Published May 7, 2010
LoViNgLiFe2009
7 Posts
:) :) i am so relieved!!! after a long year of school and many struggles... i finished lpn school mid april. i was very confident about the nclex up until my friends started to take it, and what they described was so horrible that i went into a freeze mode. i had scheduled the nclex for may 19 because i needed time to study but i was scared.... then i had a serious talk with myself and i decided that i was not going to be anxious or nervous.. everyone's experience is different so i moved the date for may 5.
i did nothing but study for 2 weeks straight - i did kaplan testing and i was scoring 50% to 55% - so i went to my local library and i got this book... kaplan "strategies to pass nclex pn" edition 2010.... i think that is the name of the book... it was very very helpful. it helped me understand what the question was really asking.
so i did nothing but kaplan and saunders.. questions and more questions and then i went back after each test and reviewed - why i got the question wrong, or why i got it right... to make sure i wasn't guessing. this kaplan book i got at the library helped go from scoring mids 50 or lower sometimes to highs 70% and sometimes higher -
the big day came and i personally made sure to schedule the test for the afternoon.. 1 pm - i didn't want to take it early in the morning because i wanted to sleep in - have a good breakfast ... i went for a walk with the dogs... the kids were off to school so it was just me.
i am big believer... i do believe in prayer and asked god to keep me calmed and give me the strength and knowledge to pass the exam. i went prepare for 205 questions... 5 hrs - to my surprise the computer shut off at 85 ... i was confident... yet a little scared because i found myself starring at the screen a couple of times not knowing what to answer but again... i just took a big deep breath and i kept going.
i live in va and thankfully we have an awesome system so 24 hrs later you can call the board of nursing, an automated system, you put your info, such as social and you are told if you passed, your license is active with all details - i called yesterday at 8 am .... still half asleep and after putting my social.. i hear... licensed active since may 6 2010... bla bla bla.... it was a beautiful wake up call... lol -
sorry for the long boring story but the main reason i wanted to share this is because if i can do it... so can you!!! i was born and raised in south america... came to the states with not a word in english. if anyone in my lpn class had to work a little harder, that was me, because i needed to translate about 1/2 of the material and i had no background whatsoever in nursing... i was not a cna or ma or anything.. i was a sales rep.
for those of you that are getting ready to take the nclex and feel scared or overwhelmed .... stop, breath deep, and tell yourself " i made it this far.. i made it through school... if i wasnt meant to be a nurse then i wouldn't here studying for the nclex" .... believe in yourself and do not let another person's nclex experience scare you....
11 including myself have taken the nclex so far and yet we have all passed the 1st time around .... some with 85 questions, some with 107 or more ....
don't over do it... make sure you know your labs, practice calculations, know your meds... with some many of them, which ones do i study for? simple... focus on meds for htn, tb, dm... review all the categories but i would focus a little more on the meds that are given the most....rewind your mind to clinicals and remember what are the meds that were most used...
and know infection control.... know infection control... know infection control.. (contact precautions, droplet, etc...) - and as you're taking practice test online... if you get a question about a certain disease and you dont remember.... go back to your notes from school or easier.. google it out and refresh you brain.
i hope this loooong note has helped some of you to relax a little bit and set your mind with a positive attitude...
if you have any questions, just reply back or send me a message... i'll be happy to help anyway i can..
lovinglife2009 .... to the fullest!!! :redbeathe:nurse::redbeathe
masters-pn
32 Posts
congrats....
Graduate2010, BSN
198 Posts
:clpty::dncgcpd: CONGRATS!
xterpogz
107 Posts
congrats!!!!
Bobbkat
476 Posts
Congratulations on passing, and thanks for sharing your inspiring story with us!
Anne36, LPN
1,361 Posts
Thanks for sharing your story Lovinglife. I like to hear other peoples experience and it was very inspirational. Congratulations.
Question. Do you learn everything you need to know in Nursing School to pass this exam? Or is some of this stuff from Micro class or A&P that you have to remember? When you talked about infection control that was information that we went over to some extent in my Micro class last semester. Is this relearned or reviewed in Nursing School?
FutureRNAngel
22 Posts
yayy! ill be taking mine in october! congrats!!
Thanks for sharing your story Lovinglife. I like to hear other peoples experience and it was very inspirational. Congratulations. Question. Do you learn everything you need to know in Nursing School to pass this exam? Or is some of this stuff from Micro class or A&P that you have to remember? When you talked about infection control that was information that we went over to some extent in my Micro class last semester. Is this relearned or reviewed in Nursing School?
Anne36,
I personally think that I was very prepared for the nclex based on the teaching I was given at Riverside. They did an awesome job .... I went from 0 knowledge to fully capable of being on my own...I'll always have questions and I'm sure I will forget things, but thank GOD we have google and kaplan :) -
When I talked about infection control, I meant it's important to know for testing and every day life as a nurse what to do if you have a patient with MRSA or Rubella... how do you protect yourself and the other patients. MRSA - contact precautions... gown, gloves, etc. Airborne precautions? TB, Varicella, etc .. how do you protect yourself or other patients?
I hope it helps!!!!!
graduate2010,
for some reason i'm unable to send private messages... but i do believe i posted on your thread about where to start to get ready for the nclex - i wish i could help you and talk to you more but i don't really know why i can't send private messages.
P-medic2RN
99 Posts
CONGRATS!!! I'll drink a beer for you!!
Silverdragon102, BSN
1 Article; 39,477 Posts
graduate2010, for some reason i'm unable to send private messages... but i do believe i posted on your thread about where to start to get ready for the nclex - i wish i could help you and talk to you more but i don't really know why i can't send private messages.
site requirements are 15 or more posts before you can send or reply to pms
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
:ancong!: