LeO13

I've been working on the floors for over a year now, I have yet to encounter any doctors (hospitalist, surgeons, GI docs, psychiatrist, etc) who have berated me. It can possibly be the way I approach certain doc's with a cool and mellow attitude or just lucky that I've avoided the mean ones so far. I do know some doctors who can be quite a bully to some nurses who work with me, and yet they can be the same ones who would say hi to me in the cafeteria. I'm really interested to see if gender plays a role in this because I'm a guy.

Yes and No. Each place is different and has their own specific preferences as who they want to hire.

Hey, I'm currently working on my first year in Med-Surg. I am very interested and currently enrolling in a BSN-MSN program with an emphasis in Informatics. I would love to be part of the network.

Bumping this thread for future repeated test takers or those who feel that they need a story to read to help relieve their anxiety for their upcoming test. Again guys, clear your mind, stay positive, your mind and body will take care of the rest. :)

Congrats!!!! I'm excited for you :).

Congrats!!!!!

Thanks again guys for the congrats. :) Hey, 3 weeks is more than enough to prep yourself for the exam. I assume now that you've taken the first time, now you now how intense the testing can be. You can now utilize that to your advantage and prepare yourself for what's to come. IMO, Hurst and Saunders are excellent reviews to cover for the content portion of the test. If you are able to break down your questions and identify what the question is looking for, then Saunders or Hurst would be a great option. For my case, I lacked the skills to identify my priorities, management, infection control, and pretty much anything critical thinking. Lets face it, those are the important parts of the test. They are deemed as "Passing Questions" and are weighed more heavily as compared to its "Easy Questions" counterpart. I felt that Kaplan and NCSBN Learning Ext. helped me build that skill set I needed to help boost my chances in passing the boards the second time. I know many out there who are able to pass the boards first try with just one review, and that's fine because everyone is different. As a second time test taker, I believe it is a good idea to use at least two different reviews, as long as they complement one another. Good luck with your studying and feel free to ask anymore questions if you need to :).

Just checked online right now and CA BreEZe System just uploaded my license information. So roughly it took about less than a week for me. Good luck Guys :).

With the new BreEZe system in California, I've been hearing that it's taking an extremely long time to update their license information on the BON.

I wouldn't necessarily say it sucks, it's just that you would have to invest a lot in their practice questions in order to reach a higher level of mastery. I can say that the NCLEX questions are quite comparable to Prep U's mastery level 7.

I'm a second time passer, but it was my first time using kaplan when I tested for the second time. It's kind of hard to see where you are at because your scores really do fluctuate. My advice is to go at it more and try to stay very consistent above the 60% range. Do not worry, you have plenty of time to work on it since you are not far off on it. Stay focused and you'll tackle this thing.

Thanks guys n gals. I just want to reach out to those who are in a similar situation and let them know anything is possible, as long as their mind to it.

Yeah, I think he's in a position that may well be hindering him from passing. He works at a hospital as an ER tech full-time and we all know that there are many differences as to how NCLEX and the hospital sees things.

Believe it or not Levitas, it's not uncommon for folks to take the boards multiple times. A buddy of mine graduated 3 years ago and have yet to pass his boards.

For those who are sad or are discouraged about not passing their first time, do not worry it just means that your journey to becoming a nurse has been "delayed". I recently graduated on May with a high probability of passing the boards (around 90th percentile according to ATI). With that "assurance" I took the boards too lightly and casually studied Hurst (1-2 hours a day for 2.5 weeks prior to taking the exam). Throughout my time in nursing school, never did I take the time to practice studying NCLEX style questions. I managed to get by with just the content alone and neglected the critical thinking part of nursing (BIG MISTAKE). Test time came, I was in for an AWAKENING. I was thrown lots of SATA questions, Click and Drags and Priority questions. I was thinking to myself, "Where are the content based questions that I'm looking for? Give me lab work type questions, Give me signs and symptoms of Hyperthyroidism type questions!!!" But to my own stubbornness for not prepping myself, I completely blanked out on the majority of the questions on the screen. When I hit submit at the 265th question, I knew that I was done for. It was so bad for me, that I actually stood up without raising my hand and walked away (DUMB MISTAKE). The auditor had to report this incident and all I could say was that my head was about to explode and I needed fresh air. This caused my test to be put on "Hold", and doing the PVT wouldn't matter because the higher ups would have to review the tapes I should say. It took about a week for me to finally get the PVT thing to work and as I expected it, it led me to the CC screen. I became completely saddened with my failure to passing the exam. I let my family, friends and most importantly myself down. I took a couple of days off to get my mind off of things and enjoy what's in front of me. Spending time with my infant, going on road trips with my wife and enjoying what life had to offer, I took advantage of it. It was only until the final day of my vacation, I realized that I AM GOING TO PASS NEXT TIME. Immediately when I got home, I put away all the unnecessary distracters in my life (Xbox, FB deactivation, IPAD, and the biggest of all, my social life). I looked online and read reviews as to which was best for prepping for the NCLEX, I couldn't decide so I ended up using Kaplan, NCSBN Learning Ext. and Saunders. For 3 weeks, I would plant myself on my chair for 8-10 hours of nonstop studying everyday, only to take breaks to eat or play with my son for about 30 minutes and then to go at it again. I filled about 130 pages of notes I'd constructed after completing the whole Saunders book and gradually increasing my scores on Kaplan's Qbanks, QT 1-7, and NCSBN Post-Tests. Although I cannot say I was READY for the test, but I can safely say that I did all I could to prep myself for the exam. I know that it is completely inadvisable, but I studied and practice "light" questions for about 3-4 hours on the day before the exam. On exam day, I repeatedly tell myself, If I don't know what the question asks, just think ABC's, Maslow and treat every SATA question as True/False. Throughout the whole time during testing, I felt a little more at ease as compared to my first time. When I clicked submit on my 75th question, I was completely blank when the screen shut off. I was thinking, did I do well enough to have the screen shut off on me early? Or is it the complete opposite? When I go home, I told my wife about how I felt about the test and she told me regardless of what the outcome may be, she was proud of me for the sacrifices I'd made during my hours of studying. I gave her the "honor" to do the PVT :), and when my wife hit that submit button, she immediately gave me a kiss and a hug. She showed me that infamous popup and told me that I DID IT, I PASSED!!! Of course I was like most other nursing students who received the popup, was still a little in doubt because it still isn't "Official". So, I paid the extra "Quick Result" just to make sure and indeed I DID PASS. For those of you who are on the same situation and did not pass the first, second, third or thousandth time, It is not the end. The NCLEX is an enemy that we must defeat in order to live our dreams as a Registered Nurse. No matter how powerful the enemy may be, if you fully prepare yourself for battle, YOU WILL DEFEAT IT. :)

You should take a couple of days to relax and then go back to the drawing board and change your studying routine. I too failed on my first try at 265 and went into a mild depression you could say lol. I went on a vacation to clear my head, afterwards I revamped my whole studying and sure enough I passed second time. You just have to fight it through and I know you will do better next time :).

I took the 3 week version of NCSBN along with Kaplan and Saunders (I know it's ALOT) and I feel that NCSBN did help me a lot. The content portion of course I skipped, because I was studying Saunders, but the questions NCSBN laid out were pretty tough. They have a range where they want you to score 75% and above on post tests, but I'd always manage to hang around in the 65-75% range. I passed at 75 questions.

Goodluck, with those scores I know you'll tackle it for sure. Keep us updated.

Though your scores are a bit on the low side IMO, I think you should practice a lot on the Qbanks. I averaged about 65-70% on Q1-Q7, but that was after going through 75% of the Qbanks. It is said that if you hit around 60 percentile, you will have a really good shot. Try practicing more on your Qbanks and try to reach around that range. :)

If you can, I'd recommend both. Saunders for content, and Kaplan for test taking strategies. I incorporated both and managed to pass at 75 questions on my second try.

There were stories of those who went straight to the CC and pass. It's the good pop up that has a 99.9% accuracy. Just have hope and stay positive.

Lol having a little one is something. I graduated in May of this year and on top of that a one month old. I do believe having a baby did hinder my studying (He had colic for about 3 months, thank goodness it ended) because I wasn't able to lay out my priorities. In order to do better and pass, I had to sacrifice my time with my son and loved ones. I'd literally lock myself in my room with ear plugs while my wife is trying to console him and his colic. You can overcome the many obstacles you encounter, just have to believe in yourself.

Hey do not let this bring you down. I failed my first try at 265 and passed at 75 on my second time. You should take a couple of days to clear your head and not think about nursing. Once that is settled, go back to the drawing board and change up your style of studying/preparation for the test. For me, the first time I failed it, I focused too much on the content and didn't emphasize a lot on test taking strategies. NCSBN and Kaplan course did help me with the test tasting strategies, so if you haven't tried them yet, I suggest you should. Just focus on being positive, and I assure you will be in a much better position.

Hey there, sorry to hear about your situation but I'll give you some insight of the minds of a transporter. I've been working as a transporter for about 5 years now and I can tell you it can get frustrating on both ends. At our hospital, we're given 15-20 minutes to complete a move, with an extra 5 minute delay if needed. Nurses will call our dispatchers when the patient is ready to go. Depending on how busy the day, we might get there very early or very late. 80% of my transport moves would require an extra delay (for meds, paperwork, RT, physician, etc). As transporters, we're timed for every single of our moves, and if they see that we are moving too slow, our dispatchers will assume that we are goofing off to milk the clock or whatever. Now every single transporters are different. For me, I would let the nurse know that I can bend it a little and give them some extra minutes because I understand the workload of a nurse. As for some, they worry too much about their times and would rather worry about their evaluation than the patient. So don't beat yourself too much with this situation. We have plenty of transporters who are like that and trust me, those are the one's that do not last long in our department.

Awesome I heard nothing but good things about benefiel. I have ------------, and my skills lab is in Wednesday. I guess were In different groups. They separate students into two groups throughout the semester. Do you know where will you be doing you first clinicals. Also I'm Leroy by the way, nice to meet you :).