jcs27516

I have the "Kaplan Basics" book that is generalized review of content most commonly seen on NCLEX. I feel my problem is coming from trying to apply the test strategy to every question I answer, or using the decision tree on every question. I have missed questions that I knew the answer to but using the testing strategies led me down the wrong path. What I am struggling with is finding a balance between content vs. test taking skills. This will be my 2nd time taking a Pearson test (1st one Paramedic) but they are two very different beasts.

So I graduated from my nursing program 3 weeks ago and took the in-person Kaplan NCLEX prep course right after graduation. Everyone seems to talk about their grades on Kaplan tests in correlation with chances of passing on the first time. Personally, I feel that the Kaplan in-person review was not helpful to me. I was wanting more of a content review and crash course on the NCLEX. But the review was more about testing strategy using principles Kaplan designed. Anyways, post course I have found that I have been doing worse on the Kaplan test than I did throughout the entire nursing program. My diagnostic test I received a 67%, Readiness test a 62%, but the the question trainer test I am averaging low to mid 50's. Anyone else feel they have had the same issue? I am testing in 2 weeks and am worried I am doing worst now than I was pre Kaplan course.

Thanks for the information. I guess it all depends on where your location is. I know lpns who became RNs and got jobs in CCUs and EDs right out of school because of their LPN experince. But I also live in a rural area.

I currently work in an ED that sounds a lot like what you have going on in your department. I am not a nurse but am a Paramedic that has worked on both sides of the fence in pre-hospital as well currently in an emergency department. A lot of the new nurses we get come because they could not find a job in an acute care setting anywhere eles and we are so hard up for help that we take who ever applies. Then being the only Level 2 Trauma center in a 70 mile radius of a larger facility we see around 250 pts. a day in a 54 bed ED which makes for long and stressful shifts for staff. It seems when department or hospital administration is approached with the on going issues of our department we get the generic response " due to budget constraints..." or the "we are working on staffing issues just hold in there". Though I am able to deal with the high demands of my department my biggest fear is a pt. or staff member being seriously injured due to the "working conditions". In the 3 years I have been in the ED I have seen it go from to much staff and having to send people home to not having enough staff to open sections in the department and mandatory call and OT. I feel that in larger hospitals and when there is not competing hospitals around that employers tend to have there way with employees knowing that there isn't any where else to go. We do have perks that tend to keep some people there such as: self scheduling, we only work every 3rd weekend, and get 3 weeks of vacation a year. I have to say as a current nursing student I do not have the time or can afford to find a new job that allows the schedule that I have and that is the only thing that keeps me there.

I recently got accepted to an ADN nursing program and have been thinking about my career when finishing school. As an experienced Paramedic with 7 years of service I was planning on staying in the ground transport field. I have looked at several jobs and read blogs for critical care ground transport careers and it seems that many of the nurses in that type of field have 2-5 plus years of nursing experience as a RN. What is the likely hood of someone right out of school being able to move into a position of ground transport? Do these types of positions take EMS experience into consideration? I do plan to go back to school for my BSN after working for a year. Many positions that I have seen state that they would prefer a BSN but would accept a RN with ADN, does experience help in that aspect?