CalRNtoBe2013

I just graduated from a 2 year program in December. Over half of my class, including myself, has either started as a GN or has a position being held for after the NCLEX. I have to respectfully disagree with your statement that a 2 year degree won't get you a job.

The fact that there are 167 posts on a derogatory, judgmental, and discriminatory thread is absolutely unbelievable to me.

That explains why it is always so easy to find journal articles r/t nursing! I like it as a resource because the content is credible with references. It's easier than "googling" because you don't have to weed out all the nonsense.

Forgive me for sounding harsh, but you seem to have an excuse for everything. There are a tremendous amount of resources and I doubt they are all out of the question. People keep making suggestions to try to help and you shoot everything down. Do you really want help or just want to vent?

Does your school give you access to EbscoHost? I use it as a search engine anytime I need a professional article. It's a little difficult to navigate at first, but once you get the hang of it, reliable articles are easy to find. At my school, it is on the online learning page under library resources. You should double check to see if you have access!

You are going to have moments where 'positive' seems impossible. There will be tears & what-ifs. Fight through them. I promise every nursing student has these moments and they will pass. It's the people who can fight through the down times that make it to the end. Good luck and keep up your awesomely positive attitude!!

I work in ICU and the nurses have to calculate almost every titratable drip, usually by mg/kg/hr. They also have to do quick drug calcs when mixing drugs like Neo, levophed, etc during codes. If the drug is ordered, it will come from pharmacy mixed, but if it's needed for a code, they're mixing it... Very quickly.

My entire class bombed our first test.... Or two. I am currently starting my last semester & am in the top 3 in my class. Don't worry and do NOT give up. Your study habits will come to you. If you have the desire and drive, you will make it. One test does not break you. It's a learning experience. Keep your head up!

Usually the publisher website has audio reviews. You just have to register your textbooks.

Is there a chance that your benzos were beyond a therapeutic level? I take 0.5 mg Ativan for test anxiety on exam days (once every 1.5-2 weeks) and have never even tested positive because its such a minimal amount.

I agree 100%!!!

We are just starting our final semester, so we have not taken our RN Predictor yet (we use ATI). However, we have 10 practice ATIs due this semester to help prepare. We have to get above a 90% on each an submit the focused review. I've done about 4 so far (to get ahead, since this semester is 10 weeks of critical care). I've gotten at least a 90% on each fairly easily, so I'm looking forward to the RN Predictor to put it all together. I love love love my job and love a ton while working. If they offer me a GN position, I will most likely take it, but if they tell ,e to wait until after the boards, I don't know what to do. I would hate to leave for a med-surg GN position. I think I'd almost rather skip a GN job if it means having to leave the unit.

All of our lectures are power point & our instructors post them online ahead of time. I print them before class, take notes directly on the pp during lecture, and then add info from the chapters directly onto the pages. A lot of people in my class print them on both sides of the paper. I print 3 slides/page one sided so I have extra room for notes from lecture & the chapters. I also use tons of little stickie tab things in my books. When I'm studying, I don have to spend time flipping though the million-page textbooks; every action is marked with a tab. I can't promise that my method will work for you, but it's worth a shot! Good luck! Don't get discouraged if you don find your method right off the bat. You'll get it eventually!

I start my last semester in a few weeks, so it's time to start putting my résumé together. I've worked as a nursing assistant in ICU since my first semester. I LOVE my job, including the nurses and Intensivists I work with. They are amazing teachers and they make sure to give me hands on experience.... Even a little more hands-on than I should be. In my state, when you graduate and have the GN temporary permit, you MUST pass the NCLEX the first time. If you don't, the temporary practice permit is void. So here is my question. Do I risk taking a GN position (possibly in another unit) or do I continue my current position until I pass the NCLEX? Any and all responses from GNs (former or still waiting to take the NCLEX-RN) will be greatly appreciated.

We started the first week of our program! We didn't do LTC; we went straight to med-surg. Now that we are in our last semester, we have two 8 hr clinical days each week for 10 weeks. Then, we do a preceptorship for the last 5 weeks at a MINIMUM of 24 hours/week. I have grown to love clinical, but the preceptorship has me terrified!

It's my last semester, too, and I've accepted the fact that I have to abandon my life. I refuse to let anything stand in my way of graduating.

We have 2 kids (one first grader, one toddler), he works full time, and I have school & work weekends. We NEVER see each other during the semester. I make sure that we have dinner as a family together Mon-Thur and take a walk/play a game together/etc after dinner. If it is during one of my first grader's sports seasons, we all go to practice or the games together. Don't get me wrong... We argue. A lot. I tend to flip out about stupid stuff under pressure (like the day before exams) and he has just sort of learned to ignore it. Although he hates not getting the attention he deserves, he appreciates that the tiny bit of free time that I do have is spent together as a family. I save "mommy night out with the girls" or all-day shopping trips for when I'm on break.

One of my very first clinical instructors used to say, "pain is perception and perception is reality". That has stuck in my head the whole way through NS. it has helped me stay non-judgmental about how a patient experiences pain.

If we want hard copies, we have to print them. Too bad printer ink isn't included in tuition :)