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I've been lurking on this thread for a few days reading your stories and now I have one of my own. Apparently the trick worked for me. I got the pop-up screen saying to refer to member board and this morning I checked my quick results, I passed! Here's to being a new RN!

I took the NCLEX yesterday morning and tried the trick and if it works like each of you has said, I should be an RN soon

I did do the trick and it has helped to calm me down.. The pop up appeared telling me that I had already registered and to refer to my member board. So according to 100s of people here that have already used the trick, its most likely that I passed.

Ok, so I took the NCLEX this am.. I had 75 questions.. I have to admit the majority of the questions i seemed to be unsure of... I went with my gut, especially with the priority questions. I did a lot of questions in preparation.. took the Hurst review, did about 2000 Lippincott questions, 200 to 300 Saunders and read over several review books... I walked out of the exam feeling as if I failed it... I am prepared to have to take it again. Any thoughts?

Got hired onto a small MICU floor at a private hospital. Not my first choice either, wanted ED in the same hospital but its a step in the door and can work my way to that eventually. Also considering NP but don't know yet, have to get more experience. Here in New Orleans the job market is also stiff for new grads, just as everywhere I suppose.

I am also a CARE VII graduate and while I agree with some of nolalsuhscstudent's remarks, I don't agree with all of them. I feel that the 'rough around the edges' feel of this program and the 'unfair' treatment issued are due to a few facts - this is a fairly new program (less than 10 years old) and faculty and staff are still working out the kinks to improve it. Also, we as a class were thrown into the midst of an entirely new curriculum being created and through us, as guinea pigs, there were mistakes to be learned from. Unfortunately, we were the test subjects for their experiment. Someone has to be. Comparing this program to a communist country is a little dramatic and absurd - faculty will hear your complaints if its warranted. No, things don't always go the way you want them to, but, that's the nature of the bureaucratic academic beast. You can't please everyone. You work hard, you do what you have to, you get your little piece of paper that says 'Bachelor of Science in Nursing' and you move on. Yes, there was some rough treatment and yes there were times when the testing dynamics were unfair. Overall the people who made it through the program did it because they wanted it badly enough. They stuck it out and they will all make great nurses through time and experience. Keep in mind people - THIS IS AN ACCELERATED PROGRAM!! You are moving at a faster than normal pace and there will be bumps in the road. Learn to roll with the punches and smile under stress and you will survive.

As a recent graduate of the program I can tell you will be required to present several group/individual oral presentations for various courses - I'd say at least 10 of them.

Thanks for the congrats! I have worked hard to make it to this point! As far as your questions: We started with 44 in the first block. As of graduation, we are down to 30. The program is changing and is still dynamic in its structure. A lot of changes are/have been implemented based on our feedback to coursework. We were basically the guinea pigs for a new curriculum. The application process is much more stringent for you guys as they are putting equal weight on GPA along with other attributes - e.g. communications skills, financial means necessary to last the program, work experience in health care, emotional maturity and life experience in general. I'm not sure I understand your question about "main reason for the change the reasons you stated" so I'll go into a little more detail about attrition from what I've experienced. In regards to those who dropped out of the program, when I said "giving up too soon" I was referring to those who found the academic workload too challenging and dropped courses prematurely. Also there were those who did try to their best (and I feel for them), but other life obligations (kids, commute, finances) caused a conflict. Either way to make it in this program requires you to be flexible - emotionally, financially, academically. You have to be prepared to absorb information at a fast pace and accept schedule changes at a moment's notice. You seem smart and inquisitive and those are great traits to have to last the duration. Take it easy

Hey guys, I am a CARE student that just finished the program, I graduate in a few weeks. To answer the question regarding failure of a class - yes. If you drop below a 77 average as your final grade in any course you are forced to repeat it and this means dropping from the CARE program. What I've seen usually happen is conditional acceptance into the traditional program, which is longer - 36 months. A student in our CARE class missed one question on a dosage calculation exam and is forced to wait until August to repeat that course because it is not offered in the spring semester. Another was able to take the same course the following Fall semester with the junior 1 students and will graduate in May 2010. My word of advice to each of you who are accepted is to take this program seriously - those who gave up too soon or didn't know how to balance school and life washed out. Good luck

One thing to consider is that H and H levels are usually lower in female patients. A Hgb of 11 is actually within normal range for this patient. Considering the patient is sat'ing at 92% and seems to show adequate levels of perfusion, maybe a "risk for ineffective tissue perfusion r/t low O2 pressures?" The lower P02 lab value would be better to utilize however in older patients it is typical to see lower O2 pressure values in the ABGs. The general rule is to subtract 1 mmHg per year over 65. So a patient who is 93 is almost 30 years over that. 100 - 28 = an approximate normal pressure value of 72 mmHg. She is still below that figure however. Hope that helps

As far as clinicals go, they are usually in 12-hour shifts during the weekdays. You will, however, depending on assignment be required to work on weekends (this is all dependent on clinical instructors). Lectures during the week can run as long as 8 hours a day. This also does not take into account other projects, (teaching projects, care plans, case studies, research papers, etc) studying and reading time required. I had to sacrifice many weekends in order to get assigned work completed. A typical CARE program week consists of one exam, two to three half to full days of lecture and two days of 12-hour clinical. It can run less, and can sometimes run a little more.

Hey guys, I am in the CARE VII class and we are set to graduate in May. We are going to be conducting interviews along with the faculty for new applicants in the coming weeks. I'm not completely sure of how the interviewing process will work yet, however. When I applied, I did not receive my acceptance letter until the end of May prior to my start date and I know some people didn't receive theirs until as late as the end of June. I can tell you that yes the CARE program is very demanding and it requires you to be extremely flexible in your scheduling and other life demands. We have had a few students in my program that did not make it due to demands from children and work. It is possible, though (another student in our group has two kids in elementary school and she is making it). We are almost over the hump and I can't tell you how both nervous and excited I am to be graduating. I also remember the anxiety of waiting for the acceptance letter so good luck to you both. Don't hesitate to ask me any other questions.

I am currently in the CARE program right now, near finishing up the first class of Block III. The program is working out the kinks, as we were the first large group. We had 44 starting in the fall of last year, and we are down to about 33 right now. I anticipate the end of this course (Adult Health Nursing I) we will lose a few more. You will have your first semester with the traditional students and move at a regular semester pace. Be prepared to move at a very fast pace starting in mid-December, right after anatomy and physiology complete. If you need advice on physiology or any course thereafter let me know. In any case, good luck to the new CARE class. I'll be in ICU (Adult Health II) when you guys start in the fall. Don't hesitate to contact me here -Ray

I am in the heat of the CARE program right now. The first semester is a traditional semester and it will be with the traditional students. I can tell you right now it is VERY fast paced once you get into the accelerated portion (5 days after traditional semester ended for us). You will typically be in lecture and lab for 8 to 10 hours a day 4 to 5 days per week, on top of having to find time to study for one to two exams per week, practicals and other assignments. We start clinicals for our foundations of nursing this Friday, and that is typically a 12-hour shift in itself and involves its own preparations and assignments as well. Don't expect to have much free time (depending on how well you can cram or manage time.) The good news is that you will be out sooner than traditional students. I will be out in March 2009 (NCLEX in May 2009). Due to the fast pace, there have also been some other issues with faculty organization (i.e. faculty being on the same page). That can add to the confusion. Overall, I'd describe the program so far as being a year or so long cram session. Good luck in applying. -Ray

Thanks Peachy, and yes we started dissecting the cadaver a little over a month ago, and we've just entered the heart area. Classes are going well but physiology is very tough. If you have the same professor, which I'm sure you will, be prepared for a helluva ride. If I see you on the new CARE VIII list next year I'll look you up and see if they'll let me be your CARE buddy (sort of like a big brother program for new students). Send me a private msg and I'll give you my LSU email. Good luck to you!