How many times can you take NCLEX?

[Yogsdaleo,RN]

Just curious. What state do you live in, and how many times are you allowed to take the NCLEX? I live in MD, and its unlimited. But no more than 8 times a year and no sooner than 45 days. And I thought everywhere was the same! But I saw someone in FL post that after the 3rd fail its mandatory remediation?

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

I do not have a actual tutorial program, it is just my method of teaching. However, there is a terrific website called KeithRN.com and his method is with case scenarios. I do not know his program, have never downloaded his scenarios but I found I have read much of the same books and journal literature he mentions and has based his material. He also offers a student bundle for around $10.00.

I don't use power points nor do I lecture, and I do not claim I do NCLEX review but I do stress A&P, meds, labs, nursing intervention, prioritizing and rationale, and I do not charge for my tutoring, cause I like you guys. Some of the difficulty I find with students is with the critical thinking (reasoning) as it pertains to the prioritizing and rationale (Do I start IV fluids or apply the O2 first?)

While Keith and Pat Benner point out that nursing education needs to undergo transformation in the classroom—I ain't holding my breath, and besides it is too late for the current grads the nursing schools have all spit out.

What I would suggest is if you have not already, get a NCLEX review book. If the book contains rational that is okay, if it doesn't that is okay too, cause you need to look up the rational yourself—no spoon feeding! Use your textbooks, use the computer. By looking up the subject you will also be able to familiarize yourself with both the anatomy and physiology, review definitions, causes, treatment, nursing interventions. Your NCLEX book should serve as a review guide only. With me you would be rehashing nursing school. As for English being your second language, all I can suggest in practice by speaking to everyone. If you can, get some feedback from your primary English speaking friends and don't be afraid to ask for help and clarifications.

I might be able to PM some of you but I do not tutor on-line per say. My students always e-mail with questions or when they get stuck.

I will say personally having a strong background knowledge in A&P, micro, statistics, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and nutrition (aka pre/co requisite courses) plus a course in linguistics (helps with understanding syntax and getting to the root of what the question is asking) then actually reading my nursing textbooks and utilizing the references & online resources definitely helped me succeed in nursing school, passing the nclex and even in my current work. Knowing how to critically think, prioritize and knowing where to find valid answers (ex professional journals v Wikipedia) is key to success.

I don't share my notes but when classmates asked for help I would show them all the resources they didn't realize they already had (workbooks, online resources, nclex questions throughout the texts). I showed them how to focus on the critical part of the question and ignore the red herrings. Know the priorities and know when ABC isn't the priority. (A question many got wrong in nursing school had a complex scenario with several patients. One room was smokey & hot, most of the patients were coughing and short of breath. Most picked start giving O2 and assessing respiratory. The correct answer was to clear the smokey room of patients & visitors, close the door, and hit the fire alarm/get help)

[Ladyscrubs]

I don't share my notes but when classmates asked for help I would show them all the resources they didn't realize they already had (workbooks, online resources, nclex questions throughout the texts). I showed them how to focus on the critical part of the question and ignore the red herrings. Know the priorities and know when ABC isn't the priority. (A question many got wrong in nursing school had a complex scenario with several patients. One room was smokey & hot, most of the patients were coughing and short of breath. Most picked start giving O2 and assessing respiratory. The correct answer was to clear the smokey room of patients & visitors, close the door, and hit the fire alarm/get help)

You are so right. I stress the textbooks, many of my students have not even cracked them open. I cringe with the thought of e-books, and some of my students are really having a rough go, because they really need to have a physical copy, so they spend $1400 or so on a e-book packet mandated for school and struggle to pay for an additional paper text, which is what they really need for comprehension etc.

There is a scenario/thinking exercises in that same vein as yours, that I give to my students, which my class was presented with years ago. This scenario was based on a women in active labor preparing to deliver in a fallout shelter (believe it or not, I went to U.S. nursing school in the 1980's).

The shelter was over crowded, hot and stifling due to the sweat and odor of "the people's fear," and soiled baby nappies (England perhaps). The only light available was from the kerosene lamps that made ghostly shadows on the wet stone walls and dirt floor, and the glow of the small cooking stoves used for melting pans of snow for water. Strangely it was eerily quiet, the tension broken only by the distant explosions, frequent coughing of consumptive men and women, the feeble, plaintive cries of babies and the numerous small children, somnolent, feverous and itchy, with suppurating skin lesions.

Actually there is no question. It doesn't focus on a particular person, but something is wrong.

Many students focus unsurprisingly on the lady in labor. But what is active labor? Hey guys we have time. One of the suggestions was to tie her legs together—Not!

So they switch their focus on the kids. Unless their suppurating sores are the precursor to a zombie apocalypse, their sores are the least of their problems.

Everybody seems to be coughing…or sleepy…BINGO!

What about the oil in the lamps, the stoves—kerosene poisoning ?? Oh yea, what?

We are in a fallout shelter, unlike your scenario JustBeachy, we just can't clear the room, because if we leave we may be risking life and limb, if we stay and do nothing we will die from Hydrocarbons!

Answer: prop open the door and allow fresh air. "WHAT, that's not nursing!":woot:

Sometimes the answer is so simple, so obvious, so commonplace it goes right over our heads.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

You are so right. I stress the textbooks, many of my students have not even cracked them open. I cringe with the thought of e-books, and some of my students are really having a rough go, because they really need to have a physical copy, so they spend $1400 or so on a e-book packet mandated for school and struggle to pay for an additional paper text, which is what they really need for comprehension etc.

There is a scenario/thinking exercises in that same vein as yours, that I give to my students, which my class was presented with years ago. This scenario was based on a women in active labor preparing to deliver in a fallout shelter (believe it or not, I went to U.S. nursing school in the 1980's).

The shelter was over crowded, hot and stifling due to the sweat and odor of "the people's fear," and soiled baby nappies (England perhaps). The only light available was from the kerosene lamps that made ghostly shadows on the wet stone walls and dirt floor, and the glow of the small cooking stoves used for melting pans of snow for water. Strangely it was eerily quiet, the tension broken only by the distant explosions, frequent coughing of consumptive men and women, the feeble, plaintive cries of babies and the numerous small children, somnolent, feverous and itchy, with suppurating skin lesions.

Actually there is no question. It doesn't focus on a particular person, but something is wrong.

Many students focus unsurprisingly on the lady in labor. But what is active labor? Hey guys we have time. One of the suggestions was to tie her legs together—Not!

So they switch their focus on the kids. Unless their suppurating sores are the precursor to a zombie apocalypse, their sores are the least of their problems.

Everybody seems to be coughing…or sleepy…BINGO!

What about the oil in the lamps, the stoves—kerosene poisoning ?? Oh yea, what?

We are in a fallout shelter, unlike your scenario JustBeachy, we just can't clear the room, because if we leave we may be risking life and limb, if we stay and do nothing we will die from Hydrocarbons!

Answer: prop open the door and allow fresh air. "WHAT, that's not nursing!":woot:

Sometimes the answer is so simple, so obvious, so commonplace it goes right over our heads.

years ago there was a local HS used as an evacuation shelter post flood. Fortunately on day 5 the nurse couple doing health services that day were very experienced in a variety of disciplines including public health. In disasters health services is triage and case management so in a pinch an EMT or first aider can fill in. By day 4 there was an outbreak of rashes and what appeared to be pink eye. The initial thought was that someone brought the infection in and it was rapidly spread in close quarters. In their assessment of the "victims" all developed symptoms within 2 hours of using the shower. One thought it was shared soap or towels. In reality it was the water supply contaminated by the massive flooding. They had shower trucks with clean &

potable water brought in until the water receded enough for the water supplies to be treated & filtered. Bottled water was already brought in for drinking as it was known the reservoir post flood was not safe for drinking and a boil water alert was in effect.

As it was not infectious just a reaction to contaminants all "cases" were cured by showers with fresh soap & clean water, towels that were washed in hot water & dried on high heat. All were "cured" by the end of the day. Since it was summer many children had bathing suits and were thrilled to take a giant shower with their friends with soapy bubbles. (Creativity on this nurse couple part. Biodegradable soap, a fire department willing to set up an impromptu soapy sprinkler system using their decon tents made a miserable day a lot more fun.

Critical thinking and looking at the big picture turned what would have been a mass medical incident into just a mass cleaning incident. Never mind extra cultures if not prophylactic antibiotics or steroids unnecessarily prescribed