G-manRN

Yes, you can do it. It depends on your program and your job though. I worked full time through my entire program doing 3 12 hour shifts. I worked every weekend and whichever day I could during the week with an ever changing nursing/school schedule. It also helped that my job was related to healthcare- EKG tech, so they were pretty flexible. Try to find a CNA, PCT or PCA, ER tech, or nurse extern job. Also look into Per diem work because you can usually pick up quite a few shifts. Best of luck!

I also strongly recommend this book! It helped with several questions on my exam. I did all the chapters and looked over every rationale for my correct and incorrect answers. Definitely worth the $35.

Memorize the suffixes for the more common meds: prils, lols, pams, etc. That way you know what class the medication even if you don't know the exact medication. Just practice your dimensional analysis for the math part and learn to simply the numerator and denominator because it will save you time. Also, know common side effects of the major medications. Otherwise, good luck and keep studying.

There are a few ways to quickly check the HR. You can count the QRS complexes for 6 second strips or dividing the # of small boxes between each QRS complex into 1500 example: 19 boxes between them 1500/19 = ~79 HR. My personal favorite if it is a normal rhythm/rate is to just look at the big boxes and count down to the next QRS complex. If the next QRS falls one big box away(0.2 seconds) then the HR is 300. The next big box = 0.4 seconds away so the HR is 150. The next big box = 0.6 seconds away and the HR is 100 etc. So count down from 300, 150, 100, 75, 60 and you have a pretty accurate HR without having to do any math.

The toughest clinical instructor I ever had afforded me one of the best learning experiences in my nursing career. She expected us to "think like RNs" and had us complete all the electronic charting, as well as our clinical paperwork by 10am(clinical started at 7am). There were no excuses unless a patient coded and you went down to the ICU. My advice, keep your head down, think before you speak, research research research prior to asking questions, use critical thinking, review your labs and patho, and try to shadow your co-assign as much as possible. Also, please try to stay busy. There's nothing worse than finding a bunch of student nurses lumped together all chit-chatting when the unit is busy. Some instructors are tough for a reason, they want you to take it seriously. You should understand the responsibility that comes with the title of RN.

I really wouldn't sweat it. My program had a lot of people in their forties or fifties- about 10 in total out of 70 students. 29 is a good age, don't worry about it.

Hey there! I'm new here too but have lurked while attending school. I have a few tips for you. One of my teachers in high school greatly assisted me in how I look at and perform on tests. It may sound like the most obvious thing but it's the most important (especially in nursing)- READ THE QUESTION. What are they asking? What are the keywords? What are they throwing into the question that is useless to what the question is asking? What should be underlined? Is the word FIRST used? Is the word NOT used? A lot of these questions have all correct answers, the point is what is the MOST correct answer. After you pick apart the question (underline, cross out, do whatever you have to do) then proceed to answer the question in your head prior to looking at the answers. Match your answer to the answers listed for multiple choice. Does it match? Read through all the answers and eliminate whatever you can immediately. Don't second guess yourself. Also, a lot of the questions have to do with prioritization, organization, planning, safety, or assessment. Make sure your answer matches BEST to what the question is looking for ex. a safety question should get a safety answer. Always remember your ABCs (airway, o2, circ) and safety measures (infection, injury). Another tip for you- understand the patho! Even if you don't really understand what the question is asking, if you understand the systems you can see what answer fits based on the pathophysiology.