HisKonstantine

It took almost 8 weeks to get mine. I submitted everything on time. They just told me that there were so many other applicants right now that they were back-logged.

I graduated nursing school in June and waited FOREVER for my ATT. So many of my cohort had already tested and started working while I was still waiting for the OK. But it finally came and I picked my date. I was expecting to finish with 75 questions. Psht. No biggie. Yeah well that didn't happen. The questions kept coming and I was convinced that there was something wrong with the computer. It finally shut off at 233 questions. Ughhhhh it was torture. I walked out of that exam 100% convinced that I failed. It was THE hardest test ever. There were so many things that I just didn't know. Drugs that I had never heard of. It was so hard. I logged in this morning and saw Registered Nurse next to my name. I passed. I immediately sobbed. Best feeling in the world. So my advice to you if you're testing soon, is don't panic if it doesn't shut off at 75. It doesn't mean you failed. Think of it like walking a balance beam. You have to lean more one way or the other before it makes its' decision. I just walked straight and center for longer. According to everyone that I know that has taken it, walking out feeling like you failed is a good sign. If you can make it through nursing school well, you CAN pass NCLEX. You got this!

If this were my care plan, I would choose related to immobility because that's the most likely cause of skin breakdown. Yes, being overweight and receiving radiation can also cause breakdown but it isn't guaranteed. All caretakers must be vigilant about turning q2h, skin care, and incontinence care (if applicable) in order to avoid the breakdown. It can happen very quickly even with the best care. This is a case of which one is most right while they are all absolutely correct.

Well .. at least you're honest with yourself knowing that you weren't able to just wing it. I spent three months preparing for my TEAS. I suggest getting yourself a study guide specifically for the TEAS and doing as many practice exams as you can and then brushing up on your areas of weakness. Let this be a lesson to you if you do get into nursing school down the road. Procrastination and cramming don't work. Period.

While my mental health rotation was in a hospital rather than a home setting, their care is still the same. Student nurses do a lot of listening in their MH rotation. We're not there to fix their problems. We're not there to make them better. We're there to listen to whatever they feel like sharing with us. These people have a lot going on in their heads and sometimes just having someone to talk to is really helpful. So go there with an open mind and a willingness to listen and you'll be just fine. Good luck!

I am currently in Seminole State's program. I can tell you that no one that was accepted into my class had any pre-reqs left to complete. Their policy is that you can apply and be accepted if you are in the process of finishing your last pre-req. In your case, if you apply and are in the process of taking Micro, you might be accepted under the contingency that you will finish Micro before your begin your core nursing classes. If you are successful in Micro, you'll be able to keep your seat. If you are unsuccessful in Micro, you won't be able to keep your seat.

You let yourself be upset for a little while (seriously. a very very small amount of time.) and then you shake it off and conquer it. Skills check offs are intimidating no matter how confident you are. They're rough but we all get through them. When you're testing, start with the easy stuff first, such as the brachial pulse, and go from there. You have to let yourself remain calm and focus on the task at hand. If you go in with the attitude of "I've already failed this, I'm gonna fail it again" then guess what will happen? Confidence is key! You can do this!

In my program, the GPA wasn't too important. They were more interested in how well we had done in our pre-reqs and how long ago they were finished; the older, the better.

I'm in my fourth semester and I've definitely gained weight. My eating habits haven't changed but my activity level certainly has. I find myself sitting on my butt waaaaay more than I was before nursing school. It's not because I'm lazy but rather that I have so many hours of studying to do. I figure it's just part of the whole thing and once school is over, I'll be back to being more active.

I go to Seminole State College in Florida. There's also Valencia Stage College here that does it as well.

Have you looked into community college concurrent programs? My program is an ADN/BSN concurrent program. You do your BSN coursework as you're working on your ADN. Once you graduate with your ADN, you have one more semester and then you graduate with your BSN. It's only two years and then you're done.

I like to have my resources in eBook. I absolutely have to have my textbooks as a physical copy. I stare into those pages for hours. My eyes would fall out of my head if I tried to read a screen for that long. Now a success book, lab book, or another resource? That's really nice to be able to search for the information I'm looking for. It's really a preference though.

I switch it up a little bit every semester depending on the instructor's teaching style and the content. This semester is Advanced Med-Surg so there's a lot of content. I'm typing my notes in class this time. We get our lecture notes ahead of time so I format that outline for my own personal liking prior to class. I then add to it during class. After class, I'll go home, print the notes, and then hand write my own notes as I read the chapters. It's a little bit of both but I do prefer to just hand-write. My retention is waaaaay higher if I write rather than type.

This was my entire OB class this past summer. The day before every exam, we had a lecture on brand new material. It was really rough. But! If I can do it, so can you! Good luck!

I didn't take stats online, I took it traditionally on-campus. It doesn't involve a lot of math so I found it to be easier than previous courses. I could have done better in the class over-all but I slacked off in the end. Just keep up with your assignments and get help as soon as you find that you need it. Best of luck!

Are we going to the same school? I feel like I could have written this. But instead of thinking about quitting, I'm focusing on just how close I am to graduating. Honestly, nursing school is a beast and no one will ever understand it until they've been through it. It's tough and the psychological drama isn't easy either. A lot of people in my program hate that we're treated like children. While I agree, I also see the faculty point of view. They could make nursing school as simple as coming to class, taking exams, and going to clinical without all the drama and difficulties. But then everyone and anyone would be able to get through nursing school. Then everyone and anyone would be taking people's lives into their hands every day that would have no business being there. They're not trying to be bullies. Your faculty (and every other nursing school faculty, for that matter) is trying to make sure that the only ones who graduate are the ones that will make safe and adequate nurses. Honestly, if you can't handle the heat of nursing school, you better get out of the kitchen now. It's nothing compared to real life.

Hello! Second year nursing student here. One thing that a lot of people in my program still haven't gotten used to is how "unstructured" nursing school is. Yes, there's a schedule. Yes, there are due dates. But things can and do change at the drop of a dime. It's frustrating but it's just the nature of the beast. We don't get our schedule until right before the beginning of a semester and for some, they have a really hard time with it and demand to know further in advance. It doesn't happen, they have to deal with it, and complain about it the entire time. If you can go into your program with the mindset that you're just gonna ride the waves, you'll be miles ahead of the game.

This summer had the absolute worst semester of my program. It was Peds and OB during a shortened semester. We had an exam every week and an eight hour lecture day. Super brutal. But! It's finally over and I get a whole three weeks of summer to enjoy. Successfully over the hump of my program and completed my first year of nursing school. And congrats to everyone else that completed a tough semester as well as those starting in the fall! :)

I have quite a few students in my class that started working in the medical field before they started nursing school. Techs, medics, EMTs, so on and so forth. They all start out thinking they know everything and are just going through the motions to get the degree. I assure you that while they have knowledge, they got knocked off their feet really quick. I do believe, as others have said, that you're facing a stigma with starting as a medic. As long as you keep your knowledge to yourself and don't flaunt that you "already know all of this", you should be just fine. I am in no way saying that you have that kind of attitude, it's just what I've personally experienced.

For my first year of nursing school, I used the full-sized Uncalendar. I loved it. So much space to write in everything I needed. I finished it with the end of my third semester. I'm now going into my second year, and picked one up at Office Depot. The brand name is StudioC. It's super cute and breaks down daily, weekly, and monthly.

Getting a job doing something I love and then coming home from a long day and doing whatever I feel like! The whole not having homework thing is what I'm looking forward to the most at the moment. Having more quality time with my family as well.

I definitely second the laser printer! I wish I had one but ... I don't. For each class, I have a separate binder. I usually go for the 3" so there's plenty of room. I also use the 1-15 numbered dividers, one for each week. I would suggest a good stapler and 3-hole-punch if you don't already have one. I use mine endlessly. Good pens and highlighters are a must. I like to use plenty of color on my notes so I also have a set fine-point colored pens as well. I could go either way for sticky tabs. Some semesters I find myself using them constantly, other times I barely touch them.

It's hard. I won't lie. I have a three and a half year old and I'm going into my fourth semester. I have managed to maintain all A's and B's as well. I have an awesome support system that without, I would have failed out in the first semester. My husband works so I don't have to and between the two grandma's, the baby is always well-taken care of. What isn't so easy to get around is the infamous mommy-guilt. I was a stay at home mom before I started school so my daughter had 100% of my attention and time. Not being around and missing out on things is really hard to get over. I know it's what's best for my family and her future but that doesn't make it any easier. Take a deep breath and one day at a time. It's absolutely do-able.

I'm almost finished my third semester (only 19 days to go!!). Organization is key, as others have already said. I like to have big binders for each class and keep them neat and pristine. That way when I'm studying, it's all right at my fingertips rather than wasting my study time scrambling to find this or that. Figure out which study methods work for you and use them! If it works, stick to it. I have found that I need to tweak my study methods each semester to adhere to different instructor's teaching methods and styles. Ooh! One thing that I've figured out this semester is that I find that I absorb the material so much better if I hand-write my notes during class. It requires a lot of pre-class preparation as well as active listening and participation during class but it works. You might look around your lecture hall and see nothing but shiny new Macbooks and feel that you just have to type your notes or you'll "miss" something. No, I don't write down everything they say but I for sure absorb SO much more information than when I used to type my notes. After class, I go home and type everything so it's all organized and legible then add it to the binder. This process really helps cement the information into my head and makes me a better participant in my study group. Study groups!! Find one and try it out! I've never used one before nursing school but it really really helps. I'm friends with my group so we're all very comfortable with each other but we also know how to bring the focus back to studying if we get off-topic. And finally, don't panic if you're not a straight A student. Yes, it's absolutely possible to maintain a 4.0 in nursing school but B's or *gasp* even C's aren't going to kill you. I'm still trying to accept this one but it's the truth. Anyhoo ... congratulations!! Hold on tight and enjoy the ride. :)

I'm currently in my third semester and I have very little free time. But it depends on the course load. I'm taking OB/Peds together this summer and it's insane. It's only 12 weeks instead of 15 so it's an exam every week and it's A LOT of information. Many people in my cohort work, some full time. I know it's the only option for some people. Personally, I don't work. But I do have a three year old so that's a job in itself.