Starting new position on June 16th and taking NCLEX on June 24th

I don't have a lot of advice I am in the same boat, studying has become an obsession for me. I take my nclex on june 28th. The only suggestion that I can give is to do as many nclex style questions as possible to get familiar with identifing exactly what each question is asking and being able to eliminate incorrect answers

I'm in the same situation. I start orientation the 16th, and though I haven't received my ATT yet, I'm hoping to schedule the NCLEX the week after orientation.

For now, I'm studying like crazy. All I can really tell you is to not study all day long. Take breaks. Go outside and get some sun; visit with family members; call a friend (one who was not in nursing school with you), etc. You'd be amazed what little breaks can do for you.

As far as studying goes, just take it one section at a time. As you complete each disease process/condition, then make a list of little one word notes. Then you can go back later and look over those key words.

Hey, here in IL, they won't let you START orientation without a license in hand.....so I'm jealous of you guys getting paid. And I take NCLEX on the 24th too....so good vibes all around, we'll all pass, and then you guys get like a extra month worth of paycheck....

Do a search under Nclex within the allnurses.com site to find LOTS AND LOTS of info!

It seems that I am having feelings that are absolutely normal - inadequacy and anxiety!! I think that I will just continue on and try my best to briefly cover all the subjects involved. I have 10 days until my test. I haven't been taking very many breaks and begin work on Monday. Maybe the best thing would be to take my kids and hit the pool. I think all your advice is very helpful. I guess the most important thing to remember is that we can do this!! Thanks to all!!:redpinkhe

I'm surprised I don't start oreintation until august because I will not have taken the nclex by june 23, 2008. But you should still get nursing pay to work as a nurse intern.

Good Luck on your NCLEX, and :ancong!: on your new job!

CHEERS!

Good luck to all... I just passed nclex rn with 75 questions. I only use learningext.com it was worth it!!!

Oh, how I remember this time last year. I'd say don't be so nervous because you want a clear mind. Just get a good rest every night leading up to it, and try to study with a program that emphasizes test taking strategy as well. I used the Davis books and they were invaluable.

Worse comes to worse, you don't pass and do some very valuable time as a tech. Looking back, I don't think that would be such a bad thing.

Also, the stigma of not passing is not really there as far as I can see. We had a few not pass and they just tech'ed for a while until they passed. No harm done. No one thought any less of them and now they are working as RN's.

Not to discourage, as most do pass. It's just not the end of the world if you don't. I don't feel the nclex has much to do with the job of an RN that you are going to embark upon -- so don't even worry that much over it.

Our school required that we did 5,000 questions to prepare. it seemed tortuous, but most of us did pass having approached that mark.

Congrats on graduation! That in itself is a major accomplishment. I have only been working for about a year so I clearly remember how it felt to be nervous about the NCLEX. My advice is don't just study the material--practice lots of questions. The Lippincott NCLEX review book was really helpful for me and the CD of practice questions was helpful as well. I took the Hurst Review in person(they gurantee that you pass or they'll either help you pass again or they'll refund your money) Even though you may not be able to take the test, if you know anyone who has the Hurst study guide, it's a good investment.

Studying with a buddy also helped. Taking practice tests together and bouncing memory tricks off each other.

Good luck!

I just graduated too and I'm taking the Kaplan review course. It has been incredibly helpful, many things I would not have known about taking the NCLEX if I hadn't taken this course. I start my new job as a graduate nurse on July 9th and just scheduled my NCLEX for August 5th. I wanted to get in a few weeks of working before taking the test and of course, studying, lol.

Good luck!!

My biggest recommendation is to (again) do lots of questions, BECAUSE A) you can't possibly know everything about every disease/medication/procedure, and B) most of the time the actual QUESTION they ask has little to do with the background story.

Very fake example:

You have a patient with NCLEXitis who is on a RNamine drip at 125 cc/hr. What is your priority intervention at this time?

1. keep pt npo

2. make sure pt gets a bath in the morning

3. monitor HR, RR, O2 sat

4. have a cup of coffee.

Again, obviously very fake question. But the point is, when you read the question, your eyes (at least mine did) might key in on the disease and drug you've never heard of, and the risk of panicking over "OMG I don't know what that is!!" can distract you so much that you pick a wrong answer. Obviously ABCs come first.. they ALWAYS come first. And you don't need to know a darn thing about NCLEXitis in order to know that.

So to sum up, don't get caught up in the story. Look for the QUESTION and answer that, which usually has something to do with safety, ABCs, prioritization, etc.