I'm asking this question because my step-daughter has taken, and now failed, the NCLEX in California twice. She's beside herself and can't understand why this is happening. She graduated at the top of her class in the Philippines, passed the Philippine board on the first try and spent months studying for the test in California. She was even scoring around 70-75% on the Pearson practice exams she's been taking for weeks now...and still.
Anyway, I just had to ask if she'd be better off taking the test in another state (like my state of Illinois) if the test was, in fact, that much harder. The blow to her confidence and the cost for retaking the exam over and over again is getting to be a bit much for her.
I am confused about the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. and what I know about not-for-profits in Illinois. Not for profit administrators receive salaries. How can I get a copy of the annual financial report for this "not for profit"? I thought not for profits had to have a president and secretary, or at least three directors whose names were posted on the Illinois Secretary of State website.
What is the relationship between the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and Pearson Vue? Does anybody really know what is going on? Maybe we should go back to the time when private persons and organizations could hire nurses according to education and experience without a licensure requirement.
It is too expensive to review, test, and be licensed now for this to not have somebody receiving big bucks at the expense of student nurses and nurses. Profits and state regulatory agencies should not be related in any way. Who is looking at the statistics concerning the number of nurses disciplined out of practice through legal fees or "consent agreement" sanctions that cause a nurse to give up the license?
How can older nurses make a living when they have been forced out of nursing to make room for the younger nurses who are a financial resourse in education, testing, and initial license fees, and who are also less expensive to insure?
I want to know who the actors are and who profits. This information is very hard to find. Why?
Actually it is not hard to find... Guidestar.org, you can see the actual IRS taxform, I don't see any outrageous salaries. I use this site all the time.
Specializes in Tele Step Down, Oncology, ICU, Med/Surg.
I just took the NCLEX in California and thought the questions were easier than my Kaplan and Saunders study questions. For me, the language in NCLEX is very brief and vague and you really needed to think about what the question was asking as there were not a lot of clues that lead you to the correct answer. Basically, you really had to know your stuff. I did come away with a profound respect for whomever is responsible for that test. It is a work of genius and it never asked me a question on the categories I have down pat like maternity and peds rather it focued on endo, priority and contact precautions which are my weakness. The only thing that helped me was doing lots of questions in Kaplan and Saunders and a couple other books/cd's I had picked up. Focus on one question bank at a time tho as if you mix it up too much it gets confusing.
Specializes in burn unit, ER, ICU-CCU, Education, LTC.
medsurg32 RN, said, "Actually it is not hard to find... Guidestar.org, you can see the actual IRS taxform, I don't see any outrageous salaries. I use this site all the time."
First, thanks for the info on where to look. I can't believe you don't think $238,836 with $50,948 isn't an excessive salary unless you are comparing it with Health insurance CEO salaries. But Health insurance companies are for profit.
medsurg32 RN, said, "Actually it is not hard to find... Guidestar.org, you can see the actual IRS taxform, I don't see any outrageous salaries. I use this site all the time."
First, thanks for the info on where to look. I can't believe you don't think $238,836 with $50,948 isn't an excessive salary unless you are comparing it with Health insurance CEO salaries. But Health insurance companies are for profit.
I believe the company manages $60 million dollars worth of business a year - $240K seems to be inline for that type of economic responsibility. The $50k is probably the health and life insurance benefits, on my pay stub I was shocked to see I made $20K more than I ever got paid,when I asked it is the dollar cost of my benefits.
The head of AHA makes $500 k plus $500 benefits.
The smoke free manager for the ACS makes $279 K.
The Salvation Army there highest paid employees makes $59K....but other than that non profits pay well.
Sorry, but I have to disagree with the premise that the nclex is too hard. Please!!! Perhaps some of the "more mature" or at least experienced RN's can relate...when I took the NCLEX 16 years ago, it had not yet become computerized. I believe we were the last year that literally "wrote" the test. It took two days, was in 4 separate sections and over 500 questions.
Fortunately, I passed on the first try-I was either lucky enough or prepared enough.
I think the new NCLEX is NOT hard enough! The thought of passing an exam with 75 questions for a profession that puts people's lives in your hands MAKES ME SHUDDER!
Would you like to be a patient in ICU that had a nurse that after 2 to 4 years of school was tested on only 75 questions? Perhaps that nurse took this test more than once or twice...it's scary!
Ok, some people do not test well...HOWEVER this is a profession where you will be tested ON A DAILY BASIS! You simply can not Panic!! It is one thing to freak out over a test and another to freak out when you walk up to the bedside of your patient and find that person unresponsive, not breathing, in cardiac arrest or bleeding out.
If you can not immediately think on your feet and keep your head-then maybe this is NOT the profession for you. This is not accounting, people! Lives are at stake!
I also agree that they are turning out too many new nurses...I don't know why but nursing has suddenly become the "in" profession...and yes, THERE IS NO NURSING SHORTAGE ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I first began practice, there were many openings available and you could choose your career path...if you did not like one place then you could walk out of the door and have a new job that afternoon. Not anymore. I know nurses that have many years experience, great resumes, great reviews and can not find a job.
I live in South Florida and I have one friend that has been actively searching and interviewing for 6 months. She has 10 years of experience-ICU and Tele-and an excellent record...her department was downsized in a merger with another hospital-that is why she is currently unemployed...It is SCARY!! Now, add many UNQUALIFIED (but cheaper) nurses to the mix and it is a potiential disaster.
Before all of you nursing students and new grads get bent out of shape---I do not mean that ALL new grads are not qualified...BUT it does take time, effort and experience to make a competant nurse and even the most well seasoned nurses make mistakes. We are all still learning on this job...the day we stop learning is the day we need to get out of nursing!!!!!
sws
ITA, and I'm so glad you said this -- I'm always afraid to when people start whining about how awful the NCLEX is. I, too, took it back in the day when it was two 8-hour days of testing.
Just to ruin your day :) -- keep in mind, every time someone posts that they passed the NCLEX with the minimum 75 questions, that each exam includes 15 questions that are only being tested for validity and don't count as part of the score -- so some people "out there" are getting licensed on the basis of having answered (only) 60 questions. The mind boggles ...
Specializes in ICU, PICU, School Nursing, Case Mgt.
Thanx, I had not thought of that ...not only did you stick the knife in--but you twisted it!
I am just very passionate about this topic. How can 60 questions show if you are capable of nursing practice! I stand by my premise. I hope they are upping the ante and making it more difficult by April 1.
Thanx, I had not thought of that ...not only did you stick the knife in--but you twisted it!
I am just very passionate about this topic. How can 60 questions show if you are capable of nursing practice! I stand by my premise. I hope they are upping the ante and making it more difficult by April 1.
No, my step-daugther is not practicing in her home country (the Philippines). She's in the San Fran area married and with a 9-year-old child where she's essentially been a stay-at-home mom for the last year. She's taken the NCLEX two times in the last 10 months.
I also thought it would be a good idea for her to start working while she studies for the test, but for some reason she didn't want to do that. Maybe she thought she'd just whiz bang through it or something.
I did recommend that she not wait so long to take the test a third time. While things are still fresh she should get back in there and try again. For what it's worth.
Specializes in burn unit, ER, ICU-CCU, Education, LTC.
medsurg32rn said, "I believe the company manages $60 million dollars worth of business a year - $240K seems to be inline for that type of economic responsibility."
I was on a school board that had a $65 million dollar budget. The district had hundreds of employees, not just 69 like the NCSBN. The district educated over 8,000 students rather than contracting out almost everything as NCSBN does with their one contract with NCS Pearson. The superintendent of the school district earned about $134,000 with $20,000 in benefits.
In Illinois, the board of nursing which is a member board of the NCSBN is appointed by the secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation which is Michael T. McRaith. From what I have read, it appears that his background has much to do with insurance. How can that be good for nurses or patient safety?
As for the NCLEX-RN and 60 questions, I had my husband who is an intelligent person with a four year college degree that isn't in science do NCLEX-RN review questions to see how a person who does not have a nurse education would score. He was getting 40 to 50% correct. I was surprised, but he does very well on Jeopardy and crossword puzzles, too.
By the time I was finished reviewing and taking practice tests, I was getting more than 90% correct, up from 75% when I started reviewing. Part of the improvement in taking this type of test was learning not to read too much into the questions. I disagreed with some answers in the practice tests and could prove the math in one review book was wrong.
Nurses who have already passed the old state boards or NCLEX shouldn't have to take it again, ever. Hospitals should go back to giving refresher courses to new employees returning work after time off to raise children or for whatever reason.
That would be less expensive overall than to keep turning out too many new grads while finding reasons to force experienced nurses out of the profession to protect the insurance industry.
Otessa, BSN, RN
1,601 Posts
The NCLEX is the same across the country-not state by state.
otessa