Out of school 2 years and needing NCLEX help

nadu13 · Feb 20, 2016

What is the remedial program?Is it like Kaplan or Hurst program?

The Theory portion is like Kaplan or Hurst and we need 80 hours and then there's the Clinical portion which we need 96 hours of. The Florida Board of Nursing has a list of approved Nursing School that we can go to for the Remedial Course.

RNfindingherway, BSN, RN · Feb 20, 2016

Ok. That sounds great. I don't know of anyone here in New York except Adelphi. And it is for people who already had a nursing license and wants to go back out in the work field. If you never had a license you can't do the practical because you can't work under anyone license. You can do only the theory. I wish we had a remedial course in New York.

nadu13 · Feb 20, 2016

Ok. That sounds great. I don't know of anyone here in New York except Adelphi. And it is for people who already had a nursing license and wants to go back out in the work field. If you never had a license you can't do the practical because you can't work under anyone license. You can do only the theory. I wish we had a remedial course in New York.

Wow ... Is New York one of the states where u can take it an unlimited number of tries?

they_see_me_rollin · Feb 20, 2016

Hello, I'm sorry to hear that you failed the board exam 3 times. It truly is frustrating. Forgive me if I may sound mean, but I just want to be straightforward to you because I want to see you pass NCLEX the next time you will take it! Ok?

First off... the way you think can make or break you. Look at how you think:

"I've always felt I was failing..."

... You gotta be confident when you take NCLEX! After you study hard and shows up at the testing center, be cocky and tell yourself "I got this!"

Next sentence from you:

"So since I haven't studied in a year, I've definitely lost content. I'm beyond overwhelmed going through school notes"

.... so if you think you have lost content, what do you think you should do? Going through school notes may be overwhelming. Try other review materials that will allow you to study nursing contents. I used Saunders for content.

Another sentence from you:

"I've gone through a hurst review book and taking questions through PrepU"

... If you used this material and failed NCLEX 3 times, maybe you should try other review materials. I heard that Kaplan was used by most students who passed NCLEX. I am not saying that Kaplan is the best, but Kaplan is the one that I used and it worked for me. Also, our nursing school used ATI, and I would say that it helped me too.

From my experience, build yourself a good "content" foundation first. Then you can work on "strategies". NCLEX are full of questions that will make you think critically, and doing "strategies" is really the smart way to answer NCLEX style of questions. But then, you cannot strategize if you don't know the content.

More power to you! I will pray for you

RNfindingherway, BSN, RN · Feb 20, 2016

Wow ... Is New York one of the states where u can take it an unlimited number of tries?

Yes. In New York you can take it until you pass.

nadu13 · Feb 20, 2016

Yes. In New York you can take it until you pass.

Ok I'm wondering if that's why they don't have remedial courses. I know there are remedial courses offered online for the Theory portion and then you would work with the online school to go to a hospital for clinical. Are you needing a refresher course?

mayenne1979 · Feb 22, 2016

Our school used ATI thru the whole nursing program and it comes with the books. If you can buy those books on amazon or know someone that has used it, to get buy it or borrow it. There are 8 to 9 little books but the content is really good. No BS wording like the big books and straight info. I used that to study for the nclex along with saunders. Also used Kaplan and nuclex mastery. What I did was read content from ati and saunders. Did all the questions in Kaplan and remediated every single questions from kaplan and nuclei mastery. I would look up and read on the questions that I got wrong and unfamiliar. Wrote the info in a notebook. This is just a suggestion... I passed the nuclex with 75 questions

PyridiumP · Feb 22, 2016

If you search here for think like a nurse you will find some better ideas. Memorizing facts will not make you a nurse. And will not help for more than half of the questions. They want to know about how safe a nurse you'll be, that's judgement. Look for things that teach you priorities.

kathrynaschwartz · Feb 22, 2016

Do you have access to the Kaplan online resources?

Larry3373 · Feb 22, 2016

I would look up YouTube videos. David Woodruff has several videos on body systems that are free and very good. He is the editor of Critical Care Nursing made incredibly easy. Speaking of that, you might try reviewing some of the made easy series like the one for medsurg or whatever your weakness is. Also Mike Linares has some free videos on YouTube, or you can pay for a subscription on simplenursing.com. I would do what I suggested, plus take a few questions each day and read all your rationales.

nadu13 · Feb 22, 2016

I would look up YouTube videos. David Woodruff has several videos on body systems that are free and very good. He is the editor of Critical Care Nursing made incredibly easy. Speaking of that, you might try reviewing some of the made easy series like the one for medsurg or whatever your weakness is. Also Mike Linares has some free videos on YouTube, or you can pay for a subscription on simplenursing.com. I would do what I suggested, plus take a few questions each day and read all your rationales.

I agree ... Mike Linares is real good

yakov78 · Feb 25, 2016

Hello, I've tutored many students (many who have failed 2 or 3 times), and they have ALL (so far, knock on wood) gone on to pass the NCLEX. Over time, I've seen several common themes among these students.

1) They have really lost confidence in themselves and their education.

2) They do not have a structured study plan.

3) They are intimidated to the point of doing nothing (one person had a brand new review book that was literally untouched, despite failing multiple times) or quitting.

My advice to you is this:

1) Choose the review book you want to use, and stick to it. There are lots out there, you are not going to go over all of them. Saunders and Hurst are both excellent. You do not need to memorize every fact out there, but cover the material, and especially focus on the areas that your CPRs points you towards.

2) Definitely do questions, questions, questions. In my personal opinion, UWorld is the best one, with the best format, questions, and great rationales. Be really strict with yourself, and force yourself to stick to a plan and the number of questions you are going to do.

3) Get someone who will keep you accountable with all the above. This may be your spouse or S.O., or a study buddy.

As a matter of fact, if you comb through all the forum threads and the countless NCLEX testimonials, many of them corroborate what I've just listed here. And let me say that the majority of people will do great with just the above. The people who are really self-motivated and diligent will be fine.

However, if you have failed multiple times, you need to really be honest with yourself and examine your methods. You cannot repeat the same action over and over again and expect a different result. If you haven't actually taken the steps above (like that student who hadn't cracked a review book, or another student who did very few questions) or haven't followed the advice in this forum, you should be strict with yourself and actually do it. You may need some outside help or a tutor. Sometimes, that extra boost is what takes you over the top. One of the reasons I love tutoring people who have failed the NCLEX multiple times is that I feel like I've really made a difference, I've helped someone who had been in despair and helped them remove a great roadblock to their career. Find someone reputable in your area, or online. If you happen to be in the NYC/NJ area, or you are open to sessions over Skype, you can contact me, and I will be happy to show you personally why I've had so much success tutoring for the NCLEX.

There is a lot of great advice on this forum. I wouldn't take any one person's (even mine) advice as infallible truth. But when so many people with success are saying similar things, it might be worth heeding.

Best of luck!