danaRN2b

Talked to a friend today who took hers & she had 265. I'm sure she passed, though, but we'll know for sure tomorrow! She also talked to a fellow classmate today who took her's on Tuesday, took 200 questions & found her lovely little name on the list on the BON website today! Yay! Both are very smart women & great nurses, so I don't think the number of questions is indicative of anything. Good luck to all!

I never thought I would be a nurse. (Of course, I also thought I would never have kids, too drooly and snotty for my taste; now I have four!) Anyway, my brother encouraged me about ten years ago to become a nurse (he was dating a nursing student at the time, and you know how we end up trying to convert everyone else!) but I told him he was crazy. I thought it would be the grossest thing & I would never want to do something like that for a living. Fast forward seven years...my best friend was going to take a few classes at the local community college & I thought it would be kind of neat to take some classes and get out of the house sometimes. I thought about it for a few days and decided I wanted to go to nursing school (I like a challenge!). I'm not really sure why I picked nursing, but I guess it's what I'm meant to do...it's such a diverse field, and it will never get boring because there are always new specialties to learn & explore. Three years later, and I'm very satisfied with the choice I made! I love what I'm doing and I so enjoyed the thrill ride that nursing school was...and yes, I'm trying to convert people now too--my stepbrother's girlfriend would be the perfect nurse, if I can only convince her...haha! Good luck with your education et career! Dana

It depends on where you decide to go to the test. Last Summer, when I took LPN boards, I got my ATT at the end of July. The nearest testing centers to me (all about two hours away) had testing dates available in late August and after. I decided to travel a little further (3 hours) and was able to test within three days of getting my ATT. I may do the same thing with my RN boards, but I haven't received my ATT yet!

Thank you to everyone who gave their input...I've decided to take the local position. I do have young kids (ages 10, 8, 6, 5) and would like to be at home as much as possible with them. I'll take advantage of all the skills I can learn on a med/surg floor and then see where the road leads me after that!! Good luck to everyone else starting their new careers!

I had no experience in the medical field before beginning nursing school & was also worried about being able to do the technical stuff, but that's what school is for. You'll be walked through all the procedures on paper, then you get to practice on a nice little dummy , then when you try it for the first time on a person, your instructor will be right there beside you. You may not be perfect at first, or even after a few tries, but that's okay! The more you do a task, the easier it gets. As for what areas of nursing may or may not be boring...sometimes you'll be surprised. I had ideas in my head when I started about what areas I thought I would love & hate, and it all changed once I did clinical rotations in those areas. Thought I would love OB/L&D (since I have four kids & spent a lot of time in this area--haha!), but I did not enjoy it in the slightest. I thought I would hate our psychiatric nursing rotation & was terrified of doing it, but it turned out to be my favorite clinical time. I also discovered an unknown affinity for cardiac nursing. Who knew?! Nursing is a great field & there are so many options...best of luck to you & hope you join the ranks soon! Dana

Curious about anyone's opinion... I'm a recent graduate and have been offered a full-time RN position at my local community hospital on the med/surg floor. I also applied at a larger hospital in another community (about 1 hr. away) and have been called to interview for a position on their cardiology unit. Any thoughts about what is the best route for a new graduate nurse to take?? Thanks for your input

Our instructors pinned us. As for something special at the ceremony, one of our students gathered photos & messages from anyone in our class who wanted to acknowledge those in his/her support system. She created a slideshow to run during the beginning of the ceremony that had the student's message followed by the pics they submitted, with great songs playing throughout...think "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion (we were all bawling). I think it was a great way to acknowledge all of our family & friends who stuck by us throughout nursing school, and it was also a way for we students (we saw it ahead of time) to see the families we heard so much about over the past two years! Also, when each student was pinned, our Director asked any of that student's family/friends in attendance to stand & be acknowledged. It was really special.

The ADN program I just graduated from required that we pass LPN boards before being able to complete the RN level of the program. I'm so glad they had us do that, because a lot of us needed to work while in school! Not only for the money, but the experience...it made such a huge difference to me in my RN level, because as we were discussing things, I could connect it with patients I had taken care of and cases I had seen at work. I think it also helped a lot of us with figuring out the whole "time-management" aspect of nursing!

I also have a bunch of kids (ages 10, 8, 6, 5) and a hubby who is gone from 5am to 8pm...anything you can plan ahead of time, before you start classes full time is great. Maybe planning a monthly meal calendar & a grocery list that is pretty much made up ahead of time. Seems like meals are always the most stressful thing to plan, and there will be some days you couldn't make a decision about something like that even if you tried! (One night my husband was going to go pick up something fast food and asked me what I wanted...I burst into tears because I couldn't even make myself decide... !) It's okay if the kids eat quick-to-make stuff and microwave stuff, it isn't forever. As for the housework, lower your standards. Clutter doesn't kill anyone...the only thing I make sure of is that everyone has clothes for the next day; other than that, no one really cares what else gets done. Most importantly, go easy on yourself!! You don't have to be a superwoman, and don't stretch yourself too thin trying to be. I'm a classic overachiever, and almost made myself nuts my first few semesters trying to be an A student, the perfect clinical nurse, and June Cleaver. Nursing school is so great, but it can be exhausting and you'll feel like your mind won't ever shut "off" for the duration, so let the little stuff at home go...I have three weeks left, and my husband and kids are still alive and kicking!! Whenever I look at the clutter or cobwebs, I just say to myself, "This summer, I'll take care of that this summer!" Best of luck to you!

I have four and get the are you crazy looks all the time. Of course, when I had my fourth I was 24 and my other kids were 5, 3, and 1--so I kind of deserved the looks--lol. I've noticed more and more lately that a lot of couples are having more children, and I think it's great. I have one older brother who is 5 1/2 years older than me, and I always wondered what it would be like having a lot of siblings closer in age to me. I watch my kids play together (they're now 10, 8, 6, and 5) and they always have such a blast together! You hardly ever see them outside of about a 10 foot radius of one another--it's great to watch that bond and love. I agree with the one poster who stated that it is physically hard on a woman to have kids so close together (mine were 24 months, 19 months, and 15 months apart). After my youngest was born, it took me nearly 2 years to feel like a human being again! And as "crazy" as people may think my husband and I are, I would love to have another baby...this time we would have to adopt, though, since I had a tubal after #4. We're thinking about it. Much luck to you and enjoy your family!

Okay, I was hugely excited about nursing school, then after finishing my first year and taking a job as an LPN on a med/surg floor while finishing my RN level, I started thinking, "What on earth have I gotten myself into?!" I was seriously considering quitting school and just getting a job at a video store or something like that...:) Then I started our psych nursing rotation and am excited again about nursing. During school you just have to do what you have to do in all of the different areas, then once you get out you find the area that makes you happiest and jump in with both feet! That's the beauty of nursing...there are tons of different areas to work in and almost everyone can find something that fits.

Good luck, Jami!! I took boards on Saturday, cut off at 85, cried in the parking lot because I was sure that I failed, and found out Monday afternoon that I PASSED!! So, I'm sure you did too! We'll all be rooting for you! Dana

I took boards this weekend and found out today that I passed! I used the "NCLEX-PN Made Incredibly Easy" also, learned a lot from the rationales, too. It's broken down into specific areas, which was helpful. Know lab values and their implications. (This tends to be a weakness of mine). Nutrition and diets for specific disorders... Good luck!

Started out with a cheap double-tube steth, thinking that it wouldn't really matter, but realized very early out that it does!! It's tough enough learning the things you are supposed to be listening for without not being able to even really hear anything. My mom (God bless that woman!) got me a Littman Master Cardiology, and it's wonderful. I'm hearing things I never dreamed possible...who knew that one day I would be this excited over being able to hear crackles?!? If you're able to, try out different steths that people in your class, clinical instructors, etc. have and see what you like best. That's how I decided to go with the Master Cardiology.

Maybe diverticulitis?