NurseInTheD

I disagree - my transition (over a year ago) went very smoothly! Don't be afraid to ask questions, find a hospital with a good preceptor program for new grads, and if you can find an experienced nurse mentor, that's a huge plus. Good luck to you!

The nurse that stops working ten hours into her 12-hour shift - and you have to follow her, and it takes the first hour of your shift (at least) to clean up her mess.

Some ideas... Risk for injury (r/t seizure activity) Risk for cardiac dysrhythmia (r/t myocardial irritability secondary to hypocalcemia)

Thank you! :-)

I agree completely with this! In regard to your question: Does anyone find doing the book's quizzes (in the book or on their website) to be helpful in studying? Answer: Absolutely. Forget listening to taped lectures... it's bad enough to sit through it once, and trying to find time to listen to them will only add to your pile o' stuff to do. Read your textbooks, stay caught up w/the reading, and yes yes yes do the practice quizzes/CD material, it does help. Also, invest in a good NCLEX book (no, it's not too early), I used Prentice-Hall's Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN as an adjunct study guide, and it was immensely helpful. You can - and you WILL - get thru this! Baby steps and organization are the key. Take it one week at a time, because like others have said, looking at the whole tamale' will scare the beejeezus out of you, and you'll be frozen like a deer in the headlights... PM me if you ever need an ear to bend..

One of those in every class... ack.

I didn't study for it... I actually forgot about it until the day before the test (oops), so I did some NCLEX practice CDs the night before, took it and got an 1100... I thought it was easy/basic, stuff that everyone should really know by the end of the nursing program. You'll do fine, don't stress about it...!

ps: About your username - you are taunting those less fortunate souls who have to live in the frozen tundra of the Northeast, with me being one of those souls... haha :wink2:

Don't reschedule - I did, because I felt as you are feeling right now - and in hindsight, I would have been just as prepared on the original date (which was about 2 weeks earlier). Sounds like you'll do fine! And I loved your comment about walking the dog

Nope - I passed at 76, no med calc, and maybe 2 or 3 medication questions. I'll be a parrot: Know your delegation/prioritization inside and out; infection control seems to be a biggie as well, from my own experience and from what I've been hearing from others. I'd tell you to relax, but you can't... I know, I couldn't either... but try to, anyway... :heartbeat

Oop, sorry, my bad... I see that you haven't taken it yet. So yes, if you take it on a Friday morning, you'll have your results by Sunday, as I did. Good luck (again)!

Hey, I'm in Michigan, and I took it Friday... and got my (good!!) results today! I was wondering the same thing, but I went to the Pearson website, paid my money, and got 'em! The State gets the results after Pearson sends them, so you won't see anything on the Mich gov't website. When did you take it? Good luck!!

I passed!! (My OP here) The last 48hrs have been the longest, ever... My heart was in my throat as I typed in my credit card info to get the online quick results... Hit "enter"... Didn't want to look! But I did, of course... and I saw that one beautiful word: "Passed"... and I laughed and I cried... whew! In a recent thread, someone suggested to stay away from these boards while waiting, or think of other things... that's impossible, I couldn't think of anything else, and coming here and reading the messages showed me that I wasn't alone... and you guys alone could understand what it's like... :heartbeat that meant - means - a lot. k, enough mush... My test shut off at 76 questions... When I walked out of there, I had no idea as to whether I passed or failed. It wasn't for lack of studying; the questions are tough, and they really draw from your critical thinking skills, which is the whole point - an RN must be able to think things through, quickly, and under pressure. Kind of like the NCLEX! Anyway, I felt like I had guessed on most of the questions... and even weirder than that, afterward, I couldn't remember a single question in detail... like I had some kind of amnesia/fog about the actual time I was in front of that computer taking the exam, like it was surreal. If that makes any sense... I do remember that the test was heavy on prioritization and infection control, and I had about five sata questions (which I hate w/a passion), and no med calculations. For studying, I had a few different NCLEX books w/CDs. The best, and most comprehensive one - hands down - is the "Comprehensive Review for NCLEX-RN" from Prentice Hall Nursing. It's even great to use as a study tool during nursing school (which is what I did) because it outlines everything you'll be learning in school. And the CD has 4,000 practice questions - the CD is the best of the others that I've tried out/used. For quick review/reinforcement and good test-taking tips, I liked the "NCLEX-RN Review" by Marlene Hurst. This book condenses the "basic, what you need to know" info into a book that is actually smaller than the NY yellow pages... There's a whole section of helpful charts (like lab values, etc), and the pharmacology chapter was very helpful, I thought. She also goes into "how" to answer NCLEX questions... what they're looking for, etc.. I found some of her tips in there to be useful as well. The CD was mediocre, less than 200 questions, and her recorded "coaching"... I'm sorry, but I didn't last 10 seconds with her voice (no offense to the southern belles out there... a southern accent is usually nice to listen to, but hers is waaay over the top!). Study prioritization/delegation!! I can't emphasize this enough. You will be hammered with "which patient would you see first?", or "what is your priority action?", or "what patient is most appropriate to assign to an LPN?" questions, and it wasn't just me - my classmates who have recently sat for NCLEX have said the same thing. The best book for studying that aspect is "Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment: Practice Exercises for Medical-Surgical Nursing" by LaCharity, et al. I struggled with this area during school, so I knew that it was something I needed to really focus on when prepping for NCLEX, and I'm glad that I did, because it definitely helped me that day. I wouldn't have known of the book's existence had it not been a required text during my last semester of school, so I'm glad that it was required. Anyway... that's all... just wanted to share my good news, and hopefully help those of you who are studying, or waiting for your results... don't give up, and believe in yourself! :heartbeat Laura (RN!)

Awesome!!! Congrats :-)

I could have written your post... I just took it yesterday & it shut off at 76. I feel like I guessed on most of the questions... the better of two choices, ugh.. :uhoh21: You're not alone! Hang tough..

Hang in there... I'm in the same boat. I just got home from the exam, and the computer shut off at 76 questions. I'll be able to get my results online on Monday. Let's just say that it's going to be a very loooooooong weekend!! Good luck!!!

Thank you! The exam shut off at 76 questions; either I passed, or it was an epic fail... I'll know for sure in 48 (very long) hours!

Does anyone know if they provide barf-bags at Pearson? :dzed:

Can't answer for myself, but 4 of my classmates/friends were stopped @ 75 questions, and they all passed. As for their particular content, I'm not sure, but one of them told me that she had a lot of pharmacology questions. Good luck :wink2:

I remember feeling just as overwhelmed my first semester of school; my children were 7yrs and 4yrs old, and I was also working part-time. "What did I get myself into??", I thought. First thing I did, was get a calendar with big squares to write in (I like to see a month-at-a-glance, but do what works for you), grabbed my syllabus, and filled in reading assignments, due dates for homework, and exam days. I then highlighted those items in color-code (bright pink being exams!). I also got a big 3-ring binder for each class, and kept all of the paperwork (and there is a LOT) organized. Being organized like that made it so much easier for me; I could glance at the calendar and plan ahead, and I always knew where my stuff was at. Before I knew it, two years had gone by, and I was graduating! :-) It wasn't always easy (I thought that the first year was tougher than the second - or maybe it was just that I was used to the nursing school grind by that point!), but it was sooo worth it in the end. You'll find that everyone else feels just as overwhelmed as you do. You'll be fine, just stay organized and take it one exam at a time if you have to :-) Good luck!

To be honest, I barely studied for the HESI - the night before, I did approx 100 practice questions from an NCLEX cd-rom, and that was it. I scored an 1100 (900 was passing), which was 96th percentile. I thought it was relatively easy. Good luck! :-)

1. State: MI 2. City: Detroit 'burbs 3. Speciality (CNA, LPN/LVN, RN-Med/Surg., RN-NICU etc.): New grad/RN 4. Pay rates: $24.80/hr + 8% off-shift premium + $2/hr weekend premium 5. Travel or Per Diem: Full-time, no travel 6. Benefits offered by agency (pls. don't feel shy to be detailed): Medical/Dental/Optical (out of pocket expense varies depending on plan, # of dependents, etc) Life/Dependent Life/Accidental ADD Long/Short Term Disability 401k w/employer match Paid flexible time off w/year-end payback of unused time Tuition payback (up to $15k for previous student loans) Tuition assistance ($3k/year for FT) Opt Health Savings/Dependent care savings accts BSN completion paid for by company Discounts on auto insurance, phone rates, local businesses I think that's it! I'm quite satisfied, even though the weather here is BRRRRRR!! :nuke:

Henry Ford's has a freeze right now, too.

Agreed :-) My rationalization for the meds before the blood: When hanging blood, I stay w/my patient for the first 15 minutes or so to assess for a transfusion reaction and take serial vital signs. And in this case, it seems that this patient was coming in for a transfusion as an outpatient - which means obtaining consent, starting a PIV, obtaining the blood from the bloodbank with RN verification at bedside, getting the infusion going, assessment/vitals.. and then what if the worst does happen and there is a reaction? Then you have a whole new and serious situation on your hands... and one that's going to eat up a whole lot of time away from your other duties. That's where I was coming from in that regard..

My pet peeve - healthcare workers who are involved in direct patient care wearing perfume/cologne!! So many of them do this! :angryfire And not just wearing it, some of them seem to have marinated themselves in Eau de Stink prior to their arrival to work. What are they thinking?? I had to report a phlebotomy tech to management recently (tactful hints weren't getting thru to her) because her perfume was so strong, and she wore so much of it, it made ME sick - and I'm not normally perfume-sensitive. I could only imagine how she must have been making the patients in the SICU feel. Every hospital I've worked at has had a "no perfume" policy. It only makes sense. However, it seems to be a rarely enforced/rarely followed policy, so everyone suffers. Taking a shower before coming to work is sufficient. A fresh, clean scent is all one needs - and it is appreciated by not only the sick patients, but one's fellow coworkers as well. I love to wear perfume oils like patchouli and sandalwood, but I would never wear them to work.