5 Tips to Easily Learn Human Anatomy and Physiology

1. Focus more on the basics.

   The human anatomy in itself is a very wide subject matter. A beginning student nurse should focus more on the basic before going into the details of one particular system. For example, in studying the cardiovascular system, you should first know the placement of the heart and how the blood flows from one chamber to the next. The better you understand the basic structures, the more easier it is for you to understand the more complex ones.

2. Use your imagination.

   When reading a particular topic, imagine how the process works and associate it with common day to day things. Let’s use the kidney as an example. You can imagine the kidney as the strainer in your kitchen. What goes out of the strainer are things that can pass through its small holes. Fluids can pass right? Same goes with the permeability of the glomerulus in your kidneys.

3. Look in front of the mirror.

   When memorizing different parts of your body, try using yourself as a live example. Look in front of the mirror and point out the parts that you are studying. That way, you are not only learning but you are also applying your knowledge. A good examples here is when you study the 9 regions of the stomach, or different proximal to distal structures, muscle groups and so on.

4. Watch animation videos on the internet.

   The internet has tons of animated videos regarding human anatomy and physiology. Watching an educational flick stimulates not only your sense of sight but also your hearing and thus better learning. Additionally, you do not need to guess and imagine the body structure and process since it is already presented in the video.

5. Answer free online quizzes.

   Through answering questions you stimulate your mind more to recall important topics. Recall is very important in anatomy and physiology since it is the basic foundation of your medical-surgical nursi

ng. There are also interactive games available in the web and app stores that let you label different anatomical locations of the body. You will not only learn but you’ll be able to enjoy your study time too.

How to Effectively Cram for a Nursing Test

There you are again doing what you do best as a student - procrastinate. There is little time left and there’s a ton of topics to cover. Exams or even simple quizzes in nursing are difficult to study in just one sitting but you still need to study even with little time left. Because studying a little is better than not studying at all right? So, here are my tips on how to cram for a nursing test.

1. Relax, deep breath

You read that right. The very first thing to do is to relax yourself. Yes, it is within your conscious mind now that the exam is near and you are pretty much unprepared. There goes your problem - anxiety. You have to first control it because no matter how hard you study a topic, you’ll  have a hard time comprehending it  since you are preoccupied with nervousness. Try to take deep breathes, take a warm bath, eat your comfort food or do some jumping jacks to release your tension.

2. Find a good study area

A good study area is a place you learn best. Commonly, its a place without distraction coming from TVs, laptops, smartphones or even the noise your mother makes when she chats with someone.  A place of silence is conducive to studying. It is not necessarily a library, you can go to your room and lock yourself up or even go to your bathroom and study there. I know the bathroom seems to be a silly suggestion but trust me brother, it works.

3.  Read your notes not the books

With little time left, you do not have the luxury of time to read the books. I suggest you scan and focus on your notes. It is more time efficient and less taxing to the brain. Focus on the basic topics. Don’t be too nerdy with the details of a particular concept. It is better to have basic knowledge of most of the topics covered in the test than to be a master of one topic and be an idiot to the rest.

4. Harness the power of the internet

If you find it difficult to read and browse all your notes then you can just learn through a click in the web. My best advice is to go to Youtube, type a particular topic of your test then watch some tutorial videos. This works with most of the people because the visual and auditory senses are utilized compared to plain reading. You can also search for practice exam questions that will help you recall the basic contents of your exam.

5.  Maximize your time

Stop fooling around. If the test is on the next day, see to it that your time is spent wisely. Its better to sacrifice your social network life than your grades. Always remember, regret is never felt at the beginning, only on the last.

6. Take A Break

No matter how rigorous you cram, your focus will still run out. Whenever you feel that nothing more is being absorbed by your head, take some 5-15 minutes of nap time for your brain to replenish. Once you wake up, you’ll be energized again and will be able to re-achieve your focus. Studies prove that 15 minute breaks let the brain to “reboot” like a computer and run smoothly again. If you are not in the mood for a nap, a coffee break is also a good idea. Don’t forget your load of sugar during the break or even during studying. Sugar fuels your brains, so better be full tank to go long way.

7. Pray, Stay Optimistic

It is always better if you are equipped with prayer on the day of the test. Ask Him for guidance and surrender your worries to Him.  Likewise, staying optimistic will release all your negative energy specially on the day of your test. Never forget the law of attraction, always think that you’ll pass the test and your mind will follow.

Saunders NCLEX Review: The Best Book To Pass The NCLEX

    I, like many of you, have stumbled upon many books, crammed upon so many topics that existed in nursing. There is a flood of information to browse in the internet like free tutorials and some helpful literature. One could also buy different kinds of books as their primary resource material in reading.  There is a vast array of references out there to the point that it gets hard to pick the best one.  And my best bet as to what book to buy is indeed - Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination. These are the top reasons why this should be your best pick:

1.  Comprehensive yet simple.

The book is comprised of discussions of basic topics that are brief, yet comprehensive enough for the reader to understand.  It tackles the most basics topics in nursing like cultural health practices, ethics, delegation and anatomy up to the more complex ones like your medical-surgical nursing. The good thing about this book is that it maintains its simplicity. You could read a chapter or two without having to deal with mind boggling medical terms.

2.  Short compared to others.

Well, if there is one reason why others dislike huge, thick books is that they are indeed long, and time consuming to read. That is the exact opposite of Saunder’s. It is again short when compared to most of your nursing books but still offers the core knowledge you need for the NCLEX. It will just take you a month or two when you read at least 3-5 chapters a day.

3. Practice Questions are extremely helpful.

While other books focus on the discussion per se on each chapter, this books is unique in a way that in every chapter there are practice questions for the reader to sharpen his retention.  In some other books, answers keys are located at the back or last pages of the material but in this one answers and rationales to the questions are just pages away from those particular questions. Meaning, you don’t have to flip your book every now and then just to know if your answers are right. And most of all, it has test taking strategies after each rationale, providing you with techniques in logic thus improving your reasoning in choosing the right answer.

4.  Core topics marked.

In every page of each chapter, you can see markings on the sides which the author refers to as “Pyramid Points”. These are core information that are emphasized because they are often asked in the exam.  If you are the cramming student type, then even just by reading the pyramid points will truly help you a lot.

5. Includes a CD with thousands of practice questions.

My friend I tell you, the practice questions in the CD are the book’s big guns.  Try to answer as much questions as you can. The practice questions are designed to train you and equip you with knowledge and reasoning. It is not the actual exam yet so never be discouraged whenever you commit mistakes. And remember, through mistakes you will learn more. I suggest you answer as many questions as you can and never fail to read the corresponding rationale and test taking tips.

Good luck on your exams. Happy studying...

7 Awesome and Relevant Reasons Why You Should Be a Nurse

Nursing is a job considered to be in demand all over the world. As long as people need health care, there is a need for nurses. Any hospital or healthcare institution is impossible to function without employing a nurse. Nursing, furthermore, has its benefits both financially and emotionally. Despite of these, as with any other jobs, nursing is also not for everybody. A nurse, most of the time deal with the dirty stuff, stressful environment together with emotional and physical difficulties. So? Why do you think you should still pursue nursing? Here are my top relevant reasons:  

1. Love for Science

        In every student in every class their is always that diversity wherein one kid is good in math, the other in science, literature, etc.  And their you have the point. Nursing, in its roots, is deeply engraved in science. Your biology classes, anatomy and physiology, even your simple science subjects in high school and elementary like concepts of radiation, conduction and convection will come into play with nursing. Furthermore, when you love science, it is easier for you to deal with blood, body secretions, holding body organs and stuff like that. You will have that interest and curiosity instead of disgust. So, if your that kid who’s cup of tea is science, I’d say you should consider nursing.

2. Diversity of Work

        What makes this course different from your typical college course is that it will set you to different fields that you can imagine. Name it, nursing has it. For example, if you want bedside nursing experience you could go into hospital nursing. In the hospital you can further go to a certain specialties like emergency nursing, intensive care, maternal and child, pediatrics, and operating room nursing to name a few. If you are the teacher type, you could be a clinical instructor and teach. Nursing administration is also a good path wherein you can manage a nursing service in a hospital or be a dean of a nursing school. Apart from that, there are also opportunities in various emerging fields like Forensic Nursing and Nursing Informatics. As I have said, nursing is very diversified, you can always Google a specific specialty or work and most of the time, that work needs a nurse.

3. A Lifelong Challenge

       Life as a nurse is unpredictable. Nursing provides so many surprises and challenges in your career. For example, if you are an Emergency Room nurse, you will never guess what type of patient will come in. Will it be a trauma patient, a mother who is about to give birth, an elderly who is gasping for air to breathe, a simple patient with coughs and colds or just a teenager who is hyperventilating because of a broken relationship. All that I’m saying is, if you are up for those unpredictable moments then, again, nursing might be your best pick.

 

4. Career Growth

        Promotions at work is always present in this field.  With enough skills and experience, you could always have that fulfillment of achievement and progress in your career. From a hospital setting, one can be a typical staff nurse at first and climb up to the ladder and be a nursing director of a hospital. With continuous education, a nurse will also have expanded roles. Take for example, enrolling for a master’s or doctorate program that will make you a clinical nurse specialist, a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist.

5. Opportunity for travel

       Well, travelling overseas is one of benefits of being a nurse. One can go to places where there is good demand for nurses. As I've said in the beginning, every hospital needs a nurse and every state or country needs a hospital, so I'm sure you already got my point there. Likewise, in the US, they have many private agencies designed for travel nursing wherein a nurse can go hospital hopping and enjoy better pay plus having that bonus factor of travelling and seeing different places, that is most of the time FREE.

6. Financial benefits

     Yes, there are good perks of being a nurse, and financial stability is one of that. Nursing has a big opportunity in terms of money. In the US for example, a nurse can approximately earn an average of $5,000+ a month. That amount goes way higher if you depending on your experience and educational attainment, for example an RN on average, earns more than an LPN. They can also enjoy higher pays in terms of their the time they work. Night shift works have night differential pays. And lastly, their specially or field of practice is a major contributor to higher earnings. For instance, typical nurse anesthetist can enjoy up to $150,000+ annually. That my friend, is a lot of bucks. 

7. Emotional Rewards and A Concern for Others

       I made this that last in my list because this one, I think, is the most important of all. Never ever take up nursing just because of the money. Yes, nursing brings big bucks but the true essence of nursing is helping others. Caring must be in your heart. It is a calling to help and change the world, a patient at a time. The emotional rewards in nursing are far best than the financial ones. I had this patient before when I was still a student nurse wherein I had done some basic nursing care for. In the end of our clinical rotation, I said goodbye to him ‘cause we’ll be entering another rotation. With little of his strength left, he tried to reach out to me, uttering words that I cannot understand. His wife interpreted those words for me and she said that her husband is saying “Thank You” to me. That moment, I felt very appreciated and had known from that time that nursing is indeed the career where I belong.

     I hope this simple things will help you decide whether to pursue nursing or not. For those who have already made up their mind on taking up nursing, all that I can say to you is: 

     WELCOME TO THE AMAZING WORLD OF NURSING, BE PROUD TO BE A NURSE!