tiriba

The official passing rate for NCLEX is 77%. We are told it has increased to about 80% for the class of January 2007. But not everybody that I had talked to had sat for the exam when the school proudly claimed that the passing rate had increased. A school has to have 75% of its graduates taking the NCLEX pass on the first attempt to maintain certification.

I did medication compliance- basic stuff such as: What if you think you have side effects? What if you think you are better? What if you run out of meds? I also did dietary needs, such as not mixing certain foods with MAIOs, etc.

I finished UMDNJ in Newark for my BSN/RN this month. The material was tough, but so was dealing with the administration. "We are a new nursing school" was their excuse for repeatedly messing up. I've been to four other colleges, and this one was the most unprofessional and disorganized. Once you start, you are stuck because your credits won't transfer, so I highly discourage anyone who thinks that UMDNJ is the school for them to reconsider. They entice people by having the fewest prerequisites and admitting new classess three times per year. Please understand that these are just marketing gimmicks to get you in the door. The instructors- most of them, including the current dean- lack doctorates in nursing- will not discuss tests, complaining that it's harassment. Don't bother asking them to explain anything during class- they can't and get mad. You have three semesters per year, each 15 weeks long. My class had about 75 graduates, the current 4th semester students have about 35, if I'm not mistaken, but they admitted more for the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st semesters, after saying that they are cutting back on class size. The books can change each semester because the same instructor may not be teaching the class again. Your best bet is to hook up with a student in the semester ahead of you and buy his/her books. There are plenty of group projects every semester because "nursing is a team effort." This basically meant that certain people got a free ride every semester because they are "too busy" or came to the school to learn nursing, not writing. Papers need to be written in APA format, so you need to learn it or be the freeloader on group projects. Fortunately, the librarians at the med school are helpful to nursing students. Very few people failed out- they let you repeat classes. You also can't get an F if the instructor forgets to give midterm warnings. Good luck- you will need it.