rmfrier

Iwilldothis: IF the tables were turned: I would be sad and upset, but I certainly wouldn't take it out on my friends. Friends are there to be supportive, not to up one another. It sounds like you may be someone that would be upset with me as well if you were my friend. I'm sorry, but I just don't think that way. In fact, I have been in the boat where I failed and all of them passed on certain things through school. It just never crossed my mind to think that they thought they were better than me. I think it boils down to other issues that I am an easy scapegoat for.

I didn't say "EVEN" in "they didn't pass the HESI the second time." When you quote it that way, it does look bad. I was just giving background information as to why I think they are so mad. Why would they think that I am better than them? They weren't mad at me the day that we took HESI, just after that. I hadn't been able to get a hold of them after that. Do I want them to be jealous of me? Absolutely not. I am not that kind of person. I was so hurt when they didn't pass. I was hoping that we could all make it through this together. I didn't tell them that I didn't pass NCLEX because I didn't want them to feel worse, but then again, they weren't even speaking to me when I took NCLEX so how would I hide it from them anyway? I think when they found out, it just fueled their fire and that is when they exploded on my friend about me. Them not passing is not because they don't know the material. THey know more than me by a long shot. It is all about test anxiety. Oh well, I have already put too much energy into this and I have prayed about it so I am okay with everything now. Hopefully they will come back around when they do pass and are nurses. THat is what my hope is anyway.

I do know if you take the NCLEX in TEXAS you get your result pretty quick. I got mine in a day. I don't know how Washington works. Starting pay within the Houston City limits is anywhere from 22-25 an hour depending on if you work outside the medical center or in the medical center. HOpe this helps! Roma

We did peds for 8 weeks and then switched to OB for 8 weeks. Psych will only be for 6-8 weeks and that will mean two clinical days when Psych starts. Peds was at TExas Childrens, which is where I work now as an RN. OB is at Memorial City which is a really good hospital. We have three of our grads starting there this next week. It is kind of hard to say what days you will have clinicals as it will change. I can tell you to plan on PEDS being 11 hour days and OB being 8-9 hour days. Psych is about 6 to 8 hours a day depending. Psych was the absolute worst for our class. We didn't care for the instructor. She has pretty poor communication skills, a class consensus. Maybe she has gotten better at this point. SHe was still pretty new when she taught us. I didn't enjoy the psych rotation at all. Good luck!

It is so bizaar. I had a friend that was taking KAplan with them and I asked her to tell them I was trying to call them to check on them. I just wanted to see if everything was okay since I hadn't been able to get a hold of them. My friend said when she told them that I was trying to check on them, they unleashed on her about me. How weird. My friend said it she didn't really understand why they were upset, but that they were going on and on about how I didn't understand what they were going through and how I thought I was better than them. I was flabbergasted as I have never had a problem with any of my classmates. As far as I know I haven't said anything that might offend them. It is just plain weird and out of nowhere. I am certainly not above admitting my wrongs or apologizing for anything that I have done which I did in an email to both of them. The whole thing is just weird. It just seems like HIgh School all over again. I have just moved on and am not worrying about it. I told both of them in an email if they wanted to talk about this, I would be glad to talk to them. I also said that I was here if they needed me for any reason and that I wished them all the best. What else can I do at this point? I am certainly not going to stalk them. I did distance myself from them a little bit this last semester, nothing drastic. It was only because I was working, am a mom of three kids, wife, etc. They tend to freak out over exams and I just didn't need the additional anxiety that they brought to the table, but I never said anything about that to anyone. I don't know, I can't figure it out, but I am not going to waste my energy on it. I want to focus my energy on my new nursing career and hope that when they do pass the HESI and NCLEX that their attitudes might change. I will be here if and when that happens.

Well, I had one finally reply to me via email and she said our ideas of friendship differ and that I thought I was better than them. Never once did I ever think or act that way. I did live my life very different than them, but never said anything to them about the way they lived vs. the way I live. It was like when I passed HESI and NCLEX, she was done with me. It sounds like there is a lot of resentment and I am hoping that when they both pass HESI and NCLEX that it will change. I am always willing to forgive and forget. I am a very forgiving person to my downfall. I am like "old faithful" or at least that is what some of my friends call me. Thanks for the encouragement and words. I guess we will wait and see what happens.

Has anyone experienced their classmates whom you thought were your close friends mad at you because you passed HESI and NCLEX, and they haven't passed HESI after 2nd time? I am just flabbergasted. After phone calls were ignored, I finally found out that they didn't want anything to do with me. I just don't understand. I am just so hurt for them and me. I didn't even tell them that I took NCLEX, but of course they found out. SHould I just let it go? I am one of these people that can't handle friends being upset, but I know that I didn't do anything. Help!

I have three kids and what I did, was get on my laptop at night when I would go to bed and do at least 100 NCLEX questions for 4 weeks without fail. If I thought I wouldn't be able to do it one night, I doubled up the night before or the night after. You have to be religious about it though. I did Kaplan question bank the whole time and then attended the class. I passed with no problem. Good luck!

I don't think Saunders is a bad study tool as it does help you learn content, but the difficulty level isn't there like Kaplan. I stayed with Kaplan the whole time and did very little SAunders after I realized it wasn't challenging enough. After taking the NCLEX, Kaplan is really the way to go I think. It is a little more difficult than NCLEX and it resembles NCLEX very closely.

good luck!

good luck!

Peds and OB aren't hard, but it is more time management with those classes as far as the workload. Med/Surg 2 is probably your hardes semester I would say. Med/Surg 3 is difficult as well though, but at that point, you have pretty much made it. Concept wise, you have probably made it through the most difficult part and that was Med/Surg I and II. If I had to guess, you probably lost quite a bit huh? When do you take pharm? If you take it third semester, that will make the third semester really hard. Pharm isn't easy by any stretch. The fourth semester now has a different instructor, so it could be a lot harder than it was for us. Our professor really took it easy on us. We were brow beaten so bad the first three semesters that he felt that we had had enough. A lot of us were timid about doing skills because of it and that really frustrated him.

I personally thought Saunders was a little easier than NCLEX. I found that KAPLAN questions resembled NCLEX, but with more difficulty. This is just my opinion. I passed first time. Good luck!

I graduated December 13th with a HESI score of 1031, took Kaplan the week before Christmas, took NCLEX December 26th and found out that I passed on December 27th. I stopped around 103 and I too got a lot of select all that apply. Those are just nasty things. I felt horrible when I came out of there, was literally sick the rest of the day. This site is a great source for support. Just remember that 85% of the people that take NCLEX pass so that is a pretty good number if you are into statistics. I did about 2500 NCLEX questions before and learned the material that I was weak in that way. Good luck and keep us posted!

No problem. Anytime you need advice, support, pickmeup, or have a question, please do not hesitate to post. I empathize and understand where you are and the more support you get, the better you will do. This is just not something you can do a lone without help and support. I went through with three children, 14, 12, and 9 and a husband that was extremely supportive. Not everyone is as lucky or shall I say blessed as I, but you can still find good support that will get you through the stress.

Every one of us, 17, that is have jobs. 5 of those 17 failed the exit exam and are having to take it for a 3rd time. In saying that, Out of the 13 that did graduate, 5 are working for Memorial City, 1 at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, 1 at Memorial Northwest, 1 at CyFair Hospital, 2 at St. Katherine in Katy, 1 at Texas CHildrens Hospital, I can't think of the other two right now. THe hospitals really like CyFair students though. You will find a job with no problem. Memorial City is a great hospital to do clinicals and get a job. I work at TExas CHildrens because I got on as a PCA there in the summer because I wanted to be a nurse at TCH. Most started looking for jobs the last semester. Only two of us had jobs elsewhere before then. The teachers really don't talk a lot about career and jobs, but the management class the last semesters will lead you in that direction. Hope this helps and good luck!

I highly recommend TCH! I work there and the facility treats its employees very well. I love the staff, the benefits are awesome, and it is absolutely the most rewarding place. Of course I am partial, but I know for a fact that it is very hard to get on with TCH so if you have the opportunity to get on there, take it! It is a great place to be, especially for a new grad. Lots of learning due to it being a teaching hospital. HOpe this helps!

As a new graduate working at TCH, I highly recommend pursuing TExas Childrens. Here is why......It is the 4th best pediatric hospital in the Nation and it is rated the #3 place to work in Houston. TCH treats their employees very well and pay well too. I started working there as a PCA and transitioned into a nursing position that actually started this week. I took my boards last week and passed. It is very competitive and difficult to get on with TCH so if you have the opportunity, you jump on it. Trust me, you will absolutely love it. TCH pays for your parking, vanpools, or bus transportation. It is a great place to be as a new grad as it is a teaching hospital and the acuity is higher than the suburban hospitals. You will be exposed to many cultures, many disease processes, and innovative ways to do things. It is a good place to learn and start out and it looks good on the resume! If you can't get on at TCH, then I would definitely try somewhere in the medical center. This is strictly my opinion, but I look forward to going into work and love the people that I work with. This is very important. Hope this helps! Good luck!

I recommend KAPLAN. I went to the classes and did all of the question bank with an average of 58%. In the question bank trainer questions, I averaged anywhere from 59% to 65%. I also did an additional 1500 NCLEX questions or so from other sources. When I went to KAPLAN they give you a diagnostic test the first day and that was a 61% for me and the readiness test on the last day (they want you to be 65% or above) was a 67%. They said I was ready to take the NCLEX. I took it the next week and passed. No matter how much you prepare, you will still think you didn't do well on the NCLEX. Just remember 85% of people that take the NCLEX pass. Just read the rationale on all questions that you miss and this will help you learn the material that you are weak in. You will do fine. Good luck!

I graduated December 13th, took Kaplan on December 20th, took NCLEX on December 26th, and passed on December 27th. I recommend not waiting too long. I prepared by doing the KAPLAN q bank and attending their class. I think they do an excellent job of preparing you for the NCLEX. I think I did a total of 2500 to 3000 NCLEX questions total. I think this is the key. I wanted to get the NCLEX out of the way before I started my job so that I could concentrate on learning and doing the best job I could do without having to worry about the NCLEX. THat is just my personal preference. Also know that appointments fill up pretty quickly with Pearson, but you can go on every night and check cancellations and there are plenty of them, but you have to keep checking. I don't know if this helps you or not, but good luck!

I did about 3000 NCLEX questions and did the KAPLAN review. I took the NCLEX the week after KAPLAN and passed. I would say doing the questions is the best. I didn't study material, just questions. As you go through and do the questions, you will learn the material by reading the rationale to the ones you got wrong. KAPLAN has a really good question bank that mimics the NCLEX, but a little more difficult. I averaged about a 59% on the qbank and it more than prepared me for the NCLEX. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions. Although I will have to say that when you are taking the NCLEX, you won't think that you are doing well, especially towards the end as you get the more difficult questions. You will leave there feeling down and out. Just remember.....almost everyone feels this way and it doesn't matter which number you stop at. Everyone gets a different set of questions and starts out differently and goes in a different order based on the questions that you answer correctly. Try not compare yourself to the ones that stopped at 75 or 265. I stopped at 103 and thought it wasn't a good sign. The results were up on the BON within 24 hours so I didn't have to pay for the quick results. Good luck!

As a graduate from the CyFair nursing program, I can tell you, that it is a very hard program to go through. However, I took the NCLEX yesterday and passed. I think CyFair does an incredible job of preparing you to take NCLEX. THere will be tears, failing grades, and kicks in the gut, but you will get through it by staying focused. When you don't like the professor, just remember in the end, you will learn to appreciate what they taught you and how tough they were on you. The professors aren't warm and fuzzy like you would like for them to be. They aren't there to be your friends or to be nice to you. I discovered that it isn't that they don't care, but that they have to put that wall up to get you to where you need to be. Yes, some of them do not have the best interpersonal skills, but those are the ones that are some of the best. YOu are just going to need to realize that it isn't anything personal against you although you will think it is. As long as you are doing your part, they will do theirs to help you get through. I am saying these things to you so that when you go through and you feel like you want to quit, you won't! We need good nurses and focused ones at that. My best advice to you is to not get caught up in all of the reading. YOu just can't read every word. Look at the charts and learn pathophysiology of each disease process along with nursing care and assessment. I learned about the diseases and assessment of and that is it. Learn your values. Listen to me.....you can not read every single word and expect to do great in this program. You will get bogged down, trust me....I have friends that get really bogged down in the reading. Some people need that security and if you are one of those, then that is your preference. I read everything first semester and part of second semester and learned that it was holding me back. Anyhow......I hope this helps you and have a great 2 years at CyFair. It will fly by and you will be so appreciative of it after it is over. Good luck and post if you ever have any questions.

Well, I just knew I had failed because I got a lot of those "select all that apply" questions and I am sure that I didn't get any of them right. However, I PASSED!!!!! What an awesome feeling. Thanks for the replies guys. It really helps getting on allnurses.com and reading everyone's comments. It was uplifting to know that everyone has felt just the way I felt. I felt so dumb when I left out of that testing room. It is all behind me now!!!!!:balloons::balloons: To everyone out there getting ready to take the exam.....Good Luck and think positive. I don't think there is anything that anyone can say to make you feel better after you have taken it, but it helps to know you aren't alone.

Anyone out there stop at or around this number and pass? I know it is so hard to predict who will pass and won't, but it sure feels better to know that someone passed with that number. I felt okay the first 50 questions and then it just got harder and harder. Anyone experience this? I need some comfort while I wait! This is the worst!

I am a CyFair college nursing student and I agree that no other schools should be bashed in any way. All schools have their difficulties and the bottom line is that you pass your boards. If you pass your boards, I would say that whatever school you went to did an appropriate job of preparing you. After saying all of this, the only comparison that I have is CyFair since I haven't been to any other nursing program. It is difficult and yes the grading scale is harder than a lot, but you will be that much more prepared. Believe me, I hate the grading scale, but have managed to get passed it. If you want to be a nurse, then don't blame failures on the grading scale. If you don't like the grading scale, then apply somewhere else. Every school is not for everyone. I think CyFair has great instructors with great experiences that can be learned from. I think our clinical experiences are at some awesome facilities. Just do your homework and see what school best suits your needs.