Confessions of a 30-Something RN Grad

[Start2]

This article is just what i needed. I have been out of active nursing for a number of years and even though I hold an active license from another state, this new state required a refresher course which included clinicals and retaking the NCLEX. I have spent three hours on the phone over the past two days trying to register to take the NCLEX. The testing center still had me listed under my former name from many, many years ago, but now I am registered and waiting for my ATT so I can schedule my testing date. The upset stomach has already started. LOL.

Wish me luck.

Start2

[2bRNot2b]

So... I turned 51 yesterday, and took the NCLEX-RN today. I KNOW I failed - went all the way to 265 questions... and now you will see the first person to fail with a good pop-up. Me!

My story is a little different - foreign grad (in 1982) been here in the US a bunch of years and just recently was able to get my paperwork from all over the world organized enough to get my ATT. Long story which I won't go into. Last time I RN-ed was in 1996, just before my youngest was born...

We'll see what the official results say, but IF I actually did pass, it is nothing short of a miracle, because only God could have got me through! Time will tell...

[2bRNot2b]

I PASSED!!!

[newrnltc]

Same feeling of failure for me after it shut off on question 75. I think I was curled up in a fetal position for the entire day after I got home lol

[cpolloc5]

Wow. I can feel your anxiety and I'm still one quarter from applying for the nursing program. SCARY! I've had my own experiences and while I look forward to school, the NCLEX scares the crap out of me. I took the exam to become a licensed massage practitioner and it was similar (Fort Knox) and I thought I would fail. I was scared and when I left I swear my legs were shaking. Years later, I barely made it through the CNA exam we have in Washington where you have to demonstrate your skills without messing anything up. I was told that there was a lady who failed everyone and the pass rate was low; our instructor warned us to go out of the city for our certification. Well, I was so nervous that I was nauseous, skaky, I spilled a basin of water, didn't take enough supplies with me for the bed bath, lost the pulse several times, and I completed my skills within only 8 seconds of the 25 minutes we were allowed for our five skills. I did pass (miraculously, and I thought it was a typo) but I was so nervous that when I finished that I hugged my partner, a complete stranger, and thought I was going to cry. I am an honor roll student and despite how hard I work for my GPA I'll admit I that get comfortable at times. I am grateful that I have been told by many that your grades do not guarantee passing the NCLEX because I know now that I will have to work that much harder, and I will not let myself feel comfortable for one second. Memorizing answers and thinking critically are two different things, and I hope that I will come to really understand what I am learning in nursing school. Congratulations on your success and thank you for sharing!

[cpolloc5]

Congratulations!!!

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Very well written. Have a feeling that your sense of humor will carry you through.

Let us know what position you accept!