futurerninspire

My plan is to give this all I've got and I could use any of the latest and greatest tips out there! I'm not sure of THE BEST resource for content review and that of course is my main weakness. (I hear Kaplan is not the ideal content review resource.) I'm trying to put a six month review plan together and just need some pointers on where to begin. I graduated from an AAS program 10 years ago and that's feeling like an awfully long time to even be considering this. (I'm overwhelmed with regret but I have to get past that.) Extenuating circumstances kept me from taking the exam and I fell into a fabulous career that I've loved because it just keeps giving back! So - finally, I'm doing this no matter what and plan to finish what I started!! Do any of you know of any local mentors or nurse educators who may help me with addiinal content review? I've heard some state nursing boards provide mentors in cases like this but I haven't found that to be true in MN. Thanks for any advice you can give!! - particularly in the are of content review! (Negative Nellies: Please refrain from comments that may be discouraging!) Side note: Does anyone know if I can take the LPN exam in Minnesota since I'm eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam? Just wondering if that's an option.

The long and short of it is that the schools are jam packed in the Twin Cities; most with extensive waiting lists. I hear that some are having luck at St Kates with little to no waiting or perhaps at other private schools where tuition may be a little bit higher. It sounds like you've accomplished so much! Congrats! It sounds like we have a ton of fabulous people interested in this profession and a serious shortage of educators! It will be tough to meet the nursing shortage demands but I have faith we'll be seeing expansion in enrollment opportunities soon! You might check into online baccalaureate programs for a BSN if you're really itching to get on with it. That way you can do college from home and do clinicals in your home town or wherever you choose. go get 'em!

Which program at St Kates did you choose? I'm glad you can get in fairly soon. The program was in a bit of trouble while I was there because their graduates were having trouble passing the NCLEX exam. As a result, their accreditation was on the line. They seemed to be doing everything they could to recover and I really haven't heard how they're doing now. The only advice I would give you is to remember that you cannot count on your nursing program to fully prepare you for licensure. You have to take the responsibility into your own hands early on and use supplementary tools to add to your education along the way. Do check into heir recent pass rate on the NCLEX - that should be available on the Board of Nursing site or maybe the college will just tell you. That is, find out what percentage of their graduates are now actually passing the exam. Since I never did take the licensure exam I did call them as an alumn to see what they may have in terms of resources. I spoke with people in the the alumni office, the RN-BSN program, the weekend college, the Dean's office and I really can't get any help. I may be able to audit some classes as an alumn just for the sake of reviewing content, but I havent heard back yet. I'm a little surprised that they don't have more to offer to help me pass. After all, the more graduates that take and pass NCLEX the better the school will look to others. All the best to you at St Kates!

I agree that applying to several schools is probably the way to go but I would talk to folks at the schools first before you blow hundreds in application fees. I'm in a bit of a pickle myself trying to prepare for NCLEX after graduating 10 years ago and I may need to go back to school to brush up on nursing content. I'm just calling every admissions office I can to find out about furthering my education without a license. Even though my concern differs from yours I want to get into a BSN or MSN program as quickly as I can and without a license I'm hitting a wall. Nonetheless - call every admissions office you can find online and/ or read about them. You'll see that some require a 3.0 to get in and don't have waiting lists. I chose St. Kates for that reason years ago. They may have a reputation for higher tuition but if you can graduate more quickly and start making a higher salary then it's worth the extra cost. Also, private schools often have better financial support for students than public schools do. My nephew is paying $2K a year at St Thomas. Another thing to think about is chipping away at your degree onine. Tuition is lower, progress is faster and there's often no waiting. A few references I've seen note Kaplan, Drexel, Rush, MGH and Loyola as reputable online programs. I also hear that Rasmussen, Globe and NAU dont have waiting. Good luck advancing in the health care field!

Your story is amazing and you should be very proud of your January 27 accomplishment!! I graduated with a two year AAS degree 10 years ago and I never took boards for US licensure. Every time I think about it I want to either cry or throw up so I completely relate to the depressing outlook you had before passing! Circumstances in my life prevented me from finishing what I started a decade ago and I desperately want to now set things straight. I've had an amazing career in a health related field but I'm sure I've lost much of my bedside manner and certainly the nursing content will be quite a reach. I'm so scared. Your story is so inspiring and the first one I've seen of it's kind that makes me think I may just be able to do this if all the stars and miracles and forces align! My life long dream is to be a nurse and to show myself that hard work will help me to keep this promise I made to myself. I tell you whole heartedly, I have read story after story after story hoping that someone out there who had similar dreams to mine that actually saw them come true. It's always great to hear a story with a happy ending! I haven't seen anything quite as extensively absurd and unfortunate as my story but that's okay. I'm determined to do the impossible and I've been pushed over the threshold by your inspiring story to take action once and for all to make this happen. - Thank you!