OLDCARTS

Best of luck, wishiwasarn. I'll be praying for you!

Thanks all!

Thanks for the congrats. As far as pham, to be honest, since I didn't have very much time and since there are SO many meds, I just reviewed the major ones and only the major side effects. Thankfully I didn't get many med questions, but it could be different for you... So if you have the time, definitely do lots of Pharm questions from the CD. That's the best way to review the variety of meds in my opinion. I tried to pay particular attention to the suffixes (like -mides, -lols, -virs, etc.) instead of trying to memorize individual meds. How much time to you have left to prepare? Best of luck! You'll be in my prayers!

First I must say that God is most certainly good. I prayed, had faith, and he gave me the peace and strength that I needed to pass the exam. I left the testing center feeling VERY doubtful since I got ONLY THREE ALTERNATE TYPE QUESTIONS (One or two SATA q's, and an IMPOSSIBLE med calculation, which I know I answered incorrectly). The test was difficult in a tricky way. I often had to decide between two correct answers. It was NOT always obvious. I got A LOT of "which patient would you see first" scenarios, and they kept on coming... one after another. It was intimidating, but I remained prayerful and hopeful. All I can say is that God is good. I committed a total of 18 days to preparing and used Saunder's Comprehensive Review NCLEX-RN. I made a schedule for myself and was able to read most of the chapters (excluding peds, growth and development, renal, ear and eye, musculoskeletal, and mental health since I was on a time crunch). For those chapters that I skipped, I was sure to use the Interactive CD to review questions from those sections. I believe that's what saved me. I'm sure I did 500-800 questions in total. Also, as I studied and did questions, I wrote down key facts and things that I felt were important and especially worth noting. By the time I was done studying, I had at least 40 pages of written information, which I easily was able to go over the day before the exam. I tried not to cover any "fresh" material the day before the exam. It was crazy, but I did it! For those of you studying and waiting for results.... PRAY. It does help.

You never know. I wouldn't beat myself up if I were you. Stay hopeful. There isn't much you can do now until you get the results... except pray about it. I've heard success stories w/ 75 questions. Best of luck. Let us know how you did.

Thanks for the information, Bleta10. I'll be interviewing with them in March for a Med/Surg position. I don't graduate 'til May? Have you already graduated?

mlos, i didn't get the link to work, but i was able to go to https://www.highmarkbcbs.com and to search for hospitals near pittsburgh. thank you so much! great help!

Good call! Wow, I didn't even pick that up! There are quite a few that I saw which are't under UPMC... but I see now that some are missing! Would anyone happen to have a more comprehensive list? Thanks MLOS and core0.

:balloons: Congratulations! :balloons:

I had been searching tirelessly for a list of Pittsburgh hospitals and finally came across this PA map that highlights most Western PA hospitals. I'm hoping to work there when I graduate in May but was having trouble finding a greater selection of hospitals close to the 'burgh. It's provided by UPMC but includes all of the other hospitals. It's on PAGE 6 of the PDF. I hope it's useful to ya! http://www.upmchealthplan.com/about/annual/pdf/UPMC_AR05.pdf

NdMom, there has actually only been one occasion where I had enough money left over from loans to help with housing. I try to borrow exactly what I need to cover each year's tuition. Thankfully, my parents help out with books, living expenses, etc. So, how'd I end up owing the unfortunate $90,000? -For two years, before I decided to become a nurse, I majored in Biology and had to spend extra semesters making up for the lost credits :-( -I go to a private university, which is a bit more costly than most public univerities. -I don't have any scholarships and don't qualify for much aid. You mentioned that you'll be returning to school. Congrats on deciding to further your education! My advice is to take out exactly what you need and not much more if you can avoid it. The extra money you'll end up owing in interest probably isn't worth it. Good luck!

I think I might win this one... $90,000 for a BSN in Nursing and minor in Biology!

Me: Graduating in May. Will be a RN and eventually FNP. Fiance: Software Engineer with hopes to be an entrepreneur. We've got tons in common, but he's definitely more business-oriented... the common sense of the relationship, lol. I'm the book smart one. So... I guess we complement each other.

so happy for you! congratulations!!!!:balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons:

don't worry! you're going to be fine... i can feel it! best of luck! can't wait to write a congratulatory post for ya! :balloons:

I've read that Ramipril safely reduces proteinuria.

thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

:balloons:Congratulations:balloons: and thank you SO much!

I can't say exactly why... but I can't imagine feeling comfortable being a patient at my place of employment. It's too personal, lol. I'm a nursing student, and I once had a fellow student as my labor and delivery patient. It actually wasn't so bad, but I felt kinda awkward for her!

I'm a senior (class of '08). Here's my advice to you... Review Anatomy and Physiology! You'll appreciate the extra time you'd spent on it, later! Plus, mastering anatomy will serve as a great foundation for your studies and career. I hope that helps. Best of luck!

Are you serious?! I'm a nursing student and can only imagine how annoying that'd be! WoW! What ever happened to the call bells? lol! The worst thing, in my opinion, is when patients refuse recommended treatments and therapy. I've had countless patients who refuse PT. I know it can be tedious and all for ailing pts, but they often don't appreciate how much of an improvement that hour out of bed each day can make!

:balloons:Congratulations to each of you who recently passed! :balloons: So happy for you!!!

Love your story, NNNikki! Since I'm pretty new to this site, I guess this will not only serve as a name description, but also as an introduction. OLDCARTS, as most of you probably already know, is an acronym commonly used for nursing assessments. O for Onset L for Location D for Duration C for Characteristics A for Associated symptoms (or aggravating factors) R for Relieving factors T for Timing (or treatment) S for Severity (or scale) Ohhh, BTW, I'm a nursing student (senior)... not yet in my "First Year in Nursing", but I couldn't help crashing! :imbar