RN59217

I'm in this boat now. The local hospitals are accepting applications but haven't been actually hiring yet. It looks like they plan to do so in May. In the meantime, I was offered an interview at a physician's office, so I am going to that. If offered the job, I will likely take it (I otherwise just work retail). If I end up leaving the office in order to take a hospital position, then so be it, but sometimes you have to go with who is hiring right now. At least it will be some experience.

Congrats to you both! I am awaiting my second interview at a hospital. So excited!

This question was asked during my first interview that I had last week too. I'm leaving a retail position. So I said that I actually really like my job: my coworkers are great and the job itself is fine. I just want to start my nursing career and don't like retail in general. (If they want me to expound on that later, I can do that) I figure they could pick apart anything I say, so I wanted to emphasize that 1. I don't job hop. I've been at my job awhile, and 2. I get along well with my coworkers so I would also work well with others at their hospital. I'm not running from problems, I'm just ready to start working as a nurse.

Well since no one replied, I'll just update. I waited till I felt better so that I looked good on the video. Dressed in a cardigan and otherwise just the usual way my hair/face look. Presentable and not over-the-top. It was 10 questions ranging from "why did you apply" and "why did you choose to become a nurse" to "what teams have you been a part of and what was your role in them". I was nervous as anything so I said "um" a lot, unfortunately, but apparently didn't do too badly because they have already invited me in for an in-person interview! The email said they will call me to schedule and it may be a few weeks. Haven't gotten the call yet but it also hasn't even been one week since getting the email. I'm very excited! I will wear a business suit when I go in for the interview. I bought it, had the pants altered, and bought a top and necklace to wear with it already. I plan to wear my hair as I normally do and light makeup. If anyone has stories about how their personal interviews went, I'm happy to listen to them!

Worked for me. I did the PVT 10 min after I was done my test, got the good pop up, then 24h later my name and license # came up on my state BON's website.

I got invited for a video interview today! All I've been told is that the questions are prerecorded and I have to answer them in front of a webcam. So I guess it's a glorified "phone interview". Has anyone done one of these? I have so many questions. For one, I suppose I should dress up since the prospective employer will indeed see me and first impressions are everything. How dressy should I get? Two, what kinds of questions should I expect? I've pretty much only worked in retail so far and the interview questions have always been very generalized. I don't know what interviews for professional jobs are like. Three, the instructions are to do it "at your earliest convenience", but I'm sick right now and I think the worst of whatever cold/flu I have is yet to come. So far it's just been respiratory congestion but today I started with a fever. Should I put this interview off till I'm feeling better or just take Tylenol for the fever, have a mug of hot tea with me and do the interview ASAP? Although I feel tired, I don't appear groggy and I sound fine, save for the occasional coughs. Thanks!

I did NCLEX review questions from Saunders to prepare for the Hesi for Med Surg and Exit. It helped a lot. I don't necessarily think your score means you'll fail the NCLEX since that was your raw score with no prep.

They decreased the amount of pharm on the test! Used to be 12-18%, now it's 9-15%. Know your classifications. I had I think 3 pharm questions out of 75 and that was it. One I think I got wrong, quite frankly I didn't like any of the answer choices so I just picked one! ha. The other two I know I got right.

You all are aware that the NCLEX is adaptive testing, right? Some people from my class passed the NCLEX with little preparation. Then there was me. I took Kaplan, did questions out of Saunders, studied for months, did lots of reading in my weak areas. I passed in 75 questions but my questions were very hard! I figured that I was passing because in the beginning my questions were so easy that I thought to myself, "you're kidding, right?" when I read the question. But as I got into it I was spending 2+ minutes per question. I had to seriously think about my answers. They were NOT straightforward. If I was failing, my questions would have been getting easier, so when I got to question 75 and decided on my answer, I thought to myself, "and now here comes the survey...." I hit "Next" and tada... survey popped up. Not trying to be haughty about it but some people here are saying that the NCLEX was easier than Kaplan. I did not find it to be the case. I found it to be way harder actually. It can be somewhat of a crap shoot of what kind of test you get, plus the computer adapts to you. The goal is, obviously, for the computer to evaluate that you are competent above passing level. It's better to be overprepared than underprepared so the OP will probably be just fine.

If L&D is your dream job, but you're interviewing for Med-Surg, I would play up Med-Surg in the interview. You don't know that in 5 years you're going to still want L&D. You might adore Med-Surg so much that you don't want to leave. Each unit has its pros and cons...while assisting in deliveries is very exciting (I have a L&D application out there), you also get patients who scream and ***** at you because, well, they're in labor. Whereas Med-Surg they wouldn't ***** at you unless their personality is just like that, or they're grieving from having a terminal diagnosis etc, or because something else sucked. But I think it's more the exception than the rule, whereas in L&D, it's more the rule than the exception. Just play up on the fact that you're a new grad, you want to utilize all your new skills, you want to experience as much variety as possible since you're in your first Nursing position... etc. I wouldn't mention wanting a different unit. I think a hiring manager would simply hear "they're not going to stay... we want someone permanent" and that could make you not get the job.

Was it on a unit where the religious preference would even be an issue? Like a L&D/OB unit where you may have to deal with abortion clients?

I think that was a perfect answer. I don't know if you could report the person to someone higher up since it is really illegal for them to ask you that question?

Thanks. I will tell him that. I think he's just having a "proud father" moment, lol

Hi, my dad and I are having a discussion/debate on what is the appropriate title to give me now and have embroidered on a lab coat. The options are, (My name), BSN, RN or (My name), BS, BSN, RN since I have a prior BS in another field. I just said BSN, RN 'cause I figure the letters that most nurses carry after their name are the ones relevant to the field of Nursing. I never called myself "(My name), BS" prior to getting my Nursing degree, so why would I now? But he says that from what he's seen, nurses like to carry as many letters as possible after their name (not sure who he was talking to to get that info) so he thinks I should put all that applies. Opinions?

Check your state BON's website. If your state is quick, they might post your license before the Quick Results are available. Don't get freaked out if they don't though, they could just be slow to process the new info. I took the NCLEX Jan 15. Literally 24 hours after the test, my name came up on my state BONs site. I was shocked, thrilled and cried. Then my Quick Results came the next day. Good luck!!

Autonomic Dysreflexia: Nursing Care This says High Fowler's

I didn't use the NCSBN Learning Extension as my tool for studying, but most people say to do lots and lots of questions. Also, know your content. You need a good, solid foundation of the disease pathophysiologies in order to be able to answer the questions. Whether you do questions every single day or not is a personal preference. When it comes to studying, you need to focus on quality over quantity. Part of that involves your learning style. Some people study well in groups, other people get distracted. Some people need to hear information, some people need to see it. For me, the process of writing helps me learn. So when I was watching the Kaplan videos where they were reviewing physiology, I paused constantly in order to write down what was being said. I filled up a whole notebook. I can't sit there and memorize information, but if I integrate it into what I already know, then I can learn it. So it's better for me to look up a med when I don't know the answer to a question than to try to memorize facts about the various meds. The key thing is that you need to know yourself and how you learn best, and use that to your advantage.

Be careful with this. The term "assessment" can be thrown around and used in places where assessment is not actually required. The NCLEX wants you to determine what is actually "assessment". For NCLEX purposes, LPNs cannot assess. I know that was as clear as mud. Example: "Assess the patient's pain level" is not really "assessment". You ask the patient what is their pain level on a scale of 0-10. They say 6. The LPN can record that the pain level is a 6. There is no "nursing judgment" required. The pain is what the patient says it is. Period. Same thing with "determine the amount of food the patient has eaten". Well, the food is either there or it's not, and if it's not, then the patient ate it, 'cause we're not throwing around the possibility that some was thrown out etc. So if 50% of the food is gone, then 50% of the food is gone. Again, no nursing judgement required. Now if the LPN reports "the patient says he is going to hurt himself," the RN cannot delegate that the LPN go back and ask the patient if he has a plan and access to means. That's assessment because the RN has to determine how suicidal the patient actually is. The RN can delegate a LPN to stay with the patient though.

Additionally: learn synonyms for "assessment". If it says "determine the pH of the aspirate from a NG tube", that's assessment.

Only RNs assess. Only RNs do blood. Only RNs give IV pushes. LPNs can do procedures, so dressing changes, insert catheters, drop NG tubes.... UAP can do everything else. Assist with feedings, ambulation.... Anyone can "gather data". So the RN can ask UAP to get vital signs. UAP can say BP was 120/80, HR is 70. RN cannot ask UAP if there are crackles in the lungs, if the HR is regular, if there's a pericardial friction rub present, etc...

Just for the record... DKA is considered an actual problem. Suicide risk is considered potential. They are not actively attempting suicide. That's really splitting fine hairs, but if you're asked to determine the correct Nursing Dx, it makes a difference.

Whether right or wrong, I would have said 4 for the Kaplan question you posted. You really don't want one patient punching another patient. Wanting to be a model and drinking water/eating veggies does not need an immediate intervention.

Don't you give lidocaine for Vtach? Only deFIBrillate for Vfib.... I think Afib too

I did Kaplan. Got a 78 on QT7. Averaged in the 60s in QBank. Passed the NCLEX-RN in 75 questions. Barbara Irwin said that you should expect somewhere in the 50s on the Kaplan tests 'cause on the NCLEX, when you reach your competency level on the test, you'll be getting approx every other one right and every other one wrong. I got a 70 on the Readiness Test.

I also got the good pop up on the 15th and my license # was issued the 16th! Congrats everyone. Seems like the PVT is still quite accurate.