READING, LANGUAGE, AND NURSING?

I want to be a nurse, not an English major.

When you were younger, you bandaged up your stuffed animals after wheeling them out from “surgery”
for a perceived ailment that threatened their furry life. In high school, you looked forward to science
and health classes that allowed you to better understand the human body. Now, you look forward to a
rewarding career in the nursing field and, while preparing for the TEAS, you find out 47% of the test
covers reading and language skills. What? Well, actually, language skills are critical in effectively
communicating with, and treating, patients.

WHY ARE READING AND WRITING IMPORTANT SKILLS IN NURSING?

As with all higher education programs, nursing students need to be able to read and write. The TEAS
assesses knowledge and skills that will be needed in a college-level program of study, including language
skills. And, when you think about it, you will employ reading and writing skills throughout your nursing
career—from reading medical references, to adding notes to patients’ charts, to possible participation in
research studies as your nursing career develops.

Reading is a key nursing skill. You must be able to identify the main idea, determine the author’s
purpose, recognize relevant supporting details, and assess patterns and trends in words and data
(graphs, charts, and other forms of informational text). Then, you’ll need to draw appropriate
conclusions and effectively apply the information and conclusions to your work on a daily basis.

When writing in a medical setting, you will need to use carefully constructed sentences and create an
organized flow of information using appropriate vocabulary and correct application of the standard rules
of English. These are all important elements to ensure effective communication between you, your
colleagues, and your patients.

WHAT DOES THIS LANGUAGE STUFF LOOK LIKE ON THE TEAS ASSESSMENT?

Time may be the enemy on this test. Because the reading portion requires 53 reading questions to be
completed in 64 minutes, you may feel pressure to rush through and skim the reading material. Try to
resist this temptation and read carefully. The English and language usage section of the test gives you 28
minutes for 28 questions. You’ll need to thoughtfully analyze the information provided in the question,
anticipate the answer, and then evaluate the answer options to determine the best answer.
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS SECTION?

As on the rest of the TEAS test, there is no penalty for incorrect answers, so try to make educated
guesses for the questions you might not feel as confident about and try not to skip answering any
questions.

The material included in the test covers concepts and skills generally taught in grades 7–12. Though you
probably know most of the information, if it’s been a little while since you’ve actively applied those skills
of critical reading and writing, it would probably be a good idea to review some of the skills and practice
the question types you are likely to encounter.

Union Test Prep has developed study guides, flashcards, and practice tests that will help refresh your
memory about the skills covered on the test. Check them out as part of your preparation for the TEAS
test and good luck in your future nursing career!

READING IN NURSING

By Dr. Nancyruth Leibold

Students can develop their reading skills within the discipline of nursing in a number of ways. Writing
apprehension by nursing students is a topic of study by Newton and Moore (2010). In their descriptive
study, a correlation was found between reading and English aptitude to formal writing ability. Senior
nursing students scored higher than pre-nursing students in reading comprehension, but it was unclear
if this was due to higher levels of education or attrition (Lajoie, 2013). Further study is essential related
to writing apprehension, reading, and writing in nurses.

Nursing majors are expected to read a large volume of material each week. There simply is a lot to know
within the discipline of nursing. It is not possible to know everything in nursing. All nurses should know
some key areas, such as safe medication administration. However, the baccalaureate nursing degree is a
generalist preparation in nursing. After graduation, nurses further develop their specialty knowledge
and practice through lifelong learning. By developing skills of skimming and speed-reading, students can
cultivate reading skills that promote the general knowledge of what every registered nurse should know.
Looking detailed information up should be a frequent habit of the registered nurse. Start reading by
glancing through the assigned reading and note the main overall topics by reading the headings and
subheadings (Mikhailov, 2016). Next, read the information for overall points. Pay special attention to the
bolded words and to any tables or images, as these are usually the most important points. Instead of
focusing on memorizing details, focus on comprehending the main points of the reading. It helps to
think of the information in the context of any previous nursing experience. One resource about skim
reading is by Mikhailov (2016) at http://www.ababasoft.com/words/skimming001.html

Nurses should select several journals that they read every month. It is not necessary to read the journals
from cover to cover, but instead skim through the journals and read what is relevant and interesting.
The more a nurse reads nursing journals, the more they develop their reading skills while staying abreast
of the latest discoveries and news in nursing. Speed develops with persistence of this practice. In a study
by Skinner and Miller (1989) 93% of nurses reported that reading nursing journals is important for
updating nursing practice. Time was the main barrier that nurses reported for not reading nursing
journals (Skinner & Miller, 1989). Nurses often organize journal clubs in their place of work and
colleagues share the highlights of an article they read with others to increase the exposure a nurse has
to journal publications. Some nurses make mini-posters about articles and post them in the workplace
to disseminate what they have read. Frame and Kelly (2003) reported lack of knowledge about
interpreting research articles as a main barrier for nurses to read journals. In the upper division nursing
courses, students learn how to interpret research articles. However, the consistent practice of reading
research articles so the skill is applied and developed is critical and the responsibility of the nurse.

RESOURCES FOR READING

Students should use resources to develop themselves and save time. Some helpful resources about
reading in nursing are available. Students should also be consumers of multimodal publications, such as
videos. Multimodal publications use two or more formats, such as written word, audio, images, video,
etc. (add source here, year). Students must assess multimodal sources for credibility as discussed earlier.
Most U.S. government agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services have credible sources for nurses to use. One example of a credible multimodal
publication is a video by the Department of Health and Human Services (2012) entitled Preparing for the
next decade: A 2020 vision for healthy people at https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=zZG94c7xQmE&feature=youtu.be