ejm99

I want to thank you for this post. As a current LVN student who just started 2nd semester out of 3...and whose husband who has just (about 2 hours ago) dropped the bombshell that he feels the need to "be selfish" and no longer is in love with me and wants out the minute I earn my certification...well... this really helped me A LOT! We have always had issues...and to be honest I'm ******...I've spent the past 17 yrs waiting for him to grow up and be the man I knew he could be and now that he finally IS that man...he's bailing on me! I like you though have no desire to be with someone who does not 'like' me or want to be with me. So I appreciate your honesty in your post...and hope I can be as positive with my own situation.

I agree... ABC's then SAFETY.

I would love to see this problem worked out. As a student just beginning dosage calc and Pharm...it freaked me out just reading it..lol...

so? Did you officially pass???

I'm in LVN school now but I would think it would be really difficult to pass the NCLEX 5 yrs after you finished class. I had a difficult time just remembering everything we learned before the 4 wk holiday break! There is no way I would trust myself to remember it for the NCLEX. I'm thinking that if I were you I would buy a good review book, pull out your notes, start making notecards for lab values and meds... and really do everything you can to do nothing but sleep, eat and study. Do all you can on your own...THEN consider taking a review/prep class. As a back up. I would get VERY structured about my time, scheduling everything I do around my studying...passing will change your life...it's worth making it a priority w/ no other interference for a few months. I'm curious did you have to take an exit test when you completed school? If you did ....how did you do? and which test was it? we have to take the Hesi Exit...I've heard bad, scary and horrible things about it and am about to start studying for it as soon as possible to give myself the very best chance to pass. If we dont pass the exit exam we are not eligible to sit for the Nclex.

I don't want to beat you up...I know you feel bad enough BUT.... If you REALLY want to be a nurse then you need to pull it together. The fact your appt slipped your mind ( ????) totally baffles me. You are not magically going to pass...you need to start studying. I know you aren't because if you had been you would have been working toward your appt today as D day... does that make sense? Do you WANT to be a nurse? I think you should go back to your school and see an advisor. Not passing so many times, the forgotten appt...well they just stand out as red flags to the fact that maybe you need to talk to someone about WHY these things are happening and maybe once you talk to them about it.....it will help you move past this self created chaos you've gotten in and decide whether you want to continue or want to do something else. I wish you lots of luck and prayers that you end up where you need to be and that you get what you want.

I agree that you should finish your CNA before applying. Honestly you need to be studying for your enterence exam WAYYYYYYYY before applying because that's a major factor in whether you'll be accepted. You can apply for Fin Aid I think. Go talk to the school's financial aid office...there are alot of options when it comes to funding...some better than others. I found out about a couple scholarships and work related programs from fellow students in my program (LVN) and that was a HUGE help to me and my family. The biggest issue isn't paying for the tuition/books etc... its not being able to work full time to help pay the rent, electric etc... It's better to have a good plan before you apply. Think about how your going to keep a roof over your head when you're studying every night and can only manage to work part time (if at all). How are u going to afford transportation costs like gas and car insurance? Don't forget some programs now require you to have private health insurance too (that alone added almost $400 to my cost for the year)...couple that w/ the basics like food, water and electricity and you can see just by doing the math...you really need to plan this out really really well. Oh and if u have kids....daycare = $$$$$! I'm not trying to deter you...just saying you'll fair better if your not worried constantly about whether your lights are going to be shut off or how your going to pay the water bill...hth.

You don't have to LOVE clinicals. Many of us don't. Not every rotation will appeal to you and some will be heartbreaking (we are about to work at a LTC children's 'home' so I'm gearing myself emotionally)....but as hard as it will be I know that this is the right thing for me. There is nothing to say you have to work as a bedside nurse...you could go work at a Dr.'s office, a community clinic, even take an administrative position. I think your on the right road. You had your doubts. you shared your fears and rather than let your fear lead you; you turned to the one person you knew wouldn't lead you in the wrong direction. One thing that helps me is that I listen to Christian radio ... I sing along w/ the songs I know and it really brightens my outlook and reminds me of how God's grace has gotten me through the difficult times. I get to my clinicals w/ a better attitude and a willingness to learn and let God use me to help those who need it....which is why I want to be a nurse anyway. Good luck...and many prayers!

eeeewwwww...math! I'm in LVN school too and we are just beginning Pharm....which translates to "you MUST pass a medical math test with a 90 before proceeding". Which is ej speak means "your in he$%!" So...I went to my local used bookstore and bought 2 different older med. math books to practice. I started over the holiday. I do better when I can actually HOLD a syringe in my hand, fill it w/ water etc...so I've been doing all kinds of little math experiments w/ my household measure stuff, a little cup that is callibrated.. etc... it really helped me to 'get' the conversions before I decided to try to actually SOLVE a problem. We are very much on our own to learn how to do the math... so my books are really coming in handy so far. I say practice practice practice and don't let your anxiety trick you into losing your confidence that you CAN do it. In all honesty....everyone knows a nurse that maybe isn't the best example of what we think a nurse SHOULD be....think of the craziest, dumbest, or just plain most ridiculous thing that person has said....and then remember SHE PASSED medical math and Pharm. If she can do it...so can you!!!!!

Trust me...do not become "THAT Girl". Not only will the instructor be annoyed by you...so will your classmates. I'm going to point something out to you, please don't be offended that isn't my intention but do think about what I'm going to say.... Chances are you weren't the ONLY person to catch her error(s)...and while you decided it was smart to point it out....the REALLY smart ones were the ones who DIDN'T. That doens't mean they didn't realize the info was flawed. Sometimes it's better to fly under the radar and let the experts handle things the way they choose...even if it was a true error, not a slip of the tongue or brain fart... because if you continue to annoy them your going to end up isolating yourself. No one wants to be associated w/ THAT girl...so it really is in your best interest to approach your instructor Monday after class w/ a sincere apology and a "it won't happen again". Just to let her know you realize your mistake and really thought about how it made her feel being in front of a class of students and being corrected like that... Then move on. Don't discuss it, publicly or privately...let it go entirely. Walk in everyday w/ a smile, say hello to your classmates, be positive even when it's easier to be negative and don't hang out w/ people who are problem children (U know what I mean). Your going to need to recreate a better impression of who you really are now. BTW... "I was just stretching my neck/back" works well when checking the clock in the back of the room....but wearing a watch is smarter!

Dude! That is WAY crazy! I agree w/ the others...my self preservation instinct would probably be kicking in about now and I'd very much want to ask WHY such a comment is considered to be offensive? I don't think it was at all. Not even a little bit in the gray area. I wonder if they weren't approached w/ the comment in a maybe not so true context in when it was given. ie: perhaps portraying you as being smug and saying how you believed this clinical would be easy...because you had that instructor in a another sections..as in showing favoritism....whereas your intent was to convey that your past experience w/ that instructor gave you an idea of what to expect, what was going to be expected from you and how she likes things done. I would most definitely be asking more questions....how it was conveyed to your school officials and how it differed from the actual conversation and the context of that conversation that got misinterpreted. If it were me I would also be adding that you went out of your way to help her when she needed transportation and it wasn't until you couldn't help her anymore (don't think I would necessarily drop the words .. "USED ME", whether she did or not) that she suddenly has all these communication issues with you. I'm floored by this whole thing just reading it no less going through it so I don't think showing alittle of that bewilderment in your meeting would hurt.

In my LVN program we are required to take the Hesi Exit exam as well. We were told it's an excellent predictor of how we will do on the NCLEX but my instructor said that most people who have taken both tell her that the Hesi is actually harder than the NCLEX. I have no idea about a min. score requirement...yet. I really hope they don't spring a certain passing score on us at the last minute.... I'm in semester 2 of 3 and have been studying my NCLEX-PN books since the beginning. I've found that it really helped me to understand and embrace the critical thinking skills essential to do well in my program. I have one or two of the recent practice books but will pick up just about anything that says "NCLEX" on it whether it be RN or PN (LVN)...I don't care if it's from 2010 or 2000...the idea is to learn the material yes, but also to learn what to expect as far as format and test taking skills. I'm going to ask what my instructor recommends as far as the HESI exit study materials and work on that...certainly can't hurt!

I think there is still a demand for Nurses...RN's in particular. It's harder to get in a hospital as a LVN here in Houston...but you can go to a stepdown hospital or specialty hospital...first..then in a bigger hospital. But I think the problem is that the Hospitals themselves are causing the problem now. They have gotten accustomed to understaffing, floating nurses around and using what some could consider unsafe nurse/patient ratios...and consider this NORMAL. BUT IT"S NOT!!!! This isn't the way to give good care but if they can get away with using 4 RNs instead of 6...they are thinking about the $$$ more than anything...and will do it until something bad happens and they determine that isn't working...so they will throw in an extra Tech/CNA... That's my 2 cents... I understand why it happens but I really don't know that's it's a really smart thing to do when hospitals are becoming more about hospitality/service type than actual specialized care.

Nope. If you want to achieve your goals you have to have some!!!

2nd semester LVN student...will finish in August. I was prepared....to a point. The first semester really flew by. I feel bad because I feel like I do neglect my kids and husband but at the same time...my kids aren't little anymore and this really is good for them; they have learned to rely on each other and they work together to do things like laundry, dishes or even make dinner...rather than just have the old "mom will do it" mentality. I have learned to accept help when it's offered. I can't always be there for my boys and I've given up that need to control EVERYTHING...this past semester my hubby, my parents and my in laws have all done things to help when one of my sons came down with a semi serious illness that I just couldn't take that much time off school to be there for every dr appt, checkup or Ultrasound...I just prayed really hard that everything would be okay. I trusted my family to take care of my son and do what I couldn't because of my school schedule and it did work out fine. My husband does help out, I wish he helped more but he works full time and does some volunteer work as well so he does what he can, when he can. There are times when I have to ask for help... aka: have a complete crying breakdown that involves me completely freaking out...lol. But it gets the point across. I'm pretty dedicated to my school work. My program is NOT easy. I spend a lot of time reading and studying, most evenings actually. The one thing I try to do is go to Church every Sunday w/ my family. I have missed a Sun or two to study for finals or a major exam...but I've decided that I need to prepare better so that I don't have to give that up because I really think it makes me stronger in my commitment to myself, my family and to God ...and it's the one thing I do that is for ME...weekly. Honestly...sacrifice doesn't begin to cover it...but I know that what I'm doing is the right thing...I'm trying to make our lives better and fulfill my own dream along the way. I am confident it will get easier...someday. LOL