heatherp75

Good luck on your move! I live in Palm Bay, FL (just north of Sebastian) and have worked at both Palm Bay Hospital (smaller, community based hospital, where I am currently at PCU and very happy) and at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne (Larger, level 2 Trauma Center, with state of the art heart center). Both hospitals are part of the Helath First network, and I am very happy working for Health First. I would recommend you check either out. There is also Indian River Hospital, but I don't know anything about them.

hi candice! i don't know if you remember me, but we had a few conversations a few weeks back just before my test, now it's your turn! i hope i was able to give you some useful information before that you can now use! one thing i have said to my classmates who are beginning to take their exams (for some strange reason, i was the first person in my class to actually take it!):uhoh21: is to think of it in terms of a huge accomplishment to be eligible to even sit for the exam. you need to take a moment to not stressed out and allow yourself to look at how far you've come, be proud of all your hard work both during school and in your study time leading up to nclex. it can be very easy to loose sight of the big picture. take several deep breaths before you begin your exam (i can't tell you how incredibly helpful that was for me!) the day/night before, i must admit that i glanced over a few things (labs mostly) but i didn't really study. i tried to take it easy, and i certainly didn't look at anything the day of the exam, since i was scheduled for 9am (which was a good thing, it gave me less time to think about it!) good luck, and let us know how it goes! ~heather

i was hired for my position before i actually graduated, and my recruiter said several times that she needed my att and my letter from the florida bon stating i was eligible to sit for nclex before i could start as a gn. they need this to ensure that you are doing your part by proceeding ahead to take the boards and to become an employable nurse. think about it, they are hiring you for a position before you're even able to work in that position! they need to make sure they are not wasting their time (and money if they train you) on a person who actually is not able to sit for boards! as far as them checking your results, i really don't know about that. perhaps they do, but even if that his intention, i don't think it would "look good" if you called your recruiter to find out your nclex results, when he knows you're capable of doing it yourself. btw, if at all possible, i wouldn't call the number for the quick results, i would do it online. it's a little cheaper ($7.95 online) and you can then print a copy of the screen that says "pass" for you to show off to everyone! :yelclap:

my quick results were available 48 hours after i finished the exam...to the minute! i finished at 10:10 and when i check 2 days later at 10am they weren't available, but they were at 10:10! good luck, take several deep breaths, and they will be there soon!

i'm so sorry! :icon_hug: first of all, you are not stupid!!! this is not a difficult test for nothing! you are not alone! there are several reasons why thursday was not your day, the stress and anticipation alone are enough to make anyone fail! secondly, don't let it get you down for too long! let your family and your friends (including your friends here at allnurses! ) help and support you, and then get back on that horse! look at your calendar and pick a day 45 days from now (or however long your state allows), and schedule your next test before it becomes too diffiuclt to re-schedule! you have completed nursing school and you have the smarts. you just need to become more nclex smart. have you used any of kaplan's resources? if you don't do one of their classes, you could always buy any of their online options. their questions are the most similar to nclex. don't stop posting here! you are not alone and we are here to help! good luck and don't give up on yourself!!!

from one heather rn to another, :welcome: and congratulations!! :balloons: :balloons: what a fantastic feeling, huh!? i just found out this morning that i also passed, and when i saw your post i had to stop and think "wow, did i change my username already?" :chuckle i really admire you for studying and taking the nclex so long after graduating and having little ones at home! that is really a testiment as to the kind of nurse that you are!! i hope you continue to celebrate!! and again, welcome to this fantastic board!!! ~heatherp75, rn!!

hey koolvaguy, don't forget about us, we're all rooting for you!!!!! :smiley_aa ~heather

oh my gosh, you remembered my post about kaplan!!! thank you so much!!! i still had some doubts, but i was definately glad i had used that book! it's funny, i keep bursing out in spontaneous tears of relief and shock! i'm such a baby! :chuckle

congratulations fellow nurse :balloons: :balloons: we both tested on thursday and i've been hoping and praying that you passed too! i'm so glad your stress is finally behind you, and now you can look forward to beginning your practice as a nurse! although i live in fl, i grew up in ma, so we're practically neighbors too! go out now and do something wonderful for your self...you deserve it! :biggringi ~heather

i am finally an rn!!!! :balloons: :balloons: i am so greatful to have access to the quick results, because my license number has not been posted yet on the fl bon webpage. my results became available exactly 48 hours after i completed my exam, to the minute! i felt so incredibly sick to my stomach trying to enter in the credit card info, it wasn't even funny, but when i saw the word "pass" in small letters, i just broke down in a flood of tears! hang in there everyone!!! you can do it too!!! this board has been a huge source of support and information. it has been so reassuring to read about everyone's experiences, both positive and not so positive. have a great weekend everyone and again, thank you!!! :icon_hug: ~heatherp75, rn!!!

i also used saunders to review lab values. i agree with eric, not that i remember specifically which lab values, but the ones they gave me in questions on the nclex were definately either within normal limits, or signifcantly outside normal limits. hope that helps!

hey there vaguy we're both playing the waiting game now. i also tested yesterday, and this wait is worse than the wait to take the exam itself! i know it's too soon for the results to be there, but every few hours, i can't help but to log in "just in case"! i guess i'm just preparing for tomorrow, you know, making sure i know how to find the appropriate links to find my results! :roll good luck, we're almost there!!! ~heather

thanks lena! i've enjoyed reading everyone's postings that they have passed, hopefully i will be able to add some good news of my own very soon! i notice you're from ma, i am originally from ma (we moved to fl over 2 years ago for me to go to nursing school). i grew up in and around concord (don't know if you know where that is). i've also read you've had some difficulty finding a position now that you're an rn (congrats again!!) i hope you find something very soon, i'll be thinking of you!

wow, thanks eric, you respond fast! i was hoping no one would notice how scatterbrained i was before i found it for myself! thanks for your continued help and encouragement to all of us stressed out grads! ~heather

i found the information about the quick results, i'm sorry if it was a repetitive question, but i couldn't seem to find it for the life of me. i guess i just needed to go have lunch and approach the computer with a refreshed brain! i think i'm going to go take a well deserved nap now!

i made it through that ordeal...thanks to the help and support of this forum! it was just as bad as i expected (which was a good thing...no surprises! again, thanks to all of your helpful information!!) the people at the testing center (orlando, fl) were super helpful and friendly, which helped cut the anxiety level a bit. well, anyway, it shut off at 75, which i know does not mean anything (although my family is convinced that means i passed i honestly have no idea what to think! now the real fun begins...the wait! i've already bitten my nails that had grown since finally graduating last month! oh well! i've heard people saying that florida participates in the quick results program. could someone please tell me how to sign up and purchase access to my results early? i thought i could wait, but i don't think so anymore! i know it will be at least 48hrs, but i can't seem to find any information about it. thanks yet again for your help! you're all great!!!:icon_hug: ~heather

hi loubio i read through the kaplan book (remember, i'm not in the course, i only bought the strategies book at barnes and noble) and then i took the test that was on the cd-rom after. for the past 3 weeks, i was reviewing content from the saunders book, answeing questions here and there, but this past week, i really focused more on the questions and less on content. after taking several practice tests yesterday, i spent today going over content that i knew i needed to look over (particularly endocrine and labs). i'm planning on hitting those questions again tomorrow. i also have read many people say you shouldn't review content, but i know i have beneftited from having gone over content as well as practicing with questions. there's only so much you can remember from school without at least review! i haven't been "studying", just trying to quickly read over the outlines that are in the saunders book. i don't know if that helps, but that's how i've been trying to tackle this monster! how are you doing? when do you test? good luck to you too, and thank you for your kind words, may god bless you through your studies and testing as well! ~heather

thank you everyone for your feedback. i know that nothing is certain, especially in terms of the nclex. i continue to study and practice, but i was curious what kaplan recommended for their assessment tests. i've been trying to balance between practicing questions and reading my saunders review book. it's getting harder and harder to fall asleep at night, i just keep thinking about next thursday, and how this time next weekend, i could actually possibly be an rn after all this time and work! thanks again for your input! have a great labor day!!

i was just wondering for anyone who knows how kaplan scores...i'm not in the review class, i purchased the kaplan strategies book from barnes and noble. it included a 180 item practice test for the computer. i spent most of the afternoon taking it (sigh) and it said i had received 74%. i'm assuming that anything over 50% or so is passing, am i right? is a 74% with kaplan good? can i somewhat breathe a sigh of relief that i may actually pass nclex next week?

wow, thanks everyone for your input! i didn't realize the tutorial was on the pearson site! thanks! it was helpful to think of the tutorial as a moment to center and ground myself, so that was also very useful information! keep the input coming! ~heather

i have to say i love that idea! ever since i found out about the computer displaying what question number you were on, i've been trying to figure out how to cover it up! thank you for finding that way! i know i don't want to know what number i'm on, i just want to stay focused on the task at hand, earning that license and earning the title "rn"!!! ~heather

hi everyone, this may sound like an odd question, but i've read that your 6hrs includes the computer tutorial before the exam begins. my question for those of you who have taken it is, did you need that tutorial/explanation or could you breeze through it to save the time for taking the actual exam? obviously i am familliar with how to operate a computer (i found this forum, anyway! lol :behindpc: ) but i imagine it tells you how to answer the alternate form questions (ordering, fill in the blank, etc.) i've heard some people mention that they brought snacks to help keep from feeling hypoglycemic, what did you bring?? my other question, is that i know there are pre-scheduled breaks in the computer when you've tested for a certain amount of time, but are you able to take breaks before then (i.e: if i begin to feel overly anxious before the "scheduled" break, can i request a short break? ) my test is next thursday, sept. 7th in orlando, and it will be my first go around! ooooh, i almost forgot to ask one more question (sorry!) since my test is thursday, those of you who were able to find out through your state's bon, do they post any license numbers on saturdays? i figure friday will be waaayy too soon, but i hate to think i'll have to wait out the weekend (btw, i'm in fl, which typically releases results quickly) thanks to you all for your continued input! ~heather

WOW, that was FAST! We were told that it would take our university at least 2 weeks to get the paperwork to the FL BON (we graduated 2 weeks ago tomorrow!) I want to take it ASAP, but I want to be sure I've practiced enough questions (talk about a catch 22, do I take it sooner or take the time to do more questions!) AND I start my GN position on Sept 11th (sigh) Thanks for replying!

I am now patiently awaiting my ATT (just graduated Aug. 5th ). Naturally, all of my family were asking me when I expected to take the NCLEX :icon_roll , and I said hopefully in about 6 weeks, but that I thought perhaps it might be sooner, since I was a summer graduate, and not a May grad, like the majority of graduate nurses trying to take it at the same time. So anyway, I was wondering how long it took you from graduation until the day you sat/sit for NCLEX. I know each state will varry in the time it takes, but I can't help but ask! Thanks for your continued help and support...this place is great!! :yelclap: