a.w.n.

I have a few questions for you informaticsRN!!!! Please let me know asap if you are still willing to share some knowledge! Thanks!

I hope tomorrow goes better. I'm only half way through orientation and I already had a family member call the charge nurse to complain about me. I heard in report that this woman was already causing trouble with the nurses, but those are usually the people I connect with the best. But today was different. My preceptor rushes me so much, and its not like I'm drowning...she is just high strung and is all over me ALL THE TIME. Its not helping me at all, and sometimes I wonder if I'd do better without her help. At the end of the day I just feel frazzled. But today she was all over me for not having my charting done at 1030 (like she would've), so I was trying to do what she asked when a family member asked me to bring pain meds. By the time I finished charting on one pt and then giving discharge report to the case manager, an hour had gone by before I could get pain meds to my pt. The family member went off on me about how long it took, and to be real honest, this person was pretty sedated and I didn't want to give pain meds too soon anyways. I tried to explain to this person why I was reluctant to give more pain meds, and she just said I was being condescending. Either way, a call went to my charge nurse and to the attending (thankfully, both SAID they understood...but I'm not so sure thats what they were thinking). How awful to have that happen only 1/2 through orientation...I'm stunned. Many more factors played into this situation (as always), but it made me come home totally feeling like crap. I don't know if I can last with this preceptor much longer, thinking about the next 4 weeks is like thinking about 4 weeks of nails being raked across a chalk board. If only someone could help me... Sorry for the venting, but maybe someone who reads this might understand it.

Do you have a Portfolio? As part of my nursing program they had us put together a HUGE portfolio that no one would want to look at...but I took that idea and improved it. I now have a leather portfolio with tabs for my resume, my letters of reccomendation, my accomplishments (degrees, awards & such), my professional relationships (memberships in nursing organizations, offices held in honor society and student nurses association), and also a section showcasing my volunteer experiences. The tabs are typed and all of the sheets of paper are in paper protectors so that it looks very neat and organized. My resume itself looks different from other peoples' because I made my own formatting instead of using some dumb resume wizard that everyone else uses. Also, your school should have a career counselor that can help you to improve your resume. Then, in my portfolio pockets, I also have extra copies of my resume, at least 2 printed lists of references (both personal and professional), copies of my RN license, BLS card, and my immunizations. This way...no matter what they ask for, I've got it right there to hand to them. My next suggestion is about appearance. I went out and bought a very nice business suit and a nice leather bag to carry my portfolio in. I know...this is hard to do when you're broke, but it really says a lot about you and your seriousness in the position. As for interviewing.......eeek. Just try not to show how nervous you are, because I KNOW how nervous I was, but I just tried to remain calm and answer questions clearly. I know that after a few bad interviews your confidence gets knocked down...but just remember that the person sitting in front of you doesn't know that. Each one is a new chance to make it better than the last. Good luck, and I hope this helps.

I just don't think that there is any way to know about all of the meds that NCLEX will ask you about. I hadn't ever heard about 95% of them, nor seen them used in the clinical setting. All I did to study was use Kaplan Review. Just study the major drug classes and try to remember some of the drug names in each. Pay close attention to the ones that have toxicity levels. Good luck to you, and try not to stress so much, especially after taking it (yeah right). But No one thinks they passed until they find out otherwise.

ok! i am not an emotional person, but i am crying now...tears of joy because... :balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons:i passed!!!!!!:balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons: and i really had my doubts. good luck to everyone else. they are not testing your knowledge, they are testing to see if you can think like a nurse. sometimes i even wonder if there is 1 right answer...or if they just want you to be able to think critically under stress!!!!

So...I have been reading posts on this forum for a few weeks, and it has helped me. But when I walked out of the testing center having only answered 75 questions, I almost had an aneurism. I took it 7/7 at 2 and my results should be up now. This post is just to express, before knowing, that I am very much in doubt. I got a lot of nutrition, who to discharge in an emergency situation and prioritization, 2 med calculations that were fill in the blank, about 5+ select all that apply, and many...many...pharm questions that I had never heard of. For the last 15 questions, I had to pee so bad that my molars were floating, but said "just make it to 75 and then take a break." At 75...there it went...blue screen. I have been a wreck for 2 days. And right NOW, I am going to the website to check my results. I am broke, and I start my job in a week and a half if I have a license...if not, its waitressing for me for the next 4 months. Congrats to all of those who have made it Wish me luck!

A bit of advice...don't wake up and drink 2 cups of coffee before going in! I didn't feel too nervous until the day of; my boyfriend woke me up by saying "Aren't you excited?" I could have strangled him, I was fine until he started reminding me about what a big deal it was. I proceeded to look up last minute things (lab values) while drinking 2 cups of coffee. By the time I got in there I was shaking and the coffee magnified my anxiety. I got 75 questions, and I don't know yet if I passed. But most of the meds on the exam I hadn't even heard of before. Good Luck! and don't drink a bunch of coffee.

I took NCLEX sat. the 7th. Still don't see my results on the website. I, too, got 75 questions and walked out of there thinking...wait...give me more, I know I can prove myself. I had lots of med q's, lots of nutrition, 2 of the fill in the blank med calculations, and 5 select all that apply! I am still very nervous, and for a while, thought, I have to have someone else look up the results, because I just can't do it. I certainly did not walk out of there confident that I had passed...the exact opposite in fact. We'll see. If I didn't pass, I won't get my job; and believe it or not...it is hard to find a position around here as a new grad, even if you have gotten you license. Good luck to you, and good luck to me too :)