Nursing Exam Prep [NCLEX-RN] 31, Gastrointestinal Assessment

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: • The correct sequence for abdominal assessment is Inspection, Auscultation, Percussion, and Palpation (IAPP), and why this order is critical. • Auscultating before palpating is a common NCLEX trap; palpation can alter bowel sounds, leading to an incorrect assessment. • To confirm absent bowel sounds, a nurse must listen for a full five minutes, a key detail tested on the exam. • A rigid, board-like abdomen is a sign of peritonitis, an emergency requiring immediate provider notification. • How to differentiate signs of an upper GI bleed (melena, coffee-ground emesis) from a lower GI bleed (hematochezia). For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep