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I think it depends on the state and hospital system when you are able to apply. I graduated on December 15th. I didn't get my ATT until the first week of January due to the holidays. Took NCLEX January 18th. Start my job on February 17th. I was offered the job a couple of semesters ago, and have been going through the hiring process, most of which happened after passing.

It's good you're trying to go in without the mindset of success. I had to constantly remind myself that I am not everyone else's story. I have 5 kids, worked part time, still managed to help my sister with her special needs boys, make it to all the kids activities with school, and homeschooled one of my kids. All with an A/B average and could've been a straight A student if I gave up some of my time with the kids. Nursing 1 was the most difficult mainly because they went overboard with rules and expectations and there was almost no lecturing. It was all on our own. Plus, I did go in nervous about whether I could make it due to stories I had heard. Walked out with an 89. Find what works for you. I used NRSNG to help with bad lectures and solidify information. I always made at least some time to study no matter the chaos of life. I graduate next week and have been offered my dream job. Just went with the flow, did what I was told, didn't complain, and did my work. I found one person to rely on and work with and didn't jump in to a lot of friendships (and drama). It is not only is doable, it can be an experience you look back on fondly.

I consider myself a pretty intelligent person and I would never do that load. I am in my last semester of nursing school and have seen many friends not make it, even here at the finish line. Take your time learning and do well. It is not worth the risk of either failing, or even just barely making it. This information builds and builds, as semesters go on, and you want to make sure you know it and retain it.

My kids are older than yours, but I have 5 of them. The youngest is six and the older kids are pretty self sufficient, which helps, but it is still crazy. I had to give up my 4.0 GPA and settle for a few B's along the way, but it was worth it to make sure I have time for the family while in school full-time and working part-time. It is certainly doable, especially with supportive family.

Totally agree with Sour Lemon. I tried to master dimensional analysis on my own before starting and it was a HUGE help in Foundations. When other students were stressing about dosage quizzes/tests, I could focus on class material and trying to get through check-offs etc. Foundations can be a beast to learn how to take the nursing style tests, so don't get behind on reading and try to cram. Good luck!

What Milady said above. Pretty straightforward. Dosage was simple and if you have your ABC's, safety, delegation etc. down you should be fine. I also found it much simpler to know the answer they were looking for than my school exams.

I was just about to add a comment about bailing on this conversation because I might as well go back to arguing with my teenagers about the pointlessness (is that a word?) of topics they are studying in high school.

You are correct. Which is why nursing schools spend time in almost every semester talking about these types of patients. Add it all up, I bet it would be about a semester worth of learning.

If men formed and grew tiny humans in their body (and all of the issues that go along with that in MANY settings), maybe they would have an entire semester dedicated to them too.

Expect to do a lot of learning on your own. Not many lectures and TONS of information. (Maybe you will be better off in the spring semester than we were in the summer as far as lectures. We lost almost three weeks!). If you have any specific questions pm me. I am done with nursing 1 tomorrow!

Thanks for your thoughts. You are probably right about it not going anywhere. That lack of direction, although difficult, is something I probably just need to get over and hope the second semester is different. Maybe I will just hold out hope all of my over studying now ends up helping me in the long run. :-)

Hello, I am a nursing 1 student who has been lurking here for a while. This is my first post. I thought long and hard about whether or not I would post this, but decided I really do want honest advice. I am in a well known, high Nclex pass rate school in my area. I am an "older" student (almost 40) finally coming back to accomplish my dream of becoming a nurse. I am also a 4.0 pre req, pretty obsessive studier type. I only say this because, as I continue, I don't desire to be pegged as just a complainer. I know nursing school is hard, rough, insane, etc. I don't mind hard work. I actually enjoy it and enjoy learning. All that to say, I started my program early May. It has been one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. I won't even call it difficult, because although it is, the feelings of exacerbation are what have been causing my anxiety more than anything else. To this day, we have covered 37 chapters of Fundamentals, 10 chapters of Pharmacology, and 16 chapters of dosage. TOTAL, we have received 7 lectures. ALL others have been "posted". Posted actually means, posting the content of the chapter from the publisher, not Powerpoints from instructors. Really, it is the entire chapter just posted again online. I have been studying around 20-30 hours a week, but with absolutely no direction on what is in the scope of practice for Nursing 1, which means I study everything. We are told to know everything in the book, but then are told after the test, a lot of it was "things you will learn in Nursing 2" and that is why it is not covered on the tests. When we do our dosage quizzes, we are not allowed to have paper or pencil to write anything down. This means, we can watch the teacher do the equation on the board correctly, but we cannot write down what she is doing to refer back to later. This is not a problem for me, because dosing comes naturally, but I feel incredibly bad for the students who are struggling and just have to watch and hope it sticks. Honestly, I could go on and on about other various situations (including asking us to do care plans with NO teaching or direction, Nursing Process forms, without even explaining anything etc.), but I will bore you no longer. Here are my specific questions. Is it normal to have to teach yourself almost everything? No discussion, Powerpoints, no general idea of what exactly we should be focusing on. This leads me personally to, I believe, way over study, which leads to a whole other issue like overthinking test questions, but I digress. I guess I just honestly am trying to get advise as to whether I take this further up the chain of command of the school and try to get answers to some of this, or if I am just being a whiny Nursing 1 student who didn't realize it was self-taught, confusing, and I just need get over it and move on. I am currently passing, btw. Not like I want to, but still ok. Thank you to whoever made it thought my dramatic post. I love stalking everyone and their discussions. There seem to be some really great folks around here.

Community College could be wonderful for you. I too did not take high school seriously, grew up thinking I was dumb, and honestly just not caring about academics. Once I realized I wanted to do something more with my life, I went back and took the entrance exam at the local CC. I had to take remedial math, but ended up doing very well and even enjoying math. I now have a 3.8 GPA, received a 4.0 in all my nursing prereqs, and (after taking a break for a few years due to kids) am starting nursing school in May. Your mindset, I believe, can make or break how you do. I suggest going and talking to an academic advisor and let them help you start the path to what you want to accomplish. Once you start and see how well you can do, your confidence will get a boost, and you will do great.

Got mine yesterday afternoon

Check your emails everyone! Just received my acceptance letter. :-)