britton

These posters have all given you excellent advice. Hats off to Kimily especially, for telling you to relax, you know this stuff! Because you are not thinking CONSTANTLY about everything you soaked in, tested on, and observed during your nursing education (like you may be thinking about stuff on the front of your brain like bills, relationships, that weird stain on your carpet... whatever), you may think you don't "know it". Well, you do. You don't think about breathing or moving your bowels, but you do it anyway. Maybe that is a lousy analogy to a nursing education, but I really do think it is rather apt. If you successfully graduate from a nursing program, you have already garnered a "nurse's instinct", and a lot of the relevant knowledge needed to pass the NCLEX is tucked there safely in your subconscious. It will come out during your testing no matter how unsure you are about your preparation for the exam. I have severe, and I do mean SEVERE test anxiety, and that caused me to wait A YEAR before I took the NCLEX. Don't do that, I beg you. I studied Delmar's book and the included CD with the 5 practice tests (the book had an additional 5 tests, plus tests at the end of every chapter), and, like Kimily, I read and tried to absorb each rationale given with the correct answer, even the answers I got right. I passed the first time at 85 questions. Oh, and I got the last question wrong. I was so sure that I didn't pass that I didn't open the envelope containing my results for two months. It is so easy to say "relax", but I really do think that is a main factor. You may not be able to thoroughly relax during the exam (you can't force yourself to relax during a test), but you can do relaxing things a few days before the NCLEX. Watch a funny movie with Ben Stiller in it. Eat soothing foods like cheesecake and chicken noodle soup. Take a long, hot, bath. Whatever gets you chilled out. Don't be a doofus like me and stress out for a year (and yes, I did relax a few days before the test. It certainly took me long enough.)

I was pretty much a mediocre nursing (LPN) student. I'm a whiz at math, and got through all of the 9 pharmacology exams (3 a semester) without studying. The pharmacology grades are the only reason I passed nursing school, as I failed two of the "critical thinking"-based nursing exams my last semester, and barely scraped by with a "C" the last semester. It was touch and go until the teacher graded the final exam in class. I was literally one failed question away from flunking nursing school. I was appalled at myself because until the last semester of nursing school, I had never failed a test in my life. The nursing version of "critical thinking" really confuses me and made me feel inept and stupid all through nursing school. I had to study a lot, which was a humbling experience because I rarely studied when pursuing my previous degree, and graduated in the top 5% of my class. I thought that nursing school would be a breeze because I was such a whiz kid at accounting and finance. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I also have severe test anxiety, so I put off taking the NCLEX FOR A YEAR! I worked at a bank, periodically studied my school notes and a Delmar NCLEX book, took the practice tests on the Delmar CD (of which I only had a 55% passing rate!), and worried about the NCLEX. I was embarrassed when I ran into former classmates, because within 6 months, all 60 of my classmates had apparently taken the NCLEX and passed. I had heard on this forum that if the computer shuts off at 85 questions, you have either done really well or really poorly, and if the last question was wrong, you have most likely failed. I agonized over each question, and felt very discouraged. I felt I was getting most of them wrong. I know I missed number 85, because it pertained to fetal heartbeat, and I looked it up when I got home. The computer shut off at 85, and I was devastated. One of the forum members told me that if you pass, you will show up in the North Carolina Board's website as a nurse between 48 hours and 7 days. Also, If you pass you get a small letter size envelope basically saying "congrats" and if you fail, you get an 11" X 7" envelope chock full of information pertaining to your weak areas, how to prepare for a re-test, etc. I entered my ss# on the BON's website for 7 straight days. I came back as "unrecognized", which was no surprise, so I stopped torturing myself and stopped. Two weeks later I got a stuffed 11" X 7" envelope which I refused to open. Two months later I got a small envelope in the mail with a card proclaiming me to be an LPN. I opened the large envelope and discovered that I had passed the NCLEX. My family and friends still make fun of me. They think I should have stuck with banking, or become an accountant. Accounting is much easier than nursing.

*sigh* I'm in a similar situation. Due to another job I had, I waited more than a year after graduating from nursing school to get a nursing job. The hospitals around here hire LPNs, but they only want those with at least a year of hospital experience, or new grads that qualify for their "extern" program. Because I waited so long to get a job as a nurse, I don't qualify for these programs, and the only hospital experience I have is through my clinicals. I now have a job on the weekends (two 12-hour shifts) at a nursing home. The hospital nearest to me does occasionally get temporary help from one (and only one) of the nursing agencies. This agency only hires people after setting up an interview, screening process, and orientation. The next orientation is in March, and I will be applying at this agency so I can (hopefully) get some hospital experience. The agency is located in Atlanta Georgia, only about 25 miles from where I live now, but I am new to this area and traffic into Atlanta is horrendous. Hopefully, though, I will not get lost on the way there, get through the hiring process, and get some hospital work and much needed "experience". My sister is in the nursing field and I got my nursing home job through "connections" of hers. I know classmates who had no hospital experience but got jobs at hospitals through "connections". Unfortunately, I have no hospital "connections" (It's a fact that a lot of the time it's not only "what" you know, but "who" you know when it comes to landing a good job.) I am a firm believer that once you get your foot in the door somewhere and make a good impression, you have a good chance of being hired directly. Working through an agency can allow you to meet people at different facilities and procure flesh-and-blood "connections" as well as hone your nursing talents. This site has been a great source of comfort and advice. Good luck to all! -Britton