Hello to all my fellow nurses and future nurses! I finally passed my NCLEX-RN and I wanted to share my journey with you all in hopes that it can help at least one struggling person!
I graduated and obtained my BSN in May 2013 and due to a clerical error with my transcript, I was unable to even register for my NCLEX until September 2013 and did not sit for my initial try until October 2013. In that time I did not study or take the NCLEX seriously at all. Despite being in the top percentile for clinical rotation grades and high praise from clinical instructors, I struggled in the classroom my senior year of nursing school, which reflected poorly when it came to the NCLEX.
I failed, then I failed again.... and again.... and again. I took Kaplan, ATI, Hurst, Learningext, but I kept failing. I remember reading a statistic that repeat test-takers are twice as likely to fail again... and for me it was true. I lost all confidence in myself, questioned my life, questioned my desire. I was embarrassed to see family members and friends from nursing school. Eventually my own parents (who have always been as supportive as possible) subtly suggested I pursue a different career path.
And I was about to.... after my most recent failure I came across a thread on these message boards about a student who had failed as many times as myself seeking help. One of the first replies from a member here suggested the person give up because if they could not accomplish passing the NCLEX, they had no business becoming a nurse. Now, while other nurses quickly jumped the defense of this poor student, the initial reply hit close to home for me. I won't lie, I broke down into tears. The next day I started looking into going back to school or getting a full time job anywhere.
But I didn't. I had a fire inside of me that would not be extinguished. I wouldn't abandon my dream of being an RN or all the hard-work up until that point without giving it one hell of a last chance. Every day for two months after getting out of work at 5pm, I'd go to my local library and study. Anything I was not proficient in (for me was pharmacology and maternity) I would study extensively and make study guides for. I'd cap off the night with anywhere from 50 to 100 question tests on Uworld.com, which is by far my favorite of all NCLEX-RN preparation websites. At the beginning of October, full of confidence and knowledge, I walked into my local Pearson Vue testing center and did what I was meant to do, become a registered nurse.
I've had a lot of introspection the past two years and the past three months about who I am as a man, and who I want to be, and although it took me a long time, I shall forever be eternally grateful for the learning experience this was. When I graduated I thought I was invincible, and I'm grateful for the humility I've gained.
My message to you, someone who has failed once, twice, or ten times, is STOP, BREATHE, AND THINK. You can do this and you WILL do this. It is worth any sacrifice you have to make, just please DON'T EVER GIVE UP and DON'T EVER THINK YOU ARE WORTHLESS OR ALONE. Because you aren't. There are a ton of us who have been repeat testers and it does not reflect whether you'll be good nurse or not. How you act, how you carry yourself, your passion, your desire, that is what will make you a great nurse. Although I'm a new RN, we as nurses are a family, we love you, I love you, keep fighting the fight.
My message to someone who is still in school or has yet to attempt the NCLEX-RN is please, take is seriously. Don't make the same mistake I did. I was so glad to just be done with nursing school, I lost sight of what was really important and had my priorities mixed up. The small sacrifice of not going out on the weekends or having to spend a few hours at the library each night is worth it.
Best of luck to you all and I hope this helps at least one person!
I have meet several nurses who were extremely book smart, passed tests with ease but could not have a conversation with a patient. Nursing is a combination of critical thinking, tenacity,passion and caring for others in a way only a nurse can do. It is important to support our fellow nurses. I think that if one fails the NCLEX, CEUs in their weak area should be completed before another attempt is made to take the test.
Thank you for not giving up. I know it was not easy to share your story. There are many components of being a great nurse. Test taking is only a very small part. Being humble and compassionate are far more important than how many times it takes to pass a test. Enjoy your achievement. Best of luck to you.
So how many times should you be allowed to take the test before you go back to school? And how many failures are OK before you "give up your dream"? I have problems with this whole idea that failing the NCLEX five or more times is no biggie.
Competence and critical thinking make a good nurse, not passion, not desire and not how your carry yourself.
Perhaps it is a combination of both? I'm not sure how you can sit there and tell me that passion, desire, and the person you are are not components of a good nurse. I know plenty of nurses that passed on the first try, yet have no interpersonal skills and are there for the paycheck, not for the better of the community. I hope you're not one of them.
I appreciate your insight, but this story was to help others, not kick them while they're down. I don't want to make assumptions, but I hope you're not one of those nurses that wouldn't help a fellow struggling RN. Please refrain from negativity in this thread, thanks. :)
EDIT: Also Ruby, critical thinking and competency are skills you can LEARN and ACQUIRE over time. My nursing program was not very good at teaching critical thinking, it was something I learned on my own. Passion and desire cannot be taught, that comes from within.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Perhaps it is a combination of both? I'm not sure how you can sit there and tell me that passion, desire, and the person you are are not components of a good nurse. I know plenty of nurses that passed on the first try, yet have no interpersonal skills and are there for the paycheck, not for the better of the community. I hope you're not one of them.
I appreciate your insight, but this story was to help others, not kick them while they're down. I don't want to make assumptions, but I hope you're not one of those nurses that wouldn't help a fellow struggling RN. Please refrain from negativity in this thread, thanks. :)
EDIT: Also Ruby, critical thinking and competency are skills you can LEARN and ACQUIRE over time. My nursing program was not very good at teaching critical thinking, it was something I learned on my own. Passion and desire cannot be taught, that comes from within.
Passion, desire and the person that you are definitely tend to be components of the nurse you become. So are interpersonal skills and ability to pass the NCLEX. The most important component is ability to pass the NCLEX since without that, you won't BE a nurse.
There is nothing wrong with being a nurse for the paycheck rather than for "the betterment of the community." As long as you are competent, honest and hard working, I don't care what your motives are. I don't care as a patient, and I don't care as a colleague, a boss or a preceptor. Desire has nothing at all to do with the type of nurse you are.
I don't think it's particularly helpful to others to tell them to keep taking the NCLEX over and over again without going back to school for some sort of remediation. As far as helping a fellow RN -- take a look at my record. All those "LIKES" cannot be for nothing.
You can learn competency is skills; critical thinking is a whole lot more difficult to teach.
So how many times should you be allowed to take the test before you go back to school? And how many failures are OK before you "give up your dream"? I have problems with this whole idea that failing the NCLEX five or more times is no biggie.
Competence and critical thinking make a good nurse, not passion, not desire and not how your carry yourself.
Personally, I think the limit should be two times. It might be a little different if we were hurting for nurses, but since there seem to be plenty, let's make it a little harder to be one.
But anyway, since there isn't a limit, maybe we can hope that people who take the NCLEX six times will also have that level of determination when it comes to taking good care of their patients.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Personally, I think the limit should be two times. It might be a little different if we were hurting for nurses, but since there seem to be plenty, let's make it a little harder to be one.
But anyway, since there isn't a limit, maybe we can hope that people who take the NCLEX six times will also have that level of determination when it comes to taking good care of their patients.
They'll have some level of determination, but if they think all it takes to be a good nurse is desire and holding yourself correctly, I see a lot of sentinel events in their future.
The almighty NCLEX will tell you that NONE of those things matter if you can't pass the test. Passion and desire are good for nothing except crappy romance novels unless you have a nursing license in hand!!
Perhaps it is a combination of both? I'm not sure how you can sit there and tell me that passion, desire, and the person you are are not components of a good nurse. I know plenty of nurses that passed on the first try, yet have no interpersonal skills and are there for the paycheck, not for the better of the community. I hope you're not one of them.
I appreciate your insight, but this story was to help others, not kick them while they're down. I don't want to make assumptions, but I hope you're not one of those nurses that wouldn't help a fellow struggling RN. Please refrain from negativity in this thread, thanks. :)
EDIT: Also Ruby, critical thinking and competency are skills you can LEARN and ACQUIRE over time. My nursing program was not very good at teaching critical thinking, it was something I learned on my own. Passion and desire cannot be taught, that comes from within.
I had to "like" this if for no other reason, to give you another "like"!!
Passion, desire and the person that you are definitely tend to be components of the nurse you become. So are interpersonal skills and ability to pass the NCLEX. The most important component is ability to pass the NCLEX since without that, you won't BE a nurse.
There is nothing wrong with being a nurse for the paycheck rather than for "the betterment of the community." As long as you are competent, honest and hard working, I don't care what your motives are. I don't care as a patient, and I don't care as a colleague, a boss or a preceptor. Desire has nothing at all to do with the type of nurse you are.
I don't think it's particularly helpful to others to tell them to keep taking the NCLEX over and over again without going back to school for some sort of remediation. As far as helping a fellow RN -- take a look at my record. All those "LIKES" cannot be for nothing.
You can learn competency is skills; critical thinking is a whole lot more difficult to teach.
Congratulations, Mr. Mango. Hopefully you will put the same effort into learning how to care for your patients appropriately.
I would also like to see a limit on the number of times people can test. I think that 5 is a gracious plenty. After 2 you should have some remediation to help cement the areas that are still a struggle.
It's not a matter of being mean or heartless or (shudder) having a lack of compassion. It is a matter of being professionals and trying to demand respect for that profession when the bar is set so low that one can take the basic competency ad nauseum. I would never let even the worst nurse flounder too much because I don't think people should suffer over someone's inability to think or lack of competence.
Given a choice between a nice nurse who cannot think critically and a prickly, crusty nurse who has all my bases covered, I'll take prickly all day long.
your ur story really lifted my spirts. I was really depressed after not passing nclex the second time and having to work my horrible job. Yet you motivated me not to give up and try to beat the beast again. Thanks
Passion, desire and the person that you are definitely tend to be components of the nurse you become. So are interpersonal skills and ability to pass the NCLEX. The most important component is ability to pass the NCLEX since without that, you won't BE a nurse.
There is nothing wrong with being a nurse for the paycheck rather than for "the betterment of the community." As long as you are competent, honest and hard working, I don't care what your motives are. I don't care as a patient, and I don't care as a colleague, a boss or a preceptor. Desire has nothing at all to do with the type of nurse you are.
I don't think it's particularly helpful to others to tell them to keep taking the NCLEX over and over again without going back to school for some sort of remediation. As far as helping a fellow RN -- take a look at my record. All those "LIKES" cannot be for nothing.
You can learn competency is skills; critical thinking is a whole lot more difficult to teach.
I'm just going to throw this out here, because there's one major flaw with your entire "argument". He PASSED. He passed the same exam as everyone else. You are sounding as if you believe anyone who needs multiple tries to pass the exam is not qualified to become an RN. To me it sounds as if you have entitlement issues. Those who didn't go the same route of you will never measure up.
Most of the threads on this board are meant to be either motivational or educational in some way. I can't assume that a large portion of members come here to be beaten down by a small percentage of people who like to believe that they are somehow "special" because they may have passed NCLEX on their first attempt. If you passed on your first try, congratulations. That's wonderful. However, not everyone does, for many different reasons. At the end of the day, once they pass they are an RN just like you.
To the OP, congratulations. It's wonderful to see people not give up.
This brought tears to my eyes. I love your pursuit despite the negativity and not being able to see result right away. Congratulations! I will remember your strength when my time comes
Nursetk4
44 Posts
I have meet several nurses who were extremely book smart, passed tests with ease but could not have a conversation with a patient. Nursing is a combination of critical thinking, tenacity,passion and caring for others in a way only a nurse can do. It is important to support our fellow nurses. I think that if one fails the NCLEX, CEUs in their weak area should be completed before another attempt is made to take the test.