FutureNavyNrs

We had a separate pharm class, but it was back in 2nd semester and I'm sure I don't remember half of what I learned. The way that our instructor taught it to us was to break it down by class and then teach us a representative drug of each class. It helped at the time, but now I'm not 100% sure. 4th semester we also really got hammered on the common meds used in the ICU during critical care, so I feel like I might actually remember one or two of those if asked about them on the NCLEX. It will be interesting to see what I do and don't remember, though.

I'm thinking really good thoughts for you. Just remember to relax, and you will do fine. Good Luck!

I've found that you just get used to it. This was a big concern of mine, and my very first day of clinicals found me with a patient who barfed throughout my whole shift. I spent a lot of time cleaning up barf, holding a pan while she barfed, giving her bed baths, and did I mention holding the pan while she barfed? :) In any case, one thing I've learned can help (but that I'd save for the times you need to empty colostomy bags), is a face mask with a bit of vicks vaporub smeared under your nose. Totally kills the smell.

I'm in my fifth semester of a BSN program and while we started with 48, we will have 43 graduating. We have lost 8 and gained three - two from the class ahead of us and one that transferred from another campus. I was a straight A student going into this, and I have maintained mostly A's and B's throughout the program - except for second semester, where I had two C's. Nursing school is difficult, but it's not impossible. Our school also requires students to take the HESI test their last semester. If you don't pass with a certain score the first time, you have to take it again, at your expense. They say that if you don't pass the second time, you don't graduate, but I know someone that didn't pass it the second time last year and they graduated her after she took an NCLEX prep course. Apparently, though, since they've added the requirement for the HESI test, the NCLEX pass rate has gone up to 97%.

We don't practice much on each other either - just the noninvasive stuff that we covered first semester - so vitals, bed baths, ADL's, restraints, turning, changing linens, etc. We also did blood glucose testing on each other, but that wasn't a big deal. We had the dummy arms for IV's and blood draws, mannequins for everything else. Clinicals is where you get to practice your skills, such as they are, on real people. My friend is in a phlebotomist program at the local VoTech and she carries a card in her billfold that certifies that she's in the program because they practice on one another and her arms are so tracked up she looks like a junkie.