Tips for Case Studies on the Next Generation NCLEX

The NCSBN published a new version of the NCLEX exam dubbed the Next Generation NCLEX (or NGN) in April of this year. The introduction of case studies was one of the major changes with the Next Generation NCLEX. These new changes have made some students and new graduates concerned, and some are questioning how they should prepare for this new format.

Case Studies for the Next Generation NCLEX

What should your study strategy be for the case studies on the Next Generation NCLEX?

To begin, consider what makes a case study unique. A case study will give you a scenario of how a patient may present with a specific disease(s), as well as a scenario of what may happen as the patient advances.

These case studies will put your nursing skills to the test in terms of identifying relevant symptoms, lab reports, what to look for, how to administer treatment, and patient education.

Case studies, in other words, are quite close to how things truly work in the real world of nursing. So the real question is, how do you prepare for these NGN case studies?

The Case Study Method

As you prepare for case studies, keep in mind that simply knowing a few facts about an illness will not prepare you for these questions. Instead, you must genuinely comprehend the subject in order to connect the dots and respond to the various circumstances that may arise.

To do so, I like to think of a disease as an onion. And, just like onions, there are many different layers to what is going on with a disease process. As you peel back the layers of an illness, you can get to the bottom of what's wrong with your patient and observe the domino effect that develops.

To summarize, the best method to prepare for the case studies on the Next Generation NCLEX is to understand the condition holistically, which involves first delving into the pathophysiology and then enabling that to flow into the signs and symptoms, drugs, patient education, and so on.

To summarize, the best method to prepare for the case studies on the Next Generation NCLEX is to understand the condition holistically, which involves first delving into the pathophysiology and then enabling that to flow into the signs and symptoms, drugs, patient education, and so on.