verysadstudent

I spent a lot of time researching (in my local area) where to go to nursing school and considered both ADN and BSN programs. The programs are so highly competitive here that most counselors recommend you apply everywhere if you have your heart set on nursing. I suspect that there is alot of variety from state to state and program to program. First of all let me state that my first year and a half of school (at a CC) was spent doing the same undergraduate courses that this author spoke of Psych, A&P, Chemistry, Micro, English etc. Then I spent the next two years (for a total of 3 1/2 years in school full time) in the ADN ("two year degree") nursing program taking NOTHING but nursing curriculum INCLUDING Professional Development courses and Community Health, Mental Health, OB, Med-Surg, Peds, Theory etc, as well as the EXACT same number of clinical hours being taken by a friend who I originally went through pre-req's with who then transferred to a "four year BSN" program. Trust me, in our ADN program we wrote very detailed papers using current, evidence based, peer reviewed articles in APA format just like my friend at the University was doing, while doing the same 24-32 hours or so per week of clinical experience. Interestingly, she and I both applied to both schools (we were both 4.0 students) and I LUCKILY got accepted into both the ADN program (which I could afford without going in debt for 10 years) and the BSN. I CHOSE the ADN. She did not make it into the ADN program but WAS accepted to the University program. The year we applied my school took only 40 of over 350 highly qualified applicants. The long and short of it was she graduated in May, I graduated in June of the same year, both of us having been in school exactly the same amount of time within one month. She had a total of 27 more credit hours than I did (some Theology, a Philosophy course, an additional Sociology, a Statistics class, and two additional Community Health courses) but the EXACT same amount of time spent in clinical hours. She did not work during her time in school, while I unfortunately had to do so. I spent my time gaining patient care experience in an ER as a tech while she learned Statistics. She failed her NCLEX on the first try but happily passed on her second attempt, whereas I and every single one of my fellow ADN students passed first time out. Guess what? our education cost about $47,000 less during those final two years. The bottom line for me was I could not afford the "four year program" which I frankly felt was buying a fancier title for the same outcome. Since graduating I have met both ADN and BSN nurses who were great, and those who were not. I must say also that I think it really behooves the instructors at BSN programs to tell their students they are somehow getting a better education, since they are paying anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 per year more for it. I am all for continuing to educate myself throughout my career and take every opportunity to do so, for instance I recently (on my own time and for free) spent a day job-shadowing with a Respiratory Therapist so I could gain more knowledge and perspective of their role in patient care. My point is this, you can get a lot or a little out of every educational opportunity, no matter the price tag put upon it. While experience is not the same as education, it is also highly valuable and a blend of the two is required to be a great nurse. That is why I like the phrase skilled professional. Having either your ADN or your BSN does not forever make you a great nurse, you must continue to gain both education and experience long after you have any degree to become a SKILLED PROFESSIONAL.

After all that I actually PASSED! I was totally amazed and shaking when I clicked on the screen to see PASS! Thanks for you thoughts and hang in there, you may surprise yourself and PASS too!

You guys are the best for encouraging me. I actually went online and tried to schedule my next try at NCLEX (Thankfully Pearson wouldn't let me) because I was SO convinced I had failed. Guess what, you were right! I PASSED!!! Not sure how, but I did pass! So to all the rest who feel hopeless after the torture of NCLEX, don't give up hope! You may have passed too! VerySadStudent is now VERYHAPPYRN!!!

Thanks for your good thoughts, I can always hope, right? And after quite a few tears I am doing better actually. Still on tenterhooks, but I DO KNOW I CAN PASS, if I have to take it again I will and I will just SLOW down this time! You would have thought after 3 or 4 questions where I immediately wanted to have the question back and change it I would have taken a step back, but this was just such a HUGE thing (pretty much my whole life for the past three and a half years invested here) I let myself get overwhelmed and this is the result. Next time, I will be better. Anyway, thanks again.

I had alot of what is most important to do IMMEDIATELY questions. Alot of med questions. Quite a few infection control. Alot of who would you see first (of 4 labor patients which really shocked me because the two labor floors I experienced they only had one labor patient, sometimes two!). All the drugs I knew down pat (I had a list of 30 most common drugs) weren't on there and then the ones that were I could have told you 5 or 10 things about all of them, but not what they wanted to know.......I didn't get one single calculation question at all and I spent an hour each day the last three days practicing math!!!!!

You weren't alone (and if this is one of my CCC classmates we should have called each other!). Anway, I stayed up clicking til about 2:00 AM, decided I had to TRY and sleep, went to bed and woke up at 5:30 AM. I have been on this website ever since trying to calm my nerves and not pester my poor husband with my tears anymore. Sick Sick Sick right with ya! Trying for :chuckle but more like :stone now. Good Luck to us all, Padawan.

As I read on later that you have passed it is giving me just a little hope. I took my NCLEX yesterday. Graduation was right up there in the top 10 days of my life. Yesterday I took NCLEX and now this is the worst I ever remember feeling in a very long time, definitely bottom 10 days. Like you I know I missed every single med question they gave me, and so stupidly. I sat and argued with myself right out of the right answer in almost every one of them. Frankly I don't know who was taking the test for me yesterday, some insane, idiotic girl who didn't remember any of the things her teachers taught her, like take your time, don't read in to much, etc. etc. My test also shut off after 75 and so did the other five students I came in with. They (and everyone else) is saying, oh you did fine, you are so smart, of course you passed, and each person that says it just makes me feel worse because I think about how disappointed everyone will be, not to mention how horrible it will be to tell them all I failed, not to mention lose the job I just got (because I have to start an internship on the 5th). Anyway, what little hope I have is from reading this particular quote right now, maybe if you got all your med questions wrong and passed I can too. I felt like I did OK on most of the others. Thanks to you Suzanne for having this place we can chat and get a little of the pain off our chests. I am a VERYSADSTUDENT (still, as in not a nurse!)