NCLEX Review & Nursing School

As you have learned in Nursing School, beta adrenergic blockers are drugs that help lower blood pressure, puls rate and cardiac output.  Beta Blockers are an important set of drugs to know for the NCLEX.  Sometimes, beta blockers are also used to treat migraine headaches an other vascular headaches.  Beta blockers are also used to treat glacauma and used to prevent myocardial infarctions.  Try to remember that what beta blockers do is they act by blocking the symathetic vasomotor response.  For the NCLEX, try to remember that the syllable for beta blockers is usally (olol).  Potential side effects of beta blocker that is necessary to know for the NCLEX would include: Orthostatic hypotension, bradycardia, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and some of the symptoms may mask hypoglycemic symptoms.

Nursing Interventions for Clients taking beta blockers: Make sure that you monitor the client’s blood pressure, heart rate and rhythm, before administering the beta blocker.  Monitor the client for signs of edema.  The nurse should also assess the lungs sounds for signs of rales and ronchi.  When patient are taking beta blockers, it is also very important to monitor the changes in lab values such as (protien, BUN and creatinine) which can indicate nephrotic syndrome.  Nursing teaching for the NCLEX would include: Teaching the Client to rise slowly (Orthostatic Hypotension) * (a safety ISSUE), report any signs of bradycardia, dizziness, confusion depression or fever.  It is also very important to taper off the medication properly.

Anti-Infectives (Aminoglycosides)

Anti Infective drugs usually indludes bacteriacidals and bacteriostatic Drugs.  What this drugs do is they usually interfere with the protien synthesis of the bacteria, causing the bacteria to die.  These drugs are also important drugs to know for the NCLEX and these drugs are active against most aerobic gram-negative bacteria and against some gram positive organisms.  For the NCLEX, it is important to note the syllables  (cin) in the end and many of them end in mycin.

Possible side effects to most anti-infective drugs would include:

• ototoxicity
• Nephrototoxicity
• Seizures
• Hypotension
• Rash.