Do you think the Boards really mean your competent?

Nurses General Nursing

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What was your experience taking the boards?:eek:

Originally posted by OBNURSEHEATHER

I thought this deserved saying again.

As for bedazzled, I always cringe when I see a brand new member with a whopping 3 posts come in and start insulting our regulars. I think it speaks volumes about their confinence and power issues.

But ya know, I just came to voice my opinion... :rolleyes:

Heather

One question, what is confinence?

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Originally posted by 4XNURSE

OBNURSEHEATHER,

You were right, CEN35s post does bear repeating.

I've read all 3 of bedazzled's posts.

I've read about 200 +/_ of ReneeWilliams' posts.

Renee Williams was a superb nurse when bedazzled was still in diapers.

I readily admit however my assessment skills need working on. I've only been around for 15 years, and I've got a whole lot to learn. I'm quite sure that the little I've seen in 12 years of ER and 3 years of teaching, leave me far short of bedazzled's vast knowledge. I must bow! Wish I knew it all.

ken

I humbly bow.....I'm not worthy to be on the same forum.

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Specializes in Psych, hospice, family practice.

Bedazzled - could it be that you're just in a bad mood?

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Specializes in Research,Peds,Neuro,Psych,.

When I took the boards (computer) I took 75 questions a little over an hour. I did think that the test was very difficult. I earned mostly A's and B's in nursing school, and I am a good test taker. However, the boards do not measure how well you can memorize facts or choose from 5 answers. They require you to take all of the knowledge that you have gained and test to see whether you can make the best decision in giving patient care.

I said before that I felt the boards proved that you had the knowledge, not the competency.

Competency can only be achieved with years of experience. BUT--knowledge is the key to competence--because how can you be competent if you don't know right from wrong?

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I guess that is why I can answer "critical thinking" type questions. However when it come to applying that on the job I am not always so good. Well I am new and still learing. The diffrence between a real life situation and a test is on a test I can take as much time as I need to think about something and situations are much simpler. Even when I did careplans (Isaw them more as comprehensive case studies) in school which were on complex patients I had lots of time to think it all out, and in retrospect. My hind sight is wonderful, now. A lot of good that does. But I'm working on.

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well I went all the way on the boards yep thats right the big old 265 questions, I was scared, but I passed. I did good in school and did good in clinical, but I have major test anxiety. That made it twice as hard for me when I went to take the test. I think that most people are right when they say that the good students that passed with all "A"'s were not that good in dealing with pt's in person, I saw it for myself at my school. This is in most cases, but I believe that some people have both the skill with working with pt's and book smarts.

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BETTS,

Thanks! That's more info on the new NCLEX than I've ever heard before. - Glad someone understands that stuff. :confused:

ken :devil:

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Originally posted by Agnus

X4NURSE, she had been practicing fresh out of school for 2 years. Not a former nurse.

My bad. I mistook insight for tenure. Sorry!

ken:devil:

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Just for the record I was not an A student. And my collegues respect me. I don't think being less than an A student somehow makes you a better nurse anymore than being a A student does. I think I'm a good nurse who knows she will always have room to grow.

Too many "old vetrans" are so full of what they know there is no room for anything else. Not all of course but sometimes even those who are not come accross that way.

I have see A students who are wonderful nurses right out of school and others who never understood the patient was a humanbeing and not a sientific couriosity. The I've seen B and C students that just did not have a clue after graduation.

Any nurse who feels she has nothing to learn from a CNA, tech, LPN etc because she is an RN I don't want taking care of my family.

When a relatively new nurse or cna or what ever expresses themselves and an RN comes back with "I have XX years of experience." She/he is full of her/himself. They usually also make some comment about this subordinate person thinking they know it all.

Pot calling the Kettle ring any bells.

If a nurse is so threatened that she must respont this way I wonder what she is hiding from herself. Just retorical.

I think we are pretty much in agreement that boards only say you can now go forth and really learn.

Frankly lately I've seen more than a few of these "old veterans" who don't know even the basics.

(My state board says that the nurse with years of experience is the most likely one to have a problem with the board for misconduct. The isnurance companies also say a suit is more likely to occure with nurses with years of experience.

So ther is a reason they offer new grads a discount on insurance. It is not just a sales tactic. (I thought it was)

I'm not directing this as anyone, just venting. I guess I had to get this off my chest for sometime. Thanks for indulging me.

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I am amazed to read that nursing school instructors would tell a student that he/she is not nurse "material" with the tone it seems it was said in based on these posts. Congratulations to each of you who went beyond the teacher's erroneous assessment of your abilities.

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

Well, looks like I've missed quite a few wonderful well read posts since my last visit! ;) You guys are terrific, and I love reading your different viewpoints and how each of you thought about the boards and the competency level thereof! ;)

I'd also like to thank those of you who "spoke favorably of me" to our "newest member...bedazzled! Not to worry about her, her membership just may be "short lived" on Allnurses since she's been reported to Super Moderator of Allnurses for being such a "bedazzled" speaker here. She should be hearing from one as I write this to you all! ;)

Now, back to the topic at hand....

I have been a nurse since March 1987. Prior to that, I worked as a nursing assistant. Before becoming a nursing student and working as a nursing assistant, I was a hospital volunteer with the Women's Auxillary at two local hospitals during that time and place in my life. It was from my hospital volunteer experience that I wanted to become a health professional, and so I did! ;)

I was in my early thirties, married a number of years, raising three children and working part time when I started back to college. I am very proud to say that I have an Associate in Applied Science Degree from a community college that taught me very well indeed on the ins and outs of nursing from between the pages of many textbooks to the hands on experience with patients in the clinical setting, not to mention all the skills labs and other required college non-nursing classes that I had to take.

I say all that not to brag, of course ;) , but to say competency begins -- BUT IN NO WAY ENDS -- with one's educational training.

Today at the ripe young age of "50", I have learned that I have been preparing for my career choice (nursing) all of my life. Competency begins waaayyy before we leave diapers. With every little task successfully mastered, with every little form of gratitude shown to others during our growing up years, for every little touch we extended to someone else, for all the times we sat at the feet of an elderly person (our parents, our aunts and uncles, our grandparents, and many more significant others) and learned from what they "taught" us, and also for all those things we "caught" from observing others, for all the times we cried through exams in elementary, junior high, and high school; for all the times we "kept on keeping on" in life even when we wanted to give up.... all these things prepared us to become as competent in what we do as the learning skills we gained from pounding our brains against the walls from one nursing exam after another until the day we got to don our cap and gown and march down the aisle at graduation, and receive our long awaited nursing diploma or nursing degree (whichever the case may be for you). :) And ,what a glorious occasion that was, too!

How many of you can recall that very special day in your lives? There's probably a few of you, like me, who have to "think" real hard, but the feelings of joy are fresh as yesterday. ;)

Competency is in how well we APPLY what we LEARN, not in how well we were at test-taking. APPLICATION is the key to success! Being able to apply that which we learn is everything in a nutshell! Experience comes by putting one foot in front of the other, learning as we go along -- paying attention to what is necessary, and bypassing that which tends to get in our way. ;)

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With my LVN I was very nervous and all the answers seem correct. What I find is never ask your fellow classmates how the test was because they will make you stress more. I stopped at 83 and my RN boards I stopped at 76. I was so relieved because I hear horror stories of the test going all the way to the end! I still hate mulitple choice test yeck! Can't seem to get away from them .

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