macrina

I am just starting to get into this world and have been the route you mentioned: Charge RN for my unit and asked to apply to an open leadership position because of management and colleagues observing traits and skills in me that lend themselves to the position. Part of what I have done is being proactive in ferreting out problems in the workplace, utilizing appropriate chain of command but also taking initiative with co-workers to solve problems and self-educate as we are able. Being willing to take on extra responsibilities is also key, I think. If you are still in a float position, I would recommend applying for the first stable position you can then jumping into it. In my experience, anyway, building stable work relationships is how this kind of flow is possible. That's harder to do as a float.

I am being encouraged to consider applying for a supervisory position in my small rural hospital - by both clinical colleagues and management staff. I have until recently been a med-surg and Charge RN, on the newer side with nearly 4 years on the floor. I have a background in education and coming later in life to my nursing career (I'm 50), I have a lot of life experience which has given me skills for a supervisory role. I just started an interim Lead RN position which is supervisory without being management (can maintain union status) and am in training for that right now, which is going well. Part of the draw for me was the "interim" part. While I am enjoying the details, intellectual stimulation, systems-level involvement and taking care of our terrific staff, I am afraid I will miss the floor tribe and direct patient care, which I also love, not to mention getting rusty on nursing skills. I am asking the collective wisdom here to give me your pros and cons on going management. Go!

Hi there, I too struggled for about 3 months post NCLEX in a rural area in WA state. I had a great set of recommendations and a BSN from a very good college. For me, and for several of my colleagues from nursing school trying to secure jobs in Seattle, which is closer to your situation, the trick ended up being to get ANY nursing experience at all. For me, it was working with a former professor with critical in-home peds. After only a couple months of this the local hospital finally gave me an interview and a job. For my friends in Seattle, one took a private pay duty nurse for a former MD, and a couple other took home health or group home positions. I think we all pretty much felt that although they were not ideal positions, they were certainly stepping stones to the acute or critical care settings. Good luck!

Just got my BSN and began my nursing career at at 47. Am very happy with my first new job taking care of medically-intensive pediatric patients in their homes. You've got a lot of life ahead of you. Enjoy the ride!

Bump up

I so appreciated the tips and encouragement here on the NCLEX thread; now that I have passed, it's time to pay it forward! I graduated Aug. 22, did an in-person Kaplan class Aug. 25-28, then took my exam 2.5 weeks later on Sept. 17th and passed in 85 questions. I worried that it was not enough study time, and it honestly felt rushed a little, but I'm also glad I didn't waste any more days of my life obsessing about the exam and my readiness. So here is the basic strategy that I and a number of my colleagues followed that led us all to NCLEX success. Make a Plan I think it's essential for keeping your head during this stressful period. You gotta lay out on paper what you're going to do between now and your test date. Doing this helps you be realistic and also builds confidence in the preparations you are making. Here are the main points to consider for making your plan: How strong am I on content? Have I got a pretty good grasp on these kinds of things? ​basic concepts of psych nursing and major mental illnesses acid/base balance normal lab values signs and symptoms of the most common acute illnesses major cardio and respiratory problems (COPD, MIs, CHF, asthma etc.) major GI diseases (ulcers, Crohn's, ulcerative colitis basic nursing considerations for recovering ortho patients diabetes EKG strips basic med-surg nursing actions and procedures (NG tubes, colostomies, lab and diagnostic testing, mechanical ventilation, med-passing, etc.) basic nutrition basic L & D/ pregnancy/peds infection protection/precautions legal/ethical issues (basic) [*]​How do I study best? Is it better for me to go at it intensively and completely for a shorter period of time (sleep, eat and breathe NCLEX), or stretch it out longer and make my daily study sessions shorter with regular life in between? [*]​What life factors do I have to consider which I can't change? (i.e. deadlines, financial need to either get a nursing job ASAP or work while studying, wedding or big trip coming up) After thinking through these questions, sit down and make a plan on paper. We are all different in our needs and learning styles, so don't worry as much about what others are doing. If you have been out of school for awhile or are not strong on content, plan for a week or two of intensive studying to bone up on that via a respected NCLEX prep book or video series or a month at a slower pace. It will take awhile to watch these content videos or go through a content book while taking notes. If you are pretty strong on content already, then I would say 12-16 days of intensive practice question studying (most waking hours of the day) with a few days completely or half off here and there is a good plan. This will give you time to go through at least 1500 questions with rationales and a number of hours of content remediation and review, which you will still need. So now, pick a date and register for that exam! Go with a big-name program Can you do it on your own? Absolutely you can, if you are well-disciplined. Do you need to spend that extra $300? No, you don't. But... this test is really all about strategy, and the big name programs are very, very good at condensing the approach to NCLEX down into effective strategies. For anyone who struggled in nursing school, has English as a second language, has poor recall, has taken months off after graduating, or feels less than confident, I HIGHLY recommend investing in a big-name program and utilizing it to the full. You really DO need to understand how to approach a question well and apply critical thinking skills to it. And the quickest, most painless route to that is via one of the big name companies: Kaplan, Saunders, Hurst, and there are others I'm not as familiar with. In my opinion, it was well worth the money to be sure I was getting solid advice that was laid out efficiently for me to grasp quickly. Also, if you go it alone, it's hard to know if you are identifying the most important elements to concentrate on; these companies have figured that out already and will guide your efforts in the best direction. I also appreciated the online resource that kept track of how I was doing electronically - very motivating. Make your study hours count Now that you are executing your plan, the first thing to do is get those good study habits laid down firmly. You know how to do this; you just made it through nursing school! plan healthy, easy to fix meals and snacks stock up on your favorite study drinks warn your family/friends/roommates that you're "going under" for awhile for families especially, make sure kids and spouses know your schedule get a comfortable space set up that is pleasant to be in have your favorite study tools close at hand like post-its, highlighters, etc. take a break every hour for at least 5-10 minutes, move around exercise regularly each day sleep well at night recognize that when you're done, you're done! and you need to take a break! Respect your limits of concentration and do something else to rejuvenate. This is a marathon, not a sprint! Engage with the material via your learning stylesWhether you are directing your own study or taking an online program or class, you have to engage with the material for it to stick. Take a look at these ideas and utilize the methods that really work for you: flashcards of meds, med-classes, diseases, procedures, infection precautions, etc. text-reading with highlighters or sticky notes taking notes in a notebook as you read, watch or listen recording your notes or a text to listen to while driving or walking making up Quizlet decks (can't always trust the ones you didn't make!) use NCLEX apps on your smartphone type outlines of material studied study with friends have someone quiz you from your flashcards find extra videos on youtube or khan academy to watch on your subject draw pictures look up images of procedures, tools, or apparatus NCLEX Practice Questions - respect the rationale This is the bulk of what you'll be doing to prepare, and it's important to get all you can from the exercise. It's really important to engage in the material, and not just breeze through it. When you take a quiz or test of practice questions, check your score and take a short break, then COME BACK and start again with #1. Read through every single question and rationale, even if you didn't get it wrong. For many of these questions (you know it's true!) you were just guessing anyway, and you must understand the rationale to make progress and improve your NCLEX test-taking skills. Also, especially in the beginning, there will be a lot of content to look up. There will be things you have never heard of before and other things you only vaguely recollect. Do NOT make yourself a list of items to go look up later. Why not? Because chances are you will never get around to looking them up. It is better to read your NCLEX question, the rationale, and then go look up that pesky kind of NG tube or weird infectious disease right then and there. So yeah, if you give yourself an hour to do a 75 question test, then you have to give yourself 90-120 minutes to go back over it and read through all the rationales while taking notes on your learning. This is the program, guys! I started a document at the beginning of my studying to jot down all the tidbits I learned from rationales and knew I would not instantly retain and remember for life (like 98% of them!). It grew to be something like 70 pages by the time I was done, but it was a superb thing to study from as my test date drew near. It was the perfect document to hone in on all my personal areas of deficit and difficulty. Build in ample time for review - it's ESSENTIAL! It's easy to get rockin' on the NCLEX practice questions, taking your notes on rationales and let reviewing what you've learned slip between the cracks. Make sure you build in some time to go back over that huge notebook or Word doc that you've been adding to so that you can review and reinforce all that you've been learning. Finish the race with grace You want to be like the tortoise - slow, steady, dependable - and not like the hare - frenetic, wild-eyed, out-of-control - when you get to the end of your studying. Pace yourself by starting with a plan and a good study program, execute it well, then take it easy for your last 24-36 hours before the exam. Many people say not to study the last 24 hours. For me, that would make me MORE anxious, so I was content to take a couple of hours the day before and day of my test (1PM start time) to leisurely look over my notes, but I did stop taking practice questions and I spent most of those days doing fun and relaxing things. It's good advice. It goes without saying, but treat yourself very well the night before the exam. Watch an episode of Call the Midwife to remember what this is all for, eat a nice dinner, take a hot bath or shower and turn in early. You can do it! Yes, it truly is a gut-wrenching, neuron-numbing, painfully anxiety-inducing and outrageous crucible we have to propel ourselves through at the end before they will turn us out into the real world to start our journeys as bona-fide nurses. But you CAN do it. This is certainly a test to prepare yourself for and take seriously. But so much of nursing is reflected in this process of passing the NCLEX, beyond the stress of the actual questions, that is good to bear in mind. We do need to be well-educated in basic nursing knowledge and practical skill; we do need to be critical thinkers who can apply our knowledge with intelligence and flexibility; we do need to have stamina and keep a sense of our selves even in the face of difficult challenges. So as those dreaded SATAs come rolling at you, just keep all of this in mind, take a deep cleansing breath and keep moving forward. You're gonna be a nurse!

deimysd, you are doing great. Those are good solid scores for Kaplan, and do not be surprised if Q-Trainers 6 and 7 you are a little lower; they are all above the passing line questions and looooong, so take lots of concentration. I just passed last week and was scored around where you are, a little lower. Got 85 questions and passed. Don't forget the sample tests, and don't be discouraged by #4, just keep on taking it over again until you get them all right!

I just took my NCLEX and passed this last week in about 85 questions. I did pretty much only Kaplan for studying with some side research of topics I didn't understand either online or in my Maternal Health textbook. With your scores I think you are very well-prepared. I was pretty much the same as you, a couple good days in the low 70's, a couple bad days in the 50's but the majority all in the 60's range. I took the in-person class and the teacher there said that being in the 60's was "solid" and a very good indicator of passing. It seems like the most recent test-takers (including a bunch of my colleagues from nursing school) who are passing in 75 questions are getting a huge amount of SATAs - like 25-40 or almost every other one. I got about 11 of them. Yes, they are nerve-wracking, but if you are getting a lot it certainly means you are doing well and are up in the upper level of questions. Remember that you can be missing almost every other question and still pass, so don't let the SATAs unnerve you. I would suggest at this point that you complete all the sample exams, including #4 which is all SATA, your Q-Trainders 6/7, and continue reviewing ALL Q-bank questions/rationales, and getting through the full Q-bank 100%. I set aside separate days to do Q-Trainers 6 and 7, and approached it like it was the real thing - in a space with no interruptions, making myself sit at the same desk and taking planned 1h breaks to move around or get a snack. I highly suggest doing that to help yourself prepare psychologically for going up into the 200-range of questions. (Although I don't think you will, it's very good practice.) You really look to me like you are going to be very well prepared. I found that if I took something set in Kaplan, like the sample exam #4 and did poorly on it (33% my first time), then reviewed all the answers, understood the rationales and re-took the same exam again (94% the second time) it really boosted my confidence back up. The benefit of getting through the whole Q-Bank is being exposed to a vast body of material that you could be tested on, and it will leave you with at least a familiarity with the great bulk of what you might be given in the exam, so at least you will have a good foundation for making an educated guess. Remember that it is IMPOSSIBLE to know everything that might appear on the NCLEX, and that is not what you are striving for. What you're going for is a good foundation of workable knowledge and you're doing a great job at building that right now. Keep going! I really think you are doing great!

In the Kaplan class I recently took the teacher said that if you're in the 50's that's good and you're getting there. If you're in the 60's you're solid and if you're in the 70's you're a rock star.

To answer the original question, you have a 1-month break between summer and fall quarters - that is your longest one. Over Christmas you get I think 3 weeks (2nd break), and then your last 2 breaks are only 1 week long - between Winter/Spring and Spring/Summer. That said, the last week is Finals Week and you may have finals bunched near the beginning of the week which give you closer to 2 weeks break.

rdh - so sorry I didn't see this sooner, but you can certainly contact me. I PM'd you my email address.

I am pretty sure that anything they say is required on the application is truly required. If you don't have it, you won't be considered. Competition is pretty tough for this program and I know that they weed out people who have not completed requirements before they do the testing phase. They told us this in our orientation.

Has anyone tried working on some extra certifications to enhance the job-search process? I have been researching a bit and am figuring out that new grads aren't eligible for any of the actual certifications (diabetes, wound care, psych, cardiac, peds, etc.) which require 2 years of experience first, but there are some smaller things such as ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), PALS (Pediatric Life Support), EKG training, IV training, phlebotomy, etc. which I might be able to pursue, especially if I end up having a few months of downtime job-searching. My goal is to work in a small rural critical access hospital in my hometown - really on any unit that will take a new grad, from ED to L&D to outpatient infusions and wound care. They have been reluctant to hire new grads, but I notice they have had a few openings without the "1 year experience required" listed lately. Anyone have suggestions as to what kind of extra certs are possible and how valuable they would or would not be? I'm not anxious to spend extra money on something that isn't useful, but at the same time would be glad to use my time productively and put in some extra work to better prepare myself for that first nursing job.

Sorry, no help with specifics of housing. As far as the GPA goes for ABSN, I agree with Abalone. Mine was 3.95 or so and most of my colleagues had similar. I feel the essays for the application were very important too, as well as experience hours. Most of us had way more than 100hours experience. (I did not in medicine, but was a teacher.) As Abalone says, they are trying to make sure you are going to succeed in the program and not either drop out or be overwhelmed by the workload.

tyang, regarding commuting to Bainbridge Island - If you are very close to the ferry on the Bainbridge side I think it could be feasible, but sometimes it would be very difficult if you didn't have a bed available on the Seattle side. I have had some clinicals that didn't get done until 10PM. Ferries still run at that time, but you might end up waiting an hour for one at the terminal and getting home super late then need to be back at 7:30 or 8:30AM the next morning. The Bainbridge ferry leaves from downtown which is pretty easy to get to from the UW and the downtown hospitals, but a huge commute if you are doing clinical up in Everett (north 45-60 minutes from the UW, depending on traffic - most of us will have been there at least one quarter by the end). And the ferry is also a good study environment during the crossing, so it might work great for you. But if you had a long drive on the other side it would be tough to do that every day, I think. I only go home during my breaks between quarters and my husband comes for the weekend once or twice during the quarter to visit. We've been married 17 years, so that's probably a different factor to consider - we take it well in stride. But for me it is 2.5 hours one way and totally not worth it - I would lose so much time in the car going home and would be much more stressed by commuting every weekend. I would never consider doing it daily. But Port Townsend is an hour's drive from the ferry on the Kitsap side. If it's possible, I would suggest NOT living so far away your first quarter and then perhaps make a change once you get nursing school workload under your belt.