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I'm borderline INFJ, but I usually score INFP. I'm really glad I found a thread like this because I don't feel so alone in my struggles in working on the floor. Since nursing school, I always felt like I lacked in a clinical aspect. The only clinical rotations I enjoyed were in psych, but it did not stop me from giving acute care a chance. My first job out of nursing school was on an oncology floor, then med/surg floor. I lasted 11 months, but could not take the acuity, heavy patient load, and fast-paced environment, among other factors. I've been out of a job for several months and reevaluating my options. I really thought nursing wasn't for me so I looked into going for a master's in counseling or social work (as opposed to psych NP). I'm especially interested in doing individual therapy and group work because it'll allow me to interact with people on a deeper level. However, I put my decision to go back to school on hold so that I can explore psych nursing. I'm currently volunteering on a crisis hotline to make use of my spare time. It's helping me better my communication skills with depressed, suicidal, and mental health cases. I also recently participated in a workshop. It helped in theory review, but not so much in building up my technical skills. It's tough without the 2 years of psych experience most places seem to require, but I'm hoping to land a job soon. I'm looking into clinics, residential settings, group/youth homes, etc.

I wanted to spare myself from years of feet/back pain while I'm still young so I bought a pair of white ones last week. I work 12+ hour shifts, and thought it'd be a great way to tone up as well. I admit to feeling lower back pain at the end of the 1st day, but I figured it's because I needed more time to break them in. Now I'm more comfortable and my butt feels firmer! A bit early to say, but I think it's worth the buy. I'm looking forward to the results 1-3 months down the road =)

Some nurses get away with wearing fuschia/dark pink, but all the RNs in my hospital are required to wear solid white, wine/maroon/burgundy, or a combo of both.

I've always been interested in this type of stuff! =) I took the Humanmetrics test awhile back and scored "INFJ" twice, but then a few months later took a similar test on Facebook and got "INFP". . .twice. I have no doubt about the first three letters, but I always had trouble deciding between "J" and "P". I didn't think it possible to be both! So I did further research and read personality descriptions in the books "Do what You Are" and "The Pathfinder." It was then that I realized I was more of an "INFP." Your post further confirmed my personality type because whenever people ask me what specialties I am interested in, I always tell them "Psych and Oncology"! I graduated this year from nursing school (Class of '09!!), but I struggled with my career decision early on because I didn't want to go to ICU, ER, or Med-Surg like everyone else. I thought I didn't belong in nursing...later on I realized there is a place for everyone. We INFP's are rare, and it's nice to know that I'm not the only INFP in the nursing field

HappyBSN,RN & JerseyLilly, Thank you so much! I didn't think I would get any responses, but I did and it was very helpful =)

Moniku2009, I agree with TessaMae. . .if it's possible to reschedule it so that you have more time, take this option into consideration. The same friend I talked about earlier was under a huge amount of pressure by her family to take it ASAP so she went ahead and scheduled it. . .even though she didn't feel ready. I was supposed to take it August 10, but I didn't feel prepared enough to take it so I re-scheduled for that Saturday. Those five extra days really helped me out. However, I was already 3 weeks deep into studying...plus I had the time to sit behind a desk, read over material, and practice questions for hours at a time. Therefore, I might not be the best person since you're really pressed for time. But if I was in the same situation, practicing questions and read over rationales carefully (since they can also serve as content review) seems to be the best way to go. Try to cover your weakest areas first. From what I can recall, I got alternative-type questions (e.g. "Select all that apply" and "Drag and Drop"), a few questions about meds (though no calculations), priority-type (e.g. "Which patient should you see first?"), some psychosocial, peds, reproductive, and cardiac. However, others have gotten different types of questions. It's hard to say what you should really focus on because the test is different for each individual. Even with all the studying I've done, it was impossible for me to go over every single area. So when I encountered questions w/ topics that I wasn't familiar with, I had to rely on critical thinking strategies. That way, I was able to eliminate wrong answer choices and select the best possible answer. I did this by reading through "Kaplan NCLEX-RN Exam: Strategies for the Registered Nursing Licensing Exam" (the latest edition is 2010, but older editions [2008-09, 2007-08] are fine). Examples of strategies are: physiological comes before psychosocial, nursing process (assessment comes before intervention), etc. I didn't buy it...I borrowed it from the library. So check out your local library to see if they have any of these sources (they're free!) It sounds like you have a lot on your plate and I hope I have helped somewhat. . .let me know how it goes and goodluck!

Hi I discovered your entry almost a year later after you posted. I am a new grad also interested in working in NYC...I would like to know if you had any luck finding a job, how the endorsement process went, and if you have any tips, suggestions, or words of advice to pass on? Anything would be helpful!

Hi I just graduated (May 2009) and passed the NCLEX last Saturday. Now it's time for me to do some job hunting! I hope to find a position in hospitals within NJ, but just in case I don't have any luck, I am willing to extend my search to NY. To those who are NJ nurses working in NY, how do you apply for reciprocity? How long does the process take? What is your specialty, which hospitals have you worked at, and which would you recommend I look into as a new grad? (I would appreciate information on facilities that are within the city, since it's about a 30+ minute commute from my house if I take the bus) Also how is the commute and paying taxes? I know I'm throwing a lot of questions out there, but I hope someone can enlighten me...thanks!

I used several resources to study for the test. I used Saunders 4th edition and the comprehensive Meds Pub review (which I received courtesy of my school) mainly for going over content. Saunders was more in-depth and Meds Pub highlighted all the main points so together they were very helpful (though Saunder's is sufficient). I did not take the Kaplan course, but I did read over the 2008-2009 edition for critical thinking strategies and answered sample quizzes (50 questions, along w/ answer & rationales) off the website, which helped me get a taste of what it is like. I found that a lot of the Kaplan questions resembled the ones in Springhouse NCLEX-RN, 4th edition. This is a ring of review cards containing 441 questions (along w/ answer & rationales) covering fundamentals, med-surg, psych, maternity, peds, etc. It's really convenient because you can take it wherever you go (and cheaper than paying the $450-500 for the course)! In addition, I went over many questions in "Prioritization, Delegation, & Assignment" by LaCharity. This proved very helpful since I encountered many priority type questions when I took the NCLEX. Altogether I practiced between 2500 to 3000 questions. I finished w/ 75 questions last Saturday, and found out I passed this Monday!! To those in the midst of a studying frenzy, I have one more thing to say. Don't cram the night before or the morning of the exam. RELAX!!! Take your mind off it for just a moment...laugh and have fun!! You deserve it, and believe me it will relieve some of the jitters. It is hard to think straight when you're anxious. I know someone who had taken the Kaplan Course (went through classes, answered questions from Qbank) and ended up failing because she entered the test room w/ a defeated mindset. She was on the verge of a panic attack and expected to fail. . .and she did, unfortunately. Go into the testing room confident and believe that you will kick NCLEX butt!!I wish you all the best of luck!!

Hi I'm from NJ, but believe me, the trick works over here! It worked for everyone I know who has taken the exam. An hour after taking the NCLEX-RN last Saturday, I tried to re-register and got the pop-up message (which prevented me from moving onto the payment page). I tried it a few times later that day, as well as on Sunday, and got the same result. Then Monday, I found out I passed!! ^__^