Taking PAX-RN today at college of Dupage anyone else?

[RscodADN10]

Sorry for the late post. But is anyone else taking the Pax today? I'm starting to feel the crunch !

[RscodADN10]

I haven't decided. I have until tomorrow morning to decide. I just can't wrap myself around leaving my son. But if I don't do it, the summer is going to be crazy! I wanna cry. So prob going to bite the bullet and do March.

I'm hoping for my birthday gift to be the acceptance letter in mid feb.

[chicagoing, ADN, RN]

I'd definitely take it in the spring. I believe we'll be in nursing 1100 for approximately 9 hours each week in the summer, for only 6 weeks. Since you've completed your pre- and co-reqs. it'll probably be more manageable to take those 2 courses in separate terms.

[RscodADN10]

Can you get on im?

[chicagoing, ADN, RN]

Ok, I'm logged in.

[RscodADN10]

When you get a chance IM.

[RscodADN10]

Do You still have the book?

[chicagoing, ADN, RN]

Yes, I held on to it because it's 1) falling apart, and 2) good reference for when I want to brush up on skills I may use at a CNA job or nursing school clinicals

[RscodADN10]

I don't think I ever asked you. Did you think the CNA program was tough. I got a response from another student saying it was tough. How is the state test?

Now im even more nervous.

[chicagoing, ADN, RN]

I didn't think the material that we learned was tough. What made it challenging was getting the opportunity to practice the skills in the "lab". There were only 2 beds for 8 people to practice bedmaking skills on, and the people who had absolutely nothing to do all day were able to get to this room 2 or 3 hours before class started. Others, such as myself, were able to get to class only 1 or 2 hours before class started.

And these certain people would NOT give up the beds! Our instructor didn't realize what bed hogs they were, so I asked her to please let me practice if I promised to get there at at certain time. She agreed.

Anyway. To make a long story short, I only got to practice making unoccupied and occupied beds perhaps twice before we were tested. And I did not pass either skill on the first attempt. For something like bedmaking, I need to practice more than twice to get it down pat in the time allowed.

If I'm not mistaken, if your section meets at the Health Sciences building, you will be guaranteed a bed to practice on. At least I was able to practice on my friend's daughter's twin bed...three of us who just couldn't seem to get to class early enough to practice would practice on the twin. Similar, but not the same.

My lecture exam grades were high A's. However, when you don't pass a skill the first time, your skills day grade plummets.

[chicagoing, ADN, RN]

I thought the state test was very easy, more common sense than anything else. We never found out how we scored. If you received your certificate in the mail from the state and COD, you knew you passed.

[RscodADN10]

Now I'm getting really nervous. Does the book show you the skills or is that something you learn from the teacher? I just hope I pass and don't have any bed hogs.

For the clinicals was it the same deal? You get tested there too?

[chicagoing, ADN, RN]

The skills are clearly outlined in the book, but it the skills became easier the more I practiced. The teacher should also give demonstrations and monitor the students when they are practicing.

I think we were tested on a few skills during clinicals. One of them was making the occupied bed. I had a difficult time because the actual hospital bed was extra long (about 1' longer than the other beds) and the sheets didn't fit as they should have. (The other students used the "regular" sized beds).

We were tested on the other skills during skills day at the Health Sciences building. One word of advice is to never argue or challenge your instructor (especially on skills day). The instructor is there to offer constructive criticism; she knows what she's doing.

You'd be surprised to hear how many of the other students criticized the other instructor who was there testing us.