MizRani

i just took it. you'll be fine. don't spend the time you have left worrying. gobble up as many practice exams as you can. not kidding. you gotta grow some stamina for all those questions. also, focus on ABC, MASLOW, and PRIORITY. You'll be fine. I had same grades like you. Haven't heard back from them yet. I find out tomorrow. I feel weird, hoping I do pass. If not...well, I know without a doubt that I tried my best. I really did. Go in knowing that. It will help. Good luck. Get some sleep the night before. REALLY important!

I took it yesterday. I studied nonstop for three weeks. Basically I answered about 4,000 questions, used three different books, and poured over the meds I should know. Here's what I learned yesterday 1.)They ask a lot of priorty questions. (You are charge nurse, which patient do you go see FIRST) 2.) Some of the questions were weird. (I got one on herbs!) 3.) Some questions give you TWO correct answers, you have to select which on is the best. (Which is the best assessment of dehydration on a patient, skin turgor ,oral mucous membranes, or potassium level?) 4.)Some questions are just easy. (What foods should the patient not eat when taking Coumadin?) I expected to be finished at 75 questions as most of my friends did. But at question 75, it continued to 76, then 100, then 120. I started thinking that I was one of those unlucky souls that would have to answer all 265 questions when it cut me off at 132. I left feeling okay. I mean, I really tried my best. But as the day progressed, some of those questions started to haunt me. Maybe I should have picked B instead of C. Maybe that patient who had the hiccups with a new surgical wound really was the least stable of them all. I'm pretty bummed. I'm convinced I failed. But I do know that I tried my best and I have studied almost a year for this sporadically and nonstop for three weeks. I feel that I did all I could. It certainly wasn't easy though. My advice to you guys out there are the following 1.) Breathing. I'm not kidding. You'll find yourself holding your breath when you come across a really hard question. 2.) Eliminate WRONG answers. Don't try to find the right one. You'll get screwed that way. Think each answer through. 3.) Take your time. Watch for those words FIRST,LEAST, MOST,etc. 4.)Do NOT study the night before. I'm not kidding. I went and saw a movie "March of the Penguins" to forget about it. 5.)YOU CANNOT KNOW EVERY SINGLE THING. DO NOT TRY TO CRAM. I'm not kidding. You can't condense two years of nursing school into a week. My suggestion is PRACTICING answering the questions. Learn the methods. 6.) Remember that this is general stuff. They're not gonna ask you about The Great Transposition of the Great Vessels. 7.) Meds count! The big ones. Digixon, Heparin, Coumadin, Insulins. 8.) Do not try to put this off. Start studying TODAY. 9.) Expect to stay there the whole time. I certainly didn't. I was there for FOUR hours. 10.) Relax. You know this. You saw it in clinical. Just think. Calm down, it isn't the end of the world if you fail. The sun will still rise. You still have your life. It will be alright. Good luck you guys.

Yup. I took it. I am so excited! Trying to keep a positive outlook despite the sudden fear that took hold once I said yes to the HR lady.

So I just had my very first job interview as a nurse. It was at Dekalb Medical Center. The interview itself was a surprise cuz it turned out to be a PANEL which I must admit, slightly freaked me out. But it wasn't too bad. They asked me questions and I answered them truthfully. I even admitted to a medication error I once did (it was my first!) and told them what I learned from that. (My friend told me I had balls of steel after I told her :rotfl: ) I don't know though. Walking in HR, I honestly was just doing the interview just to try it out y'know? See what it would be like. But then during the interview, they seduced me with words like "training", "critical care", "one on one preceptor learning", and "benefits". :biggringi The package is tied up in a pretty red bow and everyone is all smiles, except for the ER head guy who looked bored during the entire thing. Everyone is polite and nodding. :biere: But I can't help but wonder if I'm making a mistake and not even realizing it. My original plan was St. Joseph's. But my mother, also an RN, decided to go back there after she quit her Gainesville job. And there ain't no way I'm working in the same facilitiy as her no matter how many people tell me how nice it would be. :barf01: So the question is...should I take it? Are there any horror stories I should be aware of? I got good vibes from the place, that's why I'm asking for input.

Hey guys! I graduate May 13th. Need a place to stay in Atlanta. Somewhere quiet so I can cram for NCLEX. Part of me is terrified because I'm moving into the big bad city with less than a grand in my pocket. So not much money, no car, a degree that's useless without a license, and I don't have a place to stay. Anyone in the same boat as me? ANyone have any advice? Dream would be sharing an apartment with someone with rent less than 400 with U included, near Marta (so I could find a job in one of the many hospitals there). Very stressed out. Trying not to freak out as I have 60 days left before I do something. HELP!

Well, first of all, you don't really catch a UTI like you do colds and flu. It's more hygiene stuff and 90 percent of the time its E.coli related. Things like wiping front to back, urinating before and after sex, being a girl and having a shorter urthera, if you take frequent baths, or it could just be that you're susceptible to them. Some people say it can be caused by not drinking enough water, immobility, and certain sexual positions. Last year alone, I had 8 UTIs. Some people have mild ones, but mine are especially evil. It burns to pee, the urge to go is constant, I have a fever, and the symptoms come in less than fifteen minutes of each other. ANd I do all the right things for them, so I'm on some special antibiotics for them now. A UTI can be serious if it goes untreated cuz it can travel up higher into your kidneys and cause pylenophritis (spelling is prolly wrong). And if that goes untreated, I think sepsis is the next wrung down the line. For now gets some AZO tablets from local pharmacy. I'm sure you're doctor will prescribed Cipro or Bactrin when he calls you back. Make sure you take those until they're gone because you'll think you won't need to after two or three days cuz you'll be feeling back to normal. Anyways, good luck hope you feel better.

Hi there. I'm in nursing school right now in Georgia. I'm about to graduate in 138 days. lol. My dream job is to work in New York City. I realize that I need atleast a year of experience before I should transfer up north. Everyone keeps telling me that the cost of living is insane. I used to live in Philly when my mom was an OR nurse for a Camden hospital. She said that nurses get treated better up north compared to down south. That's another reason why I want to move up there. Also cuz New York is the mecca for all writers and since that's where my heart lies, I really would love that opportunity. I've also considered travel nursing. I would still need a year of experience before I could do that. I've also heard some horror stories about certain agencies. (Anyone out there want to name a few?) So I'm cautious about making the next step after graduation. Basically, I'm worried about many things right now.lol, here's a list of them. -Failing the NCLEX -Getting out of nursing school and getting paid $14/hour -Being eaten alive by experienced nurses who'll laugh at every wrong move I make -Having a doctor yell at me infront of my peers -Killing someone because of a medication error -Getting sued -Never getting out of the South -Ending up as one of those bitter nurses who hate their jobs but are too afraid to do anything else because they think its too late and too scared to. Saying that, I'm sure half of those things WILL happen. lol. Anyways, thanks for reading this long list. Please give me your experienced advice on this.

A computer that could record what you're saying so you would never have to chart ever again and have more time for patient care. Also, you'd never have to waste time calling a Dr cuz you couldn't read what THEY wrote.

Woah, calm down. I'm a senior in nursing school now. I got a C in chemistry too. First C. Freshman year. I think it was a 78.6 or something. Yes, it is important to know chemistry but I found that pathophysiology will cover the stuff you'll need to know from chemistry. Right now, you're building the foundation of knowledge needed for certain classes in nursing school. That's all, don't worry about it. Just as long as you try to keep your future grades from having too many C's. Believe me, when you get to nursing school, you're going to get grades you never expected to get. And the most important thing is how you handle yourself afterwards. Think of the pressure as a pretest for the real nursing experience you're going to have. Not everyday is going to be perfect, you need to learn how you're going to deal with hit infront of your peers.

My mother worked for St. Josephs for 6 years. She liked it well enough. I also had a good friend work for Kennestone, she said they spoiled you. I'm told many things about Grady, some bad, some good. Northside hospitals has a great OB. I myself am researching places to work there myself.

Hey, I have 150 days left till I graduate from MCG with my BSN. I'm completely terrified of NCLEX and trying to study as much as I can. Good luck to all of you who still have another year to go. Don't give up.

Hey, I actually did what your daughter wants. I went and did my pre-nursing stuff in UGA. It is a very challenging program, I worked my butt off at A &P, Microbiology, and chem. Then I applied to MCG. I chose Augusta because they have so many hospitals there. I have classmates who chose to stay in Athens but some of their clinicals are hours away compared to me (I just have to cross the street and I'm there!). Both campuses are great but I still would choose Augusta if I could do it again because it is such a hospital setting vrs the party town that Athens is. Hope my input helps.