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

A Nurse is Not ‘Just’ a Nurse – We Tell You Why

Whether or not you have ever been unwell, everyone’s heard of a nurse. Moreover, regardless of anybody's notions about nurses, they are not just nurses anymore, and they have never been “just” nurses in the past, either.

Not sure if a nursing career is worth your time? Here are five eye-opening reasons why a nurse is not “just” a nurse.

1. You're an Educator - As a nurse-to-be, know that you're not ‘just’ a nurse. You educate your patients and their families on their diagnosis. Start looking at yourself as an educator, too. You are educated in a plethora of signs, symptoms, treatment options and medications of many ailments and diseases. You may have to teach something concrete, such as how to apply a dressing to a wound. Alternatively, it may be more abstract, such as the signs and symptoms of worsening diabetes.
2. You're a Bridge Builder - As a nurse, you become the bridge-builder between the patient and the healthcare organization. In this way, you manage to offer the best possible care to patients. At the same time, nurses hold a great responsibility to provide the best possible care to their patients while embodying their healthcare organization’s values and mission.
3. You're a Chemical Analyst - Whom-so-ever said that nurses are just an intermediary between the doctor and the patients, is very wrong. Nurses are trained to acquire vast medical knowledge. The specialty programs available turn nurses into a reservoir of extremely technical knowledge that is vital to the healthcare system.
4. You’re also a Counselor - As a nurse, you see life coming into this world, and you also see life leaving. You get the privilege of building relationships. Patients and their families ask you questions, and you tend to advocate for those patients. To many patients and their families, a nurse is their lifeline to the entire workings of the healthcare facility. By answering questions and listening to concerns, a nurse act as an ambassador for a patient.
5. You're a Friend - As a nurse, you don’t just support patients with physical care only; you also become emotionally attached to them. Many times, in your entire career, you'll come across situations when patients won't even need physical care, and instead they'll need your emotional support. 

Nurses, for sure, are not 'just nurses' and in fact, they are so much more than that. Nurses are the front line of care, compassion and duty. You're not just a nurse; you're a human being who puts something beautiful into the world.

Are you in search of the best Nursing Programs in Canada? Check out the handpicked courses offered by INSCOL. Keep shining on!

Advantages of Continuing Education in Nursing

Many nurses find it difficult to invest time or money to pursue higher degree in nursing, especially when they are into full-time jobs. However, regardless of the extra effort required, there are many benefits of earning higher degrees such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN).

Let us talk about the Advantages of Continuing Nursing Education -

• Updated Nursing Knowledge: It is vital for nurses to update their knowledge frequently. The healthcare field is constantly changing and new inventions are changing the face of healthcare services. Moreover, we are witnessing new illnesses and advancement in techniques for the treatment and new medications. Therefore, it is important for a nurse to stay updated with current research to provide better patient care services. This can only be achieved by continuing nursing education. 

• Diverse Nursing Career Opportunities: Higher degree will help you to move into a clinical specialty, such as cardiology, emergency, critical care, medical-surgical, transport, neurology, pediatrics, pharmacology, and physical assessment. Various Continuing Education courses are available for nurses such as regulatory, leadership, occupational health and safety, infection control, learning, communication, patient safety and legal.  

• Keeping Your Nursing License: To stay certified, some states require Registered Nurses (RNs) to renew their nursing licenses and for renewal, you may need to complete continuing education classes. If you fail to do so, you are at risk of losing your nursing license. 

• Earning Higher Wages: Many employers consider education as a key factor in their employee evaluations. Nurses with higher degrees can get higher pay package and better growth opportunities.

• Qualifying for Supervisory Roles: Continuing education in Nursing can help to improve your leadership skills, decision-making, critical care skills and to learn better strategies to manage your staff. This makes you eligible for positions such as head or staff nurse, department chief, or an administrative manager. 

• Easy Transition from an RN License to a BSN or MSN Degree: Many nursing schools offer courses structured for those who are into a full time job and looking to complete a degree that fits into their busy lifestyle. With the availability of many different schools and nursing programs, nurses should take their time in choosing, which program is the right one for them. 

Not to mention that you have to choose a college where they teach the specialty you want to excel in. Secondly, do not forget to check the advanced courses offered by INSCOL - Centre of Continuing Education. Here, you'll be trained as per the standards and you'll get exposure to the industry's best simulation equipment. 

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.

Here are Some Tips for Nursing Students Straight from the Veterans in their Own Words

Nurses all across the world are finding ways to prosper in their career. Some go for specializing in a field of their choice, while some take up another job with better prospects. There are many who are finding a great alternative to grow in their career through nursing courses that allows them to study as well as work at the same time. Moreover, there are nurses experienced enough that gives some real life tips to them in their own words as published in an article on scrubsmag.com. 

"Always ask questions. None of us knows it all. Nursing is a profession where you are always learning." —Bette G.

"You will not know everything when you get out of nursing school; you will learn more your first year as a nurse than all of your nursing school combined!" —Micha L.

"Remember how excited you were when you began this nursing journey. When you have a bad nursing day,’ go back to yourself on the day you found out you got accepted into nursing school and how excited you were to become a nurse. Helps me get through." —Liz L.

"One of our instructors gave us a good tip: write your first initial and your last name with ‘RN’ following it—nice and big. Place it somewhere you will see it all the time (your mirror, binder or on your desk), and remind yourself of why you chose this path." —Aida M.
 
"If you can squeeze it in—find a job as a PCA or NA somewhere—even if it’s just part-time or PRN. You will learn SO much that will be helpful to your future nursing career, including how to work with your future PCA, etc." —Christie S.

"You will literally have no life outside of nursing school until the day you pass NCLEX. When they tell you that, believe them. My BSN was the hardest thing I ever loved/hated." —Julie B.

"Don’t leave assignments to the last minute. Start the moment you get them." —Lucy C. 

"When in doubt, ask a senior nurse for help! You can’t be a hero alone." —Jimmie B. 

"Trust your gut! First instincts and bad feelings are usually accurate." —Angela M.
 
"Organization is everything! It helps you stay on top of assignments and what to study when. Get yourself a big calendar to put on your wall…write down due dates for assignments, test dates, clinical days, etc. This also helped my family know where I was (class or clinical). I highly recommend making flash cards so you can take them everywhere with you to study." —Brittani T. 

If you are a veteran in the field of patient care, we know you might too have some useful tips for new nurse grads. We will be glad if you can share those with us in the comments here. For more such tips and information on nursing profession, you can visit INSCOL. Moreover, if you want to study and work abroad, you can find detailed information at http://www.inscol.com