NCLEX and Job Advice

[meccana]

Hey all,

I graduated from nursing school last month and was well on my way to a bright future. I graduated top of my class with a nursing job in hand. Studied for NCLEX for three weeks , took it and failed with 170 questions (Utilized Hurst, Lippincott Prep U, Kaplan and Saunders).

Upon receiving the devastating news, i drove to the hospital and told the nursing manager what had happened. He was very kind and assured me that everything would be alright. He asked me how long i would have to wait to retest and i let him know and he said it would be no problem. I voiced my concerns about how scared i was to lose my job and he assured me that all would be well and he would ask HR to move my start date.

Two days later, i get a call from HR and she states that my job offer is rescinded because i did not pass the NCLEX. I was shocked because the manager had just told me i had nothing to worry about. Called him up and he was standoffish and just told me to call him back when i pass my boards (which i will).

As fate would have it, thirty minutes later, i get a call from another hospital and am scheduled to interview with four different nurse managers in a month.

I am writing to ask if this is common practice when it comes to job offers for new grads. There was no discussion at any point that if i was unsuccessful in my NCLEX attempt that i would lose my job. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

Plus any tips for taking the NCLEX a second time around is greatly appreciated. My family relies on me and i have to make it. Thanks to everyone for reading my long post. Have a good one.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

This situation may vary, depending on your own BON's stance on new grads. In my state, a new graduate can function as an RN for a time after graduation, but if s/he fails NCLEX, that privilege is rescinded and the individual can only work as a UAP until NCLEX is passed. This is why many organizations will not hire new grads until they pass NCLEX - if that occurs, all RN-related orientation and training has to be put on hold. If your BON has the same stance, you will not be eligible for those other RN positions either.

I'm sorry if you were not provided with clear information from the hiring manager. There's no excuse for just brushing you off like that. Maybe he was embarrassed because he had provided you with inaccurate information?

Best wishes on a successful NCLEX re-take.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

here in NC, no NCLEX, no work-all jobs contingent on passing boards. I had to put off my orientation 2 weeks because my school was late getting info to BON, so ATT letters were late.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

It's possible the nurse manager had every intention of having you simply start later, after you had repeated (and passed) the NCLEX. It's likely that HR, however, stopped that plan cold. They cannot hire you until you HAVE a license, and they cannot have any evidence of when that will be based on what they have in front of them about you now.

If you were hired with the expectation that you would work as a New Grad until you took (and passed) the NCLEX, that offer would have to be rescinded. They might not have been clear about it because the expectation was that you would pass, but that doesn't change the basic facts about hiring a new grad.

Your next interviews will ask you about your NCLEX status, and you must be truthful. FWIW, it is unlikely ANY of them would hire you until you had proof of license in your hand. After all....you wouldn't legally be able to work for them until you did.

[RNJenn47201]

OP I had a similar situation. I graduated in May of 2010, was hired as a GN at a nursing home in June, took my boards that July and failed. I had to wait 6 weeks to retake, so I called my employer and explained the situation.

The human resources manager told me that I could continue my employment with them if I took the state CNA certification test and worked as a CNA until I successfully passed my boards. I did as they suggested (I had to have a job to support my family), and I eventually passed my boards (second attempt) and continued my RN training.

Hospitals may have different rules, but I found that working as a CNA helped me to learn the residents' routines, the layout of the building and about my coworkers. When I became an RN I felt that even though I was a new nurse, I had some respect established with the CNAs because I had done their job for that six weeks.

Best of luck!

[FloatRN19]

As for not passing. I didn't pass my first time. I figured I'm either going to know it or I'm not, why bother studying. Which would have worked had I not gotten all L&D, postpartum and peds questions.

My school did the ati thing which I kind of used for my retake. But my "coach" was so Freaking slow not much got done. So I bought an app from the I store so I could just continually answer questions.

went from the full set of questions in 3 hours to 75 in about an hour.

The more questions you can answer, in a Nclex style, the more ready your mind is going to be prepared for them. Buy that app, buy a book, search for free stuff on the Internet, it doesn't matter, just keep knocking out questions.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

As for not passing. I didn't pass my first time. I figured I'm either going to know it or I'm not, why bother studying. Which would have worked had I not gotten all L&D, postpartum and peds questions.

Quick fyi: you saw a lot of those questions (or more than you think you should have) because that was your weak spot. You don't get tons of questions in a category you demonstrate competency in early, or easily. It's a sure bet if you are weak in one category, you can expect that CAT to keep ramming it along until you either convince it you have a clue....or convince it you don't! :)

Congrats on passing, btw :)

[FloatRN19]

Quick fyi: you saw a lot of those questions (or more than you think you should have) because that was your weak spot. You don't get tons of questions in a category you demonstrate competency in early, or easily. It's a sure bet if you are weak in one category, you can expect that CAT to keep ramming it along until you either convince it you have a clue....or convince it you don't! :)

Congrats on passing, btw :)

No I'm familiar with how the test works.