diapersprinkles

i am a nurse here in the philippines with a strong clinical background. lately, however, i have come to realize that bedside nursing is not really for me. i have attended the seminar in health informatics offered by the national telehealth office at UP manila. they have advised us to master the FOSS and freelance in doctor's clinics to gain some credentials, which i find very unstable. i am at a crossroad right now on whether to take up a Masters in Nursing or a Computer Science course. if i pursue the comsci path, how are my chances of getting a nursing informatics job here in the philippines? any insight will greatly be appreciated, especially those who are still here in the PI. thank you.

1. what are the materials that you used? i was supposed to read saunders cover-to-cover but i was unable to do so because i have been working 12 hour shifts lately (toxic!). i have read saunders only up to chapter 21 (sheesh). i figured that i won't be able to finish reading saunders so i just tried to answer nclex style questions from cds during my rest day and when i have free time. i used nclex-rn review made incredibly easy and the saunders cd. 2. how many hours per day did you study? how many questions did you answer per day? it depends. when i received my att, i even made a study schedule, but i wasn't able to follow it because our schedule changes every week. it's very hard to establish a fixed study period because i'm also working and i work different shifts (and most of the time, 12hr shifts) every day or every other day. one day i'm from night duty, the next day i'm on a morning/afternoon duty. it's very difficult especially when i'm already very, very tired from work. i usually spend 30mins to an hour to answer questions but it's not on a daily basis. i make up for it during my rest days by answering a lot of nclex questions the whole day. i have answered only around 1500 questions all in all. 3. how many days or months in total have you studied before taking the exam? around 3 months, but as i mentioned earlier, not on a daily basis. i only had 12 rest days during those 3 months wherein i had the chance to really seriously study. i was scheduled to write the exam on the last week of november but i had it moved until the final day of my att validity because i am so not prepared to take the exam. i just had no choice but to take it at this time because it will expire already. have i had no work and more time to study, i would've studied more thoroughly. 4. what are the specific strategies that you used or the test taking skills you applied during the exam? prioritization, maslows, abc. good thing there was a chapter about that on the early part of saunders. however, i still had difficulty on prioritization questions during the exam because most of the time, the choices/cases/situations all require the nurse's immediate attention. it took me a long time to answer those questions because i still have to analyze each situation. i was putting myself in the situation and kept asking myself that if i am the nurse, who will i assess first. i also had difficulty with the select all that apply questions! it was even harder for me because i have not memorized normal laboratory values, foods that are rich in this and that, cranial nerves, etc. i guess it's the combination of stock (and unstuck) knowledge, good test taking strategies, and sheer luck. read the questions and choices carefully and analyze. when i took my nclex, i hid the timer button so i won't get conscious of the time i spend answering the questions. i'm not telling you to ignore the time or take too long answering the questions, it's just because i can't think properly when i'm constantly reminded by how much time i have left. i have encountered a lot of questions where i have totally no idea of the answer! i try to make an intelligent guess and make sure that i get the answers right on the questions that i am familiar with (which has been harder for me because i have a lot of select all that apply questions-one wrong check, everything's wrong). i have also used a lot the process of elimination... and lots of prayers! 5. take one or take two? take one. passed at 75 items. thank god! though i passed, i am still wishing that i was given the time to really study for the exam... that would probably make my nclex experience less excruciating. what i have written above is just my own experience of studying while working. have i been given more time, i would've studied more thoroughly. i have been waiting so long to contribute to this thread and now i finally can! thank you for all your inputs. it has helped me a lot.

i took the assessment test and it said my total score is 74%. it also has a breakdown of my scores but it didn't explain what those meant. does the 74 mean i'll fail if that was the real test?

what's the pearson trick you are talking about? thank you.

thanks for the information you have given. i just want to clarify. so if for example i am single and my name is Anne Marie Gomez Lopez, Anne Marie is the first name, Gomez is the middle name, and Lopez is the first name? thank you!

thank you so much live to learn and june 2009!!! i will ask our charge nurses if the normal range that we use is applicable to patients on mech vent.. if the values they use aren't adjusted, then i'd just disconnect when reading cvp unless contraindicated. thank you again!

does the patient have to be disconnected from the mech vent when taking cvp? because i see some nurses practice it and others don't. i once asked what the rationale behind that and i was told that the mech vent increases the cvp reading. i tried looking at the skills manual but there isn't anything mentioned there about disconnecting the patient from the mech vent while reading cvp. please enlighten me on this. thank you very much.

does the patient have to be disconnected from the mech vent when taking cvp? because i see some nurses practice it and others don't. i once asked what the rationale behind that and i was told that the mech vent increases the cvp reading. i tried looking at the skills manual but there isn't anything mentioned there about disconnecting the patient from the mech vent while reading cvp. please enlighten me on this. thank you very much.

does the patient have to be disconnected from the mech vent when taking cvp? because i see some nurses practice it and others don't. i once asked what the rationale behind that and i was told that the mech vent increases the cvp reading. i tried looking at the skills manual but there isn't anything mentioned there about disconnecting the patient from the mech vent while reading cvp. please enlighten me on this. thank you very much.

most hospitals look for BLS and IVT only. ospital ng makati requires ACLS.

you have to take the IELTS again, Academic module.

just submit your resume at the guard. the training is for 3 months and you have to pay P2,500.00. they will text you for the schedule of your exam. i was texted 1 week after passing my resume and credentials, took the exam. i was told i passed the exam through text (5 days after the exam), then scheduled for interview. passed the interview and had to pay P2,500.00 within the week. i was told i'd be a trainee for 3 months (the one wherein i'll pay P2,500), then after the 3 months, i'd be a volunteer for an indefinite number of months, and if there is a vacancy for the staff nurse position, that's when they'll hire me. oh, btw, the trainees will be rotated to different areas, they are allowed to administer meds. i was told that there are 2 days work + 2 days off, and we will be given a certificate after the 3 months training. anyway, i didn't proceed with the training. hope this helps!

they will text you for the schedule of your exam at the nursing service office. how long? well, in my case, i submitted my requirements 3rd week of january, i received their message and took the exam 1st week of feb, then i was texted after 2 weeks to inform me that i passed the exam and i am scheduled for interview. usually, you are informed through text. screening? well, written exam first, then psych exam, then interview. hope this helps.

depends... what did they tell you? because in some they send a text message that you passed and the next steps.. for some batch, they were told to call on a certain date to inquire about the results and the next step. if you pass the panel interview, the next step is completing the physical exam, then orientation, then deployment.

yes, it is a panel interview.