ABailey2326

I recently took the Kaplan course (in March) and I took my NCLEX in May and I passed :) When I took QBank questions, my scores were in the mid 50 to mid 60, and the more I did I began to feel more comfortable. I took 99% of QBank questions. On the QTrainers, I did a little worse, consistently mid 50 and one low 50 on one I took haphazardly. Like I mentioned, the more questions I did I began to feel more comfortable. Most importantly, if you feel comfortable and can remain calm when you arrive and take your exam, then you will do better than if you second guess yourself. Maintain your confidence as much as you can and DONT study the day and night before! My recommendation is not to postpone it. Keep us posted! Good luck!

I am ecstatic to say I have accepted a residency in a local level III NICU! I am super excited and scared at the same time. I did my preceptorship in an adult ICU, so I have a little intensive care experience, as well as about a year experience in an adult med surg/pcu unit. Does anyone have any advice for how I can prepare myself for the residency position? Any good books or websites I can read? I would like to start some of the book-learning about neonates asap, since I want to feel as acclimated as possible when I begin. I would also like to mention that my hospital uses the Versant residency program. I dont know much about it... has anyone been though the program and can offer some wisdom or tips about it? I am very very excited and I look forward to what people have to say!

Thanks everyone for the positive words. I feel better with some direction for where to go. Since I have a week or two until I start, I am going to focus on labs, and exercising my critical thinking skills. I cant wait to begin! Recently at work (I work at a local hospital as a CNA) I have been able to float to a CVICU and CCU just in the past few days. Seems like fate is working to build my exposure to the higher acuity patients. It is less intimidating to me, although I am still afraid of the complexity of the patient's disease processes. I suppose I will become more comfortable with my ability to perform as I gain experience.

I will be starting my preceptorship (I am in an ADN program) in the ICU in January. I am absolutely terrified! I have zero confidence, and I dont know where to begin brushing up on the basics before I start. I have seen a lot of the websites out, like ICU FAQ and whatnot, does anyone who works in the ICU or precepted there have advice for me? Thanks

I am beginning a care plan for a person with thrombocytopenia related to a reaction she had to heparin prior to a valve-replacement surgery for aortic stenosis. I need relevant nursing diagnoses for this client, but I am stumped because my professors require me to only use "risk for" diagnoses if they are related to an actual problem. For example - instead of only using "risk for injury" I must include it with an independent diagnosis: Impaired skin integrity with risk for injury. The night before I was scheduled to care for this client, they began having extreme chest pain and shortness of breath, which resolved in a matter of hours. If anyone could help me find diagnoses for this client I would be VERY appreciative. Ive been working on this for days, and I am out of ideas. I have picked the brains of everyone I know, and no one else has anything that isnt "risk for". Thanks.

That is my plan as well. Ill pay out of pocket for spring, and hopefully get financial aid and scholarships for next year. Anyway, I cant wait for orientation! The only thing I am worried about now is getting afternoon classes instead of early morning ones.

No I didn't get to work at all before finding out I got into TCC. I passed the state boards test the beginning of February, and I was just beginning to apply for jobs when I found out I got in. I figured I would wait until I figured out how full my schedule is during this quarter before I take on a job while going to school full time. Luckily I have the luxury of living with my parents while I go through school so I don't have any real financial obligations other than school so I can afford to just focus on the nursing program. I am going to be working two jobs this summer though, one as a CNA so that I can gain some experience. If you were still interested in doing Kamanga, its a very easy place to go, and its only three weeks if you go during the week. It is definitely fast paced, but the material is not such that you would have to agonize over it like I am sensing that the RN program will be. And there is absolutely no way I could handle Seattle traffic every day. I have horrible road rage. lol

I've taken most of my pre-reqs at TCC, but I took Medical Terminology and A&P 1 and 2 through the Pierce College military program. I wanted to take all of my classes at TCC but I did not want to wait around to get into A&P so I jumped over to Pierce instead. Everything else was taken at TCC, and I got my CNA at Kamanga Nursing School across from TCC. How about you?

Hello everyone, I received the third part of the email yesterday and I completed the survey soon after. I'm slowly but surely reading the handbook, but I am having trouble really getting into it. Oh well, I am glad that I have something to do towards preparing for next week... I have been thinking about it constantly and like hunt4hackett said, time has been passing extremely slowly as a result. I cant remember though, is everyone who responded part-time? Or are there other full timers on here as well? Amy

I sent everything back as a forward, and included just the needed criteria. I am going to order the background check and pay for the magnus portal tonight, and maybe get started uploading my immunizations. I am not sure if it is required by March 6th either, but I am going to do it by then anyway, so that I make the deadline. This all seems like a very quick process! But I am certainly not complaining. I am so relieved to finally be in a program that Ill do just about anything to get into TCC's.

I got my second email today too. I cant believe we need 11 books this quarter! Not including the optional ones. I have already replied with the forms that she sent in the first email. Has anyone looked into the Immunizations website or anything? Or the background check site? I am confused by that. I think I need to read the whole email again just to make sure I am not missing important info. I am so excited :)

Have any of you gotten the second email from Christine? I've only gotten the original one where we accepted admittance, but not the second one.

I am in the full time program. I am really nervous, but I am also very very excited. I wish we knew what books we needed so we can start looking now though. I want to try and get them online. Amy

I haven't received an email either. I am so excited. Hopefully we hear from someone tomorrow. I wanted to email someone too, but I figured I'd wait a little longer because of the weekend and the holiday. I keep checking the lottery page to check my reality that I actually got in. Are you nervous? I cant decide whether I am more nervous or excited to start this April.

Hello! I just got pulled for the Spring 2012 lottery for TCC and was wondering if there was anyone else here who has been through the program lately and might have advice, or anyone else who was also lucky enough to be picked in the lottery... Amy