Table of Contents
To my husband and my family for their constant support of my career and my every endeavor.
Maryanne Baudo
To the Matthews and Kavanagh families, who have been an enormous support throughout this project. To my dear friend, Millie Guerrero, for being my relentless writing buddy. Also to my cousins Bridget Marie Kavanagh, for lending her thoughts to my prose, and Meredith Kavanagh, future nurse. And to the awesome caf staff at Borders in Riverdale, New Jersey, who provided all the iced tea directly responsible for the creation of this book.
Robin Kavanagh
Introduction
I want to be a nurse when I grow up! This phrase is uttered by countless children every day, and for good reason. Nursing is a noble profession that is not only personally fulfilling, but also one of the fastest-growing health-care specializations in the country.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-11 Edition, employment opportunities for registered nurses is expected to increase 22 percent by 2018, particularly in full-time nursing care facilities. With similar stats for other types of nursing certifications and a current median salary range of $51,640 to $76,570, now is a great time to consider nursing school.
But deciding to become a nurse is only the first step in the journey youll need to take to reach your goal. Another step may be passing a standardized entrance examination. There are currently a handful of exams that most two-year and four-year schools require as part of the nursing program admission. These can vary from semester to semester, as well as from school to school.
We offer this book as a general guide to help you decide which program is right for you and prepare for the various exams that are used to determine eligibility for nursing school programs. Within the pages that follow, youll find reviews in the disciplines that are most frequently tested, tons of practice questions to help strengthen your knowledge, and test-taking tips that will help you get through any kind of standardized exam.
You may not agree with all of our advice, and some of what we have to say may not work for you as an individual. Thats okay. No piece of advice is right for every person. We encourage you to make your test prep experience your own and pursue whatever works best for you.
When youre using this book, keep in mind that we are giving advice based on our extensive research and personal experience with this subject. The information we provide is the most current that we can offer as of the date that this book was written, and we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information provided.
When in doubt, though, communicate with the program or programs youre applying to in order to get the best advice and information relevant to your goals. They are your first and best source for guidance.
How to Use This Book
Everyone has their own learning style and academic strengths. When youre preparing for tests like those for nursing school entrance, you need to play to those strengths and focus on improving in the areas that are challenging you.
Purchasing this book is a great way to start preparing for your exam. Weve tried to make reading and using this book as easy for you as possible. We break down all of the information you need into five main sections, so you can pick and choose what you want to read, and when.
Part 1, Decision Diagnosis, describes the many different types of nursing careers. It shows you how the path you choose affects which exams youll take, the most commonly used exams, what to expect, and how to prepare for and take your test.
Part 2, Say It Right: Verbal Review, discusses reading, writing, vocabulary, spelling, and grammarall skills that nursing school entrance exams want to assess in potential students. We walk you through the different skills that are tested and provide review and practice that will help you understand and apply these concepts.
Part 3, Math Matters, shows you why mathematics is an extremely important skill for nurses to master and why all of the nursing school entrance exams include at least one math section. This part will help you brush up on your basic arithmetic, algebra, and geometry in preparation for any of these exams.
Part 4, Scientific Method, provides a comprehensive review of life science, biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and physics concepts to help you through the scientific sections of your test. Be sure to check out the practice questions at the end of each chapter to test yourself on what you learned.
Part 5, Strength Training: Test Your Skills, gives you a chance to challenge yourself with two sample tests featuring the types of questions often seen on the different types of nursing school entrance exams. We also give you detailed answers and explanations to help you practice your skills and learn from your mistakes.
If youre still thirsty for more, check out the info-packed Resources appendix, which includes a listing of the Boards of Nursing for all 50 states and U.S. territories, a list of professional nursing associations, books, and websites.
Extras
Because we can all use a little extra help, weve also included some sidebars with useful information to help speed you through your studies:
DEFINITION
These are explanations of terms used throughout the book to help you gain a deeper understanding of ideas and concepts.
CODE RED!
Make sure to pay attention to these asides that will warn you about possible pitfalls and common mistakes that test-takers may encounter.
TEST TIP
These are quick and effective ways to boost your test score and make your path a little clearer.
NURSING NOTES
These are interesting tidbits about the test, nursing, and other related areas to help you keep things in perspective and increase your understanding of the material.
Acknowledgments
Maryanne Baudo:
It has always been a dream of mine to be an author, and I want to thank Robin Kavanagh for giving me the opportunity to collaborate on this project. Her exceptional work made it a pleasure for me to take part and made it easy for me to offer my expertise. I would also like to thank my husband and my family for their constant support of my career and my every endeavor.
Robin Kavanagh:
Thank you so much to Kara LaFrance for her inspired and always fabulous illustrations; Bridget Kavanagh for lending her eyes, degree, and love of the written word to this project; Ken Pecharsky and Tutorvista for helping fact-check the science chapters; and Marilyn Allen, the best agent in the world. And of course, thank you to our team of patient editors: Randy Ladenheim-Gil, Lynn Northrup, and Kayla Dugger. We also would like to thank Benjamin Miles, who reviewed the math portions of this book for technical accuracy.
