sgalvin07

I just took the certification exam today (and passed). I downloaded the AMSN app on my phone and iPad, they had like 250+ questions with rationales, and I believe you could break it down by body system. I also purchased a few test packs from CMSRNprep.com (exam edge). Same deal here, they give you 100+ questions per exam, at the end you can look back through your results and see rationales.

I happened to find this site again and looking through my profile it seems that I haven't posted anything since I first passed the NCLEX. It's crazy to think how much has changed in this short 2.5 years since I first claimed the title of RN. Here I thought passing the NCLEX was going to be my major hurdle, and then I'd just cruise through my career as an RN and actually enjoy it. That was until last month when I signed up to take the CMSRN exam. Crazy to think that in two years I have built enough up that I thought I could handle it. Regardless, I took the CMSRN exam today: AND PASSED! To say I'm excited would be a huge understatement. The more I seem to learn, and the more skills I seem to gain: the hungrier I seem to be for more. I'd be crazy to think that I "know anything" at this point, I look at some of the nurses around me that have been doing this for 30+ years, and I truly get humbled. I have so far to go, but every day seems like a step in the right direction. So for the first time, Shawn Galvin RN, CMSRN

After what seems like years of beating my head against the wall, struggling to pull myself together everyday....... I took the NCLEX today!!!!! 75 questions.....Came home and got the "good" pop up doing the pearson vue trick. I have to say the one that sticks with me the most. I was told by someone when I first started school "If I walked out of the NCLEX and felt like a complete failure / idiot, I probably did well and passed, because it adapted to harder questions" Well, I walked out feeling even worse than a complete failure, I felt like I knew absolutely NOTHING!!!! This is the most stress relieving / un-nerving / completely sick to my stomach feeling that I have ever had! HAHA. Come on Come on Ohio Board of Nursing and post my number so I can officially say it's over!!!!!!

While I didn't read the other posts yet as I'm sitting here on a break and don't have time, but here's my $0.02.... I have a degree in Computer Information Systems,as well as a degree in Criminal Justice.... Got both degrees due to being young and not really thinking about what i REALLY wanted to do in the future.... Love computers so I started in IS, full ride scholarship for soccer to a school. Played for 2 years and decided after 16 years of soccer I was tired of it. Transferred back to a more hometown school and basically said to my counselor "what will get me out of here the fastest". Criminal Justice it was.... While doing that I took a few more computer classes and eventually after a total of 6 grueling years in school graduated with both degrees. Got out of school, tried the criminal justice route and it didn't pan out. Tried the typical police route, decreased budget shot down the next recruit class. Started the Secret Service process, got 75% of the way through it and the wife opened a successful business which meant we couldn't freely move like I would have to so I had to withdraw from it... I had loans out for both of those degrees, a total in which makes me shiver when I think about it. However, after my first taste of the hospital atmosphere, the people, the work, the satisfaction at the end of the day....I was sold. Unfortunately that meant more loans, but I feel it is totally worth it. If it's something you truly want to do, make a plan and go for it! Only have one life and don't want to live with regret... A few student loans to repay trumps working in a job where you are completely unhappy. To help, look for grants, essay scholarships, etc.... It takes a lot of time, but it will help with costs. As far as the ADN vs BSN, look at the hospitals around you and the trends that you see. If they are mostly all going after the infamous magnet status, more then likely they will be hiring only BSN's and an accelerated program might suite you better...... If there are hospitals around you that are not, I would suggest taking on a part time gig as a CNA, Unit Coordinator, Transporter, etc... Anything to get your foot in the door and then go after the ADN.. Make a name for yourself, chummy chum with the nurse managers, etc... These days its more of who you know than what you know (with any business/job). After that most hospitals that I know offer tuition reimbursement in which you could continue on to finish off the BSN (usually comes with a 1-2 year work agreement). To put my numbers into play so that you don't feel alone..... I have $54k in my previous two degrees.....and I added another approx. $28k for my ADN..... But like I said, have a plan and you can succeed. In my circumstance all of my loans are deferred while I'm in school, and with the wife still running a successful business, all of my money made during my first 1.5-2 years is going directly on student loans to pay them off. And then comes the BSN hopefully followed by CRNA....( I must really enjoy student loans ) Don't sell yourself short and just settle in life. If it's what you want to do, go after it!

I hesitate to answer that because I do not want you to get the wrong idea, or take the wrong approach. The book is 1283 pages. I will say, I probably read about 300 pages, mostly focused on areas that I felt weaker in, had questions about, noticed I missed alot on the practice tests......... I personally do not suggest NOT reading the book, I think it's a huge risk. But when you look at the book it is basically review of everything from the two previous quarters (atleast the way my schools structure is set up). So when I looked at the headings in the book I knew that I had already taken the time to study that info in depth so I skipped most sections. Kinda thumbed through them to see if anything caught my eye as being different, charts, that kind of thing..... After I took a few tests and noticed a trend I went to the book and read that chapter. If you've taken an ATI though you know how the tests are. Sometimes broad information needed, sometimes it seems like the most minute detail, such as a certain word that was written in the ATI book, is the answer. If I had to do it over again, I would probably have managed my time a little better and began reading the book at the beginning of the quarter so that it wouldn't have seemed like a mountain to climb, but hindsight is always 20/20. Topics? Sure there were plenty.....and they are all in the ATI book. I have difficulty saying "know this, know that, don't know this". The material you need is in your possession. If it's in that book it was covered on the test to some degree. Sorry to be of little help, but when you walk into a patients room as a nurse it's not like someone is going to be standing there saying "look at this, check the BP, are you sure your patient isn't at risk...." So I have a hard time focusing your attention to certain topics. Hell, for all I know your test might be equal to mine but different questions, so even then I would be doing you a disservice in giving you topics to cover. The test is over relevant topics that you should know thoroughly before you graduate. Know the cardiovascular system, know how to treat burns, know risk potentials, know about TPN, know about infection control, know what you can/can't delegate and to who it is appropriate.......And only YOU know which of the topics you are weaker in, so really focus on those.... My advice, start studying for it early, it won't seem so overwhelming....But DON'T think it's impossible, plenty of people have passed it so it's completely doable.

copied straight from my report: adjusted individual total score: 80.0% ati proficiency level: level 3 mean - national: 63.3% mean - program: 64.0% percentile rank - national: 99 percentile rank - program: 99 make no mistake about it though, this was by far the hardest ati I've taken...the results were good, but while taking the test I constantly thought to myself that I shoulda studied more than I did

Do what works for you, it's the only way to get through school..Being that you're in your first semester, I think you'll eventually see that you change as well. It's fundamentals, right now it's memorizing and regurgitating. For some people they don't need to study at all just sit through class and they absorb it. Others spend hours on end reading, reading, reading to absorb the same material. I am one of those that absorbs information when I hear it. If I look at it I remember it, the whole "photographic memory" bit. I was a few semesters in, hardly studied at all and pulling in A's like it was my job... After pharmacology we actually started the "real nursing classes". I did a quick turn around. First test was a looooow B. Turns out memorizing doesn't work in real nursing. Once you have to start applying the knowledge you actually have to start studying to put all the pieces together so that you CAN apply the knowledge. Now I'm going into my last semester, thank god. And I went from not studying at all in the beginning..... to spending around 20 hours studying for the test I took today (comprehensive Adult Med Surg) I watched my wife go to dinner, I watched my wife leave to go christmas shopping, I had my sister stop over with my cute-as-can-be 2 year old niece (who I completely ignored). All because I HAD to study... Moral of the story: do what works for you, when it works for you.... Don't let others sway you from what is working, just like you shouldn't try to sway them to change how they operate. But ONE piece of advice, don't just learn things to pass the next test! This will come back to bite you. Every nursing class moving forward builds upon the information you have learned in your previous classes. If you learn it and forget it, you will have big chunks of information missing. You have to learn it to remember it so that in the end all of the pieces will fit together. There truly is a point when you get that "AHA!" feeling and things begin to make sense, but you have to have all of the pieces to get there.

I had the luxury of taking the Adult Med Surg ATI today.... Needless to say I studied all weekend, 12 hours Sat. and 12 hours Sun... Mostly took practice tests, all of the codes that I had I took them, read the rationales both the correct answers and all of the incorrect answers.... Relaxed..... Then took the tests again telling myself why the answer was right before I answered it. Regardless, I went into the test feeling like an idiot..... I came out of the test feeling like an idiot..... However, I got a level 3... 80% so clearly I did something right! Thank god that ones in the books for now. NEXT!

So, I've finally made it to the place I once thought would never get here. I'm moving on to role transition (after I pass my huge ATI test next Monday.....here's to being positive). Hopefully I'm not looking too far into the future, but I feel confident about my last ATI test, which is the only thing standing between me and role transition. Got placed on a medical telemetry floor (thankfully at the hospital I work at, so convenient). Basically the floor is split in half, AB is medical telemetry CD is surgical telemetry. All of my clinicals have been on TCU floors but seem so different then here at my hospital. As a clinical student though, I feel like my exposure to the floor, the conditions, the knowledge, the true inner workings of the unit have been a little covered up. Have always had the feeling of "only knowing what I need to know" to get through clinical as a student. Since I'm moving off into telemetry in terms of role transition I feel like my knowledge level is going to need to be a little higher than it has in the past. What do you guys suggest I brush up on, read about, study, expect?!?!? Clearly every pt. is on a monitor, so I'm sure that I'll need to brush up on my EKG strips, etc. Are there any good books that lay it out in the "any idiot could do this" style. Simple, to the point, and easy to understand. In my searches I've found that there are some that are too vague, and some that go further in depth then I will likely ever need to know. I need a good middle ground. All of my clinical TCU floors seemed to be overflow units. (my school/clinicals are in Kentucky, and I'm an Ohio guy so I was lucky enough to get them to place me in a hospital of the Ohio side for role transition). They tended to get people from other "at capacity" floors and put them on monitors that didn't truly need it, but because it's a telemetry floor and they have policies they monitored them regardless. Doesn't seem to be like that in my role transition unit, so I'm just wondering what the "normal" telemetry disease processes are, if there is even a normal. Just trying to figure out what I should focus on as I brush up my skills over my two week break. As always, thanks in advance

I'm so sorry to hear about what you are going through. I know the joys I'm feeling about my pending granduation in March, but as I go into role transition it's also a stern reminder for me to be careful and think about everything that I'm doing. As said above I think the clinicals in themselves often make it easy for us to not use our brains and get through them. Having the instructor there to correct things and stop us before we do something bad, and to "question" us into remembering to do certain things. Though it is good that they are protecting the patients, I've seen with my own eyes students using that as a crutch to get through the day. It's commendable for you to take ownership of the situation and show the strength and desire to get back in the saddle. It's not a failure, it's a setback. Stay strong and stay focused.

CONGRATS! Hoping to join your ranks in March....It can't come soon enough

Nursing school is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. I'm going into my last bit, entering role transition. Every school is different in terms of how they stagger their class load, but the content is essentially the same throughout accredited programs. How hard it is really comes down to what type of person you are, how the instructors lecture, etc. Basically in the first few semesters/quarters it's memorization classes : nutrition, A&P, etc. Basic memorization, the femur is here, these cells do this and that. Study however you learn best. About the midpoint of most programs that I have knowledge of is where you begin to switch gears. It's not memorization anymore is it application. All of the baseline knowledge you have learned thus far you begin applying that knowledge. Questions aren't black and white anymore, it requires critical thinking and application of knowledge you have accumulated. Nursing school definitely changes how you think. Your mind will be flooded with what seems to be an abundant amount of information, and much of it you might feel you aren't retaining. However, you'll be surprised as you go along how the pieces begin to fit together and you begin to understand WHY things are the way they are, and WHY things are done the way they are done. Nursing school requires alot of time. Truly, the amount of information you will be presented will most likely take you away from a social life, probably not much time for partying, etc.... The dedication you put in and the time you give yourself to study will show through in your progression. It ain't easy, or everyone would be doing it. I'm a career change person, had an established career but saw the light and decided I needed to make the switch to nursing. So I already had bills, etc....I was one of the crazy people that decided to take on a whole bunch of "life tasks" while in nursing school. I bought a house, I got married, and continued to work full time. I put in nearly 40 hours a week throughout nursing school, and to be honest when I sit here thinking about it, I have no idea how I did it. If it weren't for my current job, and my ability to do homework/study while sitting here at work I never would have made it. It demands extreme time management, dedication, and the ability to turn down alot of things you'd really like to do. But it pays off. I know people that have gotten married, three have had kids, some have families including small children, some had parent's pass away, and just about any other obstacle life can throw at you while we've gone through school. There have definitely been ups and downs, but the good thing about nursing school is you form a real bond with your fellow classmates. They will help you out, and definitely provide support when you need it. Nursing school truly comes down to you. You'll definitely have to have determination, you'll have to have a support group, and you'll have to have the ability to buckle down and study. The content can be rather intense, and when you stop to think that someones life could one day be in your heads, it becomes pretty important to learn the basics and show the ability to apply the knowledge. My instructors have always said plan to study about 3 hours per every hour you spend in class. I honestly can't tell you how many hours outside of class I have really spent studying on a weekly basis. I study until I feel like I have a grasp of the concept. For some classes/topics that has been an hour......other topics I've spent hours upon hours trying to piece it all together to understand it. Keep at it. And welcome to allnurses. Granted I'm a "newer" member here, I can tell you the wealth of knowledge and the information the people on this board possess is truly amazing. Congrats on your journey, and good luck. It looks like it will take forever, but blink and you'll be starring at graduation.

It's all in what kind of student you are and how you learn best. Pharm is one of the few nursing classes that unfortunately is based on memorization. Note cards, write it out 100 times, learn to associate them with things that will make you remember. It really is based on how you learn. I'm one of the "lucky ones". I tend to have a photographic memory, I read it once and it sticks, visually I can almost read the exact page in my mind. However, there are so many drugs, and so many uses for the same medication that it doesn't always work. There are some drugs/ classes that I have associated with people that made it stick ( especially helpful with the psych drugs haha)......if none of that works then its simply repetitive, muscle memory....drill it in. I also found it more helpful for me to exclude disease processes from learning drugs, as in a person with this disease takes this medicine.....because like I said above, so many drugs have different prescribing reasons. Just kept trucking, do what works for you and what makes it click. As far as the side effects go, focus on the "weird ones". Don't get caught up trying to remember that it causes nausea and vomitting....that's 99% of them it seems. However if it can cause respiratory depression, bruxism , tardive dyskinesia, or a cough( in terms of ace inhibitors), etc... that's where I focused when learning. Take my 2 cents for what its worth, I still have plenty to learn, I graduate in march. Just sharing what has worked for me thus far.

There's only ONE person in this world that you can control, and that is yourself. Try as you might you can't control anyone else, nor can you please everyone. Granted I'm still a nursing student until march, I have had plenty of experiences in other environments to know that the only outcome that truly matters is how you handle yourself in each situation. Pt in the hospital feel as though they have no control, we tell them when to eat, set their diets, often tell them when they are getting their baths, when their beds are made, when they go for tests, etc.........in the ER we tell them to sit here, wear that, now sit Here and wait until the doctor comes. They could wait ten minutes or two hours.......all of which they have no control over. The only thing they have control over at that point is their actions and their mouths. So I feel like they use them, often out of spite due to lack of control in the situation. I believe this is where the soiled sheets and rude comments from those alert and oriented, seemingly non psych pre come from. They express themselves because its the only thing they still have control over. Most of those people under normal circumstances probably aren't rude and inconsiderate, but due to lapse of judgment and loss of control they lash out. And although it definitely isn't in any nursing policy that the nurse should be subjective to verbal abuse, we still have to care for those people to the best of our abilities. The tough skin comes when you realize at the end of the day, in a bad situation, you handled it professionally and to the best of your ability. The tough skin comes when you watch that patient get discharged knowing that even though they were rude, you did your part to see him through his care. Once that feeling has set in the negative xomments, the rude demands, though they still stun you at first, the sting isn't near as bad... Live in the fact that you survived nursing school, passed boards, and work in an environment that is like no other. Continue working hard and focusing on your career and the care that you provide. And learn to accept that people can say anything they want, but at the end of the day feeling successful with yourself is the only thoughts that matter. Again, however, know that there is no policy that says a nurse should be verbally abused, and I'd a comment crosses the line, there is no harm in making the patient aware of the fact that the comment was not appreciated, nor is it acceptable. Be polite but stern. Set clear limits that offensive comments are not necessary, and in order to provide excellent care that you have to work together. At the end of the day you are a competent nurse, a successful woman, and a mother. Nothing else really matters.

Yes to the depth. It's in there just mixed in too close with the rest. 2.5 x 2 x 2.5cm I personally don't like Risk for diagnosis as they are. Been preached at about them too many times I try to stay away from them. And personally you have my head thinking in another direction and I like it much better. I never thought about going the altered skin integrity route, but that definitely helps get me to the point I wanted to make.. Thank you very much, late or not your words have inspired