notthereyet

I went from LPN to RN with AAS from Brookdale, am currently enrolled RN to BSN and have been applying to all area hospitals to include Barnabas, Meridian, Raritan, Centra State, RWJ, all to no avail. I knew it wouldn't be easy and I have my per diem substitute school nurse to fall back on but I really want to work acute care to gain experience and utilize all that I have worked so hard for! Glad for you, all the best.

Good to hear, as the old saying goes, "good things come to those who wait". However, the waiting is excruciating! I just received my paper license yesterday which was 2.5 weeks after number was posted. Now I just need to find a job, have something per diem but it is not where I really want to be. Where are you in Jersey? It is tough pickings for me in central to south Jersey. All the best to you in your new position!

I am assuming you have checked the BON website for any updates on your license #. Also on your application did you check off any of the boxes indicating any previous license suspensions or any criminal history; as a yes answer in this area will create a delay. If their office is not too far, you might want to pay them a visit in person. Usually a visit produces a good outcome. If not I would keep calling until I had a license #. If they say 20-25 working days and it is reaching that time frame I would want to know why the delay or when will the board be reviewing for approval? I was very fortunate to have my # added so quickly. I know how frustrating this can be as I waited 6 weeks for my previous license as an LPN. Stay strong and congratulations!

Hi, can i get the email address u emailed? Ive been waiting for almost 5 weeks now.. and its really scaring me... Pleeaasseee thanks! I had no reply to email I sent via the "contact us" link. I did call them to get an update on my status about 10 days after passing NCLEX and was told results had not even been transferred over yet. However, I did check the online status exactly 2 weeks after passing NCLEX and my license number was posted. I was very pleasantly surprised! I would call them to simply inquire about status of your application, it certainly cant hurt. Best to you, Connie

I can only imagine....all the best to you!

Do lots and lots of NCLEX style questions and be sure to review the rationales even if you get the answer right. Have a solid rationale for each answer you choose.

When you are answering a question, try to eliminate options by rationale. If your going to pick one answer over another, you need to back it up with a rationale. Ask yourself, why am I picking this answer, what facts back this answer choice? Many questions require judgement and critical thinking skills to arrive at the correct choice. Again think in through, support all decisions with a rationale which would provide for the best possible outcome. Be confident, stay positive, and take your time. I passed NCLEX-RN with 75 questions on 07/15/13, you can do it too! I only studied for 5 days prior to the exam, skimming over material from HESI NCLEX-RN study guide, NCLEX 4000 and Saunders Q & A. Be sure to read each and every rationale when doing practice questions, even if you get the correct answer. How the book lists rationales, is how you should approach the exam questions. Best if luck to you, be well....

They are fairly expensive, I believe around $120.00. You can try searching for factory seconds which are just as good. Try Clog kingdom, or Shoebacca.

Thank you for your reply. I will try the email route.

I did attend my LPN pinning but decided to forgo the RN pinning. I was just not into it since I had already had the experience previously. Personally I do not feel as though I missed out on anything, other than losing the $20 I had already paid....oh well. Perhaps if I had not done it previously, I would have attended. I remember my LPN pinning very well, we were all so happy!

I swear by Sanita! I can do a twelve hour shift and my feet are fine. They do have white leather and also carry KOI patent leather white.

Bravo to you! I give a lot of credit to those who test and have to answer 265 questions! I was absolutely thrilled when my screen went blue at 75 (passed). Congratulations, all the best to you in your nursing career...

Congratulation, enjoy your accomplishment!

I read some old threads on the wait time for NJ license distribution but was wondering if anyone who recently tested could give me an idea of the wait time? Thanks so much...

I notice many people focus on knowing content by utilizing all different types of review materials. What I don't see, is test takers mentioning how to improve their test taking abilities. No one can know everything, which is why it is essential to recognize what the question is asking and how to correctly choose the right answer. The test taker needs to utilize general knowledge, nursing judgement and critical thinking skills to be successful. In most instances, two out of the 4 choices can be easily eliminated. The remaining 2 must be narrowed down with clear support of a rationale. If you don't have a rationale for an answer, most likely that choice is incorrect. There are many resources you can look to in order to improve on NCLEX testing taking skills. Along with all your other review materials, you should look into test taking strategies as well. Best of luck to you.

Congratulations, now relax and enjoy your accomplishment!

I am sorry to hear your news, as we all know just how hard we work to reach this point. I recently passed with 75 questions on 07/13/2013. First off, I took my time with each and every question. Narrowing down the possibilities to 2, then asking myself for a rationale as to why I would choose one answer over the other. If you cannot come up with a proper rationale, then your choice is unsupported and most likely incorrect. I only started preparing a week prior, skimming over HESI NCLEX-RN Study Guide, Q&A from Saunders, and NCLEX 4000. It is so important to read the rationales when your doing questions, even if you get the answer correct. There is no way to know everything but knowing how to answer the question can help make up for this. Remember NCLEX is not just about general nursing knowledge, its about thinking critically, how, when, why, you carry out nursing care. As for nerves, try deep breathing and believe in yourself. I was so nervous when I arrived at the testing center I had to race to the restrooms as not to soil myself. Not pretty but it is the truth. Best of luck with your future studies. You will get there, after all you made it this far.

you really need to do your research with this type of school. for starters take a look at their nclex-pn pass rate: "for the calendar year 2010, the pass rate for our practical nurse program graduates taking the nclex-pn, an exam whose passage is required by the new jersey board of nursing before it will issue an lpn license, was 79.41%." this is not the greatest. try looking into middlesex county vocational school adult education - middlesex county vocational and technical schools it is a rigorous program with better nclx-pn passing scores and are affordable compared to places like uti. good luck, c

Personally, I plan on persuing LPN to RN ADN program, then work toward BSN. At my age (40) and having a family, this would work out best for me. You need to evaluate your situation and take it from there. If you have the funds and know you can go the distance, then go for it. Some of us have to take baby steps, while others can run with it.

During the day shift at my facility you have 18 residents and everyone of them has several 9 am meds. If you use the hour before and hour after rule, you have 120 minutes in which to pass meds. This equates to 6.66 minutes of time spent on each resident. I don't see how you can take vitals if necessary, pull the drug, follow the 5 rights, wash your hands, sign the MAR; each and every time and get done in the alloted time frame. What if you have g-tubes, breathing treatments etc. I know many nurses take short cuts just to make it through in time. As a new nurse, I definately run over the alloted time. Not by much but 15 minutes, is 15 minutes, especially if the state is around. Now that I am on 3-11, I find the med pass slightly more spaced out but I also have 25 residents instead of 18. By the time I finish up at about 10:15pm, its time to start charting. Throw into the mix a new/readmit, resident going south, a fall, etc....well there just went your day/evening! And they all want their 9pm meds at 8 so they can go to sleep! It is a challenge!

You can try contacting the NJ BON via email with your questions. If you printed out your appliation on line, refer to the second page of the packet, there are 2 persons listed which you can chose from to address your question via email and the BON phone # is also listed. Congratulations on your achievement thus far. -C

I am 8 days into LPN orientation/mentoring program for a LTC facility, working 7-3 with 18-20 residents to administer meds to. Fresh out of nursing school end of Jan. 09, passed boards 02/09. The LPN I am mentoring under is patient, knowledgeable, kind, and gentle when it comes to correcting any potential errors. I watch her in amazement as she effortlessly completes her med pass in a timely manner. She has been tending to these residents full time since Nov. 2008. When it is my turn to administer meds I take twice as long as she does. I have taken the time to take note of meds to be passed. learning trade & generic names, if med can be crushed, how resident prefers med (applesauce or not), SE/AE, ac or pc, if vitals are required...etc. All done in hopes to speed up the process. I am so terrified of making a mistake, it is slowing me down. Any tips on how to build my confidence and improve my med pass time would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and Happy Nurses Day! -C

The instructors will offer any scholarship opportunities to you, if and when they become available. I believe it was Monmouth Ocean Counties Business... something or other. I cant recall exactly who offered it. Enjoy life now, because you'll soon have no life other than school come September. And I am not exagerating! Good luck.

I was fortunate enough to be able to pay for the tuition in 2 payments. I also submitted an essay and was awarded a $500.00 scholarship which helped when I was not working all that much. Now that I am working in a LTC facility, I can say that pharmacology is huge! Study your meds hard, as it will be well worth the time and effort in the long run. Be well, -C

We started with 32, lost 1/3 by end of phase 1, 2 students joined us from the previous class; in the end 16 graduated (14 from the 32 origional). I worked part-time. Luckily I was pretty much able to set my own hours. Study and work hard and you will make it through.