i-heartnursing

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First, let me just say that this post is not about boasting or to massage my ego. I guess it's just trying to reach out to everybody waiting for their pending NCLEX results, as I myself am doing. I am an excellent student. I excelled in high school, excelled at my original major at a different college before transferring, was accepted at Ivy League Universities, heeded scholarships and graduated with a high GPA. I received a 92% on the Exit HESI. Not only was I book smart, but I was accepted at two different "Magnet" Hospitals for internships and asked to stay on as techs and eventually nurses at both. I have already received an offer at one of these Magnet Hospitals for a job pending my NCLEX boards. I took the NCLEX this morning. I'm not sure if the fact that I think that test was ridiculous is a reflection of myself, my University, or whomever is ultimately responsible for the design of the exam, but I found the NCLEX to be obscene. There were entire questions based on side effects of medications I have never heard of, in my studies or in "the real world", questions that didn't even offer any hint to what it might be. I had to go back to my "college exam" tactics of actually picking apart the name of the drug to try and GUESS at what the drug was used for based off of the name itself. I went on to google the names of two medications later, only to find that they weren't even listed on common drug websites. My "gripe" so to speak with the design of this exam is that I had possibly a sheer handful of questions, if that, on diabetes and heart disease, not a single math question, and was overloaded with infection control regarding shigella. I'm sorry if this is bold but please tell me that when I finally become a real nurse, good nursing practice still includes looking up infection control for things you may not come in contact with often and checking with drug guides and physicians before administering medications google can't even come up with. To all who may be "preening" this forum for reviews on the examination: please test our future nurses on vital information and not on random facts and test taking skills. Lives depend on it.

drexel is in philadelphia and i'm happy to report I got a 92% so I passed. :) Good luck, you know your stuff, just practice doing the questions and how to read what hesi wants fromyou. i'm sorry to hear about your family situation I know how much home life can truly impact your ability to stay focused.

I think I know you too! I too was in 3803 (and passed as well!) :) congrats to you now we can focus on the rapidly shrinking job market.

busy5kids, what school do you go to? I go to drexel and we need a 950 to pass and get our diploma. I'm taking my 2nd attempt today...and I hope I pass it. I am so frustrated that I worked so hard for four years and won't get my diploma if I don't get a 950 (or 87%) on this exit hesi...that is ridiculous!

It's funny you say that....4 years later, I am taking the dreaded drexel comprehensive exit hesi today. I took it two weeks ago and did not get the requisite 950. So I am taking it yet again. Despite having an exceptional GPA, I'm still here, trying to get out because of this ridiculous hesi. If i could've done it all over again, I would've stuck with penn...

I'm done A&P, but I'm not posting to make you jealous, I'm posting to tell you that you can do it...and survive!!! I transferred into Nursing from English and was so terrified of all my science courses. What my nursing friends and I found helpful was to find reserve a study room in the library, write on the white board encouraging thoughts before we started studying, somebody would bring a snack, we'd all get some coffee, and take "laugh" breaks (watch a clip of dane cook or chris rock or something on somebody's computer). The encouraging thoughts help you perservere, and the laugh breaks help you maintain your sanity. The M&Ms and coffee keep you awake and energized. Keep going guys, you can do it! :)

I got into penn and drexel and am going to drexel its cheaper, they have co-op so you end up making money, and believe it or not they got higher board scores than penn. i couldn't be happier with my decision. ive been told that its better to saveyour money for undergrad, nobody cares about that when it comes to nursing, and to stretch your money to a master's at a renowned university. My girlfriend goes to UVA's nursing school and absolutely loves their program. I also know someone at Nova that likes it there as well but wishes she had more real experience outside of clinical on the floor. But despite the he said she said stuff, you will find people that love a program that somebody else hates. Try if you have time, to talk to either a wide range of students from each program, or even see if you can sit in on a class. Otherwise, just make sure you know what you need/want and have it match. My biggest problem with choosing was the name. It was very difficult to give up "Penn", but once I did I realized I was choosing it for all the wrong reasons. Don't get caught up in the superficiality make sure you are choosing the school because it is right for you, not because of what it does on paper. Not that you would, but that was my problem. good luck! :)

Thank you everyone for all of your input, believe it or not, I did consider responses when making my decision. What ultimately ended up happening, I matriculated at Penn and decided I would go there, however the scheduling became such a conflict that I would be two years behind and have to start as a freshman, pushing me even further back in the financial category. I have ultimately decided to go to Drexel. I am very content with my decision and excited to be part of a wonderful program. As I said I've been accepted into the BSN-MSN program where I get my Masters in a year, but I have yet to decide whether or not I want to shoot for Penn for my Masters. I guess that will be a few years down the road in which case I will most certainly ask for opinions. :) Once again I am grateful for all the responses. The co-op will be a great experience and I am interested in possibly getting out of the tri-state area and working in a different part of the country. Anyway, talk to you all soon :)

I'm so excited for you, I just chose nursing myself and am deciding between two universities over here on the east coast, but i was reading this board so im going to reply anyway. other than the degrees (which michellemybelle covered wonderfully) nursing is fantastic for several other reasons as well: 1) you said you want to help people and be inspired: nursing is such an important career. you are being invited into some of people's most intimate moments in their entire life. without your health, your life can quickly deteriorate in every aspect. as a nurse, its not only your job to make people more physically comfortable, but emotionally as well 2) you are getting tired of corporate america: thats exactly why i left my communications major and changed to nursing. i realized i wanted no part of it, and although nursing, while a medical field, changes with the technological tides of our time, its truly necessary in order to give people the best care possible. in reality the job hasn't changed much at the core. 3) there are SO many things you can do you will never get bored: first you can have all sorts of degrees which can take you in so many directions; you can go on to get your Master's and even a PhD if you want, you can teach, you can write for magazines, you can write a book, you can be a school nurse, in a hospital, in a clinic, you can go internationally and help with relief efforts in different countries, you can work in rural communities, in inner cities. while the demand for nurses is quite a negative thing, the flip side is you can find a job anywhere you go, there will ALWAYS be a need for nurses. My best friend in high school had Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for two years (she is in remission now). One of the biggest impacts in her life (she is now in nursing school herself) were how much help the nurses were. They don't just feed the chemo through the IV, they hold your hand and listen to you. Nurses heal a bruised body and a bruised soul, and theres nothing more important than that. Good luck with your decision!

im from the east, but ever since a visit to (ashland) oregon when i was little, ive always wanted to return and even settle down there. i am going to either the university of pennsylvania or drexel, and i was told if i wanted to settle in oregon, that it would be better to have gone to the penn than drexel because its a better name. the issue of concern is cost, and whether or not its worth it to go to the more expensive school. i am getting a scholarship to drexel. penn is feasible, with loans, but in your opinion, would i get a better job in oregon because penn is more a recognizable name, and a better-paying job, had i gone to penn? im so desperate for ways to help me make this decision, that the future is important to me (in case you're wondering why im asking psycho questions)

I was wondering if anyone thought that a nurturing environment makes a big difference. I've been told that drexel has a sort of cold relationship between professors and students. also, does it truly matter, in the long run, where you went to undergrad, when it comes to applying for jobs?

thats my predicament: as much as my parents tell me that i shouldnt consider money into the scheme of things while making my decision, its hard to choose a school knowing that it will put my parents in debt. ultimately, they can afford it, but for the time being they will have to take out loans. as much as going to penn would be fantastic, it will be difficult as i am a year behind, and will have to double up in some science courses and take some courses during the summer, the question is: is it worth it? since i am still an undergrad, i am concerned with my experience as an undergraduate student, that matters a lot to me alongside my nursing degree. that isnt to say i wouldnt enjoy my time at drexel, but would being a penn student make my undergraduate experience that much more enjoyable?

I have been lucky enough to be accepted at both institutions as I am about to embark on my decision to go into Nursing Undergrad. I have completed two years at a different University as an English Major and am now making the big switch to become a nurse ( I want to be a Nurse Practitioner in Women's Health). I have been given a large scholarship to Drexel, and with the Co-op I would make about $13,000, and am eligible to be in the program Bsn to MSN, achieving my Master's in one year. However, despite all this, being accepted at Upenn is also a fantastic achievement. I know that with the high demand of nurses, it doesn't really matter the Name of the institution you go to, however it is very difficult to turn down a name like Penn. If I did go to Penn, because they don't give academic scholarships, my parents would be in a lot of debt what with loans, and I would have to go on to get my Masters while working. My question is I've been told that if I want to accelerate quickly to, say, a directing position, or travel internationally, it is best to go with UPenn, because it is a bigger name. I am wondering if this is true, and considering I have always wanted to go to Penn I should accept and go there, despite the more economically friendly option that is Drexel. (also, in a shallow sense, Penn's campus is much more appealing) sorry for the long post, but who better to ask the opinion of, than people who know what they are talking about? thanks for your help!