thursdaygrl

Janony, I'm 39 years old--I just finished a BSN (my 2nd bachelor's degree) and passed the NCLEX. At the same time, I'm slowly working on a doctorate in Micro. Well, ok, it may SEEM like I'm a professional student, but I'm really not. I enjoy school and I have goals to finish. I may be 90 years old when I complete that doctorate (God willing), but I will have met my goal. Do what you WANT to do. Nothing is ever worth the effort (even if it is a small effort) if your heart isn't in it. Good luck!

I am 39 years old and just finished my BSN and passed boards. This is my third degree (I am a professional technical writer with a master's in biology). I went into nursing for my sanity (REALLY I did!). I cared for my Mother for 18 months as she fought (and lost) her battle with multiple myeloma at age 66. After her death, I buried myself in work, neglecting both my friends and my family. I work from home and about 3 years ago, I determined that 1) I needed to move back to my hometown to care for my aging Dad and 2) I was slowly, but surely, becoming a hermit (I often would not see another person unless I had to go to the grocery--I did EVERYTHING by email or phone). Nursing seemed the logical choice, primarily if one needs to live in an area where technical writing and scientific work is sporifice (which correctly describes my home town). So I went back to school, albeit completing my degree too late for my Dad (he died with lung cancer in April). However, I believe I have found the career God intended for me. I will be starting my career as a nurse on an oncology unit. So, for me, nursing is a new life--one that also gets me away from my computer (at least for a few hours each day).

I think results are likely posted closer to the time your exam ENDED rather than when you were scheduled to take the exam. I began my exam last Saturday at 8:45 a.m., but my results were not available until 10:40--almost exactly the time I COMPLETED the exam. Hope this helps!

Woman_in_love, I took the test last Saturday (the 16th), had 75 questions (I nearly did a happy jig when the thing shut down), and found out I passed Monday morning. I did not have a single question on herbs. I had one med calc, SEVERAL meds questions, only a few priority, several isolation, 5 or 6 choose all that apply, and more obscure disease processes than I care to remember (things like Fifths disease). I had a LOT of diabetes insipidus questions, which lucky for me, I had studied. When I left the testing center, I was certain that I had failed--more because I had so few priority questions. I WANTED priority questions because they are easier for me. Those specific questions for obscure illnesses were tough. If it helps any--I didn't complete one single study book of questions. I primarily used the NCLEX RN Made Incredibly Easy REVIEW, not the Q&A book. It helped me more than taking questions did. I would only get frustrated and worried with questions. I did pay for the learningext.com 3-week course, but it was very depressing. MedsPub was helpful, but I discovered a LOT of errors on their question bank (such as the answer was for a wrong statement by the patient but the question had been for a correct statement, etc.) Mosby CAT helped a lot in the last week before the test. I did study the day before the test as well. Good luck on the test!

Hi soontobe_RN, I am an older student who returned to school two years ago to get a degree in nursing. I already have two degrees, including a masters. Why "nursing" you ask? Because I lost my Mother to multiple myeloma in 1997, after 18 months of caring for her (I quit my job to take care of my Mother--she was worth it). While I was in my first year of nursing school (Spring 2004), my Dad found out that he also had cancer--lung cancer (large cell carcinoma). He had smoked for 70 of his 77 years. When I graduated this past May, I had planned to move back to my home town to care for my Dad as long as he needed me. My Dad died in April--one month and a half before I graduated. I learned just yesterday that I passed my boards and I plan to specialize in Oncologic nursing. In fact, I already have a job in the field. Why am I telling you this? Because obviously I have quite a bit of personal experience with cancer (I'm in my 30's--hard to be an orphan to cancer before you are 40). My Dad quit smoking when he learned of his cancer, but I think it was quite hard on him, although it was HIS decision--the doctors nor his family asked him to quit. If your Grandmother does not feel she is ready to quit smoking, just hide your disappointment/frustration/disapproval and let her enjoy her life AS IT IS NOW. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? While surgery would probably be the BEST thing, it sounds as if the docs are making the right decisions not to put her through a surgery, which requires a strong fortitude--even for a healthier person. Looking back, I'm not sure my Dad should have had surgery (he had a lower left lobectomy, with no lymph involvement, no metastases or additional tumors). While I am very interested in oncologic nursing and have wanted to specialize in this field since I started in nursing school, I can also be realistic and say that chemo and radiation are NOT fun treatments--in fact, they are almost monstrous in their actions (kill most of the 'good' stuff while also killing the bad). After some rounds with radiation and chemo, patients are going to experience side effects (depending on the type of chemo/radiation). Let your Grandmother enjoy her life. The treatment for cancer is bad enough and quitting smoking now will just make her possible recovery that much worse. My thoughts and prayers are with you!

Congrats Denham0607! I am sooo proud!! I took the test this morning and I don't feel good at all, but I took Denham's advice and didn't look up any questions. Well, just ONE (the last one--it was killing me not to look :) ). Truthfully, yes, the test was difficult. By question #50 or so, I just wanted to get it over with and it did shut down at question #75, although I'm not sure how I feel about that :stone . It took about 2 hours. I felt I was guessing on most of the questions. I had 5 or 6 multiple answer questions, many peds questions, no herbs, one calculation, several meds, loads of disease processes, some priority, several isolation, and several diabetes insipidus. I suppose I will know on Monday morning, but I have to survive until then. :) God was with me through the whole thing, otherwise I'd not have gotten through it. Good luck to everyone who must take the exam soon and who are currently awaiting results. Here's to a passing grade for all of us! Way to go Denham0607!

I keep Cushing's and Addison's straight this way: I just remember that they are both diseases caused by hypo- or hypersecretion of the Adrenal gland. If you remember that the adrenal gland secretes corticocorticoids (I always think "sugar") and mineralcorticoids (I think "salt"), you can pretty much figure out the two diseases of Cushing's and Addison's. Just remember: Cushing's=HYPERsecretion=hyperglycemia (increased sugar), hypernatremia (increased salt) so therefore--hypokalemia, hypocalcemia Addison's=HYPOsecretion=hypoglycemia (low sugar), hyponatremia (low salt), so therefore = hyperkalemia, hypercalcemia Once you remember these ups and downs of the two diseases, you can pretty much figure out the disease symptoms. You also have to remember that the adrenal gland also produces androgens (sex hormones) which leads to hirsutism (male and female) and male pattern baldness (females) in Cushing's. I take the test tomorrow morning at 9 and those are basically the only two diseases I feel good about! :) Now ask me a question about meds and I'm toast. Good luck on the test!

ManyRN2B, All the friends I graduated with (and some RNs I work with) have said the test is incredibly hard, but at the same time every one of them has noted that they wished they had not studied so hard because studying did NOT help. In fact, they've all said "you either know it or you don't" and that "studying will not help". One friend did about 10 online tests, went to take the NCLEX, believed she was a complete failure, and passed the test. Another studied every day (starting back in January--we graduated in May), took the test last week, thought it was the worst experience of her life, and passed. Anyway, the experience is obviously different for everyone but NO ONE I've spoken to has said it was an easy test. I am a multiple graduate (I have other degrees) and I'm an older student changing careers. I am terrified of this test, but only because I hate failure. I don't think that your ability as a STUDENT will make one bit of difference on this test--if I believed that, I wouldn't be worried at all. :) I think it is probably a test of your ability to use content in a SENSIBLE, SAFE manner. I take the test on July 16 at 9 a.m. Good luck to everyone!

Raindreamer, I'm not really studying much at all. I am really all over the board with my studying to be truthful. One day I am frantic about it and will review and do test questions, while on another day I do very little. I have not completed any single review book and I would say that I've probably done approximately 1000 to 1500 test questions. I take the test on July 16 and don't believe I'll be able to prepare anymore this week than I am already prepared. I've got several classmates and co-workers who have taken the test already (and passed) and every single one of them has said to me "I wish I hadn't wasted the time with studying; not one thing I studied was on the test and studying did not help me." With very little variation, they report that the majority of their test questions were priority and delegation, very little math, very few alternate question format questions. The overall impression my friends took away from the test, and that I am getting from them, is studying was truly not helpful as a means to pass the test. They were also very angry that they got so upset and anxious about the test as well. I think the best thing to do to prepare for this test is confidence--it is simply not possible to know everything and in some cases, I wonder that knowing TOO much could hurt in the long run (too much knowledge may mean you read too much into each question).

Thanks to all the folks on this board who mentioned the Mosby CAT. I had been lurking and simply reading the nursing student board for a couple of weeks but had honestly made the decision NOT to read anymore until after I take my test--I was getting way too anxious because everyone on the board was so anxious!! Is that 'displacement' and perhaps I need Paxil?? Or more likely, plain old "PANIC"!!! Anyway, I made the decision yesterday that I was way too scared to take this stupid test and I needed to quit thinking about it so much. My biggest fear is not studying the CORRECT information, not necessarily if I'm using the BEST sources (does that make sense?). I've been using the MedsPub StarNurse Test-A-Day program and their study book (much like Kaplan's) pretty much every day, but the tests actually have errors in them (questions are asking for one thing but the answer is for something else--I've found 3 or 4 like that); I also use learningext (but that is WAY depressing) as well as Saunders (book only) and Lippincott's study guide and CD (WAY hard). Then I saw the thread about Mosby's. Long story short--I ordered the online version yesterday, got an email with my ID today, took two tests of 75 questions and was given a 94% on both tests. I do have a question: although I got 94% on both tests, my percentiles in the individual categories were in the 45-65 percentile range and I needed moderate additional study in every category. I am wondering how that could be possible and I still scored in the 90th percentile overall. Anyone know?