pn-nclex, frustrated

[manda311313]

Helle everyone, i've have been out of school now for about a year and have taken my boards twice and failed, each time i was close to passing now i'm getting ready to take it again. I'm freaking out and was wondering if anyone had any good tips on how to memorize drugs etc. Any help would be great because I have bought the books and stuff and obviously they didn't work for me.

[LANENA7]

I Know What You Mean I Am On The Same Boat. I Failed Two Times Already Also And I Am Nervous To Take It Again. Drugs Were Certainly The Hardest To Remember But Just Be Confident And You Will Make It. I Have To Follow The Same.

[itzkristen]

Maybe try breaking them down into their classes?

Medications ending with "ine" tend to be antihistamines, a lot of meds ending with "pril" are antihypertensives, "in" or "cillin" for anti-infectives, "sone" for corticosteroids, etc..

I signed up for the three week course ($49) at LearningEXT prior to taking my NCLEX-PN and found it to be extremely useful. There is a ton of information, practice examinations and so on.

Good luck!

[RNismycalling]

With drugs, there is not a magic way to remember. You just have to study them by class. When you answer the questions on the exam, think SAFETY (remember that they are testing your ability to be a SAFE nurse. Cause no harm!) Eliminate anything that appear or indicate lack of safety...trust me this goes a long way. Also, have you thought about a prep course? Kaplan is great. It is $$$ but well worth it, if that will help you pass. If not, they have a strategy book that cost $35 that you can get at any bookstore or their website called strategies for NCLEX RN and they also have the NCLEX PN version. As far a content, you must have a good understanding of nursing content to get through that exam. Try Saunders 3rd edition. Great resource and it is loaded with practice questions. Surround yourself with positive people and positive thoughts. YOU can do it, keep telling yourself that first thing in the morning, last thing at night before bed. Good luck!

[chris2227]

Could'nt help noticing this post. I can definately relate, I also graduated a year ago and have taken the nclex twice and failed. I am now using Saunders and Kaplan. Any other suggestion would be helpful. I get overwhelm at times just thinking that I've failed twice. I have cried so much I'm out of tears, I sometimes douth myself but my husband is a BIG SUPPORT we both took the program together and he pass and I'm still here studing. They say the 3rd time is a charm.