NCLEX and Laboratory Values – What You Need to Know

Stressing over the NCLEX test and its preparation is common among nursing students, as there is much to learn and cover. From a variety of topics (including fundamentals, diseases, maternity topics, and more) and learning materials, students prepare for the test after completing their nursing study program. However, there is one thing in this process that most students detest – the laboratory values.

Success in NCLEX and laboratory values often go hand in hand. These values usually need to be memorized, which is why many students dread it. Lab values are included in NCLEX to test the student’s knowledge and analysis/application skills. It shows that you can  

• Examine lab values
• Distinguish nonstandard values
• Identify abnormal results
• Act according to the results

Regardless of how much students dislike it, it is a part of the exam and needs to be learned to achieve success in NCLEX. Here are some of the important laboratory values that you need to know.

ABG Lab Values
•    pH 7.35 – 7.45
•    pCO2 35 – 45
•    HCO3 22 – 26

Renal Lab Values
•    BUN 5 – 20
•    Creatinine 0.6 – 1.2

Cholesterol Lab Value
•    Cholesterol <200

CBC Lab Values
•    HCT F:36 – 46 M:42 – 52
•    HgB F:12 – 15 M:14 – 17
•    Platelets 200,000 – 450,000 <20,000 be very concerned!
•    WBC 5,000 – 10,000

Electrolyte Lab Values
•    Potassium 3.5 – 5
•    Sodium 135 – 145

Glucose Lab Values
•    Glucose 70 – 100
•    HgBA1C 4 – 6% >7 is diabetic

Bleeding Time Lab Values
•    PT 11 – 13
•    PTT not on therapy 25 – 35 on therapy –> 2x normal
•    INR on coumadin 2-3 w/o coumadin 0.8 – 1.2

How can you make learning lab values easier?  

Sort out the important ones – It may not be possible for you to learn every lab value there is, so filter out the rest and find the important ones. Sort them out according to your skills, interests, and specialty. Focus on the most important values that you need to know to pass the test. Once you have mastered them, move on to the others.

Focus on numbers – It is important that you focus on the number or normal ranges for a lab value, instead of its measurement unit. Once you have memorized the range, the measurement unit will be easier to fit in.

Get to know what it means – Find out the real meaning and use behind lab values. Understand what an out of range value means and how it can affect the patient. Then, it will be easier for you to make a connection and commit it to memory.

Writing down lab values repeatedly or using flash cards are some other techniques that work for some students. If you find it difficult to learn and memorize the lab values, follow the above mentioned tips.

Good Luck!

If you are an internationally educated nurse and want to make a career in the nursing specialty of your choice, INSCOL offers various specialized nursing courses in Canada from top colleges. To learn more about the available graduate nursing programs, visit the website at www.inscol.com

Be a Global Nurse with INSCOL

INSCOL is a renowned institution across Canada, India and Philippines and offers wide range of nursing programs and courses including Emergency Care, Critical Care, Palliative Care, Mental Health, Leadership & Management, Gerontology & Chronic Illness, Healthcare & Rehabilitation and B.Sc. /M.Sc. Nursing in partnership with leading universities in Canada/ US/AUS/NZ.

The core objective of INSCOL is to help internationally educated nurses in their efforts to continue higher education and make a rewarding career in nursing profession abroad through programs like continuing education, simulation-based nursing workshops and more. Furthermore, experienced nurses are trained to become a global nurse by imparting knowledge on the best practices and at par with the levels of their international counterparts. Summing up the offerings and achievements of INSCOL -

• There are more than 20 nursing programs through 15 Universities/Colleges across the globe
• It has an alumni base of 6500+ across the world
• Have centers across India, Canada and Philippines
• Provide assistance in scholarships and visa

For a professional nurse, the nursing courses offered by INSCOL for internationally educated nurses allows them to study and work abroad in different healthcare settings such as-

• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Aged care settings
• Hospices
• Physician’s Clinic
• Schools
• Community care centers

INSCOL have been in Healthcare Services & Education since more than 20 years. Thus, if you are aspiring for a career in nursing or thinking of furthering your nursing career overseas, you can select from wide range of courses offered by INSCOL that aligns best with your career goal.

The Story of Neonatal Nursing

When it comes to provide care to children, it’s not an easy job for caregivers. Doctors, nurses, healthcare staff, and mental health staff all have stressful jobs to begin with, but when that profession focuses exclusively on children, it seems the stress factor increases exponentially. The best moment in the job of a neonatal nurse comes when she send the baby as well as the parents’ home as a healthy happy bundle of joy. 

This is a profession that requires more care and attention than any other kind of patient care. While providing care for an ill child, a neonatal nurse also has to offer emotional support to the parents of the child. Because of the delicateness of the patients, they are responsible of all the care and feeding of a patient in addition to routine medical tasks. When the infant becomes a bit stronger and adapt to the environment, it’s the job of a neonatal nurse to educate the parents how to handle or avoid equipment while changing, feeding, or cuddling the baby. 

On usual days, a neonatal nurse would have to attend exhausted and worried parents who come for information and answers. This is because they are the ones always available in a nursing care facility, while the doctors are still not around. However, there is little information nurses are allowed to give to the seekers. Another most heartbreaking part of the job is the demise of a patient and if it is a child, the grief raises exponentially for many. Being a nurse, the most she could do for the parents is to hold them and let them cry.

However, the same story keeps on repeating every other day. Thus, for nurses taking care of child ailments, their job is more rewarding than stressful. When they see happy faces leaving the healthcare center, that’s the biggest reward one can have in this profession.

If you are a nurse and think that you can make a difference in lives of others in helping them and caring them, neonatal nursing is the option you must take. If you are a nurse and want to pursue higher education in nursing from top colleges and universities abroad, INSCOL can give you the chance to study as well as work in countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK and USA. To know about the top nursing programs In Canada/UK/USA/AUS/NZ visit http://www.inscol.com.

For Nurses Continuing Education is the Answer

Nursing is not an easy profession, with unexpected challenges and job responsibilities; it can become the cause of fatigue, stress and burnout among the nurses. A day in the life of a nurse can have number of things that causes stress to a nurse, like managing other nurses, scheduling shifts, staff shortage, hospital’s code of behavior, rules and regulations, competition from peers and low confidence. There could be more reasons that takes away the energy and motivation from the nurses; however, there are options to deal with the burnout. 

Let’s know them here -

• You can continue your job and keep earning the same while you grin and bear it. (No way!)
• You can leave the profession and forget about the time and money that was spent in your education. (What?)
• You can keep moaning and groaning to your superiors to get things resolved for you. (Not Possible)
• You can think of continuing your education to be in a better position to make your work environment a healthy and happy one while increasing your own skills and self-confidence. (Sounds Good)

It’s not that you need to leave the job and start going back to school for further education. Now, there are many colleges and universities that offer specialty nursing programs for international nurses that also allows them to study and work at the same time. By continuing your education, you will develop interest and feel enthusiastic about the profession once again. It will also help to boost your confidence level and you will begin to enjoy the benefits.

The key here is to find the right nursing program to specialize and the college to pursue your education. Moreover, you also need to see the work opportunities while studying. Thus, taking help from industry professionals is always the wisest decision. Moreover, with their help, you can even get some scholarships that would help to pay the fee for the course. If you want to study and work in a foreign country, you can expect full assistance in your visa processing too.

If you're a nurse feeling burnt out, continuing education is the best answer. Specialize and revive your love for nursing profession with the help of INSCOL. To know more about the courses, intakes, fees and colleges, visit the website at http://www.inscol.com.