Advice Needed

[First Lady RN]

Hello, I will be graduating shortly--- in May 2012. I want to become a COMPETENT nurse. I don't want to forget basic information. I know alot comes from experience. I dream to become and ICU or ER nurse but I am ok with whatever I start with. My question is this: to continue educating myself, what is the best way to do so? Keep doing NCLEX questions even after you take the state exam, do lots of CEU, attend conferences, or read books..... What is best and most effective?

[gogrady]

Education and experience matter the most but it depends on what you are looking to get out of it. There are docs who have the best educations in the world that I wouldn't allow to come within 20 feet of me in a hospital as a pt and there are old CNAs that I would trust with my life because of their experience. I recommend daily exercises of application based questions from NCLEX and review questions from things like CCRN review. Combine this with a lot of work experience in a teaching hospital and you will be a very competent nurse within a year or two. Though always remember you can never know it all and there is always more to learn. This is the value of nurses who have been around for 20+ years even though they may not brush up regularly on their knowledge they have so much floating about in their long term memory its a treasure trove for new nurses to practice around.