dnursy

Finally got my license. Had to call several times last week until I was able to talk to someone at the background check. They verified that my background was done but hadn't been sent to the board. He sent it while on the phone with me (probably all he had to do was to click a button or two on his computer). The board received it right away and said they were sending it for processing. Well, I waited three days and nothing, so I went to the board and asked to check on the status of my application. They told me to wait and in less than 30 minutes I had my license. Whew…so much work. I'm so glad it's all done! Good luck everyone!!

I did the online option and really enjoyed it. Nothing better than being comfortable at home, not having to deal with traffic, snow, and many other inconveniences. As the previous person said, it is very interactive. There is one instructor that you can see on video, plus one or two extra that are there to answer any questions you might have so you don't have to interrupt the person talking (you just type your question on the appropriate chat and they respond really quickly and are really helpful). I highly recommend!

I also graduated in December and passed the boards in mid January. 2 days after graduation I moved out of the state where I got my degree to a completely different state due to my husband's job. I didn't know ANYBODY in the new state and really thought it was gonna be an impossible mission to get a job. All I could do was to apply online and that is what I did. I made sure to have a good resume and cover letter (my school has a department that helps with career coaching so I made an appt and went over my resume/cover letter with them). I guess I was lucky that I got a job 1 month after graduating. I did not have CNA experience. My only nursing experience were the clinicals in school. Also, I was applying for a peds job and having many years of experience as a nanny and being lucky to have done my senior clinical practicum in a peds unit helped me a lot. Still, I'm sure there were many people with nanny experience and also peds clinical experience, and maybe even many of the applicants had more hospital experience. I was still able to stand out. Don't loose hope. Don't think that without knowing people you cannot get a job. I thought the same and it was not true. One thing that is unfortunately true is that most of the hospitals are giving preference to BSN instead of ADN. So that might be why you are having a little bit of a hard time. Make sure you emphasize that you are enrolled in a BSN program, it might help to catch their attention. Good luck!

Anybody got their permanent license yet? I called and they told me the same story, that they're still waiting for my Background Check results. When they transferred the call to the company that does the background check nobody answered the phone. I left a message and they never called back (even though they say they'll return calls within 24 hrs). Not surprised. It's been one month since I've applied...

nancyp2015, I received a private message from you but I'm unable to answer it because I don't have enough "status" here on allnurses. I applied on January 29th and I haven't contacted them yet. I'm just waiting a few more days then I'll try to call. Did you get yours yet? When did you apply?

nancyp2015, did you send me a message? It shows here that you did, but I can't find it anywhere. Not sure what's going on...

I think it depends on the situation. As "klone" said, if you think they'll be making a decision soon I would send and email. If they told you they won't be making a decision soon, a hand-written note is a better choice. When I went for my interview a few weeks ago they basically said I pretty much got the job as long as my references were ok and that I should be hearing from them soon. With that in mind, I emailed as soon as I got home, and also sent a note in the mail right away. It turns out I got an offer two days later so I'm glad I emailed.

Yayyy!!! Congratulations! I truly believed you were well prepared! It's amazing how hard work pays off! I can only imagine how happy and relieved you feel! Good luck on your career!!! :)

I got 80. The number of questions u get doesn't mean much. I have friends that got 75, 85, 100, 120, 255, 265...all kinds of numbers! Some pass, some don't! Just be positive and know you worked hard and that you are well prepared! And if you don't pass, do your best again every time you try!

I did in January

It sounds like you are well prepared. I also did Kaplan to prepare and had similar scores. I actually only did QT 1-4, diagnostic, and readiness. Before I could practice any more I had to take my nclex suddenly due to a job that I wanted and could only get it if I had taken my NCLEX by the hire date (which was soon). It sounds to me like you are going to be ok. Looking at the rationales and studying what you got wrong is exactly what I did and it really helps. At this point I would make sure to review the contents you are not really confident on, reviewing lab values, and being positive and confident about it! Good luck!

Cool! I've been checking there every day. Was just wondering if the DC Board has a system where I can check it online also. I don't think they do...

I couldn't believe every time I read someone's post saying they felt like they didn't know anything during the test, that they left the testing center feeling like they failed, and were extremely let down, etc… Until I took mine on January 16th, 2015 and felt EXACTLY the same way. I found out that all of my classmates felt the same way as well. So…trust me, this test is made to make you feel that way. It does not mean you have not succeeded though. I have kept in touch with about 30 people from my class and only one of them did not pass the first time. How I prepared: Took Kaplan's online classroom. I only did their QT 1-4, the diagnostic, and readiness test (Scores: QT1:53%, QT2:56%, QT3:56%, QT4:61%, Diagnostic:60%, Readiness:63%). I was planning on taking the remaining QT's and to practice a bunch of the QBank but I did not have time. Here's why: I interviewed for a job and they told me if hired I needed my license by Feb. 2nd. Well, on Jan. 12th I went to check the test dates, and the ONLY date available before February was Jan. 16th. I freaked out for a minute, but then decided I was going to give it a try. I really wanted that job, so I needed to at least try. So, my Kaplan course ended the day before my NCLEX, and I ended up going for it with the knowledge and the practice I had to that point. Passed with 80 questions. Whew!!! I also used Kaplan's content review book to review the contents that I felt I wasn't strong at. My opinion: there's no strategy (such as the Decision Tree) that will save you if you don't have a strong content base. I found that the Decision Tree helps you develop critical thinking skills, but it WILL NOT be helpful for many questions if you don't know the content that the question is covering. I would recommend using a review book, don't waste time going back to your med-surg or other more detailed books. Those diseases that you've heard of many times but never know what they are? REVIEW THEM!! Lab values? REVIEW THEM!! Popular meds? REVIEW THEM!! Anything you find yourself struggling with when taking practice questions…make a list and REVIEW IT!! Not trying to scare anybody, just giving my personal opinion based on my experience. At the end of the day, only YOU know what you need to focus on to prepare. Don't make you study plans based on other people's experiences. People told me I needed to practice all of Kaplan's questions in order to be well prepared. I didn't and still succeeded. We all have different levels of knowledge and we all have different learning styles. What I posted here is my opinion and what worked for me. Find out what works best for you. Trust your gut instincts, be confident, and cool your jets on test day!!!

Is there a way to check the status of the license online? I applied for endorsement in person 2 weeks ago. You guys that got it within one week, how did you find out you got it. Did you keep calling them, or received an email, or what? I'm just wondering how I'm going to find out mine is ready to go.