brip87

Though I was doubtful at first, Kaplan really helped prepare me for the test. I was a little let down by the class itself, but when I took the NCLEX yesterday, I realized that the Kaplan questions were harder and actually helped me with my content knowledge as well. I didn't use ATI at all in nursing school, it just didn't click with me. I bought LaCharity's book and I liked the idea of those questions but only really used it once for one chapter.

Check with your school and clinical settings, there are covers that you can use to protect the tubing of your stethoscope. Some places don't allow them because of infection control reasons, but I know some students in my class used them. The covers are cloth, probably aren't hard to make if you have some sewing knowledge.

I am getting so frustrated, I took my CNA/HHA exam in may, passed and started applying for jobs right away at nursing homes, home health agencies, hospitals as CNA or anything that could get my foot in the door at a job, and nothing! Not even a call back. I don't know what to do, I need a job so bad, and I was so pysched to be able to do something other then retail, but no one is even looking at my resume. Does anyone have any ideas for me? Maybe some tips that have helped you find jobs? I am in MN and i know this is a horrible state to try to get a healthcare job right now, but i thought there would be something. Thanks!

When i was in boot camp i was standing watch every couple nights for two hours, splitting up my already extremely tired out body's sleep, and what i had to learn to do, without any kind of coffee or stimulant was to get my body pumped up somehow, whether doing a quick exercise or whatever, and it didn't always work. I was in class a lot and after the second week never even touched a desk...if i sat down i fell asleep. Then again, i had some buddys stand with me cause they were afraid i was going to topple over. :) Now while i'm in school, i've kind of learned what my limits are and how to deal with them. I dont' drink caffeine, but i do like to keep a water bottle with my filled with either cranberry juice or flavored water just to give me something to concentrate on. Another way i keep focus is switching topics every couple hours or every hour depending on how motivated i am. I find it hard to really study on the same subject i've been staring at for the last hour. I'm definetly still trying to find the best trick out there, but these are some ways that have worked in the past for me.

I am also trying to lose weight, i've put on 50 lbs in the last year since i got out of the military because of the lifestyle change. I've been really watching what i eat, and trying to exercise more even though i have knee problems. It really helps when I eat a couple veggies or fruits before a meal, since it makes you less prone to stuff yourself. I have a problem with not stopping when i start eating, so when i eat out, i try to eat really slow and ask the waiter to put the meal in a box about halfway through even if i'm still hungry. This is definetly a time to experiment with your cooking too, when you have time. There is a couple websites that could help you with dinner ideas, www.epicurious.com and www.allrecipes.com Me and my husband have found some really good recipes on there that are pretty healthy. Congratulations on the start to get healthier and i hope it works out with the police academy for your hubby!