PHS0425

Oh boy, I feel for you. I'm sure this is unbelievably stressful and discouraging. I can only recommend what I did, because it worked well for me. I used just Kaplan-the online resources as well as the in-person class-and I loved it. It explained exactly how to break down a question, had lots of practice tests, and included a ton of specific content review videos too. After 4 attempts, I'm assuming you've been out of school for a while now, so it may benefit you to brush up on content. If you have the opportunity and money to take a Kaplan class and use the website, I think you absolutely should. And sit down with your tutor and devise a strict study schedule and commit to answering a certain amount of questions every day. And read through every single answer explanation-even the ones you got right. If you are set on passing this test and being an RN, you should consider studying for the NCLEX your full-time job.

All kinds of nurses and "personalities" work in L&D! This specialty requires that nurses adapt to rapidly changing and stressful situations. My shifts never end the way they begin, and it's important that you are able to go with the flow and do what is needed of you to help out your team and provide stellar patient care. At the same time, this is a very litigious area because when things go wrong, they can go very wrong. So as a nurse, you need to make sure your charting is accurate and detailed, and that you are paying close attention to even subtle changes in your patients' condition. I work LDRP, so at any given time my unit is like an ER, ICU, OR, and med/surg floor. This area can be stressful and draining, but man is it exciting and rewarding too. If you are interested in women's health and want to be there for families during the most terrifying, vulnerable, and wonderful moments of their lives, you should definitely consider this for your preceptorship.

I'm going to assume you are referring to the nursing school in KCMO. I live in KC, and while I didn't go to Research, I googled and learned that the school offers student housing and that Research Medical Center has a childcare center called Bright Horizons (link below). I'm not sure if the child care center accepts clients that aren't hospital employees, so your daughter's friend may want to contact them directly for details. Like I said, I didn't go to Research, but I had a clinical in its hospital affiliate, so I was able to meet a few RNs who graduated from Research. I heard generally positive things, and my clinical experience in the hospital was fine, so hopefully your daughter's friend will enjoy it (if she hasn't started already). I am sorry I don't have first-hand knowledge of campus housing, but I am certainly familiar with the area so if off-campus housing is more her thing, I may be able to suggest certain convenient and safe neighborhoods. Kansas City Daycare & Preschool | Bright Horizons at Research Medical Center

I didn't keep track of exactly how many SATA questions I had, but I think I had more ordered response questions than SATA. I found the Kaplan questions to be fairly comparable. In our class, the Kaplan rep said to aim for a cumulative score of 60% on the q-banks and question trainers, so you may want to try to identify what just isn't clicking for you. Is it a weak content area or are you having trouble eliminating answer choices. Kaplan does have a content review guide and plenty of quick videos, so look at those if you're stuck. But remember that you can't possibly know everything, so it may be most beneficial to focus on testing strategies. I used only Kaplan and passed in 75 questions, so that program obviously worked for me and I'm sure you can improve those practice scores once you figure out where you're struggling.

If you feel like you know the content, but just talk yourself out of the correct answers, maybe you need to find a test-taking strategy that works for you. I used Kaplan to study and found that program really helpful. Take loads of practice tests and methodically work through each questions, eliminating options until you settle on the answer.

Just email your supervisor and explain the situation. Don't vent or be too emotional, but stress that you are committed to passing in 45 days (or as soon as your state permits you to re-test), and ask where you guys go from here regarding your position. Do you know if your state/facility will permit you to work as a graduate nurse while working towards obtaining your license? Is this job in a nurse residency program? You are certainly not the only person to be in this situation, and your supervisor may have dealt with this before with other new nurses. It's unfortunate, but not uncharted territory, so hopefully you might be able to work out a later start date. It's always a good idea to simply be up-front with your employer and just ask these important questions.

Hey! I saw your PM, but since I'm a brand-new member I cannot PM people yet. I hope you don't mind me replying in the thread. Regarding study materials, I think you're smart to have other resources on-hand, but I would still focus primarily on the ATI material. I didn't read the entire book but, the practice tests and focused review were extremely helpful. You seem really on top of this, so I am sure you know your stuff, but if I can clarify anything for you or if you have any other questions, feel free to email me (since I can't PM yet): [email protected]

I took the exam last month and got a Level III, so it isn't impossible. My advice is to focus on the ATI materials. The book isn't as detailed as Potter and Perry (we also used that textbook), but the concepts on the ATI exam come from the ATI book and practice questions. If you haven't read the book yet, at least skim through it and do the review questions at the end of each chapter. And make sure to read the explanations for the correct and incorrect answers--that info can definitely help on test day! Also be sure to take as many practice tests on the ATI website as you can. The website is a little hard to navigate, but you should be able to find two or three regular practice tests and your teacher may have opened up two other practice tests (labeled A and B). If you do nothing else, make sure you take those two practice tests, because then you are able to generate a "focused review." ATI basically puts together a bundle of videos and ATI chapters so you can streamline your studying. If you can, take the practice tests a few times and, again, read all of the answer explanations! As for the test itself...it's tricky. By now, you probably realize that nursing exams feature a lot of those "what's the best/first action?" questions. The exam is heavy on them. Understand how to prioritize the options given. The videos in the ATI focused reviews cover this. There were a few drug calc questions, but they are very basic and you get to use a calculator if you need it. Some of the questions on the exam were identical to the ones on the practice tests, but many of them will be over circumstances that you've never been taught. You need to really understand the concepts behind what you've learned in order to apply your knowledge to a variety of circumstances. If you are totally thrown off by a question (and you will be), think about what it is really asking. You most likely already have the knowledge base, you just need to apply it in a new way. I hope this was helpful. Good luck!