HEALTH SCI 400 -Answering NCLEX Mental Health Questions

HEALTH SCI 400 -Answering NCLEX Mental Health Questions

HEALTH SCI 400 -Answering NCLEX Mental Health Questions

How to answer NCLEX style mental health nursing questions

1. To answer the question you have to be conversant with the five nursing process. That is analysis, evaluation, planning, assessment, implementation, and intervention.
2. The questions require a person to think critically when making decision involving nursing care.
3. Recall, memorization, and knowledge application is critical when answering the questions.
4. Do NCLEX sample questions by visiting online sites such as Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Sample Questions web page that can sharpen your skills on answering NCLEX style mental health nursing questions.
5. The questions are rationale that is they have a set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action. You have to enhance your critical thinking and problem solving skills.
6. Learn key test taking strategy.

• Avoid asking yourself the forbidden words, “Well, what if…?” because this will lead you right to into the “forbidden” area: reading into the question.
• Focus only on the information in the question read every word, and make a decision about what the question is asking.
• Look for strategic words in the question, such as immediate, initial, first, priority. Strategic words make a difference regarding to what the question is asking.
• Always use the process of elimination when choices or options are presented; after you have eliminated options, reread the question before selecting the final choice.
• Determine whether the question is a positive or negative event query.
• Use all your nursing knowledge, your clinical experiences, and your testing skills and strategies to answer the question.

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7. Learn common strategic words and assessment words

• Words that indicate the need to prioritize:

Best, early or late, essential, first, highest priority, immediate, initial, next, most, primary, vital, etc.

• Words that reflect assessment:

Ascertain, assess, check, collect, determine, find out, gather, identify, monitor, observe, obtain information, recognize.

8. Learn nursing priorities from Maslow’s hierarchy
9. In mental health, the questions are usually situations relating to the patient having symptoms of the mental illness. The questions mostly ask what you would do, 99% of these questions will have a “therapeutic” response choice.

For example: Mr. Blue walking with his head down, not socializing, goes and sits in the corner alone looking out of the window. Knowing his depression is major depression with thought of suicide, you go over to assist him. He appears very guarded and says, “I’m ok”. What is the best response from the nurse?
A. Politely say ok and walk away
B. Sit beside him and say, “you seem a little sad, would you like to talk about it?”
C. Call for restraints
D. Immediately call the managing director for suicide watch orders.
– The response would be B