Can I sit for Boards? 7 days from graduation, dropped

[studentinnursing]

I have had a medical issue come up, with just 70 hours (and 2 journal entries) of my internship, which is 1 class of the 3 separate classes of my last semester of my Associate of Science in Nursing. I have completed the other 2 classes, and we have already sat for exams and our standardized ATIs, and I was so excited I had 96% chance of passing NCLEX first try....Now, with 48 hours of my 120 required, I cannot/could not (happened last week) complete the other 72 hours of my "management"/internship with my school-appointed preceptor.

Because we already had exams, and those were for "Roles" and for "Nursing IV" which was theory, and I completed and did okay and everything, was good to go, just had to do 3 journal entries; I only did 1 of 3 because I realized I could not physically do the other 72 hours of my preceptorship, so I figured why do the papers; however, I still have time to complete those.

I want to know if I am still allowed to sit for boards; did my school send my name to the board after I passed exams? I think finishing this 72 hours would only be for my AS degree, not necessarily whether I can sit for boards or not? I am freaking out, had BSN all lined up, scholarship for this summer and another, separate recurring scholarship from Spring that would "recur" in August or January of my BSN, and now I cannot even finish this stupid 72 hours, cannot get out of bed, cannot even drive my kids to school; yeah, that freaking debilitated. I am going in to talk to the Dean tomorrow, if I can get out of bed, but I have to get there some how since my instructor (who seems to be nice and helpful) has not given me any information since she asked if I wanted to talk to the Dean and I said Yes, and asked what my options were; she never replied what my options were. She has called once in the past 3 days I should have been in clinical/preceptorship, left no message; she usually texts but hasn't. So I'm going in blind to speak to the Dean about hopefully getting a slot-in whenever possible to either redo the whole semester???!!! Or just the "management"/preceptorship class??!! (Of course what I hope is the case, just the one class).

At this point, though, I only have 3 days left, so no way I can get childcare nor physical strength to finish this by......Pinning is May 3rd, and instructor never gave me "due date" in which I needed to finish 72 hours when I asked....probably this Sunday I am guessing. But I am not physically able to jump back in and do it even if I had 6 days to do it in.

Can I sit for Boards?? I cannot believe this, four years I've put in, and (quite literally) a week from being done, I cannot finish. We used to joke about what we'd do if something happened, breaking our ankle and having to redo a semester, and I thankfully won't do anything crazy but I am obviously frustrated, angry, sad, humiliated, defeated, just feel horrible all around....

PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME I CAN SIT FOR BOARDS; 2 kids, no child support, and have worked about 20 hours since Thanksgiving because of nursing school, and my job is great so I can go right back to near full-time (which is at home and doable at this point), but I have no income coming in until I can get a few weeks in with pay period, etc., and I don't eve know how I'll pay May's bills, as I had to use loans to survive so far, but they last about a semester and the semester is up, had to turn down a job at the trauma hospital (my dream workplace but not dream position thank God), and I am ready to flip my lid of course if one itty bitty thing more happens.

I haven't had the strength or courage to call Board of Nursing yet, think I'm scared of what they might say, haven't been able to get out of bed until this evening and talking to the Dean tomorrow, but now I want to know NOW, ya know?

If anybody out there is awake in my time zone, or hopefully in another, please let me know either way if I can sit for boards. I do have my at-home job, so besides May, we will be okay because it's almost as much as I'd make as a GN/RN, but I really want to sit for Boards, obviously.

Thanks for any input! Really, please tell me either way; now I am feeling better, thinking clearer, able to come upstairs to office, and I DO have the courage to want to know what I need to do, but it happens to be 0130 EST and I can't ask anyone! Just my luck, huh?

[mindlor]

Hey are you in FL? SPC?

[ParvulusPuella]

I believe that most, if not all ADN degrees at least requirea certain number of clinical hours while in school- actually being in the hospital/facility, doing hands on patient care. If you haven't met the clinical hour requirements, then unfortunatly I don't think there is anything you can do. You could have aced all the lecture/book learning stuff, but you have to have passed the hands on part as well, even if you wouldn't be doing floor duties with your degree.

[elkpark]

I was also wondering how the graduates of a private school (where none of the credits are transferable for a degree at a state university or community college) can take NCLEX-RN if they don't have an Associate of Science in Nursing? I am not sure if you all are talking about a degree and graduating as the same thing/interchangeable.

Yes, the point is that graduates of diploma schools and private tech/voc schools graduated from their program, regardless of what the piece of paper they receive for doing so is called. Having taken all the exams is not the same as having graduated, and your school would need to certify to the BON that you completed the program and graduated.

As the old saying goes, "'Close' only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes."

[CrazierThanYou]

I had a classmate who was diagnosed with breast cancer during senior year of nursing school. Due to her treatments and such, she was unable to complete all her clinical hours. She was only short a few hours. The school let her go to graduation and walk but she had to wait a year to finish her hours and THEN she could sit for boards.

You cannot sit for boards until your program is COMPLETE unless its like some said, you may be able to sit for PN boards.

I'm curious though, if you can't get out of bed, how will you be a nurse? Or is this just a temporary condition?

[studentinnursing]

Actually, close works with medical documentation too. Thanks for the replies. I'm all set, and it does depend on situation, school, etc., because we had a couple of people who missed clinical hours because of medical reasons not, not pass because of missing more than the time required. I have also worked hands on during my full-time summer semesters, so I have more than enough required for the degree. Anybody out there in this situation, just talk to your school, Dean, instructor. You just never know what God has in store for you, and keep a positive outlook no matter what people say because you know what opinions are like....and everybody has one.

[studentinnursing]

I'm curious though, if you can't get out of bed, how will you be a nurse? Or is this just a temporary condition?

I can't be a nurse; no it's not temporary, but it's not this bad all the time.

I still want to get my degree and the credentials that I just worked for, for 4 years; wouldn't you?! And I can do other things with an ASN, RN, after my name, when docs get it more under control, just like I did when I was attending school. I have had this condition the whole time (14 years actually, didn't know it would ever get this debilitating or I OBVIOUSLY wouldn't have begun school....) it got worse "exponentially" is how it was explained to me with the physical demands and even just emotional stress of nursing school. I am supposed to have "none to very little stress" and if all of you have been through nursing school yet you know how pretty impossible that is, and don't forget I am also raising two kids by myself at the same time, did work part-time on school breaks and here and there first 2 years and then til about 2nd semester (3 years in), and finished all my BSN prereqs too, also went full-time every summer, and look where it'd get me if I gave up.

BTW--Some of these replies....I am surprised to hear some of the things that were said, coming from nurses; some of you did sound like nurses, politely telling me I'm probably screwed LOL, and those replies made much more of a difference to me than the ones who didn't answer anything and just posted something or asked more questions....those which did not take....let's say....a holistic approach? And appear to be lacking in therapeutic communication skills. Thanks to the others.

[Inori, BSN, RN]

@studentinnursing - Good luck, get well soon. Its hard to get through most of nursing and then this .. its things out of your control . It does sound like your best option is a medical withdrawal leave for the semester or an incomplete. Since you couldn't get out of bed then .. medical leave would make sense. Contact your department director, prof via email / phone, read up on the rules in your student handbook, gather your paper work from doctors etc documenting your condition. etc. If its a disability consider contacting student disability office for help. STudent advocate office in your school can help with navigating rules too.

Good luck .. check your state's BON rules are slightly different but in mine one must have graduated from an approved RN program be it diploma, adn, bsn etc https://www.ncsbn.org/contactbon.htm

[CrazierThanYou]

I can't be a nurse; no it's not temporary, but it's not this bad all the time.

I still want to get my degree and the credentials that I just worked for, for 4 years; wouldn't you?! And I can do other things with an ASN, RN, after my name, when docs get it more under control, just like I did when I was attending school. I have had this condition the whole time (14 years actually, didn't know it would ever get this debilitating or I OBVIOUSLY wouldn't have begun school....) it got worse "exponentially" is how it was explained to me with the physical demands and even just emotional stress of nursing school. I am supposed to have "none to very little stress" and if all of you have been through nursing school yet you know how pretty impossible that is, and don't forget I am also raising two kids by myself at the same time, did work part-time on school breaks and here and there first 2 years and then til about 2nd semester (3 years in), and finished all my BSN prereqs too, also went full-time every summer, and look where it'd get me if I gave up.

BTW--Some of these replies....I am surprised to hear some of the things that were said, coming from nurses; some of you did sound like nurses, politely telling me I'm probably screwed LOL, and those replies made much more of a difference to me than the ones who didn't answer anything and just posted something or asked more questions....those which did not take....let's say....a holistic approach? And appear to be lacking in therapeutic communication skills. Thanks to the others.

No, I probably wouldn't waste time and money to get licensed to be a nurse if I couldn't work as one. But that's just me.

Out of curiousity, what other things can you do with a nursing degree?

[OnlybyHisgraceRN, ASN, RN]

Can you work as a CNA? Call your BON and school to figure out what you can do. I pray all works out.