.  Category X—Contraindicated in Pregnancy. Examples: Isotretinoin (Accutane), Thalidomide (Immunoprin), etc.  Pregnancy Category N—Not yet classified 14. Drug Schedules  Schedule I—no currently accepted medical use and for research use only (e.g., heroin, LSD, MDMA).  Schedule II—drugs with high potential for abuse and requires written prescription (e.g., Ritalin, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), and fentanyl).  Schedule III—requires new prescription after six months or five refills (e.g., codeine, testosterone, ketamine).  Schedule IV—requires new prescription after six months (e.g., Darvon, Xanax, Soma, and Valium).  Schedule V—dispensed as any other prescription or without prescription (e.g., cough preparations, Lomotil, Motofen). 15. Medication Classifications  Antacids—reduces hydrochloric acid in the stomach.  Antianemics—increases blood cell production.