MLT,RN

GREAT job RosyFaithRN! Don't worry. I thought the NCLEX was much easier than I thought. Whether I actually did REALLY well or not, I have no idea. But I did pass and now have my license! Welcome to the club!

So a few days ago (Monday), I posted that I took the NCLEX, felt great, got good pop up on PVT. Now, 72 hours later. I am officially an RN per CA's BRN. w00t.

congrats! my results posted in 72 hours. i just checked. we're official!

Sorta going along with what TriNitroToluene said. Options. I picked nursing over med school because of options. You wanna switch specialties? If there's an opening and they're willing to train, not a problem. We're well-rounded as nurses and are flexible and given the skills to adapt. In med school, once you pick your specialty. that's it. I like options. Not having a huge school loan to pay off doesn't hurt either, s/p nursing school vs. med school.

Relax the night before for sure. Do some Lamaze breathing during the test. LOl. That's what I did. My proctor thought i was seizing.

you DEFINITELY passed. It's just taking CA a long time to post things. It may depend on your last name (e.g. the coordinator for your last name in the state office is slacking) or they're still processing the rest of the documentation that belongs in your file. Don't fret!

great job!

Well, I can understand where the mixed feelings may come in from because the questions aren't exactly written with perfect grammar or spelling or punctuation. but the nice thing is, i feel like they're more accurate than Kaplan questions because each NCSBN question has 2 sources that back up the right answer.

Thanks smith1! I PASSED! I just got home from taking the NCLEX-RN. Stopped at 75 questions in 45 minutes. FELT GREAT. Did the PVT trick when I got home. Good pop-up as suspected! YAY!

It means you passed. CA is taking an awfully long time because of our stupid budget cuts and furloughs. You should know within the week or by 4 weeks at the latest. good job!

I love this forum

Hi everyone! Did PVT. I PASSED! YES! Took exam at 1400 hours today in Pasadena, CA. Finished after 45 minutes. Got home an hour later and checked results. By then, delivery was successful. PASSED. THANK GOD.

Yeah, I've taken the NCSBN course. Very short, I only used it for the test bank questions. For something written by the NCSBN, they have pretty bad grammar, spelling, and punctuation. But they do reference their answers with two sources, so it seems much more legit than Kaplan's test bank. I dunno. The questions seemed pretty easy. Some people say that Kaplan is more aligned to NCLEX, while other say NCSBN and ATI questions are more aligned...to each his/her own, I suppose. I can't say much about the efficacy of NCSBN until I take the NCLEX today in 3.5 hours. Wish me luck! I will report back promptly.

I don't know about you, but back in nursing school (just graduated! w00t!), every time I read about a new disorder or disease, I was thoroughly convinced that I had it.... And now, I'm somewhat convinced that I have NPR... And of course, it's always about me. LOL. Just kidding. Or am I?

Going with what Selene006 said, definitely do what you know is right. First of all, aside from all the bullsh*t and drama involved in work, the RN's job first and foremost is to advocate for the patient. This means doing your due diligence when it comes to safe medication administration, infection control, etc. What did we all learn when studying for our NCLEXs?! PATIENT SAFETY above all. So, I would continue to do what you're doing right, as in wiping down the vial and the patient w/ alcohol before withdrawing the insulin and injecting it into the patient. Remember, you are advocating for your patient. As nurses, our job is to do the least amount of harm. We CARE for our patients. I just finished nursing school and this is what I've been taught to do. I mean, it makes perfect sense. Anything exposed to air is no longer sterile. The needle will pick up microbes if the vial is not wiped down after it has been uncapped and used the first time. Microbes live on our skin, especially if you're a hospital employee; you're most certainly already colonized with MRSA in your nares or skin. So, if you break the skin with a needle without cleaning it first, you would introduce whatever was on the skin into the skin, such as MRSA. Not good in an immunocompromised patient. Patient advocacy and safety first. Same goes with medication administration, if a pill lands on the floor, don't give it. Hospital floors are SO dirty, even with housekeeping. I mean, theoretically, if the patient is healthy (and there aren't many healthy people in hospitals!), the stomach acid would kill whatever is on the pill, but I personally would discard the medication and administer another one, because you never know AND you're supposed to advocate for your patient. Now, while you're busy advocating for your patient, who's advocating for you? Probably no one. Which really does suck, and is the reality of nursing. It's easier said than done, but hang in there unless you have a backup nursing job you can fall on. And in today's economy, it's pretty hard finding a new job, especially for nurses. So unless you have another job lined up, I would recommend sticking by your guns, but not rocking the boat, just until times get better at least. Because it won't do you any good if you're out of a job too. But most importantly of all, patient safety and advocacy. Because at the end of the day, you can go home knowing you did what you know is right for your patient. And sometimes, that's all that matters in the end. Hang in there. If things don't improve and the DON and staff continue to belittle you and dehumanize you, then it may be time to move on, but hang in there and continue to assess and evaluate the situation before doing anything rash.

Well, I have an idea that pertains to both pediatric populations and ER populations. When I did my public health rotation in nursing school, I worked in a large ER with a 70% cash patient population. A majority of patients were actually pediatric; the parents would bring sick babies in who were running low-grade fevers and whenever we asked why the parents didn't just call their pediatrician and give Tylenol, many of them said they wanted to prove that their baby had a fever when they brought him/her in. Patient education for the parents re: baby fever management would be pretty useful in this setting as well as cost-saving, considering that we probably, for the most part, took the baby's temperature and just gave Tylenol in the end, and slapped the parents with a costly ER bill just for some Tylenol, while increasing wait times for everyone who were waiting for services that day. I don't know what your patient census is in your ER, but I'd be willing to bet this is similar at your facility. Perhaps a brochure or patient handout that educates the parents on proper administration of Tylenol based on temperature thresholds, such as give x mg of Tylenol x times a day, not to exceed x mg in 24 hours for a fever x degrees or below. Call or notify physician if fever exceeds x degrees.....etc.

the 3100 amplifies things SO much better than the 3000. I'm definitely gonna miss it when i return it. Too bad i'm such a broke nursing student. UGH! It's gonna be the next thing i upgrade to. the LCD screen is great! it also takes pulse and displays it on screen! it obviously doesn't replace good nursing assessment skills, but it's nice for a baseline or a quick glance.

I just got my Littmann 3100 in the mail today. I have used the Littmann 3000 stethoscope ever since I started the nursing program, and the Littmann 3100 has definitely improved on an already awesome product. The amplification is MUCH better than the 3000, and the noise reduction is better too. I haven't used the 3100 in a clinical setting yet, but I will tomorrow, when I start my first critical care rotation in the CCU! YIKES! Back to preplanning! I'm definitely gonna be up all night long! Matt

HAHAHAHAHa. I figured it was you Cat! I have no idea! It's not a big deal. I do hope I dont' get kicked out though! What a sad way to go!

HAHAHAHAHa. I figured it was you, Cat! I have no idea! It's not a big deal. I do hope I dont' get kicked out though! What a sad way to go!

HAHAHAHAHa. i have no idea! It's not a big deal. I do hope I dont' get kicked out though! What a sad way to go!

HAHAHAHHA. SHE IS SO RIGHT! Try to have a life. Get out, go on a date, hang out with friends. GO TO THE GYM. The gym saves my life. And, if you do spin, you can read your nursing textbooks AND exercise at the same time! Talk about prioritizing and time management! HAHAHAH. I am reconsidering the stipend. I'm still on the fence about it though. LBMMC isn't necessarily a bad hospital. In fact, it's a great hospital. The economy sucks so bad right now that I'm worried about getting a job after I graduate. Everyone tells me that nursing is immune to the job shortages right now, but I really don't think that's true. It's scary right now. I don't know if it's gonna get better by the time I graduate. You'll definitely make friends and bond with your colleagues in the nursing program. After all, no one will understand what you're going through except your classmates! They know why it takes so long to care plan and study for a silly test. WHEW! And for grad school, I guess experience counts the most over grades. I mean, I know I don't have a 4.0 anymore, but I suppose as long as I keep it as high as I can, and apply with at least several years of critical care experience, I'll be able to make it. I mean, it's a requirement to have at least 1-2 years critical care experience for my program, and I'm sure it's the same in terms of most master's programs.

BTW, I wanted to keep my 4.0 GPA for entry into USC/CSUF for their nurse anesthetist program. I actually had a good, valid reason for keeping a 4.0. You might want to consider your reason for keeping a 4.0, if it's really going to be worth all the effort and stuff. The nursing program will change the way you think, guaranteed. It's a whole 'nother animal.

Hi! I'm a second semester student in CSULB's accelerated nursing program. Accelerated means that I graduate one year earlier than if I were in CSULB's basic program. It is in partnership with LBMMC, and I have classes over summer. My clinicals are held exclusively @ LBMMC. Either way, the program here is okay. It doesn't really matter where you go. I entered with a 4.0 GPA. Got my first B last semester. Now, I don't even give a **** about my grades anymore. Forget trying to even graduate summa cum laude. I'm not trying to discourage you. It's just the reality of the situation. The program here is really tough. The program is tough everywhere. It's just how it is. I personally have not heard a single student get a 4.0. Sad, isn't it? I was SO CLOSE. It wasn't like I was several points away. I was 0.5 points away from having straight A's. I'm sure it's possible. I did excellent in pharmacology w/ Dr. Pal. She's the hardest, toughest professor so far. I decided not to take the stipend. It's dropped to $2000 before taxes now. If you were to take it, it wouldn't be for the money, it would be for the job security, I suppose. I can't even buy a Vespa with that money after taxes, which is what I really want. It's too bad I quit my job before doing the nursing program. I should have kept my job too. It is hard, but definitely more possible to keep a job and survive nursing school than it is to pull a 4.0 in the nursing program. Just my two cents. And try not to be too helpful. I'm getting into a lot of trouble over some website I made to help me and my classmates out. Serves me right for trying to be nice and stuff. It really ****** me off too. The nursing program is already hard enough as it is. We supposed to not be so competitive and we're supposed to help each other out. Help your classmates out, but don't get in trouble for it. Good luck wherever you go. Matt