Esther08

I also switched careers to become an RN. I took the community college route because I worked through the program to pay my way through school. For me cost was the main issue. I don't see the difference in whatever route u take , but from what I understand community colleges are weeding programs so u really have to be on your toes and teach yourself pretty much. About passing the NCLEX , a good student will always be a good student regardless of whatever route you take to complete ur nursing curriculum. As long as you pass your school tests and prepare adequately for the NCLEX I can't see you not passing, so don't go with the misconception that you're better prepared for the NCLEX by taking the University route. If that was indeed the case the associates programs would have been scrapped a long time ago. Wish you the best in whatever route you choose to take, just keep in mind it really isn't a big deal

LPNs give narcotics but they can't push IV meds or do transfusions of any kind. The pay for LPN in nursing homes and rehab facilities is almost the same for a new RN grad at a hospital ($18-20/hr range)

There are no RN jobs in the Birmingham area. Most hospitals are on hiring freezes and even nursing homes aren't hiring. It's been this horrible for over a year

what country r u originally from ? I can tell English isn't ur first language from the way you write

Hi Vincnet777 can you pls tell me how you found your employer and what province you applied to thx

thx so much rags , I really appreciate ur insight

thank you all so much for your advice , they've been really helpful. For those of you in my situation I have advice for you. I finally figured out what the problem was. What my instructor actually tests are my test taking strategies. Nursing questions are usually composed of four parts - the stem , the issue , the client and the key words. If you answer a question "academically" correctly and it isn't addressed to the client , or you fail to take cognizance of the key words such as the age , initial , first , preoperative etc then whatever answer you provide is still wrong. I applied the strategies to my last two tests and I finally started making A's. Y'all can check this website for more info on strategic test taking - http://nursing.drexel.edu/excel/index.cfm?action=study_resources thx again y'all

I don't think I hate it , I'm just on the verge of hating one of my instructors. I love/hate her most of the time

What I really find frustrating is that my professor isn't bothered everyone is flunking her class. The highest in those tests are B's , but I make A's in my pharmacology and Microbiology tests , that's why i can't accept myself as a B nursing student. I think the problem is with the instructor , once I figure out where she gets her questions from and I practice I can understand her rationale better and that will be reflected in my test scores. I'm really concerned because I want to go to a very good graduate program once I am done and I will need funding for my education also , so for me the bottom line isn't just passing the NCLEX and becoming an RN it's a much bigger burden, it's as important as getting into nursing school the only thing is i'm in nursing school already.

thanks y'all. I feel that the first semester courses would be easy , so it's in my best interest to make the best grade possible in the first semester before I start dealing with more difficult material. I think if I make B's now in my first semester I might end up with C's in subsequent semesters . Is it really unrealistic of me to want to make all A's in my first semester ?

Hello y'all , this is my first post and I had to join the site out of desperation. I always enjoyed reading posts and benefitting from the vast amount of experience and knowledge in this forum. I am a first semester nursing student , I have previous degrees in accounting and finance but i realized late I wasn't a 9-5 person and I needed a lot of flexibility regarding working schedules. My issue is in my nursing classes , specifically health assessment and fundamentals of nursing. We have had 2 tests so far and I am a B-average on both courses , this is giving me sleepless nights , literarily. I stay up studying most nights and go into the exam knowing all the material in the text books , but my professor brings the most ridiculous questions. THey are almost not related to anything she has ever mentioned in class or anything that is reflected in the text books . She doesn't even explain her rationale , a lot of times it becomes a power struggle for her when she is asked why a question is a certain answer. I plan on making a 4.0 this semester but the same lady teaches Health assessment and fundamentals and I have the same problem in both courses. I need resoureces or ideas fo where i can get practice questions for her tests. Her questions aren't patterned after the questions in the text book (kozier) neither are the patterned after saunders or any other review questions I've ever seen. I consider myself to be a well above average students , I'll be very hurt to end up with a B on these courses 'cause I'm studying harder than I've ever studied in my life , someone please help me. I spoke to the professor but she was of no help, she just gave me useless information and I am taking classes at a community college so there isn't anyone I can voice my concerns and frustrations to among the faculty about this issue - pls help