SN2RN2011

I agree 100% with the points you made re: Magnet status, Mavrick. I was pretty surprised when the recruiter mentioned the Joint Commission and not their "Magnet Journey".

Thanks for your kind words, AJJK. I thought that seemed fishy too. It's unfortunate that they are so hung up on the BSN requirement when having a proportionate mix of experience levels is also a patient safety issue, and is as important as meeting a BSN quota. Especially when in about 12 months, I'll have my BSN and it would be a moot point. Oh well, I digress.

Hi all... I guess I am not really seeking advice, just really a place to vent. I am currently working in a smallish community hospital's ED, and while I do enjoy my job and my coworkers, I am seeking to branch into a setting that sees a little more action. There are several nearby hospitals that are trauma centers and simply have more resources, and as such see many higher acuity patients than the facility where I am now working. About 1 month ago I submitted applications for openings to both of these facilities. I interviewed and was offered a job at my second choice of the two options. About a week after I was offered the job I received a phone call from my first choice hospital expressing great interest based on my resume, and wondering if it was possible if I could interview tomorrow. Said resume plainly lists my education level as having completed an ASN, and that I am enrolled in BSN program to be completed next winter. I went on the interview, which went very well. The manager stated in the interview, "I would love to have you on my team, I think you are a great fit. You have the job if you want it." I was up front and honest that I had another offer on the table but that this hospital was by far my first choice, and was assured that since she would like to offer me the position, that she would do her best to expedite the process. I was told to expect a call within 2-3 days once everything was cleared through HR. During the interview she did mention that the hospital was seeking to hire only BSN prepared nurses, but she stated that she valued my experience and the positive reviews she had received on my behalf (I work with several nurses who work at both facilities). She speculated that the fact that I am close to completing my BSN should appease HR, since in all other aspects I am a qualified candidate. She mentioned that while the more recently hired nurses do have their BSNs, most are lacking in ED experience or nursing experience at all (in reference to the new grads), and there has been some strain on the department due to this lack of experienced RNs ready to jump in when really sick patients come into the department. She stated that she used this information in her appeal to HR to allow her to interview me even though I only had my associate's degree. Much to my dismay, I received a call today from the recruiter stating that the organization could not offer me the position. I was told that they have an arrangement with the joint commission to only hire BSN prepared nurses, and due to that arrangement no exceptions could be made on my behalf. I am heartbroken. I truly felt welcomed during my interview and departmental tour, and I know it sounds silly, but I felt that I had belonged there. The recruiter was very gracious, and stated the manager wanted her to tell me how sorry she was and that I "was the best applicant she had interviewed for the position". Please understand that I am not making this into a ADN vs BSN thing; I recognize the value of nurses having the BSN degree and that is precisely why I am working my a** off to complete my degree while working up to 60 hrs a week at times. It is just such a blow to have that stand in my way when it was all green lights up to that point. Again, not really seeking advice since it seems I have no chance at this hospital at this time, but just spewing out this whole story is making me feel a bit better. It is so disappointing to have walked out of that interview feeling on cloud 9, since it seemed like a slam dunk, to having the rug pulled out from under me today. I almost wish that HR had not approved the interview since ultimately "their hands are tied" and they could not have offered me the position anyways. I was told repeatedly by the recruiter to apply again after I complete my BSN since I was already hired, but honestly, I think if I spend a year learning and gaining experience at the other facility, it wouldn't be fair to just jump ship. Anyways, shame on me for not getting the BSN sooner, and hopefully this will motivate anyone reading to go ahead and pursue it now instead of putting it off.

I waited six long, agonizing weeks after my interview before I finally got a call back from the recruiter offering me the job. Now that I know I have the job, and signed the official offer letter, the wait doesn't seem so terrible and was well worth it. I totally understand your pain though; it's an awful feeling to be on edge thinking your phone can ring with THAT CALL at any moment. I hope that you get the position OP!

Thanks for sharing. I am sure it must be hard, but please don't be too down on yourself. You made it all the way through nursing school, which is an accomplishment that not many people can boast. Try to pick yourself up and renew your commitment to studying for and passing the NCLEX. I would like to echo the suggestion about trying kaplan. The program is not cheap, but it is worth every penny, as it is closest to the actual NCLEX of all the review materials I have seen. I wish you all the best on your next test date.

I hardly told anyone either. I really did not want the added pressure. I only told my immediate family and my boyfriend, so they could join me in praying that I pass. I didn't even tell my closest friend in nsg school until the night before the test! After I passed, then I told some more folks.

@rottielover: Thank you! The "good pop up" refers to the pearsonvue trick, an unofficial way of finding out almost right away whether you've passed NCLEX or not. This thread explains it all: https://allnurses.com/nclex-discussion-forum/pearsonvue-trick-part-403722.html Many thousands of test takers have used it (myself included) and it seems to work almost 100% of the time. Good luck with your upcoming test! Be confident and I am sure you will do well :)

Congratulations!!! All that studying and prayer payed off BIG TIME

Got the good pop up yesterday, about an hour after I took the test. Just found out that I indeed passed :yeah::yeah: PVT WORKS!

To God be the GLORY!!!! It's official: my name and license number are listed on the BON website :yeah:I serve an awesome God. PVT works! Best wishes to all future NCLEXers!

PVT worked for me! Did the trick about 1 hour after my test and got the good pop up. My name was posted on the BON website the next day, today. Praise GOD!!

Hello Allnurses! It almost feels surreal that I am writing about my experiences with the NCLEX. Nursing school passed by like a whirlwind, and now I have tackled the final challenge in my journey towards becoming an RN. I took the NCLEX this afternoon at 1400, and the computer shut off at 75 questions. I was startled at first, since the last question number I looked at was #71, and the computer seemed to shut off one or two questions later I was afraid at first that I didn't even get to 75! I reassured myself that that was impossible, raised my hand, waited for the proctor, gathered my things and left. As I walked to my car and took inventory of my test questions, I became more and more nervous. I've read on here that math questions are the lower level difficulty ones, and I got TWO of them! I had many, many questions on meds that I was totally clueless about, and it seemed that well over 50% of my questions were SATA. I was almost relieved when I got to answer a regular multiple choice question. I did not get ANY alternative format questions besides the SATA and one image question, which also made me nervous. I just reminded myself that I need to keep my faith in the Lord, and that he will bring good results if it is his will for me to become an RN. I can't say that my preparation for the NCLEX was ideal. I bought almost a dozen NCLEX books, from Kaplan to Saunders to Lippincott to LaCharity to Mosby to you name it. Anything anyone remotely recommended I went and ordered (used, thankfully) from ebay or amazon. Then life got in the way. A mixture of my own procrastination, plus my sister's wedding last week across seas, and other things here and there took my attention and I barely studied, even though I had graduated over a month ago. When I got back from the wedding this weekend, I threw myself into study mode full time. I signed up for the Kaplan Q bank and answered questions from sun up to sun down. I did 87% of the Q bank in 3 days!! I averaged 66% in the Qbank, and I got a 68% on Q trainer 6 and 74% on Q trainer 7. I really did not review any content at all. My only study sources ended up being the Qbank and Q trainers. I took these scores, prayed to my God, and decided I was ready. I got the good pop up this afternoon, and I am praying to see my name on the BON tomorrow or Friday. To anyone reading this, I hope it brings you some hope even if your study plans haven't exactly panned out. If nothing else, I enjoyed the bit of catharsis from typing this all out. Good luck to all the future NCLEX warriors!!

Good luck! I am taking it this Wednesday and have spent pretty much the entire day freaking out. Your post helped me return to a sense of calm and reminded me that all I can (and should) do now is place my trust in the Lord. Thank you. I wish you all the best, future nurse!

So happy and so grateful God is great! I graduated about one month ago (ADN) and just found out today that I was accepted into the new grad program I had my heart set on. Now I just need to pass the boards, which I am taking in two weeks (YIKES) and then I am good to go. Thanks so much to allnurses.com for the much needed interview advice I found searching the forums. I don't post often, but I read this site just about everyday and it's helped me more times than I can count. I'm sure I will continue to benefit from this resource as a new nurse at work (gosh it feels good to say that!). Anyways, good luck to all the new grads still waiting for your big break, I hope it comes soon :redpinkhe

Hi there! Congrats on your acceptance. I recently graduated from NCC. As far as the uniforms go, it really depends on whose clinical groups you end up assigned to. Some instructors are more laid back about the uniform than others. I personally wore the required scrubs in the beginning, then as I needed replacements just bought similar styles in the right colors and didn't have a problem. But a few instructors are real sticklers, so tread carefully. I can think of one instructor who prohibits long sleeve shirts under your scrub top, so that might make covering a tat tricky. Shoes/sneakers with small white logos are fine. They do not budge on the "no clogs" rule however, so don't even try :) So overall, the letter makes it sound much more regimented and strict than it actually is. Also, you don't need your scrubs right away since you will be attending lab for the first few weeks before you actually go to clinicals at your assigned facility. If you are thinking about buying something that isn't on the list, I would wait on purchasing until you find out who you'll have for a clinical instructor. Then you can get the scoop from students in the semester ahead of you or you can find me on here and send me a msg and I'll be glad to share any advice I have. Good luck and enjoy your summer! You've got a tough, but rewarding, road ahead