HeiseC

Good luck to you too

honestly, keep your ducks all in a row. if you are targeted and kicked out, at least you can say that what ever it may be, isn't true. Life happens. we can't push pause for a year or less and press play when we want to. Stand your ground and believe firmly in what you believe. If anything, go to the dean and explain. if you have witnesses, bring them with you. no one has to suffer, and if you feel like your being mistreated, you have a right as a student and a human being to speak up. they're supposed to facilitate your learning and form a great nurse out of you, (other than personality of course). You have a lot more to stress about than everyone thinking you did it. who knows, maybe it was for the better.

I'm curious how other's study. I never really had a plan of action, so i'm really being tested with my skills. I study by making a neat outline from my book, my pulse pen, and the powerpoints in instructor uses. I highlight my book using two colors. Orange for vocabulary (for test 1) and pink for my view of the most important message under each title. It is a lot of informaion, but I don't think its over loaded. each section has a few points, then moves on to the next. My pulse pen, records my instructor, and my notes electronically, so i can upload them onto the computer and share them with my classmates if they ever need it. I love it to bits and i got the ok to record lectures. I also put the vocabulary in a website called studyblue.com. its really neat, and ya'll should check out the youtube video. anyway, its close to bed time and i still have tons to do. Peace, Love, and Nursing my friends.

my instructor gave us the first two weeks, so we knew what to expect. try to stay ahead as much as possible. I though i had highlighted a chapter and to my suprise, it was highlighter free! my heart sank, but no more! (I'm taking a study break to eat dinner and wash my uniforms) So back to work i go!

I don't know how it is in your neck of the woods but in mine, CNA exam is what is called "challenge the state". If you know the material's, the skills and can pass the test, then you will get your certification. That was what I heard, but I don't know if it's 100% true.

That sounds crazy! I start class tomorrow. In week 5 we go to clinicals. My college has it for 4 consecutive semisters. Graduation date? One year from now

I agree. I actually worked some things out, so that it won't hurt me so bad. I agree with your statement about we bleed a little for our dreams. I've lost more than just blood during this whole year. I'm a ADN student drop out, who didn't realize that this is what I want. It broke my heart to see some things in ICU and I couldn't do anything but sweep under the desk at the Nurse's station. I have litterally fought and crawled through the tangled mess that is called life, to be this far. I can survive another year of this mess just to see the big picture. When I graduate, my life will no longer be, a day i work or the day I don't have to work. It will be, actual day's of the week. I'm so excited it hurts. I'm also nervous but its nerves that i think all students have. I've never given an IM, or a PPD (as LPN I don't think that is in our scope) but its still kind of exciting and scary to know that everyday, you are around some of the strongest people in our community, and their life, is in our kind and loving hands. I do wish you the best of luck! Thank you so much for joining my shuffel! I love posting here, because when I feel alone, I know that someone out there reads this and I don't feel so alone anymore.

Has anyone felt like me? I'm paying for my schooling out of pocket, and I still have to find uniforms in my size, complete my physical, and wait for my kit, name tag and previously ordered uniforms to come in. This is my shuffle. Friday morning, I was up and out the door at 730, to take my fiancee to work. I rushed to school, 45min away, to buy books. I stopped at my facility to see if my special order of uniforms were in. If they're not the number, or color, I can't buy it. Sadly, they were not. Never fear! My favorite uniform shop was near by. They ran out of my size in the color i needed. I ended up buying some nursing shoes and hosery. Bummed, I called my mom, to send me numbers of shops. I pick up my fiancee around 1230, and we have lunch. I had a doctor's appointment at 1415. During lunch, I called all the uniform shops and they were out of my size as well. Stressing out to no belief, my fiancee calmed me down as we left for my doctors. I walk in to them telling me I had no appointment, and then sending me to a lab to draw blood. They always drew my blood and had me come in a few days later for reading. I couldn't make an appointment so I went Saturday morning. After waiting for almost 2 hours, they tell me i need my insurance card. I never been to another facility, so it was information I could have used before I signed in. I had to be at work at 12, so I went home, with my stress level a 10.5. Today, I had to cancel my appointment with my doctor, and went to the lab at 0620, and was home enough time to enjoy my coffee before i make my calls. My doctor's office doesn't seem to understand how urgent i need my physical done, but has agreed to fax over some information to another health care facility to complete my physical. Only after my mom got sour with them, in a nice way though. I emailed my instructor and told her this is very unprofessional of me to be late on a deadline, but after paying my tuition and books, out of pocket, I had to wait for my payday (last week) to complete many tasks. If any soon to be students are reading this, please learn from my mistake. Right now, the program is very strict, and I am praying my instructor will not throw me out and say "try again next year". Thanks you for reading, its been a mess. Class starts bright and early tomorrw, and I'm still excited.

For me, I record my teacher (with her permission of course) and I review my notes and books. I can slow down her lectures so that my brain can process the information. You may want to find out what kind of learner you are, I'm visaul and auditory learner. So I write my notes by hand 3 times, and I listen to lectures and review podcasts that my book's company provides. I also heard another good way is to record your own voice and listen to that when you study. I've yet to try it. I'd say summarize your paragraphs, and if you can mentally make a question out of it, I'd write it down and all answers in my own words. It seems to stick when it is in your own words. Plus, I find fun ways to make things stick. Like when learning about the compliment system, i think of the end result as swiss cheese. hope it helps

With my school, I thought I'd never get in. I had a low GPA, and some of my grades were above a C+, but still made me feel unsatisfactory. (I had mainly B's rarely A's in the pre-req's). When I got the letter from the department, I knew that the packet of information were too big to be a rejection letter. Now, my school has sattelite campus's and I was talking to a girl who drove about an hour and half away to buy books for class (that were the next day) and she told me that her friend didn't get into the program. How I got so lucky, I have no idea. So if competition is your fear, I say go for it. You never know.

i can understand that. i am trying to develop my critical thinking and so forth. my instructor has a folder of medication errors, and said that one nurse administered 32 viles of one med. she emptied the floor, the machine that holds certain meds, hooked up 2 iv's and so forth. she kinda drilled it into our heads that, at what point do you say 'hold on!'. my other instructor also told her story about stopping an ob nurse from making a med error and told us we have to have a back bone enough to stop a nurse if you think she's making an error.

I agree about getting your CNA. I wish I went for mine since I could have graduated high school with my CNA. I didn't grab that opportunity because my parents thought it would be better for me to get my education first. I'm thinking about getting my CNA now since my hours as a Environmental Services Tech. has been cut to less than a day a week. Plus, I don't get to see or interact with patients as much as I wanted.

Oh gee. I could see how, if it isn't converted right. My problem would be the conversion. I keep wanting to put 1/1000 but I have to know what goes with what so that it cancels. I would guess the baby is 13.2 pounds. At first I looked at it and said it has to be greater than 3 because if 1 kg = 1000g, then 3000g must equal 3kg. times that by 2.2 you'll get 6.6. times that by 2 to get 13.2. Is that the correct logic?

I didn't mean to take it personally. I dropped all my freinds because they all were laughing behind my back. Said I'll never become a nurse. One of them said she was going to do the 'fast track' but said that 3 years ago. I get a lot of negativity and some doesn't even realize how much it influences me. If it wasn't for the fact that I love nursing, and my fiancee, I'd give in to this negativity. I was just bothered and I appologize if I came across rude. That isn't my intentions.

@ Pneumothorax: I'm just wondering how to get to the answer. Everyone thinks differently, and I'm just curious to see the different thought patterns. @GrnTea: Its no joke. I feel a little off put because you think its a joke. I got this paper in my second weeks of nursing school and by your reaction, it makes me feel dumb that I can't do a simple problem. I'm not letting this get in my way because its my weakness. I looked at the problem and I see numbers, and a mess of confusion that I can not understand unless worded differently. I don't know what your intentions were, but it kinda hurt my feelings. @Clovery: So, if I was going from kg to lb, I would multiply and if I want lb to kg, divide? I think that was my issue. I was trying to not rely on my notes too much when doing conversion problems.my answer page says 1680 so maybe I can figure out something and if I get the same answer, I'll ask my instructor about it.

I was given some medication practice and I thought I'd share one, I coudln't quite get. (I do have an answer key, but my question is reason) Ordered: A 185 lb. Man would receive __ mg. per day of thambutol if usual dose is 20 mg/kg of body weight. I think I have it now, since i typed it out, but why not share the fun :)

I'm completed week 2 and am working on week 3. 1) ALWAYS ask your instructor if you can record. I like to record the lecture because I have a tendoncy to forget or miss what is said, and sometimes its an important test question. 2) Buy your books ahead of time and if your school has an online program where you can download your instructors syllibus and course agenda, do it. I'm a little far behind because I didn't buy books until the day before, and my agenda requires me to read chapters before each class. 3) Don't get too stressed. Some of your classmates will form study groups and it will be helpful. What ever your study needs are, you can find it within a group. Also, your college may have plenty of resources to help guide you through a successful career. They know its competitive to enter the program and they want you to be on top of your game. 4) With that being said, book stores have pocket guides and flashcards. I plan on buying myself flashcards for the NCLEX-RN to help prepare myself durring my down time. 5) Just as a note, I don't know about your email address, but I had to re-create mine. I used my dad's 15 letter last name and everyone got confused. Plus my inbox was such a mess, my mind became the same. Its a good idea to have an email that has either your first and last initial or vice versa, or with numbers, so that when you hand it out to your fellow classmates, they know who you are. 6) Don't be afraid to ask questions. the stupid question is the one not asked. For example, my instructors repeated twice about documentation, and for myself, i tripple checked with verbal communication. Other students thought i was an idiot, but I want to be the best nurse I can be, in my own way. I can't think of anything else but is what I gathered in a few weeks.

I maybe a first semister student, but my 2 cents go towards it being more awkward for the male students. When we learned how to find the apical pulse, a male student turned his head away from me and was trying really hard to not make it feel any more weird than it already was. We ended up talking to our instuctor (who was walking around the room) and he explained that he felt intrusive and uncomfortable because of the breast. For me, I'm fine either way, because its practice. I've grown to know my classmates like family, so i think of it that way.

My advice is to buy your own pressure cuff at either your local store or a website i heard of call 'allheart.com'. I have a hard time distiguishing sounds myself, but make sure all is quiet first and really focus. Maybe as practice on someone else, close your eyes and hear. Sometimes taking out one sense enhances another. when you feel ready, try again with your eyes open. Trust me, BP is my weakness but it all takes being confident in your numbers.

thats a great website. I'll add it to my list of wonders :) I actually now am able to comprehend a littl more. My instructor taught us a 'box' method where looking for/1 = dosage ordered/1 x availible/1 = correct dosage. (keep in mind these are fractions) thats a simplified version, but very useful. I actually think I got it enough to not fear it. One reason why I needed advice and help was because this is the math test (demensional analysis) that I MUST do better than 90% on the first or second try of the test, in order to remain in the program. I worked hard to get where I am today as a person, student and future nurse. I don't want to lose it.

Thank you all for help. I'm not a math genious but for some odd reason I do really well in it. (Better than english sometimes). I want to stay on top of my game throughout nursing school. Im buying flashcards, using flashcards.com (may have gotten the name wrong) and other sources. I want to be a nurse so bad, that I litterally was about to sell everything I owned down to the shirt off my back just to go to school. I would have walked myself to school if it meant I could be a nurse.

I am a freshman nursing student. I'm excited and over the summer I attended a Jumpstart program that allowed me to see how to do dosage calculations. I'm worried about this process, because it still looks like ancient greek to me. My main question is, what are some helpful hints, books or advice does anyone have to offer. I thank you all for your time and understandings :)

I can see how it can be overwhelming. First, relax and find your happy place. I am just starting my first week, but I've prepared mentally for this task. Second, figure out what you need to read, and if you highlight your books, highlight important parts. I usually never highlight my books (i treat them as if they are my babies) but this is a good time to break that habbit, because when it comes time to review them, i'm not searching unneccessary information. I can relate with you when it comes to failing. I'm freaking out in silent mode about it, but the best part about taking this corse? You are selected over many applicants, and now that you are in, be confident in who you are and that you can pass. For me, I found cards and pocket guides at barnes and nobles that I will buy to stay on top of my game. hope this helps, if you need a support system, let me know! from one sister to another, as nursing students, we're family.

I failed version 4 twice and finally past version 5 this may. I studied my tush off using flash cards, with multiple choice so I can shuffle the questions around, I used the pre-test from the ATI web-site. The key question I think you should ask is, what do you think happen to cause the fail? The first two times, i was not only physically disturbed by a classmate (she knocked me in the head with paper to say hi because her test was free...not mine!) but I have a slight anxiety with time. What ever you feel that caused this to happen, seek aid. Your school might provide a councelor. Together you two can pin point a solution that best fits you. If you feel as though there is no other issue, that the test wasn't what you studied, I don't know what other schools would call this area, but my school calls it the academic support center. They might have some other sources to help enhance your study. For me, after the second time, I got help, I used this site (allnurses.com) and found great resources. I also used the book from ATI, that was sold at my school's book store. Hope this helps, and hope it doesn't sound to harsh. Just remember its not the end of the world if you fail.

For me, i always got annoyed with hearing myself write on the note pad, so when i recorded my lectures, i hit record and set the pen on the table, or near the teacher (if you feel comfortable that way). Then, I write my notes down on a regular note book. When you upload it, make sure you remember you can slow down the audio, bookmark sections of the lecture that you feel are imortant. Also, if you know how to convert your lectures into mp3's, do that and upload them onto a mp3 player of choice, or make a CD for the car. Doing that helps me, because if i can hear the tone of the teacher when talking about a certain answer to a test question, I'm more likley to get it right. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to message me. Oh, and before I forget, I don't know if the new pen have the same headphones, but if you have the headphones, test out the 3-D recording. I provides a better sound, which reminds me to test out the microphone sensitivity, so that you can get the best recording. Different classroom require different needs. Hope that helps