Fundamentals & Priority Setting
Welcome! You’re probably here because you’re starting Fundamentals, and I’m excited to help you through my least favorite class of all time! Funds just was NOT my thing (at the time), and it seems it’s that way for a lot of people. But it sounds easy, right? It’s the most ~ fundamental ~ nursing knowledge, which makes it sound like it should be the easiest class to tackle. I disagree.
Why, though? Wow, I’m so glad you asked!
Well, in my opinion, this is where you really start being tasked with thinking like a nurse. Sure, you took pathophysiology or health assessment or whatever else, but you probably didn’t have to apply your burgeoning critical thinking skills the way you are required to for Fundamentals. And it’s no joke—thinking like a nurse (or testing like a nurse) is a learned and practiced skill, not an inborn trait.
Oh, what’s that? I said it’s a practiced skill? Good looking out. It is very much a skill that improves with practice, and you do not want your only practice to be during a handful of exams and quizzes. No, you want to do practice questions before the exams. Daily or at least several times a week if you can. In fact, I recommend using practice questions to study from here on out. You need to practice taking tests because the more test questions you see (and the more rationales you read in full), the more you will understand the how and why of NCLEX-style questions.
If your school uses ATI, I recommend using ATI practice questions (and you can find instructions on how to locate those in my post about studying for ATI Proctored exams). I also recommend using the Fundamentals Success Book by Patricia M. Nugent (That’s just a random link to an Amazon listing for it so you can see what I’m talking about. I don’t get a kickback for that link, and I encourage you to buy it wherever you can find it cheapest!). She has books for all the specialty areas of study as well, which I recommend. You can also use test banks like Board Vitals or UWorld, but I only recommend doing that outside of NCLEX prep time if you’ve randomly got a ton of money to burn throughout your whole program (which I’m sure you don’t, since you’re a nursing student). Nurse Sarah has some on her website, and there are some available through plenty of other people and companies. Those are just a few of the MANY ways to find practice questions. I’m not going to list every possible resource, as I trust your ability to research for yourself, but just know that there are apps, websites, books, etc. and they range from $0 to $TooMuch.
Find what works for you and your budget, but commit to being consistent. “What do you mean, Meris?” I thought you’d never ask. As always, I’ll never shut up about this (or anything, really): it is not ever about how much you study; it is always about how consistently you study. So if you want to hear me yell at you some more about THE ALL-CONSUMING IMPORTANCE OF GOOD STUDY HABITS, click here, or anywhere on my blog, really, because I talk about it all the time. If I have to, I’ll come out there and flick you in the back of the head every time you try to marathon study.
Okay anyway, back to Funds. One of the biggest things you need to learn are the priority setting frameworks. “But Meris,” you say as you roll your eyes, “I know the priority setting frameworks. Airway, Breathing, Circulation. Got it.” Oh my sweet summer child. There are just so many more priorities than you even realize.
It’s okay, though, I’ve got your back. I created a very special flowchart to help you master priority setting! As you tackle practice questions, keep this flowchart handy. Look at the stem of the question (the part of the question that is really posing the question and providing relevant information) and the options and ask yourself “which priority setting framework is this question getting at?” Is it a Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs question? Great, follow the vertical flow for Maslow’s. Is it an ABC? Awesome, use the flowchart to consider your options. Are all the options good ones, but they take place at different points in the Nursing Process? Check out the flowchart to think through what you should do.
If you’d like a higher resolution PDF version to save to your computer or print, frame, and hang on your wall like the masterpiece it is, click here. All I ask is that you give me credit if you reproduce this elsewhere, and don’t use it for commercial use without my explicit written consent! And just as a personal favor, if this was helpful to you, would you leave me a comment and share my blog with your friends or professors?
When in doubt, ask yourself “if I could only do one thing, what would it be?” If that doesn’t apply, ask yourself “what will kill my patient the fastest?” And if that doesn’t apply, pick whichever thing has the most to do with airway…or grapefruit juice.
As always, I recommend using outside resources to enhance your understanding of the material. I have a link on the blog to direct you to some great resources I use (or used) myself. Cathy Parkes has amazing videos to get you through every class, and I recommend checking out her (free) videos and the flashcards she has available for purchase on her website for every class from here on out!
If you don’t already, follow me on instagram where I share study tips, NCLEX-style questions, and overshare about my life in general. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave me a comment below :) And stay tuned, because I have a test-taking strategies post in the works!
Don’t forget to take your meds and stay hydrated!