HappyRN14

Hi nurses! I am a current ADON with a BSN at an assisted living facility. I got called for a couple interviews for staff development positions at some nearby LTC facilities. I absolutely love my job right now, I am just not so sure I can continue this 24/7 on-call business once I start a family. I just cannot seem to ever get a weekend to myself and I am afraid it's not a feasible long-term goal for me. But I enjoy every other aspect of my job, especially the staff development. I do orientation and training regularly with all employees. I thoroughly enjoy skills fairs and providing learning opportunities. Therefore, I have thought about pursuing a long-term nurse educator role. That's why I considered applying for staff development jobs elsewhere to start. I am just not too familiar with what their job tasks are and what it's like in staff development. I'd eventually like the opportunity to teach in an academic setting, just to see if I really like it or not. I am hearing/reading that nurse educators are expected to gain advanced degrees and make generally less money, that staff development positions in hospitals and facilities pay better but they are difficult to come by, and that academic educators are so bogged down with grading/prepping it's just not worth it because of the pay (or lack thereof). I am just wondering if it's even worth it switching from a nursing leadership/director route to nursing education. I am not sure if staff development is really a long-term goal or not (are there many opportunities in this?!) I'm curious what it takes to gain a decent paying academic - setting position? Is it really that much out of reach? I think it would be an amazing opportunity to be a nursing program chair/dean at a decent school someday. Am I crazy to think I'd be able to land a gig like that? I'd like to hear some success stories (if there are any) and any advice from current nurse educators and/or staff development nurses. I just feel like I'm back to square one, like when I was deciding what to major in when in college :) Thanks in advance to all!

I just graduated and felt the same way! I don't have a nursing job yet, but I am completely freaked out by managing a patient load or dealing with acute patients. However, I have friends who were totally anxious about the same thing and yet they're working med-surg and ICU jobs now and feel more and more comfortable every day. One of the things one of my instructors told us that made me feel more comfortable about this was that when you get your first nursing job you WILL have an orientation, and most of the time it's for a certain period of time. But if you feel you need more orientation time you can always ask for it. Also, no employer is going to expect you as a new grad to know squat! Well, they're going to expect that you know basic nursing knowledge from school and that's it. You'll learn on the job and you will not get 6 patients assigned to you until you're comfortable with it and/or your charge nurse feels comfortable with it. You'll always have reference materials at your fingertips as well. There's usually medication books, med-surg, and all sorts of nursing literature at the nurse's station for you to look at when you're stumped or questioning something. Don't get down on yourself for being a student and not being able to handle more than one patient either. It's completely normal! Hope this eases your jitters! Good luck with the rest of school :)

I have never heard of that before. I hope you plan to use some other test prep resources because I just looked this up and it looks as if it's just practice tests. Honestly, I wouldn't waste my money because you can get so many practice questions and exams from Saunders, Kaplan, and so many others. If you have facebook, add NCLEX pages and "like" NCLEX groups to get constant practice questions on your newsfeed for practice. This helped me a lot. Download NCLEX apps on your phone too, the free ones! They have practice questions, a limited number of them, but hey it's free practice questions! Also, when studying for the NCLEX you want to get tips and learn the strategies on HOW to answer the questions. I used Kaplan and only Kaplan, and I just passed a little over a week ago! I know I passed because I used what Kaplan teaches you: strategies to use to tackle every NCLEX question. Even if you know nothing about the topic of the question, those strategies are what help you to eliminate answers. It's super helpful and I strongly recommend it. If you can't afford the Kaplan course, I'd still get these books I studied from: 1. Kaplan NCLEX-RN Content Review Guide 2nd Ed. (available on Amazon for about $30). It's general review of nursing content in all NCLEX categories of client needs. This book is great if you just need refreshers. 2. Kaplan NCLEX-RN Strategies, Practice, and Review. This book actually goes over each strategy and NCLEX tips, then has you practice a couple questions and goes over them with you. It's actually very handy! There's also practice quizzes after each chapter and then a practice exam at the end. If you get any book at all, THIS IS THE ONE TO GET!! I got the 2012-2013 edition at my library and checked it out for a month, so I didn't pay for this at all. I'd check your library to see if they have a version. I hope this helps get you more practice. I wouldn't waste money on practice tests because you can get practice questions free from many places. However, if you can afford it, by all means give it a try! Just remember, the NCLEX is expecting more than just nurses doing practice questions. You need to know HOW to think like a nurse and answer the questions not based on just nursing school knowledge. So pick the exam prep book, tools, etc. that you think will work for you. Best of luck to you :)

Thanks so much. Your sympathy is greatly appreciated. I just wanted to say good luck to you in nursing school. It's a tough major and at times you WILL feel like giving up. It's not at all like engineering, finance, business or any other major. Because of class, lab, clinical, class exams, lab exams, simulations, etc. you will feel so overwhelmed compared to your other college friends. Don't give up, and always think about your ultimate goal of being that patient advocate :) Best of luck to you future nurse!

I completely understand your nervousness. I just took my test last week and passed on my first attempt. I too, used Kaplan, but only Kaplan. I later focused more on HOW to answer the questions and utilizing the strategies Kaplan gives you rather than content and I noticed my scores getting higher. Honestly, I think you're ready to take the exam, however, no one is ever truly ready! I was scoring about the same, but unlike you I was using the decision tree on every question. I was making sure I wasn't falling for any of those "NCLEX traps" and memorizing the "rules of the NCLEX" that Kaplan tells you about, like how pain is psychosocial, never asking a "why" question, never answering a question based on what you've seen in the "real world," remembering that you don't have any limitations on time, staff, or equipment and so on and so forth. So just make sure that you're prepared to avoid those kinds of traps and remember those strategies to help you eliminate answers on the big day. Because if you do focus on those strategies, based on your scores, you WILL pass :) Another little word of advice: Go with your gut!! I know there can be pressure to just get it over with, I also just couldn't wait to take it and get it over with. However, taking it around the date when everyone else in your graduating class is planning to or when your instructors suggest you to is not always the best for everyone. I scheduled mine, got a bad feeling about it, then rescheduled it so I could do practice questions for one more week. I'm so glad that I did! Hope that helps! GOOD LUCK!!!

Stay positive! You can do this! Okay, I just took it last week and passed on my first attempt. Here's my advice: KAPLAN! I cannot say enough about Kaplan's strategies for tackling NCLEX questions. I only used Kaplan for NCLEX prep and focused on HOW to answer the questions rather than content. I did their content review and then did practice questions on a daily basis while utilizing their strategies on EVERY question. Kaplan goes over the "rules of the NCLEX" which include things like focusing on "textbook/ideal" nursing rather than what you've seen in the "real world," remembering that on the NCLEX you have all the time in the world and all the staff in the world available to help you and other patients, if the intervention in one of the answers requires an order then you already have the order, never "pass the buck," always assess the client before the equipment, and pain is considered psychosocial (therefore not priority) on the NCLEX, etc. Also, focus on the decision tree that Kaplan gives you. This is literally step-by-step on how to answer every NCLEX question. Also, focus on the client needs category "Management of Care" (the biggest category on NCLEX) which includes prioritizing "who do you see first" questions, delegation questions, and legal and nursing ethics questions. When prioritizing, think about "expected vs. unexpected," "actual vs. potential," "stable vs. unstable," "acute vs. chronic," look at the time (is one patient 48 hours post-op and another just 2 hours?) and age of the patient. The list of strategies just goes on and on!!! It's honestly what helped me pass on the first try. "Safety and Infection Control" is another big one: focus on precautions (like what standard, airborne, droplet, and contact precautions are and which diseases require which precautions). Other than that I would not look at any more content (unless you feel you need serious review in a subject), just focus on these strategies and Kaplan's strategy review. Book I liked: Kaplan NCLEX-RN Strategies, Practice, and Review. I checked out the 2012-2013 version from my local library, therefore free! I'd recommend seeing if your library has one or something similar. Excellent resource!! I seriously hope this helps a bit. I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK! :)

Hey, first of all, I give you props for not giving up here. I don't know how I would have kept it up if this were my situation. Good for you, seriously. I too have horrible test anxiety. I was literally bawling my eyes out regularly because I was so nervous about the exam! I just passed last week on my first attempt! So here's my advice: I do agree with some of the above posters: you need strategy review. Honest to God, your content is probably great, but if you keep reviewing content it's not going to help you pass. If you're used to Kaplan (and Kaplan is the only NCLEX prep I used), then focus on using the decision tree, all the NCLEX "traps" they tell you about, and continue practicing using all these strategies they give you on EACH AND EVERY question. I cannot recommend this enough. Believe me, the more I started focusing on keeping the patient safe and preventing complications while using all the other strategies on practice questions, the more I started seeing my scores go up. Don't answer questions based on knowledge or what you reviewed in your content. Base them off of "what's going to cause the least amount of harm to the patient" and "who's the most unstable, acutely ill/injured patient I should see first" (meaning, who could literally die within a short period of time if I don't get my butt in there!). One more thing, make sure you're not answering questions based off of "real world" situations. ALWAYS use "textbook" thinking when answering NCLEX questions. I sincerely hope this helps you a little (if you didn't already know some of these strategies). I wish you the best of luck! YOU CAN DO IT!

Hello nurses, I used to look at these forums and get advice from so many wonderful nurses about how to study for the NCLEX. I received such positive remarks and helpful tips so I thought I'd do the same for those who are registered to take the exam soon. I was so unbelievably nervous and I know how it feels to be unsure of when you're ready to take it and worried whether your studying strategy is helping or not. I recently just passed! So I'd like to pay it forward and offer NCLEX advice to some other students going through that tremendously anxiety-stricken phase of nursing! First of all, some inspiration: I graduated in late August. Then a few days before my pinning ceremony I lost my father . He truly was my nursing inspiration. He was THE REASON I went into nursing...and I lost him just before I was finally, officially becoming a nurse. It was the absolute most difficult time of my entire life and I am still grieving almost two months later. I had to attempt to study for my NCLEX in the midst of grieving. It stunk. But I knew if I put it off for too long my chances of passing were less and less. I took two weeks off work and studying for the funeral and some grieving/family time. I felt so behind compared to others in my class who had been studying while I was by my Dad's side at the hospital and because I kept hearing that several of my fellow nursing students were taking and passing their NCLEX already. I felt even more down. But I kept studying though after that, for Dad. I tried to stay positive and just kept going until I really felt I was ready to tackle the NCLEX. So STAY POSITIVE and KEEP IT UP!!! Just know too, that you're not alone. The stress is real and it can get to you, but don't let it take over you. There are so many other recent graduates who are literally bawling to their friends because they don't think they'll pass or who are having frequent anxiety attacks just thinking about their exam coming up in a few days. Study with someone and take some time to yourself to relax a bit in between study sessions. Hang out with friends or do something relaxing to relieve some of that stress or anxiety. My advice: First and foremost, DON'T PUT IT OFF!! Don't wait until you graduate to start studying. I attempted to study throughout my last quarter of school and it helped just to get started and used to practice questions. Study EVERY day. Do practice questions EVERY day. Set your alarm and get up and just do it :) Second, use Kaplan. I honestly do not think I would have passed if it weren't for Kaplan. The reason for this is that they teach you HOW to figure out the answer to the questions. Even though you may not know a darn thing about TURP post-op care as a student, Kaplan teaches you how to figure out the correct answer! I was lucky enough that my school paid for the Kaplan course and online resources for my class (because our pass rates were not so great!). However, if you don't happen to be so lucky, or can't afford to pay for the course, I would get the books at least. I would also be more than happy to email you some important NCLEX tips from Kaplan and their strategies for answering the questions. Just leave your email in a comment. These tips and strategies are readily available on the internet, but I have a little more detail that I added to them from the course. I know there are just dozens of NCLEX prep books and resources out there that others would also recommend, but Kaplan is all I know and I passed on my first attempt, so that's why I am recommending it. Kaplan books I used and LOVED: Kaplan NCLEX-RN Content Review Guide 2nd Ed. It's available on Amazon for about $30. It's well worth the money and if you have the Kaplan online course available, you can use this to physically highlight and take notes while watching the content videos. It's a quick overview of NCLEX's categories of client needs. Kaplan's NCLEX-RN Strategies, Practice, and Review. IF NOTHING ELSE, GET THIS BOOK!!! I got this book at my local library and checked it out for over a month. It goes over the general strategies for how to answer NCLEX questions and has tons of practice questions and even a practice exam. Third, don't study absolutely everything you learned in school. Simply focus on your weak areas. I think you'd hear this same word of advice from many others. Also, the NCLEX is not about what you know, it's about what you DO and your safe and effective decision-making abilities. Believe me, I didn't really realize that until I was halfway through my content review in Kaplan and I was attempting to answer more practice questions just off of pure knowledge and remembering what I learned in school. The more I focused on keeping the patient safe and preventing bad things from happening, the better I started scoring. Fourth, relax and stay positive!!! I am the worst when it comes to test anxiety. I was beyond anxious and cried a few times when I got practice questions wrong :) I was constantly thinking about the exam and had this horrible, suspenseful feeling. I just could not wait to take it and get it over with. Just make sure you get out of study mode for a while each day and socialize or do something you enjoy to temporarily take your mind off the NCLEX. Keep positive thoughts in your head. I kept thinking "soon I'll be an RN!" Fifth, take it when you're ready!! Be honest with yourself when scheduling your exam. If you think you need a couple weeks yet to study and review, then do so. You can always re-schedule it too (if you notify PearsonVue at least 24 hrs in advance). If you think you're going to fail, you probably shouldn't take the NCLEX yet. I wanted so badly to just take it and get it over with, and my anxiety was getting worse as I saw more and more students from my class passing and becoming official nurses. However, I stuck with my gut and extended my test date because I had a feeling I could do more practice questions and review. Some school instructors and even Kaplan instructors might give you an anticipated test date, but go with your gut and schedule your exam when you really do feel ready. Don't fall for the pressure! I hope this helps dozens of recent nursing graduates. I really do. It's such a stressful time, but it truly is the beginning of an amazing career opportunity so it is very much worth it. I am so excited to begin my nursing journey and I wish everyone who reads this the absolute BEST OF LUCK!!!!!