I am confused what to choose

phoenixRisin9 · Feb 26, 2009

Hey Football, I'm just getting my feet wet beginning my prereqs. If it's any help at all, my friend just passed the NCLEX and he used Kaplan. Good luck!

q1w2e3 · Feb 26, 2009

I also graduate in May 2009 and I have similar questions! How do you juggle the potential job offers? I have an interview next week for an RN Internship, but I really want a position in either the MICU or the CCU. I hope to be able to know, first, if these ICU jobs are a possibility before having to give an answer regarding the Internship. Any replies to this would be most helpful! Thanks!

HM2VikingRN, RN · Feb 26, 2009

...Suzannes Plan is no longer available....:

This is what I did which was based on her tip 1.......

1. Get the saunders 4th edition.

2. Take the quizzes at the end of each chapter BEFORE REVIEWING THE CHAPTERS. Review the materials if you score less than 80%. retake the quiz and you should score 80-90% for that chapter.

3. As you score the quizzes write out the rationales for the questions that you miss. This reinforces thinking like a nurse.....

I spent probably 25 hours total in preparation and passed with 75 questions.

Plan to study over a 6 week period and don't cram....

HM2VikingRN, RN · Feb 26, 2009

I also graduate in May 2009 and I have similar questions! How do you juggle the potential job offers? I have an interview next week for an RN Internship, but I really want a position in either the MICU or the CCU. I hope to be able to know, first, if these ICU jobs are a possibility before having to give an answer regarding the Internship. Any replies to this would be most helpful! Thanks!

If you're offered the internship take it...Extensive mentoring improves retention and safety. (You may find that the internship program is a feeder to an ICU position.)

SteffersRN87, BSN, RN · Feb 26, 2009

I took NCLEX in August and passed! I used probably 10 different books for review and practice ?'s. Kaplan is by far the most similar to the actual NCLEX.

Freedom42 · Feb 26, 2009

I did the Hurst Review and was extremely satisfied. (Passed in 75 questions, took about an hour, and left smiling. I knew I was well-prepared.) One reason I really liked the program was that it's not based on memorization but rather converting concepts to long-term memory. It really helped pull together everything I'd learned in nursing school.

One reason I did Hurst is that once you've paid for it, you can take it as many times as you want at no extra charge. So I took it before beginning my last semester, studied during the semester, and took it again as a final refresher just before taking the NCLEX. Hurst also offers an online option that is identical to the live review, and there's some kind of arrangement under which you get unlimited access to the website by the month (I think it's $50 a month). If I had it all to do again, I'd do the online review. It's no different from the live review, you can watch it over and over again, and you can do it whenever and wherever you want. Any Hurst Review also comes with a guarantee: If you fail NCLEX, you either get all your money back or you get some kind of remediation program. The live review takes four days; the "fifth day" materials include lectures on DVD and a CD of supplemental materials. The workbook you're given is very good. Personally, I felt over-prepared for NCLEX; the Hurst practice questions were tougher than anything I was asked on the actual board exam.

Good luck!