Tech2RN

@Nicole Dolan It's possible! If you have any questions or need any help LMK. I was a PCA for years after I failed the NCLEX, then after 8 years I retook it and passed.

@Nicole Dolan I'm from NY, and thankfully in our state, you can retake your NCLEX even after ten years! Definitely do it! Time has NOT run out ?

@Patricia Chapman OK! So an awesome GEM that I found out through this great community is that someone said that you could take the NCLEX in any state regardless of the state you're trying to practice in. What does that mean? You could take the NYS NCLEX PN exam in Mississippi, as long as you still qualify to sit for the exam under the NYS rules. Thankfully!! NY is still currently a state where you have endless amount of tries to take the exam, regardless of amount of years...I believe as long as your school still exists LOL. So, first part. Pass the NY NCLEX exam. That's a whole other topic at the moment. Then, after you pass the exam you can apply for an endorsement. An endorsement is where you transfer your license from state to state so that you do not have to take the NCLEX again. I'm not 100% sure of all the specifics but I found out that info just from a quick Google search, but I definitely believe this is possible for you! I've attached some screenshots I took. You can do this! Step by step! Hope this helps ?

@Patricia ChapmanHey Patricia! Firstly, I would like to say thank you so much for sharing your story! It takes such bravery to be this honest and vulnerable. Screw those people who have discouraged you over the years! I totally understand how you feel. After so many years after graduating and not passing a couple of people around me said that it's too late and that's should give up...BUT if I had listened to them I would have continued to LIMIT MYSELF just like they have LIMITED THEMSELVES! No one who is truly successful, happy and abundant would EVER tell someone else to give up...why? Because they also know first hand the amount of failures they had to overcome in their own lives. Those people who have discouraged you do not see more for themselves and most likely do not believe they can do more, therefore it is through their own perception and beliefs of themselves that have extended their own limiting beliefs. Thankfully, you are not them. I know this because you believe in yourself, because you came here, because you reached out and asked for help years later. Wow. You're called to do this and accomplish this! I'm gonna write another post to you after I send this one

@JOWI75 You are seriously the sweetest thank youuu I can't wait for you to begin doing the same where you help other nursing students feel as amazing as you do for accomplishing a huge life changing challenge! ? Hope everything is going well for you 2022 is your year to flourish

@NurseBFix wow! So glad to hear that in spite of what you went through, you have made it over a huge hurdle. So proud of you! For nursing .com at the time that I bought it I think I choose the program that was good for like a year...at that time of purchasing it I actually didn't start studying...so when it was a few months from expiring I began to study it for a couple of months LOL. But I really did enjoy their program and still receive weekly emails from them just giving out free information and cheat sheets. I highly recommend them! I am also a firm believer that the first step to success in everything is to have self belief and self confidence so that is where I personally started. You graduated at the top of your class therefore you understanding the information, retaining it, and being able to think critically is a non issue. You passed all of those exams and you will 100% pass the NCLEX!

Lmaoo no it doesn't come off wrong at all, I love you too! Of course no problem! This hospital's ADN and CNO saw my value and extended grace and a chance as a new nurse. So of course I gotta pay it forward, and I cannot wait until you get to do the same for someone else ? these new wave of nurses support, help and love each other ayeeeeee ??

Hey! First off congrats! Secondly, no matter where you work as a nurse you will always still be considered a nurse. It's a myth to think that you gotta be in med-surg. I actually have a job now, it's a city hospital but I am happy. Not sure where you'd like to work but if you don't mind working at a city hospital in the bx then def apply. The email address written in the attachment is the actual CNO of the hospital. This came from an email I received a few days ago. Also don't mind that it says you need experience, untrue. I had none, especially no med-surg and only had my associates at that time. I applied and still got the job. My orientation class was literally filled with 3 APRN and the 25 of us all new grads, most went to ICU, ED, Step down, telemetry. I hope this helps, Nurse mp0154 ?

@JOWI75 AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! OMGGGG!! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOUUUUUU! YOU did it! YOUR hard work! YOUR persistence! YOUR belief in yourself! I am so proud of you! Thank you so much for coming back to this thread to let other student nurses know they can do it because you're another example of overcoming the struggles! You are truly going to touch so many lives an positively impact so many people. You have taught and will continue to teach people to never give up on themselves. Thank you so much for your honesty and vulnerability to share those hard moments that led up to your HUGE SUCCESS! Please. I really stress this! Please celebrate this accomplishment! It doesn't have to be extravagant but it MUSTTTTT be acknowledged. This is huge! You are your own miracle! Celebrating will also continue to build on your self-esteem moving forward as well. We all need to celebrate ALL wins! I wish you so much success as you continue your journey, and I will always be here if you need me :)

I'm mostly writing this to blow off steam and I am definitely open to advice. I have been working in the ED as a tech for a private NYC hospital (big org) for almost 3 years. I passed my RN boards in October 2020. The same week I received an award for my hard work and recognition by the patients at my hospital. My director was so happy, since she hired me, she took initiative to introduce me to a few higher-ups. The day after receiving an award I told her I passed my boards and I would want nothing more than to stay and grow with the org. She simply asked "do you have your BSN?". I said not yet, but I am already enrolled and will have it in just a few months (literally the program at Chamberlain Uni is from Jan2021-Aug2021). She responded I'm sorry I cannot do anything for you. COOL. My hospital is infamous for not retaining their employees. I personally know 3 techs who became RNs who had to leave the org because they were not retained. I thought this would not happen to me. Wrong LOL. Fast forward to Jan 2021, I was told by another RN that ADN nurses have to meet with the Chief Officer of Nursing. To insert a FACT, on all online applications still to this days says under requirements that you have to "obtain a BSN within 5 years of employment" Cool. Had a meeting, she said I will be considered as a BSN applicant because I have great reviews and in wonderful standing as an employee at my hospital...she could not guarantee me a job but she will push my resume so I could at least have interviews. Excited, I went home and as directed by her I emailed her all the RN applications for the hospital. She responds back with a "great! will send and follow up" with 3 nursing directors CC'd in the email. Cool. Then...silence. I follow up a few weeks later via email. She responds with all 3 directors CC'd saying "we will follow up". Cool. Nothing. I have applied to every RN position in my hospital. Have not had one interview or consideration. Yes. I have applied rigorously outside of my org. Yes. I have spoken to managers at my hospital, and have received the run around. Yes. I have shown up to offices to find out. Nothing. If I were a lazy or "hard to work with" employee, I would understand. But this is certainly not the case. As of present 2 RNs with ADNs have been recently hired at my hospital. I have recently spoke to a union rep, so I will see what happens down that path. I'm hurt because of the disloyalty. I am an employee of almost 3 years. I work HARD, I rarely call out, I do what I'm told. I was working in the ED for ALL of the pandemic, especially when we were at the EPICENTER. The politics in my hospital is so deep rooted and a** backwards that GOOD employees are overworked, and LAZY ones are protected because they're in great standing with the managers/supervisors. HUH? Why don't you just leave?.....Trust me I'm trying. I know it'll get better when I get my BSN this August. But this holding on and fighting to be seen and valued is a challenge at times.

So cool I just learned something new LOL IDK why that didn't click from before lolll like of course you don't actually have to travel ::palm face emoji:: lollll

@Rosita, MAJOR CONGRATS! You took the California NCLEX in texas?! MIND BLOWN

Of course! I purchased the nursing.com app. I think I bought it 2x bc I had it for like 2 years BUT I didn't start using it until the last week of Aug 2020 and my exam date was Oct 31, 2020. Great app when I applied myself LOL. It breaks down every single thing (very heavy on content) and after each 8-11 video they had NCLEX style questions regarding that topic (plus transcript of the audio and study sheets). I spent most of my time on Youtube on the Simple Nursing and RegisteredNurseRn channel. Simple Nursing literally makes learning fun and he only goes over things that is on the NCLEX. So content geared towards exam. And RegisteredNurseRn would go into DETAIL, it's almost like sitting in class again. She explains the whole patho part to each disease. Each of her vids are like 30-40min long. Absolutely great stuff on Youtube. I didn't do questions every day but when I did I would do about 40 questions a day. But as the last 3 weeks approached I barely did questions and focused on knowledge (not having the knowledge was my fear not questions on the test). I stayed on Medsurg and PEDs everyday. I only spent 1 and a half days on OB and 1 day on psych. I still saved my study calendar and as I'm looking at it now I averaged about 2hrs of studying a day. Some days were less like 30-40mins and some days were longer...but no more than 3hrs and 20min (that only happened 2x LOL) If I failed this last exam I wouldve tried REMAR. Her program is focused on students who have failed and are retaking it. Most of her reviews come from all who went through her program and passed... after failing like 5 times or graduating yearss ago. Andddd her YT channel is free! She does a live review every week! She puts NCLEX question up...ppl comment the answer and then she goes over the answer and breaks down why the others are wrong and why the right one is right. On my last week of studying I decided to join her live 1x and watched 1 previously recorded live. It was great!

@ejmoon7845 Then you may need to travel to NY, Cali, PA, or NJ. This isn't bad bc at least you can still take the exam again, and surprisingly! Finding a place to take refresher courses is pretty easy. I actually enrolled in one in CT. It's fully online. All I did was email them and told them my situation, and I just paid for the course. They didn't need my transcript, only the money, LOL. BUT! they couldn't give me credit for me, which personally I didn't need because, in NY, you don't need refresher courses to retake the exam. This is their website https://www.connecticutleaguefornursing.org/ don't be stuck on your limitations when you still have so many options and opportunities. What it comes down to is how much DESIRE you have to be a nurse. Be real with yourself. Ask yourself, "am I willing to do what it takes to be a licensed RN" if your answer is YES, then traveling to NY, CALI, PA, and NJ for 1 day to take 1 exam that will change your life will be worth it. If you say NO to the question, then you may have to be real and accept that maybe you don't want to be a nurse. Bc the reality is you CAN do it. Both answers and both decisions are OK. You need to do what's best for you. ***We can only provide you with all of the support, help, avenues, and resources, but you have to be WILLING to accept it. Focusing on the closed doors does what? Nothing but keeps you stagnant. Now is not the time to sulk; you've had enough time for that...it's time to be resilient and to ACT. It's not over. YOU CAN DO THIS.

@Rose_Queen Thank you so much for the clarification! @ejmoon7845 COOL! Now with Michigan out the way, all is certainly not lost because you said all that needed to be said. You "WORKED TOO HARD TO GIVE UP NOW" BOOM! Let's get to work! OK, I googled how many times you can retake the exam, and you're right Ohio was difficult, LOL So I emailed them; we shall see about that state. But when I did look, it didn't say anything about the time frame. It mostly said that you need to send an official transcript to the Ohio BON and wait to see if it would be approved. They even seem to take some nursing schools that have closed down. But we shall see what they say when they email back. Other states that have an unlimited amount of time would be New York, Pennsylvania, and California (like @caliotter3said above) I looked up Wisconsin, and this link shows the approved out-of-state nursing schools https://dsps.wi.gov/Documents/ApprovedOutOfStateNursingSchools.pdf I honestly didn't see a time frame with Wisconsin, either. It does say that there may be a refresher course that needs to be done. I really think that what it comes down to is to reach out to each state individually to see what they say bc it seems like some of these states go case by case to see if the person is eligible to apply. It would be best to write out a standard email to copy and paste to send to each BON in each state. If you have more time, you can definitely spend the time to call each state's BON, but I personally would try emailing them at first, LOL. Then, if I do not hear a response in about 7-10 days, I would call. this is the contact form for Illinois https://www.idfpr.com/profs/Email/prfGrp09.asp Indiana says you might need to show up in person https://www.in.gov/pla/files/RN - exam repeat 5.20.19 Online App Updates.pdf hope this helps ?

@michellet123 I 100% understand how you're feeling. Let's see if we can focus this another way. Hearing that you failed 4 times shows that your state allows you more chances, so its not officially over correct? If that is true and the fact that you're here...all is not lost. You havent quit and it looks like you don't want to quit. GREAT! The word "can't" should be thrown out bc technically your state says YOU CAN, your glimmer of hope deep inside says YOU CAN, and because you actually COMPLETED and GRADUATED from an accredited school (where so many ppl failed the entrance exam, failed 2 classes so they ended up getting released from the program, then had to apply to another nursing program to finish)...all that to say YOU CAN says BON and Pearson vue LOL. So basically "cant" is illogical because you're afforded the time, chances and opportunity. I promise you I know that feeling of embarrassment. And it is OK and normal to feel it. Feel it. But do not hold on to that feeling for too long bc there are no benefits, only added negatives. It's like having a hot coal literally thrown at you. It feels terrible from the moment it's in your hands...but what do you do after you feel that sting of pain (in physical form)? You throw that sh** haha. Because if you held onto the coal the pain still remains, and WORSE it breaks your skin, it continues to break down all the way to the bone. Same concept here. You feel the embarrassment, it feels so painful yet because it's in the mind and because school hasn't taught us anything about feeling then letting go of our emotions (like we would treat it in a physical aspect) we hold on to it. And just because we cant see it, doesnt mean it doesnt exist. It begins to break us down. What was supposed to be one moment of embarrassment leads to time passing, ppl furthering themselves, us remaining still, more embarrassment, more fear and anxiety, then eating away at believing in ourselves. You felt so good and confident when you got notice of getting into school, now self esteem is down just bc of 1 exam we think makes or breaks us. Which isn't true! You can pass this exam, like you've passed all of the ones before it...but you have to let go of the embarrassment. It was truly the hardest part for me. Not only did I see my classmates get their MSN, and doctorate degrees but I also had the added shame of watching my cousin who started nursing school after me, failed 2 classes got released from her school, had to apply to a new nursing program AND start again from the beginning (she finished her first year at the last school) passed her NCLEX, began working as an RN....ALLLLLL of that after I had already graduated from my program lolll. Hearing that you are seriously looking into jobs that do not require an RN license hit me because that's how I thought. That's what I did. Obviously I'm here...so just know that path didn't work out LOL. Let's go down that path though...let's say you do get that job. Off rip you're underpaid. But let's say you take it bc it'll maybe help boost your self esteem to feel good and confident again in the health care field...cool. You're going to receive recognition and accolades for your work, your coworkers will be amazed at your level of knowledge and ease at learning the skills needed for that scope of practice. You're flowing easily, at first it feels good to get that attention. Time passes. You're so great at your job that ppl tend to rely on you more. You might eventually feel overworked, definitely still underpaid. Your coworkers are asking you "omgg you're so great at this job is there anything more? Bc I can see you doing so much more!" Thennn slowly you're back at that feeling again. You're gonna see that you've always been worthy of being a nurse. No need to waste that time. You can do it now. You have seen time and time, class and class again that you are capable because you did it. You already qualify as a nurse. You're at the end of the student nurse journey. It's OK to start again. Start slow. F*** motivation. You do not need motivation to begin. You need discipline, consistency and most importantly you need to be kind and forgiving to yourself. You would NEVER tell someone you love to give up and try something else...why the hell would you say that to yourself? Start with 5 pages of content or 5 NCLEX questions today. Who cares how small it is. You do it today and everyday. Little efforts like that will build momentum I promise. I'm sorry if the message was too long, it wasnt my intention. I'm trying to save you time and years of misery LOL. I learned all of which I stated above after months of serious reading personal development books. That's honestly the number 1 thing that helped me pass the NCLEX. I had to change my mindset, build my self confidence after I destroyed it. I hope this helps you

@JOWI75 Firstly thank you for being very honest that's not always easy. I know exactly how you're feeling when you say you keep extending the date bc you don't feel ready. It's honestly impossible to just know everything, and that is perfectly fine. The NCLEX wants to make sure you know how to keep the patient safe and do all you can do first, before reaching out. I have literally wasted money by scheduling, rescheduling and then cancelling the exam LOL. I believe I did that 3 or 4 times. But f*** it, its not about the money. The feeling of fear and anxiety are real and can be debilitating for some, but it doesnt have to be. Let's try to break this down. It's not about the resources. There are plenty! You do not have to spend money in order to believe that you have all of the knowledge to take and PASS the exam. You have learned them before, and you have passed your nursing exams. You have kept your patients safe during clinical and you have received passing marks there too. So we know you know the content and we know you can keep your patient safe. I understand that some time has passed and you may have to relearn some things, but its OK it's like muscle memory it will come back faster than it did the first time you learned it bc you're basically just re-accessing the knowledge that has already been stored! So to be honest, as long as I have pushed my exam date and cancelled bunches of times....I did the same thing on the apps I've purchased LOL. I think I had the nursing.com app for about 2 yrs LOL but I didn't actually use it consistently until a little over 2 months before my exam. I actually didn't even complete any book or any app! You know how you hear some ppl say "yea I read that 1000page book 3 times front and back before my exam" or tell you they did like 3000 NCLEX style questions? Tuh. Not me. Not a lot of people I know either. So when I bought the app I promise you I literally only did medsurg and peds. I spent the majority of my time studying the heart, GI system, respiratory system, endocrine system, neuro, immunizations, precautions (safety, PPE, infection control) and the meds that came with it. Like an overview of the meds (like studying the commonalities like the ending ex. beta blockers are -olol) causeeeeeee that's too overwhelming to memorize all of the meds LOL I spent the majority of my time on Youtube watching Simple Nursing vids (because he 100% tells you EXACTLY what you need to know for the exam) and RegisteredNurseRN when I need further understanding, bc she goes IN DEPTH (back to school in depth LOL) for FREE as well. Its 100% a normal feeling up until you receive your pass/fail mark on the NCLEX but please do not let that hinder you from trying. Do you think that failing the NCLEX means you're not worthy of being a nurse? Do you think that if you don't pass the first couple of times it means you may not be cut out for this profession? Do you think failing 1x or more means its "a sign" to give up? Do you think that failing means you're not intelligent? You are enough. You are worthy. You are intelligent. You are cut out for this profession. It is not a sign to give up, it is a sign to step up. Everyone fails at something but it is up to the individual to first get back up, reassess what went wrong, think about what can be done to improve and then try again. Really think about it, when you have failed in something (whatever it is doesnt have to be nursing related) but then finally succeeded do you ever look back and say all of the things you think you are now at this current minor hurdle moment? No. If anything you say...ugh I wish I wasnt stuck for that long because if I had just tried again instead of prolonging it and stopped listening to the bull**** my negative self talk was telling me I would have been successful EARLIER. No one regrets failing when they succeed they only think about how long it took for them to realize they were resilient all along. Take the exam on Feb 1st (it's so funny IDK if you believe in signs but it's actually my bday LOL) WHATEVER YOU NEED, a study partner, an accountability partner, a comfort partner...ask and I will be ?

I hope it's alright, but I wanted to post what I wrote to you here in hopes that if another lovely, hard-working nurse comes to your page with discouragement and feels lost I hope it finds them too ? OMG, YES, DO NOT GIVE UP! Find other options. It might be a little harder and a little longer journey, but I assure you it's nowhere close to being as hard as your nursing school. I agree with @RaiRN with the states; also, NY allows you to retake it. I googled a couple of things and found this: https://testprepnerds.com/NCLEX/many-times-take-NCLEX/ Kansas: Must pass within two years of graduation in Kansas Michigan: Maximum of 6 attempts and no more than three times per year Louisiana: Must pass within four years of graduation and can only be taken a total of 4 times South Carolina: If you don't pass your first time, you have one year to pass Texas: Within four years of graduation SOOOOO! Since I see that in your state, you are allowed to take it a max of 6 times, and you only took it two times! That's great news. So then I went to your board and saw this on this. link https://www.nursinglicensure.org/state/nursing-license-michigan/#RN "After three attempts, an NCLEX review course is required. After six attempts, a candidate is no longer eligible for licensure in Michigan (unless the candidate redoes the whole RN program). Unsuccessful candidates will receive a score breakdown which may help them prepare." Which means that YOU CAN RETAKE. You only have to take a refresher course if you have failed 3x. But maybe you'll still benefit if you take it again now since it's been a few years. I personally don't know any, but it'll be a good start to Google "NCLEX RN refresher course in Michigan" and then see what comes up. If you have any other questions regarding your state, you should definitely call the board of nursing in your state; they will lessen your anxiety and fear by answering all of your questions. *IMPORTANT* Being too afraid to ask is always the BIGGEST hurdle. Once you start asking, you'll begin to know what is and isn't possible for you. I really think that might be something to tackle first (your fear of possible failure and possible anxiety regarding this) because the information you asked for was definitely easy to find. I understand that you know that and that you might've really needed (deep down) our confirmation instead. I came to allnurses.com because I HONESTLY and REALLY needed it too, I knew it was possible, but I needed my community to put the fire in my back when I still felt down and low...and only had a little spark. Nurses are a family; we should always stand by each other. So, this is your confirmation to keep going and move forward and try again! Your state definitely allows it now. You just have to allow yourself to BELIEVE it's possible. YOU GOT THIS SH***********T!! ?

@Sara Lindsey Wilkerson hey sara! how are you doing? how are you feeling? I really hope you're still on this journey (even if you need to pause and then come back) you're a wonderful soul and you are NEEDED in this profession. let me know if there is anything I can do to help :)

@Bee Bee heyy! hows it going? have you rescheduled your exam yet? let me know if there is anything I can do to help :)

@JOWI75 Hey hun how are you? Like nitty gritty raw answer only LOL how are you really feeling? Hows the journey going? Anything I can do to help? I am here for you.

@ejmoon7845 OMG YES DO NOT GIVE UP! Find other options. It might be a little harder and a little longer journey but I assure you its nowhere close to being as hard as your nursing school. I agree with @RaiRN with the states, also NY allows you to retake it. I googled a couple of things and found this: https://testprepnerds.com/NCLEX/many-times-take-NCLEX/ Kansas: Must pass within 2 years of graduation in Kansas Michigan: Maximum of 6 attempts and no more than 3 times per year Louisiana: Must pass within 4 years of graduation and can only be taken a total of 4 times South Carolina: If you don’t pass your first time, you have 1 year to pass Texas: Within 4 years of graduation SOOOOO! Since I see that in your state you are allowed to take it a max of 6 times and you only took it 2 times! Thats great news. So then I went to your board and saw this on this link https://www.nursinglicensure.org/state/nursing-license-michigan/#RN "After 3 attempts, a NCLEX review course is required. After 6 attempts, a candidate is no longer eligible for licensure in Michigan (unless the candidate redoes the whole RN program). Unsuccessful candidates will receive a score breakdown which may help them prepare." Which means that YOU CAN RETAKE. You only have to take a refresher course if you have failed 3x. But maybe you'll still benefit if you took it again now since its been a few years. I personally don't know any but it'll be a good start to Google "NCLEX RN refresher course in Michigan" and then see what comes up. If you have any other questions regarding your state, you should definitely call the board of nursing in your state, they will lessen your anxiety and fear by answering all of your questions. *IMPORTANT* Being too afraid to ask is always the BIGGEST hurdle. Once you start asking, you'll begin to know what is and isn't possible for you. I really think that might be something to tackle first (your fear of possible failure and possible anxiety regarding this) because the information you asked was definitely easy to find. I understand that you know that, and that you might've really needed (deep down) our confirmation instead. I came to allnurses.com because I HONESTLY and REALLY needed it too, I knew it was possible but I needed my community to put the fire in my back, when I still felt down and low...and only had a little spark. Nurses are a family, we should always stand by each other. So, this is your confirmation to keep going and move forward and try again! Your state definitely allows it....now you just have to allow yourself to BELIEVE its possible. YOU GOT THIS ***********!! :) _HMC, RN soon to be BSN then I'm gunning for MSN! ayyyeeee!

Good Morning @xuichloe !! So excited that you have decided to not give up and come back on the RN journey. I am not quite sure when it comes to foreign students, but I did a quick good for New York State and I have pasted them below. I really hope it helps. I do see there is an application for foreign graduate students. I am not sure if there are time frames but I think it might still be worth a try to apply. As of right now, due to COVID, they aren't taking phone calls. So it definitely is very hard to have definitive answers BUT I really hope these 2 links helps. Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you :) http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nursingrn.htm#instructions http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nurseforms.htm

@Sara Lindsey Wilkerson WHOA! CONGRATULATIONS! Firstly, the amount of strength, courage and resilience you have is truly ADMIRABLE. To push through and go against the grain, like you have, when you have challenges stacked against you... sounds heavy and I am so happy you have overcome those hurdles. And most importantly you continue to show up for your children AND yourself everyday. It's the little steps that are taken consistently everyday that add up to that BIG success. I am so proud of everything you have accomplished up until now, and of course will continue to accomplish. These are not small wins. These are BIG ones. It sounds to me like you're aligning with your purpose in life and you are noticing the opportunities are opening up for you. This has been some time coming and you're exactly ON TIME with where you're supposed to be now and for the future. The part where you said you began to think about nursing without crying is amazing, that's because not only were you patient with yourself, you did the hard work to heal. That should show you how far you've come. Celebrate that. It is a win you created. Always celebrate every hurdle crossed...big and especially small...even if it's only internal. I am so so proud and extremely happy for you, Sara! Your children have a great model of what resilience and perseverance looks like. Please reach out if you need anything! I will definitely be here to listen.

@BeeBeee Good Morning! :) Yes of course you can, THANK GOD, in NYS we still have an unlimited amount of times to take the exam no matter how many years it has been. Only thing I had to redo is the "infection control" course. Which is super easy because its available online for like $20.00. Even the NYS board provides you with acceptable websites to use. And by steps do you mean by studying? Or you mean just process? For the process all I had to do was pay pearson vue the $200, wait till I was approved to book my exam then boom done. If you mean by studying exactly...I personally chose to print out a calendar, from that starting date till my boards date and taped it on my wall. So it'll be a reminder everyday of what I've done previous days (studying wise, like I'd write down my number of mins studying and number of questions done) and look forward to see my number of days left. As for studying sources I used the Nursing.com app. They make it super easy to study because after not being in class for years my attention span is not like it used to LOL (in class we would have to sit for 3hrs at a time, now im down to 20min at a time LOL) So they literally break down like this MATERNITY, PEDS, MED SURG GI, MED SURG NEURO, MED SURG CARDIAC etc...then within each major area its like "PRECLAMSIA" which is like a 10min or less lesson of what you need to know, plus study notes, plus transcript, then a mini quiz of like 15 NCLEX style questions on that one lesson. Aside from only that one app I purchased I went on Youtube. I watched RegisteredNurseRN and Simple Nursing. LIFE SAVERS I SWEAR. Theyre like 15-40 min vids explaining in detail FOR FREE everything you want to know. So I did that app daily in 30min study intervals. Like 30min study, 5min break, 30min study, 5min break. I probably studied for like 2hrs a day, focusing less on questions and more on understanding content. Within the 2 and a half months of true dedication to studying I took like 4-5 days off studying. I definitely didn't study at all the day before my exam. Took one adderal and one cbd gummy the day of my exam and I was chilling. Hope that helps.