angie7268

OHMIGOD! I thought there was only one person going through this type of misery...me! I am a new nurse who graduated this past December and in my 3rd week of orientation in the ICU. I am totally miserable and feel 1000x stupid when I work. I have terrible time management, forget small things and twice have forgotten to give a med to patients. I feel like I'm slowing creeping towards "Angel of Death" status if I keep up my orientation because I get pulled into so many directions from reviewing orders, balancing two patients that are acutely ill and figuring out which one to see first, and trying to keep a patient alive and being able to say I didn't kill anyone. I don't feel competant enough to care for these patients and I am worried I'll do something erroneous that will result in a fatal disaster (uh, can someone say DEATH!?). *sigh* A good friend of mine who is finishing her orientation on the same unit states I'm just too fast and need to slow down but I really feel like I have no time to finish anything during my 12 hour shift. By 7pm I'm so tired and feel like crying that I'm already scanning the want ads for a nursing position in a doctor's office. My preceptor is wonderful and tells me that I'm human and humans make mistakes, humans can't be mighty and I can't expect myself to be the perfect "Nancy Nurse" in week 3 but I swear - I don't think I can expect myself to ever be a good nurse. I'm so disillusioned right now and don't know what to do. I've told my husband I'll stick it out through my orientation and then 6 months on the unit but right now I don't know if I can do 6 more days. I really do sympathize with your situation - I wish I could give you sage and upbeat advice! For the sake of all of us who are having a hard time - I hope we all make it over our mountain and are able to smile and joke someday about how the first year of nursing was so crazy and weird. Hey, how about I end this on a funny note? My 3rd day in orientation I had a family tell me their family member's ventilator tanks were empty so I asked someone to call RT and let them know...duh! The vents are ALWAYS plugged into wall O2 unless their traveling. I also found out from RT when the tanks are turned off - they say "Empty" until they are turned on. I was sooo embarrassed. : ) But I figure that's just another story I can place in my file for later.

I know - that's what the group of us felt like this morning. I'm so discouraged and not really wanting to take this test 6, 7 or 8 times. I wish I could wave a wand and know what to do to PASS this test. Also, there are a few of students that passed nursing school with Cum Laude grade point averages and STILL have not passed the HESI exam. Goes to show you that the HESI is not all it's cracked up to be. I will be thinking about you next week! Let me know what your faculty decides to do with the group of you left. I hope they can give you ways to help you accomplish your pass scores. I'll be marching through the next 8 days and review material and will see if I can pass the HESI exam on my 5th time! We'll get through this!

I just took the HESI for the 4th time and got a 946! I need a 950 to pass! I read the HESI book (again) from cover to cover and the faculty shortened the amount of time between the 3rd and 4th test to 2 1/2 weeks vs. a month. I think this helped a lot in my case. Our next test is on March 22. I think they are starting to see that if they shorten the amount of time we have in between these tests then the better we do; however, I am still discouraged. A lot of the questions I got wrong were over content that is NOT covered in the HESI book. I will pick up my Saunders NCLEX review book this time and review items I was not too confident with and then test myself. You can invest in the HESI CD but it's not that help in terms of what you will get on the actual test.

I have the HESI NCLEX-RN Review Manual and just failed my 2nd HESI exit exam. I read the book cover to cover and have a lower score (824) on this one that my first (924)! Could you let me know how you split all the information in your review book and kept it straight and in your head for the test? I have the Saunders NCLEX-RN Review book and wonder if there is a difference on how you perform on the exit exam if you use one over the other? Do you have any pointers on how to study? I have to retake the exam (again!) on February 17th and I really want to blow this test out of the water. I want to get an 1100+ too! We need a 950 to receive our final grade and until we pass - we have an "Incomplete" on our transcripts.

Hello there! Please don't feel like you are the only one who is having troubles with the HESI exit exam. I have just taken my 2nd HESI exam and got an 824. Previously, I got a 923 out of the 950 I need to proceed. I have graduated too and I cannot go on to apply for the NCLEX nor can I get a diploma that states I've completed my schooling. Also, I read the HESI book cover to cover and didn't do so well and it just frustrates me too to know that I've gotten through nursing school to have a test like the HESI tell me I'm not capable enough to go on.