::DizZy::

Need some advice here. When I graduated in May I was lined up to start a periop internship (dream job in my dream hospital) in August that you could only begin after your license was obtained. Well... I didn't pass the NCLEX the first time and only now just recently passed. I still have my internship waiting for me but it begins in Feb of 08. After failing boards the first time I thought it would be wise to dedicate all of my time to studying so I did not work at that time and am still currently out of the job. I very much want this position but would like to work in some capacity prior to beginning the program. As a new grad I can expect that starting a new position at another hospital will require lots of time and money for training... and I don't particularly want to just leave an institution hanging to start some other job that I never told them about. That's the dilemma. I can't stress enough how badly I want to work in the OR. This position had many applicants and I don't want to give it up. My friends in the nursing field just tell me to apply at another hospital and not even tell them about this other position since they have new nurses that leave all the time. Any advice? I'm just an honest person and I hate to screw over a hospital that would hire me. Are there any positions that I could fill for the next 2 to 3 months that wouldn't require extensive training?

Just got back from our celebratory dinner. Passed the second time after a horrible first attempt back in July. 265 Q's the first time and 175 just recently. Honestly, I knew that I passed the second time walking out of the testing center and even started crying in the car out of joy. It felt SO much easier than my first attempt... where afterwards I cried in the bathroom and spread the word to all my classmates that it was the hardest test in the world. It doesn't have to be. What was different? A couple things... I had NO anxiety when I took it two days ago. I remember going past 75 the first time and FREAKING OUT! Don't! I was one of the first people in my class to take it and for some reason held onto the assumption that anything more meant failure. Only after I failed did I learn that several people from my class got all the Q's and passed. Not knowing this added to my anxiety during the test. I still had my job riding on the line the second time but going in with CONFIDENCE helps a lot! I ate well before my second attempt. The first time I was SO NERVOUS that I could hardly eat... the breakfast at the hotel was abysmal... runny eggs and nasty sausage links. Well this time I cooked my own omelet and popped some energy gel before the test. I took a break every hour and snacked on things that would give my brain some energy to be able to think critically. Plus I dressed comfortably and utilized the headphones to help me concentrate. Kaplan Qbank... I swear taking the test the second time felt like I was just doing more Qbank questions. I did all the Qbank Q's and averaged around 66%. Kaplan questions felt more like the test than Saunders, which I used to study the first time. What I did was use Kaplan for questions and Saunders for reviewing content that I needed to brush up on. Trainer 1 - 57% Trainer 2 - 71% Trainer 3 - 60% Trainer 4 - 49%... ouch... but I really didn't put much effort into this one... hey I have ADD Stopped at 4 and did half of 5 but don't know how i did. Qbank is what made me decide to take the test... 66% on ~2000 questions. Everything above helped me to pass the second time with flying colors. I'm sure it was just as hard as the first time but it just didn't feel that way. Anyway I just wanted to give some of my fellow aspiring nurses some tips. It's doable! Just don't give up and don't freak out!

The stars were in alignment. I just had to pass this test to begin my dream job in my dream hospital at the end of the month. Sadly, I had to inform my manager and recruiter that I wouldn't be starting after I got my results yesterday. I failed with 265. Been talking with my friends and the only good that I can take from this is knowing that I was borderline. I could have been just above or just below that passing standard during the last stretch of questions. Is this safe to assume? It's giving me hope that a little more refinement will get me above the line. I did over 3000 questions from Saunders and the Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment book; CH16 felt exactly like the NCLEX to me. Gonna try Kaplan now. Any other suggestions/motivations would be appreciated. Thanks... I know I can do it