Failed NCLEX, should I become a CNA?

[stephjane]

I continue to fail the NCLEX while my date to begin paying my student loan nears. I am to begin paying my loans off in September (2015) and with this recent failed NCLEX attempt, the next date I could retake it is at the beginning of September. There is a CNA course offered nearby that is well known and highly spoke of by employers. I could take the course and find a job quickly and be able to begin paying off my loans, which would in turn require me to study for the NCLEX while working. Basically, I have exactly enough money to be able to either pay for the NCLEX review course, or the CNA course.

I am simply wondering if anyone has an opinion on whether I should devote another set of weeks to studying for the NCLEX (since I have a great friend who offered to pay my loans for a bit until i'd take the test), or is it better to be an adult and realize I have no money and become a CNA, and just study when I can (also possibly losing some nursing knowledge as time goes)? I feel like having my whole day to study for the NCLEX is fantastic and it's an opportunity I shouldn't give up… however, i'd be making no money and not that the thought of me failing again is in my mind, but it is something that is a possibility and i'd be naive to not have a plan if that did happen again…

Thank you for any help/insight/personal experiences on this topic!!

[f1j1nurse]

Please don't throw in the towel just yet. You completed nursing school, endless hours of care plans, studying for patho/pharm and endless hours in clinicals. Do not let all those hours go to waste. Identify what areas you are week in and study those. I did the Kaplan NCLEX review (classroom setting) and that was great. Can you try one of the review classes if you are not a self starter? Just throwing out some ideas for you.

[Oceanpacific]

Full stop. There could be many reasons why you fail NCLEX and lack of nursing knowledge may not be the reason. I think you have invested so much in courses and studied and fretted so much that you have test anxiety.

Be honest with yourself. Do you think you know the material? Did you do well in school?

If you truly don't know the fundamentals then review courses aren't the answer.

I'm guessing that you DO have the fundamentals. The test will ask you to apply that knowledge in specific scenarios. Don't overthink the questions. The questions will not be obscure. If you don't know the answer to a question, knock out any obviously wrong answers and pick the one that seemed right to you all along. Then move on to the next question. Don't let a missed question get you rattled.

[SleeepyRN]

I second what nurse4ever said. You should be able to sit for the CNA exam since you passed first semester let alone graduated. Here in illinois, you apply to take the CNA exam after your first or 2nd semester. Then if you absolutely need to work, you can start getting experience somewhere.

But if you don't absolutely to work right now....focus on the NCLEX. Eat sleep breathe exam prep questions and rationales. But don't burn out. Take breaks, eat, exercise...

[divobari]

Definitely focus on NCLEX. You will pass. I bought a few weeks of the NCSBN extension course and the questions were not bad. They are the guys who administer the NCLEX, so it may be worth paying for 3 weeks or so. Good luck!!!