TheERMurse

More of a career transition for me, but the better pay doesn't hurt. Was already doing patient care as an EMT-P and PCT. Transition to an RN was a natural move on my career path. Never gonna get rich as an RN.

Ok, when I took it, the exams are not proctored, but they are timed. I graduated from the BSN program last year and proctorU was not being used. For the labs, you purchase a lab kit and some things from the grocery store. You perform the lab and scan your data sheet and submit that online for grading.

There are really only 2 ways to fail a test. The first is knowledge deficit, basically you don't know the material. The second is self-sabotage, having a really high test anxiety or second guessing yourself. I really can't tell you which it is over the internet since I don't know you. My guess is the second way, that you are sabotaging yourself during the test. If you are making some scores in the 90's on the practice banks, your knowledge base is probably enough. You should only focus on content areas you are weak in. If your sabotaging yourself, you need to learn to be a confident test taker. There are a lot of self help and motivation tools found on the internet. There are even threads on AN if that may help. You could also find someone local to help coach you, maybe a former instructor or teacher from your nursing program.

Any of those materials you mentioned should be enough to help you pass the NCLEX. Are you doing well on the practice tests? What is happening to you when you take the test? Are you having lot's of test anxiety?

I did not study at all for about 2 months. Then studied for 2 or 3 hours a few days before the exam. To be really honest, working in healthcare for twelve years provides quite a bit of experience. Having a related degree and license helps as well.

Finishing is certainly doable while in nursing school. Out of the 10 people in my clinical group, three of them got pregnant(obviously not me). All three of them were also working some while in nursing school as well. Two finished and graduated with the rest of the group. One had to drop back to the next semester. I am really not sure how one of them managed to time a delivery during the one week break between Senior 1 and Senior 2. Another delivered right after the exit finals as well. I will admit I kind of chuckled watching some very pregnant nursing students during the L&D rotations. Still, I have to respect some very tough and very smart ladies.

I did not read everything while in school, way too much to actually read. There were always powerpoints or .pdf files to look at for each class. I only read sections as needed for complete understanding of a concept. It is less about "skimming" and more about being selective with your information and time.

1. Coffee, like 4 to 6 pounds a month 2. Family and coworkers 3. Realization i have survived and triumphed under much worse.

I would say your ok for the most part with those grades, but it is a competitive program to get into. You can take the HESI again for a higher overall grade, it is the same test each time. Study and do well on the three prereq classes as well. Being partnered only matters for the AP BSN program and not the traditional. Most of the posts here are in reference to the AP BSN or RN-BSN online programs. You might get waitlisted, don't be discouraged by this, there are a lot of good people like yourself trying to get in. Keep working and keep applying and you will get in.

As far as I know, you have to send a transcript from each school attended to get the transfer credit. That information should be on the FAQ on the admissions page. The OP mentioned a $1000 off, is that part of the preceptorship program from UTA? Several of the RN's I work with are precepting UTA students and earn a discount for themselves or immediate family. Some are using it for RN-BSN and some for graduate work at UTA.

I was able to go from application submission to being able to register for classes in about 5 weeks. This includes getting transcripts in and evaluated as well. This was a couple years ago, so I am not sure about how long it takes currently.

Standard time was 5:30 pm for a single test, or 3:30 pm for two tests.

I will chime in as well. I have gone to school for a couple things now and would say nursing school is about medium difficulty in the grand scheme of things. I would rate my experience in Electrical Engineering has hard for comparison. There is a lot of information to absord and understand during nursing school. There are a lot of papers to write, discussions, and care plans as well. The speed at which all this comes at you is part of a plan, even if many don't realize it. You are being conditioned to absorb and process the information quickly, to prioritize, to plan, to finish the paperwork(charting), etc. The best advice is not to give up and keep trying your hardest. If you have problems, there are lot's of resources you can turn to for help and advice.

Clinicals are 2 days a week on consecutive days, often centered on the weekend(Fri/Sat, Sat/Sun, Sun/Mon, etc.). My group was Sat/Sun "most" of the time for clinicals. Our test day was on Thursday at our main clinical site and was proctored. Most of the test days are on a fixed day on Tues, Wed, or Thurs. The only time clinicals are not on a fixed schedule is during the capstone at the end. You do whatever schedule your preceptor is doing for that. A clinical day can be 8 to 12 hours long depending on the clinical.

It is actually more like three times a week, two clinical days and test day. You have a test almost every week starting on the second week of each semester. You may be slotted into any local location that has an opening. We have a couple people that are over 100 miles from their clinical site. They drive and spend the three days local and then drive back to their homes. You do what you have to do to obtain your goal I guess. Anyway, good luck everyone. Markg, Cohort 7, SR2 (almost done)

Just finished this class, the quizzes are pretty rough. Everything but the quizzes consists of group work. Grading on some of the assignments is interesting with the mentors and lead teacher differing on interpretation. You will be dividing up the work, make sure you have everyone submit a day or two before the deadline. You need the time to put the assignment together before submitting it. It also let's you see the weak links in the group and correct anything. My group ended up with everyone passing with A's or B's. Also listen to the podcasts, the lead teacher gives you critical instructions on the assignments.

Finished it last fall, easy if you do the reading and assignments. Try to find the book cheap, you probably won't be keeping it or using it again after the class.

I took the UTA online Chemistry, the labs were a PITA but doable. I did not take A&P at UTA, but there is not much chemistry involved. The chemistry involved in A&P is mostly just factoid type things you can easily memorize.

Once your on the mailing list(your second acceptance and entry into upper division), you will get a lot of courtesy forwards of scholarships. I don't qaulify for any aid either and had to take out a small private loan to finish up this year. Being a degreed undergrad really hurts the financial aid calculations.

search online for "6 second ECG simulator" for more help

First, dump the silly IQ tests, they really don't measure true intelligence, just test taking skills. Sounds like your a good test taker, lol. The EMT-B course you took is a good introduction to the field of medicine, but only an intro. If you did well and have good study habits, then you will be fine going into nursing or becoming a paramedic. I did the paramedic route for many years and will transition into nursing soon. Both fields require about the same amount of education, use critical thinking, and pull from the same body of information. Both require a level of dedication that is higher then most other professions. You also need to have confidence in yourself and your abilities. That will come with time as you take increasingly difficult courses in school and gain experience. Each success you have will build upon itself boosting you even further along your path. Each setback is a challenge to be overcome and not an obstacle.

I didn't submit the reports, but the quizzes are based off the reports. This includes observational and procedural data you would have gotten if you did the experiement. You need to answer all the questions completely in the report to do well on the quizzes. As far as the labpaq cd, it does not appear to change very often. The software looked a couple years old to me.

I found it pretty easy to complete, but I am not representative of the population. Pass rate is about 60% of the class and you need an A to be competitive. I took the class in 2011 and passed with an A. On the lab paq, you really only need the CD with the pictures and microscope simulator. I did not do any of the actual cultures for the labs. Common organisms are used and there is plenty of information online about each species to make 100's on the labs. The rest is found in the lab manual on the CD. This class compares to A&P II or Chemistry in level of difficulty. Not quite as hard as Patho or Pharm.

**** happens, personalities don't always get along. That is normal. Be a professional. First, on patient care, if you get an abnormal/critical value or finding, you need to notify the nurse. If she is too busy sucking coffee and planning the next vacation, take it to the charge nurse. You keep going up the chain till you find somebody that will respond. On the communication issue, every place has it to a greater or lesser degree. If they don't tell you about new admits or transfers, that is on them and not you. Just don't be the one that drops the ball and fails to pass on information. If you have a problem with a few people, they are not the only ones there. Develope a good working relationship with the other people and you may find out they have problems with these people as well.

You do not need it before graduating. Once you have a job, they will likely offer a class or reimburse for a class. If your like me, your BLS, ACLS, and PALS all have to be renewed the last semester and the schedule is going to be crazy.