N108: Transition to the Registered Professional Nurse

N108: Transition to the Registered Professional Nurse Role Study Guide of 171 skills include taking blood pressures, performing head-to-toe assessments, putting in intravenous lines, mixing insulins in the same syringe, and administering subcutaneous or intramuscular injections. The cognitive domain is all about acquiring knowledge and has six sub-sets: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The cognitive domain is what is tested in nursing exams and in the NCLEX. Knowledge/comprehension questions expect a nurse to know terminology, facts, effects, categories, and implications. Application questions require utilization of the knowledge learned. In an application question, the individual must take the remembered and comprehended information and apply it to a patient-scenario question. Higher level questions require analysis of a variety of data and recognition of the commonalities, differences, and relationships among the presented ideas. Higher level questions make the assumptions that an individual knows, understands, and can apply the information. The skills necessary or analysis include identification, examination, dissection, evaluation, or investigation of the information presented in the scenario. This type of question tests analytical ability. Most of the questions on the NCLEX-PN deal with the first four cognitive sub-sets: acquiring knowledge, understanding that knowledge, applying, and analyzing the knowledge. In the NCLEX-RN, there are knowledge and comprehension questions, but the majority of the questions are focused on application and analysis. Nurse of the Future The profession of nursing continues to grow, and in order to continue that growth, nurses need to look beyond their day-to-day job and focus on the future of the profession. Joining professional organizations, such as the ANA and/or specialty organizations, empowers the profession by giving it a powerful voice in the public and in the government. Working together and supporting other nurses by networking and mentoring will also move the profession forward. Nursing must take more and more accountability for its own practice by focusing on professional standards and high-quality care. Life-long learning and professional growth are also important aspects of nursing in the future, especially with the high-technological, fast-changing healthcare system today. Self-Care Behaviors Today, nurses are routinely taking on greater workloads and responsibilities, as well as extended 10- 12 hour shifts. Meanwhile, cost-cutting measures often mean fewer support resources for nurses. As a result, more nurses are dealing with a combination of stressors that can take a significant toll on their physical and emotional well-being, which can lead to nurse burnout. Left unchecked, nurse burnout can adversely affect not only a nurse’s health and career, but also patient outcomes. Some self-care strategies include effective time management at work and at home, routine aerobic exercise, and decompression time. ©2017 Achieve Test Prep Page 55