001BondRN

Congratulations Groettger, it sounds like you are on your way to joining the VA healthcare team. From my understanding, the completion of vetpro, equip, fingerprint and physical indicate that you have successfully (strongly suggested, anyway) completed the hiring process for the Veterans Hospital. Within a few weeks, the Professional Standards Board or by some name or another, will review all of your information, and decide (via your qualifications) on a beginning salary/start date/etc. Because it is still technically "tentative", I won't tell you that you are in the clear, but all signs point to you being very close to the coveted FO.

This is a pdf file that I found while cleaning out my bookmarks. There are some pretty good tidbits of wisdom; to give a succinct summary, the University of Washington states: "Over the years, we have polled graduating students for their NCLEX study strategies. Below are some test preparation suggestions from students who succeeded on their first try at the exam." . http://www.son.washington.edu/students/bsn/docs/NCLEX-Info.pdf The most common response that I found, and I can say this from personal experience, is that the test is not so much about the actual knowledge of pathophysiology itself (though this is a necessity obviously) as it is knowledge of how to actually answer an NCLEX style question. As such, when you sit down for your test, you may very well be faced with a large amount of information you've never encountered in your reviews. Furthermore, the questions (to me) seem to be designed to break down ultimately into 2 possible answers, one based on actual nursing knowledge and one that may touch on nursing knowledge but is not as encompassing as its counterpart. In realizing this, you may find it more helpful to focus on obtaining a general knowledge of pathophysiology, a strong foundation in the nursing process, maslow, prioritization and delegation, and a strong foundation in critical skills (to tackle NCLEX style questions which if you have a fundamentals nursing book should be a chapter) You will see many individuals here that did not use a review course (such as Kaplan). My humble opinion is that there is nothing in Kaplan that is not contained in your regular (and much cheaper) review books. I did not use a review course as I did not have the money but still passed with 75 questions in a little over an hour. I can't stress practicing NCLEX style questions enough, it truly is a process in and of itself!

*update Today I took my NCLEX-RN at 8:00 am. It was everything you have probably read on this site; mind-bogglingly random, depressing and nauseating yet somewhat liberating. Many times I was left shaking my head at the computer or throwing myself back in my chair so far because of sheer frustration that I almost tipped over...twice. Even if you are only in your first year, my suggestion is that you get a good solid review book and start working these NCLEX style questions (note "STYLE" because when you get this test you will realize that it's just that) like YESTERDAY. Don't put this off if you can help it, this test is to be respected- it, as well as your future livelihood, is NO JOKE. My computer shut off at 75 questions and I can tell you I have NO IDEA how I did. And this is over the course of a 3 year program, Hogan, Saunders, Kaplan trainers online and nursing 3500 questions. I tried the PearsonVue trick (hope this still works) and I got the "good pop up" but I won't get my hopes up. It's really just helping me sleep at night until I find out for sure :) Keep pushing, keep learning, keep the faith and tell yourself that you are gonna go in with the sole purpose of coming out of that testing center knowing you gave it the best you had.

Yes, and it will only get crazier :) . Surround yourself with positive hard working fellow students-you'll provide each other with a huge amount of strength in troublesome times and make celebration sweeter in the good times. You may not remember much about mitral valve prolapse or diabetes insipidus but you can always review that; the bonds you make with good friends last for years.

I'm not a student anymore buuut I know how hard it is when getting your feet wet when it comes to anatomy, diseases, meds, s/s-etc etc. For me, the process was trial and error and I'd like to take some time to help a student(s) out there who may be feeling a little overwhelmed by sharing some resources I've found helpful over the years to now. Anyway, some of these you'll find on this site all ready and some I just stumbled across. As always, use them as a supplement to information in your textbooks and professors along with your critical thinking and nursing judgement (which if it hasn't already will come in time, I promise). Soon you'll be thinking like a nurse without even realizing it. I did the nursing program with no family and one friend on my side who went through the program with me. People told me I had no head for it or that I would be crawling back to my old life or that to give up a job in this economy for a dream. You gotta realize that if people tell you you can't do something, it's not that they're talking about you. Rather what they say is many times a reflection of themselves, they are talking about their own perceived inadequacies or their "image" of you; it has no bearing on YOU and your capabilities. Don't hold what they say in your heart, but don't hate them for it either. Realize you could be caring for them or someone like them one day. I'm grateful for nursing because it softened my heart because of this fact-and when you obtain that official RN title, don't let yourself become jaded to the tenderness that is inherent in nursing (but having said that don't mistake tenderness for being a push over!) Completing nursing school is no joke, but it's not impossible. I developed hypoglycemia, lost hair, had numerous panic attacks and sometimes the only nights I could sleep was because I cried myself out because I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Compound this with the fact that I was in an ACCELERATED nursing program :/ However, what became of me is that I graduated with a 3.6 GPA and I'm scheduled to take the NCLEX in 2 days. I'm anxious but I know that I've put all of my heart into everything I've done. Whether I pass or fail it'll be a learning experience. Put all of your heart into into what you do, resist the temptation to take the easy way out in whatever you do- whether dedicating study time, working on a care plan or taking an exam. Don't cheat yourself. You may feel like you're struggling to keep your head above water, but take it one day at a time, breathe, focus on what you want in life (short term and long). Ok I'll be quiet Here are those websites-not in their entirety but some core ones I took advantage of. The information is free and open to the public http://nursing411.org/Courses.html free modules, distance learning, videos merckmanuals.com just overall incredible site on disorders with an easy to read format http://www.mtw.nhs.uk/formulary/drug-index.asp general drug guide http://hsl.lib.umn.edu/learn/ebp/mod01/index.html Evidence based practice-drilled into our heads until we got nauseous just from the phrase http://nursing.slcc.edu/nclexrn3500 My suggestion is not to wait until your last year to go into panic mode with NCLEX questions-best to start asap so you can familiarize yourself with the format and learning to think like the NCLEX wants you to. this site was down but has been revived. http://armymedical.tpub.com/MD0540/MD05400007.htm review of your infection control-can't overstate this topic enough. http://www.icufaqs.org/ cute site from an ICU perspective. not your major focus-don't worry. he talks about steps to take in case of emergencies like sudden loss of LOC, pulmonary embolism, etc also which is helpful in any situation. the kaplan trainer series which you can find on slideshare http://www.interactive-biology.com/category/ibtv/human-anatomy-ibtv/ really cool interactive modules on A&P another tip: if you're looking for information, whether on a disease process or a body system or on the nclex or procedure- type in the name of whatever it is you're looking for into google, then type in "pdf" or "booklet". Some of the best information you can find is in a compressed file put up by a hospital for their nurses or a nursing program for their students. Can't stress it enough to make sure you verify this information before taking it as gold though because even the best resources have their errors. As an example: http://www.edconcepts.net/media/pdf/Brochures For those studying for the NCLEX RN or who want to get a head start Good luck, keep your head up and big hugs to you. BTW don't spend all day with your nose in your textbook or in your computer screen- it's not healthy. Get out of the house and take it easy sometimes!

Thanks to all that replied- thank God for the fundamentals

Hello to all; this is to help me gain some insight into a particular question I am reviewing as part of my studies for the NCLEX-RN. Maybe a "real-world" situation vs "by the book". The gist of the question is that you are setting up a sterile field for dressing change when you immediately get a call to help a patient down the hall who fell. Do you throw away the sterile field or do you use a sterile cover, leave it, then return to the patient? Now I could be reading too much into this but we were told that once a sterile field is unattended it's immediately considered unsterile (or does that just apply to the OR). HOWEVER the rationale for covering it with a sterile cover (as deemed correct by this particular book) is because to discard it would be wasteful as it ignores the principles of resource management. My only guess is that because you actually covered it it is "technically" not considered unattended. Either way I'm stumped, and any insight would be appreciated if anyone has an idea; not just for the NCLEX but because this could very well happen in the hospital.