Took the NCLEX yesterday

Published

Specializes in Hospice.

I'm brand new here, so please excuse any faux pas I might commit.

I graduated in December with my ASN, and after waiting over 4 months for everyone to quit screwing with my paperwork I finally got to take the NCLEX. Of course, by then I was convinced that I had forgotten every bit of info I had encountered over the last 3 years.

The machine shut off after 75 questions, and because I took the test on a Thursday I get to freak out all weekend until I can get my results sometime Monday (hopefully).

So there's my rant/meltdown.

So supposing just for a minute that I actually passed, I'm thinking about my employment options. New grad/resident programs are hard to come by from what I've seen, so I'm not going to hold my breath for those. I've done a couple of rotations in hospice and have a year of experience in in-home elder care; I feel that's where I belong.

Any thoughts on skipping hospital experience and going straight into hospice? Easier/harder to find a position? Pay rates as compared to hospitals? Misc?

TIA

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice.

P.S. I would be open to a position in a nursing home but have no experience there and don't know what the major differences in providing care would be.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Corrections, tele/med surg.

Hey! I am still in school, so I can't really give you any input on jobs. I just wanted to say that I have been told if the machine shuts of at 75, you probably passed. You may have heard this also, but I thought maybe that will make your weekend a little more enjoyable!:wink2: Good luck to you in the future!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

My best advice comes from my experience. When I graduated from nursing school (at the age of 40) the market was flooded with new nurses. I took the first position that was offered to me....Med/Surg/step-down Trauma at a regional trauma center. I stayed for 3 years....3 of the most difficult years of my life. I would have left after 2 but the market was still tight and there were few openings anywhere.

Now, 10 years later? I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world. I learned twice as much in those 3 years as I did in nursing school. I've functioned in several roles since then (PACU, private nurse to orthopedic surgeon, ambulatory surgery center) and in every single position, I look back on my M/S position with gratitude for my "training under fire."

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion