SentimentalGeek

Thanks! :) Study resources I used included the HESI review, which was included with our school tuition and NCLEX 4000. I also had a Mosby Review book/CD, but I had the most success doing practice questions, so preferred 4000 over the reviews. To be completely honest it took so long to get my ATT that I didn't go all out on studying because I had no idea when I would be testing. I got my ATT last Friday, scheduled my test for Tuesday, and spent the 3 days in between doing as many practice questions on study mode as I could, and reading every single rationale - even the ones I got correct. As I started to feel more confident, I switched to test mode which does not give you the answer or rationale until the end to review. I probably did at least 600 questions on both Saturday and Sunday. Did a couple 75 question practice tests on Monday morning, and spent the evening relaxing. I didn't use Kaplan so I'm not sure about Decision Tree. When faced with answers I was unsure on, I first eliminated the ones I knew were incorrect. If there were 2 remaining that I thought could be correct, I took it down to basics - what are the complications that are possible surrounding each issue? Which one could kill the client faster? Sounds silly but seems to work! Although I wouldn't necessarily say it was easy, it was certainly more reasonable than I had expected. I had started to psych myself out thinking it was going to be much worse, but turns out the anxiety beforehand was worse than the actual test. Go in with confidence and you'll do great!

What I meant to say was drug calculation. :)

I took NCLEX-RN today and finished with 75 questions. Tons of SATA and prioritizing questions; not a single drug, lab, ABG, I was starting to panic because I thought it was too easy. I got the good pop up immediately after I got out to my car, and have consistently gotten it every time I've checked today. WOOHOO! I'm in Nebraska and it's been taking 24-48 hours for license numbers to show up online. I am so excited to start working. I was offered a job before graduation and getting my ATT took FOREVER! I only used NCLEX 4000 and it worked great for me. Good luck to everyone testing soon!

Glad to be of some help, even if it's not the response you'd hoped for. It has been some time since I went through the immigration process and so much has changed I'm afraid I can't give you much more updated info, but UKBA is definitely the best place to start. You might also find the Home Office website useful.

Unfortunately a student visa does not grant rights to stay on as a resident in the UK after graduation. They have really tightened up on immigration rules in the past 2 years. Check out UK Border Agency | Studying in the UK for more info about studying in the UK. You also would not be able to immediately practice as a nurse in the US after receiving a UK degree, as you would have to take additional courses to prepare for NCLEX. It is even incredibly difficult for a UK citizen's spouse to gain permanent residence/citizenship (income and savings requirements among other hoops to jump through) - students are not priority for residence permits. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

Thanks for those comments explaining them a bit more in depth. Your descriptions and reasoning make sense to me and just might be what I have needed to hear all along to make it click. We haven't had them explained that way (or any way, really). I find it difficult to do things just for the sake of doing them, especially if I don't feel like I'm actually gaining anything from it. The story about your son is interesting, GrnTea. Not trying to toot my own horn, but I have always scored highly on standardized exams and spent most of my pre-college years in "gifted" programs at school. I scored in the 99th percentile on my ATI critical thinking test. Not being able to make this make sense to me has been driving me bonkers. Funny how different little things can still trip people up. :)

This is exactly how I feel. My brain doesn't work this way (OCD and anal-retentive very much describes my brain too!) and I'd never do this in real life - it seems like such a mess and I'm spending so much time trying to figure out how to do it that I could have easily just written 5 care plans by now. I'd never want anyone to base care on a concept map I have done or vice versa, it seems like there is way too much potential for misunderstanding or misreading when there are dozens of arrows pointing in every direction. And it seems like my instructor feels "the messier the better". I suppose if certain people's minds work that way then it's probably helpful for them, but it's just not for me. *Gives concept maps the evil eye* Thank you so much for the link Esme12, that looks like it will help a lot.

That's helpful, thank you!

Same here.

I agree with all of your choices. The itching/scratching one: The patient reporting itchiness would be subjective data. Observing the patient scratching would be objective.

Just looking for any pieces of advice to make concept maps click for me. I've gotten decent grades (only missing a point or two here and there) on the care plans I've turned in, which are just written out in ADPIE format, but for the life of me can't figure out the best way to do a concept map. Maybe I don't think visually so much as verbally...but anyway. Does the concept map basically include the same info as a care plan, just presented in a diagram type way? So I'd put the nursing diagnosis in the middle with different goals and interventions branching out? Or would I put the patient's main reason for needing care in the middle and go from there? It's annoying me that I'm getting so stuck on something that seems like it should be simple.

Yep. I've had awesome Blackboard content, and terrible waste of time Blackboard content. Just kind of depends on what/how much time the instructor is willing to put into it, I suppose. MTA: Most classes I've had the instructor has set up a "To Do" list which can be marked completed, in progress, etc. as you go.

Makes me think of the pt with diarrhea who, having been able to hold in BM while waiting for the call light to be answered to get help to the bathroom, would start pooping the second the "pull up" brief was off in front of the toilet and then proceed to poop a streak all the way across the floor and to the toilet while going to sit down. I cleaned up a lot of poop from the floor that day. :| (And yes, we did try to suggest a BSC but pt was hearing none of it!)

Never thought of that, makes sense though! You don't want to go picking up all kinds of other stuff on your coat and bringing it back into the lab. I'm guessing the lab coats are more about putting forth a professional appearance than about function.

Interesting that you wear knee length lab coats. Ours are to be hip length and no longer. I've heard stories of docs getting crabby about non-docs in long lab coats!