StillThinking

Hopefully you're encouraged by us who are sympathetic to your plight. Please don't be so hard on yourself. There is hope for you and you will survive this disappointment. Whatever happened on your first nursing job experience should be viewed as a learning opportunity and give you the impetus to find an area of nursing where there is a better fit. It is out there. I too am a new nurse and after getting through my orientation with a negative preceptor I am still struggling with time management. It is something all new grads are struggling with. Floor nursing--whatever area (med-surg, ICU, CCU)--is a challenge. Think about all that you learned during those five months. Surely you can put those skills and knowledge to use in another position. Have you considered a job coach or some other human resource type professional who can help you practice what to say when these tough questions are asked during interviews? I believe that honesty is the best policy, although at times it is difficult. I too was having a time getting a job as a new grad and finally asked someone who had been a nurse manager and who had interviewed candidates to teach me how to appropriately respond to interview questions. I realized that I was being too negative and needed to accent my strengths more so that the employer knew that I was confident and could do the job if given the chance to learn. Also, have you tried neighboring counties or cities for employment opportunities? I know someone who drives an hour to work each day because she couldn't get an RN position in her local town because of the influx of new grads. Please believe in yourself and know that you are a great nurse. Like most of us newbies, you just need the proper guidance and mentoring to develop into a skilled nurse. Also, have you considered joining a nurse association, such as your state organization or the ANA? Perhaps by attending their meetings you can network and meet others who may be able to assist you in getting your foot back in the door. You can do it. Please don't give up. Perhaps the organization that you were with will give you another chance. Perhaps try the same hospital but a different unit, or if it is a large organization with multiple satellite facilities, try each of them since you're still in their system as a recent employee.

I took my NCLEX on a Thursday morning at 8 a.m. Pearson Vue had my results posted at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The BON License Verification link showed my name on Monday morning.

Congratulations on your passing NCLEX! I just found out today too that I passed. My screen went blue at 75 and I was in disbelief, as I was expecting to have more questions. I took a break at question 30 and then another break at question 72, thinking that I better get ready for another round and didn't want any distractions from a full bladder. It doesn't matter what grades anybody made in school. As long as your NCLEX test report says "PASS", that's all that matters. Forget about what happened in nursing school. You made it through and passed NCLEX, so you ARE smart. Now go celebrate. You deserve it!

I agree that you must manage your time well. In addition to what I posted above, I would say that Kaplan does give you everything you need to successfully pass the NCLEX. However, I have met those who have failed the exam once and twice with Kaplan. Whose fault is that? These students acknowledged that they didn't study as they should. My advice is this: You must follow their formula exactly to pass. If you get the complete package, you have everything you need, online lectures of nursing content, video reviews of test-taking strategies, training library with additional resources for weak subject areas, and hundreds and hundreds of questions. Apparently, you were successful because you followed the program as it was intended and, as you mentioned, managed your time effectively, a key point. I would recommend Kaplan, but I would also say that you must be motivated and disciplined to really study and use every facet of their program to learn as much as you can. It is a good program with resources at every angle for reinforcement of nursing topics.

To all NCLEX test takers, please believe in yourself and don't give up. You can pass the NCLEX! Do what it takes to prepare yourself for this challenging exam. If you believe a review course will increase your confidence, do it! BUT BEWARE! I've heard great things about Hurst Review, Feuer (somewhere in New York), Telva Miller Review in Orlando, and Sylvia Rayfield (somewhere in Pensacola, Florida). Kaplan's live test-taking classes are only OK if the instructor understands what they are teaching. If you get a lousy Kaplan instructor, you're screwed! Their online material is good and the Qbank questions are good. However, be careful with Kaplan. I do not see on their website what their pass rate is, whereas others like Hurst and Rayfield will boast of a 98% pass rate for first-time test takers. IMHO, be careful with Kaplan. They are very slow about returning phone calls once they have your money, and they are overpriced compared with other companies with better pass rates. You have to follow their plan exactly if you want a refund if you are unsuccessful (i.e., if you access online materials after your NCLEX test date, you are unable to get a refund). Be careful! Do your homework and speak with others to get the truth about all these different review courses. Some are definitely better than others. What I have learned with Kaplan is that they feel test-taking strategies are more important than a comprehensive content review. The way I see it, no amount of test-testing tips will help you if you don't have a strong foundation of basic nursing knowledge and pathophysiology. You will not get a live content review with Kaplan, except to use their online resource videos, which are good. The instructors in the online lectures are really good at explaining things, which is to be expected since they are the authors of the Kaplan test book. However, the instructor we had in Daytona Beach was mispronouncing words and reading the rationales as if this were a foreign language and she seemed confused herself about Kaplan's strategies and did not explain them well. Watch out if you are in Central Florida! Ensure that you know who the instructor will be and what their credentials and educational background are. So far, I think I'll stick with the test-taking tips I learned in the front of my Saunders book and Test-Taking Techniques for Nursing Students book (by Patricia Nugent). Kaplan's $20 NCLEX book is really good, though. Save some money and check it out from the library, but make sure you continually review content in a good book like Saunders. IMO, a satisfactory nursing foundation and knowledge base is imperative in order to critically think. You can't critically think if you don't understand the basics to begin with.

Orlandocutie makes an interesting comment about including other facilities besides hospitals in our job search, such as clinics, nursing homes, etc. My only concern with that is that I have been forewarned by hospital nurses that once you switch to non-hospital nursing care, nobody will ever hire you again to work in a hospital. Somehow they feel that you have lost your acute clinical skills and are not skilled enough to practice nursing care to hospital patients. A friend of mine worked in a nursing home for a couple years after graduating and when she applied at the hospital she was told that she would need to take a remediation course to get her clinical skills up to speed. It is almost as if you are blacklisted if you leave the hospital environment. Have any of you ever heard of this? I thought that orientation would be enough for a nurse to get back into the hospital, but apparently nurse managers don't think so.

I find your comments interesting since here in Orlando we new grads are facing the same thing. There currently is a hiring freeze at Orlando Health, and the few GN spots that were available before the freeze were few. I have friends who finished over the summer of 2008 who still have not started working as RNs. What I hear from H.R. recruiters here is that there is a shortage of experienced nurses, not a shortage of nurses. Florida Hospital has nursing positions available if you have experience. Perhaps we new grads may have to expand our search options and not just look locally for a job. I never thought I'd be facing this and feel a bit duped, since for years and years all I ever heard about was the "nursing shortage".

Does anyone know how long this will be? I tried to do a job search at their website, but it says, "Thank you for your interest in Orlando Health, please continue to check our website for job availability." Looks like it's a bad time to be finishing nursing school if there are no jobs.

Just my humble two cents....Please avoid as much debt as possible given your present circumstances. You'll always be drowning in debt if you acquire more loans at this point. Try the community college route. It's so much more affordable, and most employers will provide some type of tuition reimbursement to help with your transition to RN. Some debt is necessary to survive in today's world, but too much unnecessary debt can cause a lot of problems and I know personally of families that have come to financial ruin because of it. Please be careful whatever you decide. It sounds like you are weighing your options very seriously, so I am sure that you will not make a hasty decision. I have worked with nurses during school who had over $100,000 in school loans and after paying their monthly expenses only had a hundred bucks left over to buy food for the month. Please do not feel pressured by anyone to sign up for something that you're having doubts about, especially if you suspect that they are only pressuring you to get themselves a hefty commission.

I would encourage you to do the accelerated BSN at UCF since you already have a bachelor's degree. I currently am attending Valencia CC (last semester) and have found their nursing program to be a little disorganized in the structure and flow of the coursework. There is a cohesiveness that seems missing. What I have found is that some of VCC's masters prepared faculty need to improve their teaching skills. They use outdated outlines and present the same material each semester in a way that makes it obvious to us students that they are not prepared to lecture or did not read the material in the textbooks themselves. It is an intense five semesters, so if you do decide on VCC, be prepared to dig into the books and learn as much as you can by reading on your own. Discipline is the key.

If you're willing to drive 1-1/2 hours to Orlando, check out Orlando Tech. I have been told that they are accepting students for the next class that starts in August. As long as your paperwork is done in time and your entrance scores are acceptable, you're in....no waiting list. Here's their link: http://www.orlandotech.ocps.net/practical_nursing.html /still thinking

I work in a radiology department of a children's hospital and all of the sonographers I know are happy and have no regrets about their career decision. There are many opportunities in the field of diagnostic medical sonography. Instead of working in a hospital or outpatient diagnostic setting, you could work in sales for a company that manufactures diagnostic equipment, be a manager, be an instructor at a college for this career, or even work as a sonography textbook writer. I've never met a burned-out sonographer where I work. A burned-out nurse? Yes! My suggestion would be to do the diagnostic medical sonography program since most that I know of are limited access (that is, compared to nursing, where generally more students are admitted). That way if you still decide to pursue nursing in the future (don't wait too long or those prereq science courses will expire), you can work flexible hours as a sonographer and still make a decent living while doing an RN program. Some schools now have part-time RN programs (like at Palm Beach CC) or evening/weekend programs (Seminole CC); so this may be doable for you if you're in Florida. Some of the sonographers I work with do two 16-hour shifts on the weekend and they're done for the week and can pursue other interests (work on bachelor's or master's degree, hobbies, etc). Since you've been indecisive about which to pursue, perhaps you can give yourself a timeframe for completing both associate degrees, if this is compatible with your life (family, work obligations, worship, etc). Having both these skills under your belt will only make you more marketable and a valuable asset to any organization. Follow your heart! /stillthinking

Just got acceptance letter to attend Valencia CC's RN program. Did any of you work while attending school? I am trying to see how I can juggle at least 24 hours and still attend school and have time for studying, lab checks, etc. Any advice?

What helped my test anxiety is reviewing everyday. Yes, everyday! That way the information gets embedded in your brain and there is less stress the day/night before the test with cramming huge amounts of notes. Especially with a course like A&P where there are details and more details to remember, a few minutes spent reviewing here and there is extremely helpful. Try not to stress too much. Thirty minutes before testing, I usually find a quiet spot somewhere at the school building (for instance, standing in a restroom stall) where no one can distract my thoughts and I focus on relaxing and telling myself over and over that I know the information and I will do well today on this test. Try it. It really works!

Please get thee to an oral surgeon ASAP! There must be some compassionate dentist who will work out a plan for you although you do not currently have insurance. Your friend may be risking more by waiting, as this kind of infection can spread and possibly cause complications. This type of dental extraction usually is expensive, but if he's in pain and his face is swollen with infection, I would be worried that he may possibly spread infection to the surrounding healthy teeth roots and gums. Ask your friends and family for some referrals to some good dentists in your area, and make an appointment to see the dentist SOON! There may be one or two dentists in your area who may be willing to work out a payment plan if you explain your financial situation. Most dental plans don't pay them 100% on submitted claims anyway; so perhaps you can ask the dentist what a REASONABLE fee would be for you given your lack of insurance.

Thanks to everyone for the information. I appreciate it greatly. :thankya:

Please share with me your satisfaction with your RN education at either Valencia CC, Seminole CC, or FHCHS. Did you feel fully prepared once you started your first nursing job? Did the nursing program allow you to work secularly and attend school? If you had to choose again, would you attend the same nursing program? I am re-considering attending nursing school (did so 5 years ago in another state) and would like to get some feedback on the schools here in Central Florida. Thanks.