ShemRN

What I want to know, is why Doctors don't lose THEIR ability to practice if they get a DUI.

I've taken the test twice. Once ENFJ, the second INFJ. Most of the categories are really close to the middle though, as I recall.

I was told by another nurse to break the "bind" of the drug by soaking it in cola for a bit. It disolves the binding agent of the sustained release particles, but doesn't release them --- is the gist of it.

Everyone's feet are different. Try on a good selection of different styles if you can to see what's right for you. And don't forget to see what your hospital/clinical policy dictates you can wear! I personally LOVE Danskos (& wear them in the real world in non-nursing styles too). I couldn't get the professional (closed back) style clog for work since I was too in between sizes, but the clog with the strap in back fits me well. Ingrid I think it's called. Wore New Balance crosstrainers in school clincals -- and they didn't seem good to me at all. Sturdy, but very uncomfortable. I prefer Sucony running shoes for comfort. A good clinical back up for me. I tried on Crocks too since I see a lot of people wearing them - but once again, the inbetween size thing didn't work for me - and they were a bit too wide for my foot.

Don't be a tease! Tell us!

Hi - thanks for asking. Unisex top in L - $15 includes PCC RN patch - already sewn on. :)

To Canada, you can purchase Saunder's NCLEX guides from Amazon.com or other online book sellers (for less than $50). Your own bookstore could probably special order it for you as well. Kaplan is a course that most people go to classroom sessions for and costs hundreds of dollars to take ($500??). It includes their own study materials & study booklets, and I believe Kaplan also has online study courses. They offer money back if you fail (I've heard). NTPinky's comments about how NEITHER study plan made her feel prepared echos the sentiment of one of my closest study buddies throughout the program. She relied on Saunders mostly (heavy on the CD portion), but also did all the Kaplan practice tests. She was convinced she'd failed (but didn't) since she said a lot of the questions she had no idea what the procedure was, or had never heard of the disease before. All throughout my NCLEX I was wishing I'd gone over the comprehensive text more & done less CD. I think I spent days doing that practice disc - but THEY say that it gets you used to test taking the way NCLEX is given at any rate.

Of course test taking skills are a must, but there's a lot of fact based questions on there as well that have nothing to do with prioritization or picking out the real question in the sentence (or at least that's what my recent test was like). What critical lab value would you expect to see with Graves disease, for example, and then 4 are listed. Diet type questions, which food would you eliminate for a person with x disease. What answer do you pick to educate a person who's just had a D&C. This is why I strongly recommend the review guide (and personally prefer Saunder's format). So far, my class is all taking the NCLEX about now, and I know of no one who went the Saunders direction failing. Not true for Kaplan takers though. Maybe just cooincidence? Try going over the review with a friend. Take turns asking each other questions. Also, I found it quite helpful to always give my rationale with the answer I picked. And when I was wrong, I would repeat the correct answer and then explain outloud why it was so. It seemed to cement things, and I paid more attention that way also. Good luck.

Try and relax first of all! I would just go over prioritization (everyone's been saying their test was heavy on that), main diseases or disorders (like Graves, diabetes, even sickle cell), diets (diverticulitis, celiac, etrc.), general assessments for drug interaction or toxic levels (digoxin, asthma meds, etc). Any comprehensive review guide should have a good layout for delivering this information w/o you having to dig through old text books. Don't study heavily the day before your test, and especially not that night. You need to sleep well, be hydrated, and eat something that'll stick in the am. Also bring a snack for your locker - if you get the nervous muchies it'll help you focus maybe. Good luck!

P.S. I have uniforms I'm trying to sell if you know anyone interested in supplementing what they already bought.

It's true - you are out if you don't pass your dosage calc exam at the beginning. We lost one person at the beginning of 3rd for that reason. They give you 2 (maybe 3?) chances. Also - I don't think they told us this directly, but there are study calcualtions available. Just ask Keith where you can find them. It really is a very intense program, but hang in there. Sometimes it will seem they really are trying to get people to drop and the instructors are never on your side trying to help you. Those rumors about wanting to weed out the week so they have a better pass rate aren't exactly rumors. Even if you dip below a passing point though, don't give up!

I keep hearing mixed reviews on hiring out of state grads - but regardless of where the grads come from, oportunities are certainly less. I've asked what area you are in so I can maybe forward you anything I come across.

Salem Hospital http://www.salemhospital.org/ I only know the recruiter is nice, but haven't heard anything else.

OHSU has internship programs that might help with changing specialties also. "Once hired into a specific job position, additional theory, learning opportunities and caring preceptors are provided for all including the newly licensed nurse, the nurse who has practiced in other than the acute care hospital setting, or for the experienced acute care nurse who wants to enter a new specialty area" http://www.ohsu.edu/ohsuedu/central/hr/nursing/Nursing-Internships.cfm

Wow - I hope you're right about OHSU cahnging their chemistry requirements! I looked last week at the RN to BSN program and saw they wanted 15 units of chem! I took only one chem class since that was all that was required at the university I had originally planned on transfering to, but now think that I would probably have to start from scratch as I'm sure I've forgotten it all. Math too. I only went to Intermediate Algebra and then took Statistics. OHSU says they want College Algebra in addition to Statistics. I'd be happy though if it was just math I had to worry about. Aside from math and chem, all general prerequisites have been completed (I think) for OHSU. I also looked into Linfield a few months ago, but don't remember how their prereqs compared. Can anyone mention some details about either school or what they thought of the programs?