Temporary liscense or focus on passing NCLEX first?

Jolie, BSN · Mar 6, 2007

If your state allows you to work as a GN or RNLP pending NCLEX results, and you find an employer willing to hire you in that capacity, I STRONGLY encourage you to do so. In my opinion, there is no better NCLEX preparation than working in a professional nursing capacity. It is 8-12 hours per day of solid review and hands-on experience that no review course or CD-ROM can duplicate. And let's face it, you are not going to sit home and study 8-12 hours per day :)

Good luck!

suzanne4, RN · Mar 6, 2007

And I have the opposite view on that. Always better to take and pass the NCLEX exam before starting to work. You are going to be given more than enough material to prepare you for the new job and will not have the time to prepare adequately for the exam.

And remember that if you start your job, and then do not pass, you have to withdraw from that training as you will no longer be able to keep the same role. Always better to go in with a license in hand and know that the job that you really wanted will be yours.

IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Mar 6, 2007

And remember that if you start your job, and then do not pass, you have to withdraw from that training as you will no longer be able to keep the same role. Always better to go in with a license in hand and know that the job that you really wanted will be yours.

That would be my fear. What if you get a great job and fail the NCLEX and have to quite...would they hire you again knowing why you couldn't continue working? Could failing actually hurt your career since you will have to tell somebody that you failed?

I would love to start working right away because we need the money but I will probably wait until I pass NCLEX...what's a few more weeks or months. I don't know how long people typically wait to take it after graduation but I'm hoping to take it as soon as possible.

justme1972 · Mar 6, 2007

And I have the opposite view on that. Always better to take and pass the NCLEX exam before starting to work. You are going to be given more than enough material to prepare you for the new job and will not have the time to prepare adequately for the exam.
And remember that if you start your job, and then do not pass, you have to withdraw from that training as you will no longer be able to keep the same role. Always better to go in with a license in hand and know that the job that you really wanted will be yours.

Just from what I have read on here, I would agree with that totally. I would be too fearful that I would land a job and risk losing it, or my shift, if I should fail the first time I take the NCLEX.

I would rather start shopping for job with my RN license in hand.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2007

If your state allows you to work as a graduate nurse before getting your license, I strongly urge you to work for one very practical reason. All the good jobs will be taken up by your classmates. Also, if your state allows graduate nurses to work, then most of the hospitals will have geared their new grad orientation programs to start immediately after graduation. By the time you get your license, it may be that a specific new grad orientation won't be available for you, and that would be a tragedy. New grad orientation programs are specifically designed for the newly graduated nurse.

Before you make a decision on this, call around and talk with some of the nurse recruiters in your area and find out what would be available to you IF you wait until you get your license.

If you aren't ready to take the NCLEX on the day you graduate, I don't think that a few more weeks or months of study are going to help you very much. What really helps is being in a clinical area to see things put into practical practice.

krazy_coconuts · Mar 6, 2007

I've seen this happen with people I work with, working with a temporary license then failing he NCLEX. They didn't lose their job, just had to work as a CNA until they passed the test. I've also heard that working as a nurse (real life nursing) is different from text book nursing and it could be confusing to work for three months before taking the test. But then again 99% of our nurses pass the NCLEX after working with a temp license...so I can see both ways.

Jolie, BSN · Mar 6, 2007

I've seen this happen with people I work with, working with a temporary license then failing he NCLEX. They didn't lose their job, just had to work as a CNA until they passed the test. I've also heard that working as a nurse (real life nursing) is different from text book nursing and it could be confusing to work for three months before taking the test. But then again 99% of our nurses pass the NCLEX after working with a temp license...so I can see both ways.

You point about "real world" nursing being different than "textbook" nursing is well-taken. There ARE times when one sees actual practices that differ from what we are taught to be the ideal. However, this also occurs in students' clinical experiences, and most students are capable of differentiating between what one should do versus the shorcuts that are sometimes taken by staff nurses, preceptors, and even fellow students. I don't think that a well-prepared student would be "thrown off" in terms of NCLEX standards by observing less-than-ideal practice on the part of fellow nurses.

I agree with llg that new grads who delay starting a job until passing NCLEX run the risk of missing out on many new grad orientation and internship programs, and jobs in general. I also don't believe that the possibility of failing NCLEX and being required to step down from a staff position warrants much consideration, for a number of reasons: First of all, the vast majority of candidates pass NCLEX on the first try. Secondly, hospitals that hire unlicensed new grads do their homework well. They don't typically offer such positions to candidates who have a marginal record in terms of grades, clinical experiences or references, or appear to be "bad risks". Thirdly, Even if a candidate fails NCLEX, many hospitals will retain that candidate in a nurse tech position since they have already invested heavily in his/her orientation. It is in the hospital's best interests financially to see the candidate pass on the next try so that their education dollars are not lost. That often translates into assistance in NCLEX preparation for the retake.

I mean Suzanne no disrespect in my post, but I heartily disagree that it is best to focus solely on studying for NCLEX as opposed to starting work in a professional role. Nursing requires both theoretical and practical study. That is why students attend both classroom and clinical education. Most nursing programs (with the exception of hospital-based diploma programs) offer woefully little clinical experience. That lack of clinical exposure on the part of a new grad is best overcome by working in a clinical setting ASAP. Even if you plan to work in a specialty unit, you will learn a tremendous amount in the first weeks and months of employment that will be applicable to NCLEX. For example, I started in a Level III NICU shortly after graduation, and about a month before taking boards. In that time, I learned clinical skills that I had never performed in nursing school (hanging blood, starting IVs, drawing and interpreting labwork, administering IVP medications, participating in codes, working as a team member with attendings, residents, consultants, social workers, PTs, pharmacists). I was responsible for performing comprehensive assessments on laboring women and infants, developing care plans, and evaluating outcomes. I learned to prioritize, organize the care of multiple patients, and think critically. Even in a specialty unit, I had numerous experiences that prepared me for the general questions on NCLEX pertaining to these basic aspects of care, far more than during my limited clinical rotations in school. When preparing for a driver's test, both book study and practical driving experience are important. When you graduate, most of your book study will have been covered. While continuous review is important, what you really need is to get out and drive a patient or two :)

Finally, I agree that successful completion of nursing school is the most important preparation for NCLEX. While review courses and books have their purpose, I think they are vastly over-sold these days. I seriously doubt that students who delay NCLEX in order to undertake these additional preparations fare any better than those who take the exam soon after graduation. (That is something I would love to see studied!) I know this is just anecdotal evidence, but I only know of one student from my class (of 40) who took a review course. She failed NCLEX. The other 39 of us passed, and most had begun working prior to testing.

Just another viewpoint. Best wishes whatever you decide.

Scrubz · Mar 7, 2007

And I have the opposite view on that. Always better to take and pass the NCLEX exam before starting to work. You are going to be given more than enough material to prepare you for the new job and will not have the time to prepare adequately for the exam.
And remember that if you start your job, and then do not pass, you have to withdraw from that training as you will no longer be able to keep the same role. Always better to go in with a license in hand and know that the job that you really wanted will be yours.

Although I'm not out of school yet, I agree with her. Better to get your licence first and not have to worry aobut it. It would probably be less stress in the long run.

suzy253, RN · Mar 7, 2007

I worked as a Grad Nurse right after graduating from nursing school this year while going through orientation. We still had time to study for the NCLEX and it's true--a lot of the jobs will be taken by other new grads as well. All of my fellow grads who worked as grad nurses at the same hospital passed our NCLEX exam and are still working there.

suzanne4, RN · Mar 7, 2007

I take my point of view from all of the ones that had to retest with the NCLEX and lost their job because they did not pass the first time.

And especially if you will be moving to a new area. Many are working too many hours to prepare properly, especially with 12 hour night shifts.

And also depends on the state. CA will permit a new grad to sit for the exma before they even have received the transcripts from the school, provided that they attended school in CA and their name was on the list that the school sent. New grad programs start twice a year in many of the bigger areas, allowing time to get the exam out of the way. With the way that things are being taught now, there is much review to be done when you start the new job, and that also takes away from study hours for NCLEX.

cherokeesummer · Mar 7, 2007

My plan is to wait until I take and hopefully pass the NCLEX before working although the hospital likes to offer positions ahead of time, we shall see!

I have various reasons - one b/c I'm not ready to leave my son yet LOL and two b/c I need to have another back surgery (had one ten years ago) and I plan on doing it right after graduation in July and then using the recovery time to study. Although I am studying now in advance.

:monkeydance: