MjusticeRN

Dear CMF_Dennen, Thank you so much for your reply! you took time out of your day to type all of that advice... you have helped me greatly already. It's nice to know also that you are relatively new to the field as well. I will be printing out your thread and taking your advice to heart (no pun intented... ha ha corny joke I know). Thanks again so much and hope your career is treating you well. Take care!

wow, thanks a lot chicookie. That's some excellent advice... I'm going to take notes during my shift on things that I want to learn better/remember. I actually read that somewhere else too- I think in a book or something, so thanks for the pointer. With those tips I should be able to adapt with less stress. thanks so much!

Thanks so much LunahRN! They will be giving me EKG interpretation classes and ACLS as a part of my orientation, though I'm not sure when. I have my 3- week schedule of orientation with a preceptor. I think orientation will last at least 6 weeks, and longer if I ask for an extension, which I think I will do to be safe. I'm going to have to look into that rapid interpretation of EKGs book- sounds like something that will give me the competitive edge. Thanks again so much for your reply and advice... you didn't have to take time out of your day to do that, but you did and that's awesome. take care and God bless!

Hello everyone, I'm a recent new grad of Kent State University who just passed my state board examination last week. I'm most thrilled, but now I'm worried becuase I start my new job on a telemetry floor (night shift) Aug. 3rd. Other than my clinical experience through Kent State, I have never worked a clinical related or even any kind of hospital job for that matter. I worked in the restaurant industry all throughout college. I'm really worried that I'm going to be completely clueless and not catch on fast enough as a new telemetry nurse. I'm really afraid that I'm going to make the nurses I work with wonder if I really went to nursing school. Any advice that anyone can give me in regard to how to excel on my floor? Any tips on how to adapt quickly and become proficient in my position as quickly as possible? I have no problem taking material home to study to further my knowledge and competence, and I will push myself hard to meet the expectations set before me. Any advice from anyone out there on how they survived their first couple of weeks and even months as a newly hired and novice (if that, lol) level nurse?

First off let me tell you that it's okay to be scared- it means that you care about doing good one your test. Try not to worry excessively, however, because it just won't help. I just passed the test 2 days ago with 75 questions, but I was certain for the two months leading up to the test that I was going to fail. I had completely no confidence in my knowledge base or ability to answer higher level questions, and I doubted myself. In fact, I started looking into going back to school to be a science teacher. That's how defeated I felt. I took a Kaplan review course, which helped me tremendously. The class was very hard and I scored poorly on the tests (I had a 59% on the readiness test and I averaged a 58% on qbank questions), but it helped me to get a feel for how to answer the questions. After my computer shut off at 75 questions, I was almost certain that I failed. I had at least 8 choose all that apply questions, almost all of which I had at least one answer choice that I was unsure if I should have checked off or not. I also had several meds that I had no idea on earth what they were. Everyone that I talked to that said they thought they failed it passed it. No joke. It's a really hard test, but keep in mind that they make it really hard on purpose. Even though you may feel like you're failing, you very well could be passing with flying colors. I'm proof of that. Just keep up with your practice questions (at least 100 a day and more if time permits) and rememeber to eliminate answers that deal with pain or other psychosocial needs. Focus on Maslow (physical needs first, then safety and security) and apply your ABC's. I honestly felt like the anxiety and worry that lead up to the exam was worse than the exam itself, no joke. I am not a far above average student, so I am proof that anyone who graduated nursing school can and WILL pass their boards. I would highly recommend practicing with Kaplan. It's really hard, but gets you ready for analysis questions. Don't worry about scores, but more so having experience with questions. Take a deep breath, and like Nike, JUST DO IT! take it and be satisfied in knowing that it's over when you finish. Have confidence in yourself. Best of luck, though you won't need it.

First off let me tell you that it's okay to be scared- it means that you care about doing good one your test. Try not to worry excessively, however, because it just won't help. I just passed the test 2 days ago with 75 questions, but I was certain for the two months leading up to the test that I was going to fail. I had completely no confidence in my knowledge base or ability to answer higher level questions, and I doubted myself. In fact, I started looking into going back to school to be a science teacher. That's how defeated I felt. I took a Kaplan review course, which helped me tremendously. The class was very hard and I scored poorly on the tests, but it helped me to get a feel for how to answer the questions. After my computer shut off at 75 questions, I was almost certain that I failed. I had at least 8 choose all that apply questions, almost all of which I had at least one answer choice that I was unsure if I should have checked off or not. I also had several meds that I had no idea on earth what they were. Everyone that I talked to that said they thought they failed it passed it. No joke. It's a really hard test, but keep in mind that they make it really hard on purpose. Even though you may feel like you're failing, you very well could be passing with flying colors. I'm proof of that. Just keep up with your practice questions (at least 100 a day and more if time permits) and rememeber to eliminate answers that deal with pain or other psychosocial needs. Focus on Maslow (physical needs first, then safety and security) and apply your ABC's. I honestly felt like the anxiety and worry that lead up to the exam was worse than the exam itself, no joke. I am not a far above average student, so I am proof that anyone who graduated nursing school can and WILL pass their boards. Take a deep breath, and like Nike, JUST DO IT! take it and be satisfied in knowing that it's over when you finish. Have confidence in yourself. Best of luck, though you won't need it.