Published
Congratulations!
Did you start a GN position after graduation? If so, what clinical area? I am a firm believer that working as a GN ASAP after graduation is the best preparation for NCLEX. Unfortunately, some states no longer allow it. I believe that is a downside of computer-based testing. Back in the "olden days" when NCLEX was only offered twice a year, most grads worked as GNs, and I believe NCLEX pass rates were higher then.
Again, congratulations!
congratulations!did you start a gn position after graduation? if so, what clinical area? i am a firm believer that working as a gn asap after graduation is the best preparation for nclex. unfortunately, some states no longer allow it. i believe that is a downside of computer-based testing. back in the "olden days" when nclex was only offered twice a year, most grads worked as gns, and i believe nclex pass rates were higher then.
again, congratulations!
thanks. yes, i started right away because i already worked for my hospital as a nurse extern. however, my state does not allow new grads to work as gns. so, i did not pass meds; perform invasive procedures, etc... on the other hand, i was allowed to do everything else a rn can do and was being trained on orientation similar to a new grad rn... i agree that it helped me a great deal to think like a rn on my exam because i was able to continue to provide patient care after nursing school and watch rns do the same. in contrast, now i have to get back into the role of passing meds again after taking a break.
thus, i agree and that state bons that do not allow new grads to work as gns, should change their minds. this way there is not a break in passing medications. however, i think that the reason it is not allowed by many states is a fear of liability unlike the past. in any case, i plan to continue to be on orientation for a while so that should give me a chance to become comfortable with my new role.
SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN
3,376 Posts
i passed! here is what i did to prepare:
i studied nonstop since i graduated in december (ok maybe i took a few days off, but not many). first i took a review course my school offered for free and it helped me to single out my weaknesses. however, i was still left confused because i did not have an actual plan to prepare/study for the nclex. so i changed my original test date from january to february, got suzanne's plan on january 1, and used it as my study guide. before taking my exam i was afraid that even after i studied so much for so long i was going to ruin her 100% pass rate, but that is not the case!
btw, to those who wonder if you can do her plan and work full-time the answer is, "yes." in fact, i work more then full-time because i have an additional pt job. having suzanne's plan made the difference because it kept me on track. no matter how little time i had to study (or how many excuses i had not to study), i stuck to the plan and passed with 75 questions!!!
last but not least, i lived on this forum for the past 2 months. i read almost every single post since graduation because many of the good ones provided helpful links, encouragement, tips, and/or techniques. in fact, a few good "i passed" posts were motivating to me this week because i agonized while i awaited my results! in any case, good luck to the rest of you and hopefully this post is of some value!!!
-now a rn in need of a new username (i'm still thinking).