myty23

Also, being a CNA is great experience for nursing. I am a tech at the hospital right now and have learned a great deal in patient care, not specific nursing duties, but basic patient care that it seems many nurses think they are not responsible for doing. I have learned the job of the tech/CNA and when I am a nurse will respect their job and understand what it's like to be in their shoes much more than if I never had this job. It's very obvious at times which nurses were techs before and which ones weren't. I know what kind of nurse I want to be more now than before I was ever a tech. I also am much more comfortable on the floor and working with people and patietns in the hospital.

Don't just apply online. Print out copies of your resume, dress up like you are going in for an interview, and go to each floor of the hospital, introduce yourself to the manager and personally hand them your resume. Tell them you applied online and you are really intersted in the job, tell them you are going to nursing school and you want a long future with them. The only way to get a job is to make yourself known. You are a needle in a haystack in online applications. My husband applied for tech jobs over and over again...then he walked in the the hospital like I just described and almost hired on the spot by the first manager he talked to...yes he still had to jump through the hoops by applying online, etc, but she knew him and liked him at that point and made sure he got the job. I also have gotten jobs this way too. Never have gotten a job by just applying online.

Congrats honeybee!!! I just went to my pinning ceremony on thursday. It was nothing short of amazing and surreal. So excited!!!! :)

I'm so glad I read this post. I've been thining about doing the same thing. Graduating in May and wondering if I could handle working night shift. I have two kids and they would also be in school/daycare during the day so I can sleep. Reading your posts it makes me feel so much more confident that I can do this. I really want the extra pay and sometimes think this schedule would work out better than the day shift, but wasn't sure how I could handle the differences in sleep schedule/etc. Thanks again for all the replies! :)

My school has an orientation day for the family members (spouses/parents, etc) before the first semester of the nursing program, where they explain in a very matter of fact way how much work it is and how much support the student will need to get through. I think it's a wonderful idea and think every school should do it.

Thanks everyone. I'm feeling a little better lately. I think it just kind of started to sink in all at once that I'm really at the end...starting preceptorship, then on my own in the nursing world. I've been waiting and wishing for this for so long and knew it was coming, but it just didn't really hit me until we got our assignments for preceptorship. I'm so excited, nervous, but happy to be here at the end!! I felt this way before starting clinicals too, so I know I will probably get over it fast, it's just a little scary jumping into the unknown....But here goes!! :) :)

I'm so excited and have been waiting to get to this point for so long, we just got our locations for our preceptorship and now all the sudden I'm just nauseated thinking about doing this. I'm sooo nervous! I just don't know if I'm ready yet, I don't feel like I know enough, and don't feel like I have had enough exposure/experience with skills, patient loads, etc in clinicals...I'm scared to death!! Help!

Thanks, I saw that, but actually what I'm wondering about is their online review for the NCLEX, it has content, practice questions, etc....just wondering if anyone has taken it and if it was good or worth their money. This is the website for it: http://learningext.com/hives/534b38552a/summary

Has anyone used this to study for the NCLEX? It's an online NCLEX review created by the NCSBN (national counsel of state boards of nursing). I heard about it through a friend, but had never heard of it before now. I posted a question a couple days ago about the Hurst review course and am just trying to figure out the best (and cheapest) way I can prepare for the NCLEX. This one has a timed subscription to the online campus and it's $50 for 3 weeks access, which is way cheaper than the hurst review. Have any of you had success or heard of success with this program? Any imput is appreciated! Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the responses! I am still considering my options. Our school offeres a 3 day HESI review for the NCLEX and some have said it is good but others not, so I'm just not sure if I want to risk it. I like that Hurst has a guarantee if you don't pass the nclex you get your money back, makes me think it must really be working.

We are being offered the Hurst Review for the NCLEX, but it is $350 for a 3 day review. I'm wondering if it is worth the money...any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

I am graduating in May and just got a job as a PCT at a hospital. The manager and many other nurses have told me that in their experience nurses who were techs/CNA's before they were nurses have generally become better nurses and have a much better team approach to the job since they have been on the other side before. I'm sure it helps in nursing school too, but look even further down the road and it will help you in your job as a nurse also. Go for it!

I sooo owe my husband after this is over too....He is working 2 jobs and sacrificing much time with me and the kids and has just put up with so much with me being in school. I also owe my mom big time for helping me watch the kids when I need to study on a weekly basis. I couldn't have done it without those two!! You sound like a great dad and husband to be so greatful for your wife!

I have never told another student that they are lucky they don't have kids...Personally, I'm not upset about my situation being in nursing school with kids at all. This is the way that worked for me best, as stated earlier. Nobody on this thread said anything about people with kids having it easier until you came on here and assumed that's where we were coming from....Almost as if you were offended and had to prove to us that just because others don't have kids that they have it just as hard. But nobody was saying you didn't. The girl wanted advice from people who are in a similar situation. That's not limiting the advice, but getting better directed advice that would be more compatible to her personal situation. If she came on here and just asked a question to any student the advice may not have been good for her. A young college student still living at home with parents is going to have a much different study schedule and coping strategies than a student who has kids and his/her own home to care for along with going to school. If somebody asked "Students who have full time jobs and go to school how are you handling it" would you have gone on there and preached to them about how other students who don't work full time have just as many struggles??? Nobody is elevating themselves because we have kids. In fact, the untraditional students are the ones who are a little older in age and have children, we are the minority...many times it feels we are the ones who are different. I appreciate that you have a tough situation and I feel taking care of a totally dependent adult 24/7 would be a lot harder than having children. So I feel for you and definitely don't discount the struggles you face. It just came off a little preachy that's all.

I really wanted to find a good study group, because I also learn by explaining and teaching things, it helps me to process the information...I just didn't find the right group, found great friends, just not great study partners. I think the people you are studying with is what makes it or breaks it. You all have to be just as prepared and motivated otherwise it just doesn't work.

I found these you tube videos when I was looking for some extra help in learning neurons, etc...this guy is excellent! He has tons of videos on almost any educational subject (biology, math, chemistry, physics, the list goes on and on) There are TONS of videos in each section. I learned more listening to some of his videos than I could have ever retained in reading the textbook. Here are the biology videos, great for just needing a refresher on certain topics: http://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy#p/c/7A9646BC5110CF64

I know that students without kids face many struggles as well. But from experience, I have seen many of the students without kids still continue to go out and party on most weekends and sometimes even school nights and they are still passing. Granted, it seems that they don't do as well as many of the students with kids because they don't have as many obligations to keep them focused. I do realize that this is not the case for everyone with out kids, but it seems to be the majority, at least in my school. I know for a fact that if I was in this program back when I was younger and no kids, I probably wouldn't have made it because I was not as determined to do well as I am now that I have other peoples lives depending on my success. So I don't envy those without kids at all. I'll never understand why people without kids seem to get offended by the people with kids complaining of their struggles...it's almost like they have to prove that they have it just as rough or something. I don't think anyone is diminishing other students struggles at all, the OP was just looking for support from people who truly understand her situation.

I have the Saunders, but it isn't my favorite. Here's the books I have: Prentice Hall NCLEX Review's and Rationales Fundamentals Success Med/Surg Success Pharmacology Success Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment Practice Exercises for NCLEX (Mosby) ECG Interpretation Made Incredibly Easy (great for when you are learning cardiac) HESI Review for the NCLEX Lippincotts Emergency Nursing Q&A

I have 2 kids, 6 and 3, they were 4 and 1 when I started school and I'm about to graduate in May. It is a struggle, but honestly having kids made me a better student than I would have been without kids because it forced me to stay ahead of the game because I always knew that if I didn't study when I had the opportunity, later I might not be able to if the kids get sick, etc, etc...But I agree with some of the other posts, I also did not look too far ahead because it gave me so much anxiety looking at how much would be due in the next month, it seemed impossible. But if I only looked about a week ahead that helped a lot. I also think it's very important to get out of the house to study. Yes, this does mean you'll be away more, but if you are locked up in your room/office studying, you are basically away anyways. I could never study at home. Even if my husband was here to help, he never kept them entertained and away from me the way I needed him to and it was just too difficult. I study at the school library, at bookstores, coffee shops, and even in parks when the weather is nice. But I never study at home unless they are not here. Also, make sure to make use of your time wisely. If your kids are in daycare full time, use that time after class and on your days off of school to study until it's time to pick them up. It will get better as time goes on because you will adjust to the chaos. It will still be stressfull at times still, but it does get better. Just keep going, don't give up, because ultimately you are doing this for your kids. They will have a better life and you will be an inspiration to them to go to college later on also. Oh, and don't forget to take time off and really enjoy being with your family at least once a week (and don't feel guilty about it!).

I don't have any suggestions, but I am right where you are...just can't seem to find the motivation. I guess knowing it's almost over it makes it hard to put as much into it. I'm just so burnt out on it all. I am set to graduate in may and will start preceptorship in march, but I also feel the same as you. Clinicals just have not given me the experience or exposure that I need to be a confident, good nurse. I really hope I get a good and patient preceptor who is willing to really teach me. I still have not gotten to do an IV, foley.....and many other skills that we learned forever ago, there's no way I could remember what I did on that plastic dummy one time! I hope some other people have some good advice,because I'm really interested also!

If you made it through, it's for a reason. You have every single right to be there and include yourself in one of those "smarties"! If people in the class are flaunting their ingelligence, they are doing so because they are actually insecure about their intelligence, so don't let their type discourage you. Buck up and stop feeling less than!!!

I do the same thing. First semester, I read every single chapter assigned, made outlines of the chapters, just spent a whole lot of time in the text book. I needed to do it that way then, but as time went on, I learned how to know what was important to focus on and what wasn't. I'm in my last semester and I rarely read out of the textbook at all now, there is just too much fluff. I use a combination...keypoint printouts from the book off evolve (summary of the chapter), powerpoints, notes from class, nclex books, and also practicing questions. I also study at Barnes & Noble and pull books off the shelf all the time and read stuff out of them if they are helpful. I still study a lot, but I'm much more efficient with my studying now compared to then. You can read and read and read and still not know how to apply the information. I've seen other students put so much effort and time in reading the chapters 2 or 3 times, but they still struggled on the tests.

It is none of there business and I don't think legally they can base their decision on this, but that doesn't mean they won't. I applied and went to a job interview when I was 4 months pregnant and I didn't tell them. When they offered me the job I told them though. I was told by a supervisor later on down the road that if I would have told them, I probably wouldn't have gotten hired because they apparently were upset when I told them after they offered me the job. Oh well, I got the job didn't I? :)

Honestly, I never got out of a study group what I wanted. I found that studying on my own is most effective. I tried a couple of times and it never worked. The first time, everyone seemed to be on a power trip and some people wanted to control the whole thing and be the only ones who talked and knew the answers, etc and there was lot of "cattiness" that was going on too...the 2nd time was with my group of friends in nursing school and we are all still friends now, but we just can't study together. We would talk way too much and just got distracted really easily. Also, I tend to study ahead of time a lot and none of them really seemed to. They would come to the group not having read anything yet at all and it was hard for me because I wanted to talk about the material that I studied and it just didn't work. But I was blessed to have found some great friends and I like that better anyways. So you study the way you need to, if a group environment doesn't work for you there is nothing wrong with that.

I know this is silly, but it is something that really gets under my skin. Every time I'm looking through a chart and looking at Dr's orders/progress notes, it seriously looks like a 2 year old just scribbled on some paper....and I'm supposed to know how to read this!?!? I mean, it's kind of important that I read the Dr's order right? Is there a trick to it? Does anybody else have the same problem as I do? I'm graduating in May and I'm scared that I'll never be able to read their chicken scratch!