ChuckE

I took ACLS and PALS just before I graduated for all of the reasons mentioned. In the end, it really meant little to nothing in terms of getting a job. I would suggest that if you have the extra money, then yes, get the certs. However, for me, it was a non-issue and it certainly wasn't a detriment where I was held to a higher standard as long as you acknowledge the fact that the certification doesn't mean you know what you are doing in a Code situation. The best reason for getting the Certs IMHO is that you can tell recruiters that you are so motivated to learn that you just couldn't wait to get the ACLS certifications. Also, the protocols do NOT change every year. The new ACLS protocols are coming out as of 2011 and prior to that, it was 2008. There are only minor differences that don't mean very much to you as a nurse since doctors do pretty much whatever they want in a Code situation. As an ER Doc once told me as well as my preceptor nurse, "They're already dead. You aren't going to kill em any more". And no, the class is not very difficult and you will pass.

$21/hr is what they offered me as a new grad RN in the ER.

Does it specifically say that you HAVE to wear underwear? Commando anyone?

I wouldn't worry too much about the 2011 guidelines as there are only 2 or 3 changes from the 2008 guideline. The ACLS instructor will most likely have both versions of the book and point out the difference between the two. My ACLS/PALS instructor also had the 2011 mini-ACLS book for sale and even gave away the few 2008 mini books he had available.

They ranked you as a "low performer" because you ask too many questions??? How stupid is that? From all of the nurses I've talked to while in NS, the thing that scared nurses the MOST is when a new nurse DOES NOT ask questions! YOU ARE NEW! Of course you're going to have lots of questions. If I were the charge nurse, I'd be wondering why the other new grads aren't asking as many questions as you. Sorry I can't help you with the action plan, but good luck.

No it isn't. The first time pass rate is 86%, so really, how hard can it be?

Another thing to piggyback on what uaefan said, be positive. I had post-it note all over the house and on my computer monitors that said, "I WILL PASS!". I also went to bed every night and woke up every morning with the mantra, "I WILL PASS!"

I was told in my Kaplan class that a 60% is indicative of passing the NCLEX. I was also told that you should be doing around 90% of the total QBank questions. I don't think you are that far off from where you need to be. The biggest challenge for most people IMHO is that they should be confident in their knowledge by the time they walk into take the test. I took the test on Saturday and had taken the entire week prior to testing for study time. I even took my son to daycare M~Th to start studying in the morning. By Wednesday afternoon, I had taken the test trainer 1~5 and only did 40% of the QBank and I was just sick of studying. So, from Wednesday on, I just relaxed and read novels (I read about one a day) and watched DVDs that I have been wanting to watch. I also watched the entire Season 2 of True Blood, the new season of Spartacus, etc. IOW, I put the NCLEX completely out of my mind - and it worked. Trust in yourself. If you have applied yourself throughout NS, then you will pass. Lastly, please don't start a "I failed NCLEX for the nth time thread" if you fail again. I really don't think we need another one. Good luck.

"The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is a standardized exam that each state board of nursing uses to determine whether or not a candidate is prepared for entry-level nursing practice." The tests are therefore the SAME. Each State may have their own requirements for a RN, but that's in addition to the NCLEX-RN. Take it for what it's worth as I'm still in NS, but I would keep doing what you're doing and take the NCLEX where you went to school and THEN ask for reciprocity - this is the advise I was given by my instructors.

That's the area I may have heard about - the Surprise area.

As a nursing student, let me add what I know. Our Peds clinical includes a couple of days at a home health environment staffed by MGA nurses. The homes can range anywhere from the barrio to Scottsdale due to the patients medical need and not the household income. My MGA nurse did not have anything great or bad to say about MGA and I spent 2 whole days with her. So based on my very limited experience, I would say though I would like to work in a hospital, I would work with/for MGA if I had to.

"A man is as old as the woman he feels" - Grouch Marx Yes, go for it.

"Sustainable Healthcare"? What form of newspeak is this?

What's the gist of your research? Or what is your goal for this research?

I was a bad driver before I decided to become a nurse. When I drove a F150 pickup, my mantra as, "I'm Asian, and I drive a 2 1/2 ton hunk of steel - Move it or lose it". :)

I have met quite a few Apollo grads during my rotation there already, but most may be from when IASIS was paying for their schooling. I didn't ask them about that directly. Also, it seems Mountain Vista is where we'll be having our OB clinicals next semester. For most of the students I know, that's WAAAAAAAAY out there. BTW crangel, you have a PM.

The way we pick patients for our clinicals is that we go to the hospital the day before and ask the charge nurse or a RN for a patient who is not going home for at least a day. Then, I just check the chart quickly to see why he's in the hospital and what his name is. After which I go to the room and briefly introduce myself as a student nurse who will be helping to take care of him the next day. This way, if they have a problem with me as a student nurse, a man, or whatever, they can tell me right then and there and save me the time of doing a care plan on him. So far, no complaints though.

You have to decide what's more important, getting into NS ASAP, or getting into a school close to your house. Since you mention Apollo, (and since I'm currently a student at Apollo) I can tell you that as a private school, as long as you score in the top 30 scorers of the NET test (I hear it's the HESI test now), you will be accepted. If you were to go to the Apollo RN orientation which I believe they have weekly, you may even be able to start classes by March 2010. This should apply to most other private schools. Any other non-private schools like a community college or a university like A will have a multi-year waiting list to get into school and not even into the Nursing program. Just ask Sweetjen - she knows all about waiting lists. And take a look at the NCLEX-RN pass rates for all of the AZ schools on the AZBON site: http://www.azbn.gov/documents/nclex/RN%20NCLEX%20Quarterly%20Reports%20Q3%202009.WEB.pdf It starts on page 9.

So what school are you in now Sweetjen?

So why don't you give the OP and the rest of us the benefit of your sage wisdom and tell us how we acquire this "good education"? So far, you denigrated Apollo College's NCLEX pass rate which you were wrong about. Then you denigrated ASU (which I don't know about so I can't comment on). So instead of bashing schools, why not tell us which great school YOU went to so the OP can check that school out?

According to the AZBON website, Apollo grads managed to pass the NCLEX at a rate of 88%. This is actually a higher rate than the ASU grads.

crangel - FYI, Apollo College's clinical sites are IASIS hospitals like St. Lukes in Tempe and Phoenix.

I just received my new issue of Businessweek. The cover article of this issue has to do with the rise in the number of the temp worker. The article goes on to say how corporations have cut as much overhead as they can and now they are viewing the employees as overhead to be cut at will. So instead of hiring FT workers, they are hiring temp workers that do not require by law benefits of any kind. So in my opinion, take care of #1. That's you BTW. Go to the interview and if they offer you a job that you prefer over the job you already have, take the job and let the first hospital know as diplomatically as you can.

In our program, we have a 2 week orientation and start labs and clinicals on the 3rd week. We learn a skill during the week like passing meds and the next week, we are checked off on that skill. So, as the semester progresses, we are allowed to do more things in the clinical setting. The first clinical day (the 3rd week), we had partners to work with. Our first patient had to use a bedpan and my partner and I had to clean him up. I have zero problem with blood, urine, feces and any other bodily fluids so I cleaned the patient with my partner emptying the bedpan. It wasn't until the end of the day that I found out that my partner wasn't so blase about feces and actually threw up a little bit ito her mouth. (I still kid her about that) As for the OP's comment about wiping a 400 lb man's butt, I had to do just that last week. He wasn't even my patient, but I answered his call light and he had juuuust missed the toilet. I spent 45 minutes and a stack of towels cleaning him up. Did I mention he wasn't my patient? lol The CNA seemed so grateful I took care of him. And no it isn't my favorite thing to do, but it is just a natural bodily function and when someone is in such a diminished state that they are in a hospital, it is our job to care for them. Think about how you would like yourself, your spouse or your parents to be taken care of - that's how I look at it.

Let's see, one overnight stay in ICU from a motorcycle accident, two arthroscopic knee surgeries, two rotator cuff surgeries, bilateral plantar fasciitis surgery (at the same time), various ligament tears and tendon damage from all the martial arts and the general stupidity of youth... I got enough past injuries to last me through NS twice at least.