Author: nklaver (Page 1 of 5)

My proctored pharmacology ATI test didn’t go as well as I had hoped for. I think this could be due to the fact that I felt as though I couldn’t concentrate well that day. I also feel like I would have done better on it if I had taken the test the week we originally planned to. I think I would have gotten a better grade because we would have just taken both the practice quizzes and the information would have still been fresh in my head. I know I could have also set myself up better for this ATI test by reviewing my pharmacology ATI practice quiz remediations before the test, which I did not do. In the future, I plan on blocking time to study relevant materials before the tests to help improve my score. 

Where (what state/territory) do you intend to become licensed by examination, and is this a Nurse Licensure Compact state?

I intend to become licensed by examination in the state of Maine. I chose to stay in Maine because this state is where I was born and raised. I love the idea of staying here because all of my family lives in northern Maine, and this location would allow for me to be able to go and visit them often. Staying close to my family is important to me as I have 3 very young nieces and nephews, and I want to be close enough where I can still be apart of their lives as they grow up. When doing some research I found that Maine is one of the states that’s on the NLC list. 

2. How is the application completed and submitted (web-based, manual/paper-based, or either), and does the application you are filing require official transcripts, verification sign-off by the director of the program, or both? 

In Maine, there seems to be an option to apply online, which costs $75. It does note that applicants who are applying online must upload a signature page that has a manual signature as electronic signatures will not be accepted. Applicants need to be able to provide proof of legal residency in Maine – including divers license number, voter registration, car registration, tax forms, and validation of residence. Applicants will also need the school to provide a signature on a specific sheet, school certification, criminal background check, and their SSN. 

https://www.maine.gov/boardofnursing/docs/RN_Exam_Licensure_Requirements_.pdf

3. Does the state where you intend to become licensed require criminal background checks and/or fingerprinting? If so, what is the process? 

Yes, all applicants in Maine are required to have a fingerprint-based criminal background check done. All background checks must go through the vendor IdentoGO, and cost $52. On the maine.gov website, it explains that fingerprints will be taken electronically through a Livescan digital fingerprint machine. There are slightly different directions for applicants who are outside Maine applicants, but this does not apply to me. On the website, it also notes that results usually take around 48-72 hours to get back and can be viewed on MSBON. 

https://www.maine.gov/boardofnursing/docs/Criminal_Background_Checks_(Revised_9-5-2019).pdf

4. Reflecting on presentations from the Attorney General’s Office and the Medical Professionals Health Program, consider the following: 

a. Describe any provisions for impaired nurses in the state where you intend to become licensed as described on or linked from the State Board of Nursing website, including any mandatory reporting requirements for suspected impairment, disciplinary measures, and resources for recovery. 

If a nurse would like to send a complaint regarding the unprofessional conduct of a licensed nurse, they are to write a letter with all the information and sufficient details and send it to, Maine State Board of Nursing, 158 State House Station, Augusta, ME o4333-0158. This website page also includes all of the information that should be included in the letter. There is also a whole other page on the maine.gov website that talks about the role of mandated reporting, and what actions should be taken per incident. 

https://www.maine.gov/boardofnursing/discipline/health-security-act-reporting.html

b. Some of the most commonly occurring legal issues that impact nursing and nursing practice relate to informed consent and refusing treatment, licensure, the safeguarding of clients’ personal possessions and valuables, malpractice, negligence, mandatory reporting, abuse, and unsafe practices. How will you protect yourself and your license from these legal issues?

To start, I will be sure to have a strong understanding of my scope of practice. I feel that with a strong understanding of my scope of practice, I will be able to avoid a lot of these legal issues, therefore being able to keep myself and my license safe. I will also be sure to always report any mistakes that I make, even if they are small mistakes. It’s better to report a mistake than to try and keep it a secret and fix it. By reporting a mistake it allows the proper people to take action and assess the situation and apply standards to help prevent the mistake from happening again. I will also be sure to read all guidelines and protocols for the facility that I end up working at to be sure that I am doing everything correctly.

Like that last pharmacology ATI practice quiz, I feel like a lot of things went well for me. Like I had mentioned in my last post, I stuck with the same kind of plan that I had formed before. If I didn’t know the answer I would make an educated guess as to what the answer was and then not change my answer afterward. I think this quiz-taking tool is a game-changer for me, as I seem to be getting fewer questions wrong. Going into this quiz, I felt pretty confident as I had already taken the pharmacology adaptive quiz and the practice A quiz. I was also more confident in myself because I knew exactly what to do if I came upon a question that I didn’t know the answer to. This saved me a lot of stress as I use to freak out when there would be multiple questions that I wasn’t sure about. Taking all of these quizzes has helped reduce my quiz/test-taking anxiety and I feel that this will benefit me tremendously when I go to take the NCLEX. This quiz like the last two has shown me which kinds of questions I need to spend more time on when studying for the NCLEX.

This ATI practice quiz went well for me. I believe that I am starting to get into the correct flow of taking these quizzes. I find myself reading the questions slower but more efficiently, which has allowed me to make fewer mistakes. I have also decided that if I do not know the correct answer off the top of my head then I will choose the answer that seems most correct, and then not change my answer. I used this method this time when taking this quiz and I found that there were a handful of questions that I was unsure about. But by making a guess and not second-guessing myself, I was able to choose correctly. This quiz like the others helps show me what types of subjects (in this case medications) that I need to spend more time on study. I plan on studying in-depth on the medications that I got wrong on this quiz so that hopefully it will help me when I take the pharm. B quiz.