my4helpers

NRP is what i mean. The reason I question this is because I will be graduating in May and around here we are allowed to start applying for jobs and they will hold them until we pass the boards. Being that I am hoping to get into the NICU I am sure these certifications would look great on my resume. So I was just wondering if I could obtain these two certifications in May while I wait and take my boards in June.

I am trying to find some info on getting these two certifications. Are you able to get them while in nursing school, or do you have to sit for the boards first?

Ok I need some advise as I go through this every single semester!! How do you go about studying for finals when there is so much to read. Do you start from the beginning and read each power point, do you re-read each chapter, or do you do a million Nclex pertaining to each chapter. I need some other ways to study.

This is actually not a homework question; I would never ask one, unless I got my homework back and it was graded :-) This was on a test last week and I got it wrong so I wanted to see what other people's rationals were. To me these have very different meanings. When I think of assess, I think of a deep head to toe assessment where you are listening, palpating, and documenting. On the other hand monitor just means watching at least that's what I think they mean.

So I am a little confused. Do you think assess and monitor has the same meaning or does these two terms have different meanings. Please share your rationale.

Does anyone here get any type of special accommodations when it comes to taking their nursing test whether it's being able to be in a quiet room or even getting more time to take the test?

My instructor seems to think that I don't know the why behind each answer and my friend says I read way too much into the question. I am not sure where she gets her questions from but it's so frustrating when I get the practice questions right at home, but still fail the test.

Like I said I am great in the clinical setting so I am assuming I am more of a hands on person. However, I am not sure how to assess what goes wrong. For example, I had a friend quiz me for almost 2 hours before the final and got just about every question right, but failed the final. Earlier in the semester we had a diabetes quiz and I answered 100 practice nclex question and missed around 5 and still failed that test. From what I have been told this class (med surge 2) is the hardest of the classes and there are 4 MS classes

Quick background, I started school back in 09 and took it slow and got all of my prereqs out of the way. Started nursing school in the fall of 2011 did wonderful in fundamentals, but sadly I didn't pass chemistry. So I had to sit out a full year, but in that year I got all of my fine arts and humanities out of the way, so it wasn't a total waste. Got back into the program in the spring of 2013 and started med surge 1 and failed. At this school, if you fail twice your out even if chemistry wasn't considered a actual nursing course. I was down about a week but I picked myself up and started another nursing program in the fall of 2013. I had to take a couple of prereqs and got those out of the way and then in the spring of 2014 I started the actual program. This program is 5 semesters unlike the last one was only 4 semesters long. So I just completed my third semester and was supposed to graduate this coming July, but sadly I failed my final today which was med surge 2. If I decide to stay and not give up I will now graduate next December instead of this coming July. So my question is when is it enough to just toss in the towel. I am exhausted and overwhelmed not to mention ALL the money I have invested. I have wanted to be a nurse ever since I was 5 and I will be 36 this month. This is not something that I woke up one day and thought lets give nursing a try. I have never wanted to be anything else, but I just feel like I am not smart enough to go on. I am wonderful in the clinical setting, but taking test not so much. I had a wonderful friend quiz me over the phone for almost two hours this morning before my test and I got the majority of the answers rights, but still failed the test. Any advice??

I am currently a nursing student in a five semester ADN program. In less than two weeks I will be starting my third semester. I am supposed to graduate next July, but in the meantime I am hoping to get a job in one of the local hospitals; nothing full time, but rather part time or even PRN. Would I need a special certificate to apply for a job as a phlebotomist?

Can anyone tell me what to expect in chemistry lab? I did horrible in chemistry and barely passed even though I had tutors. I just could not get the hang of it. I am transferring schools and luckily my chemistry class will transfer, but this school requires a chem lab. Is it anything like lectures? What will I be doing? I would love a heads up!

I am applying to a nursing program for the spring of 2014 and I have to take the compass/kaplan test by the end of August. I am not too worried about the compass test because I have transfer credits to be transferred. However, we are testing on just the science part of the kaplan test. We will be given 20 questions and they will cover the Cardiovascular system, Electrolytes, Gastrointestinal system, Immune system, Neurology, Renal system, Hematological system, Homeostasis, Respiratory system, and Sensory system. Can anyone recommend a book that I could use to study for the science part? On a side note, I have taken all of my science classes plus I have had two semesters of nursing. Unfortunately, I failed the second semester by a couple of points and I am starting over.

I think that I am letting fear get in my way. The way that I am looking at it is: I have already spent 4 years in school, I have accumulated school debt, this school is much more expensive being that it's private and last but not least, if I failed out of the ADN program, what what makes me think I can go on to the BSN program.

I really need some advice on NS! I would love to hear feedback about what others would do in my situation! I am 35, married with 4 kids. I have wanted to be a nurse ever since I was 5. I didn't just wake up one day and pick nursing as a career; it's been a life long dream! My first dream was to be a stay at home mom, which I have been doing for 14 yrs. So in the fall of 09 I felt that it was time to start school. It took me two years with summers included to get my prereqs out of the way because I only wanted to go part time. In the fall of 2011, I was excepted right away into the ADN program. My first semester went great and I recieved a "B" in nursing. However, I was removed from the program because I received a "D" in chemistry and at our school, chemistry has to be finished by the first semester of NS. So I had to sit out an entire year and retake chemistry and within that time I got alot of my BSN classes out of the way. Needless to say that entire year was not a huge waste! Fast forward to the spring of 2013 and I start back in NS where I left off and I end up failing the final by a couple points last week. I am now done with this school because you cannot be removed more than twice. So after 4 years, I still have no degree! After being upset for a day, I decided to move on and not dwell on the past. Now I am wondering what everyone would do in my situation. For starters, we do not really have that many ADN programs in my area. We have one school, but I have never heard of them before. I called another school where they except everyone, so my turn would be in 2015; not getting any younger here! Lastly, I called a private christian shcool and met with them today; it's for the BSN. Not excited about the tuition, but all of my credits transfer and I was told today that she is almost positive that I would get excepted. She said once she gives the nursign advisor my transcript, she makes a decsion on the spot. If I decided to attend this university, I would take my biblical classes this summer as they are a recquiremnt and then start my nursing classes this fall. What are your thoughts?

Fall will be my 3rd out of 4 semesters and I am taking: med/surg II 5 cr (lecture, lab & clinical) OB 2 cr (6 total hours of lab and then lecture and clinical) This summer I am getting psych out of the way!

I am sitting here trying to figure out why I am having such a hard time with these and I think it's because I get confused on what the problem is asking for. I don't have a particular problem on hand, I just have a hard time trying to figure out what they are asking.

Does anyone have an easy way to do these type of problems? Our test is next week and I am just so confused by these; we also need to get 100% or we fail. We had one dosage calculation test last week over oral and I can do those, it's just the IV ones that are confusing. Our instructors did not show us how either.

That is great advice!! Thank you!

While in nursing school, how many NCLEX questions do you do a day? I am trying to organize and prioritize my studying skills. Do you think 10 to 20 would be good to start with? I have an app on my phone that I use when I am out and waiting on the kids to get done with their activities and I also just bought the Saunders NCLEX Review Book.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions!! For starters, I just purchased the Saunders Comprehensive Review book and the NANDA book. GrnTea this was definitely on my list because I have seen you recommend this book in other post before. This would have surely came in handy in my first semester!

At our nursing program, once you fail anything twice, your out for good. I completed my first semester of nursing school in the fall of 2011 and I was supposed to graduate this May. However, while I was taking my first semester of nursing which was Fundamentals of Nursing I was also taking a chemistry class and I ended up with a "D" in chemistry. Even though I did great in the nursing program, I was removed from it for a year because of the D in chemistry. As of last week I am back in the program picking up from where I last left off which is my second semester and I will now graduate next May 2014. With all of that being said, can anyone give me any advice or tips that will get me through these next 16 months? I am trying to be so positive, but I am so scared and full of anxiety that something is going to go wrong and then I will be done for good. I am plan to study every day! Last week our instructor told us that you cannot study the night before a test and to try to cut down on people doing that and failing out of the program, we will be given 6 pop quizzes this semester. Basically I will have to be on my toes at all times and I think that will help a lot this semester for me personally.

I am in my second semester of an RN program and I am wondering, besides the books that you need for your nursing program, what are some extra must have nursing books that have helped you or are helping you with your nursing school journey?

i completely agree with you and normally i am a very optimistic person! however, i didn't realize this until i started taking my prereqs back in the fall of '09, but i have bad test anxiety. even though i know the material, i physically get sick, shaky and even my eyes will fill with tears. then when i got accepted last semester and got my first dose of ns, the test anxiety went through the roof. it's funny because every time that we got checked off at skills testing, whether it be injections or the drug pass, i was as cool as a cucumber! lol!! people couldn't believe that i was not nervous. however, on exam days, i would be a complete mess and others would think i was nuts. so in the reality of it all, when i heard how many second level students didn't pass exams, this is why i am concerned because of my anxiety issues. give me a skills test any day though!!

I completely agree with GrnTea. When I started my prereqs two years ago, I had no desire to get my BSN. At the time, my friend who is a NP even told me to get my BSN if I want to continue and get my Masters. She said if I have no desire for a Masters then just stay with the ADN. However, with all my research I am finding just how important it is by eventually getting a BSN. I would LOVE to work in the NICU, L&D, PICU, ER or even OR. I realize that I may not land my "dream" job right away, but if stumble across a job ad, I want to be prepared!

For the BSN, we need a statistics class. What exactly is this class and is it hard? We can either take a Math stat class, psyc stat class or a soc. stat class.