Very worried about NCLEX!!

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Hello all. I am new here and I just graduated from an ADN at our local community college. I was NOT a very good student. I struggled thru the entire program except for first year, first semester. After that, it was all downhill. I barely passed the program :( If they didn't round up my score, I would have failed, that's how bad it was.

now i am scared to death of passing the NCLEX!! Can a student who struggled thru the whole program really do this?? It's been over two months since graduation but we didn't get our ATTs until June 20. I am waiting until the last minute to take my NCLEX..was this a bad idea?? I'm also an older student (42) and have four kids (all older though so it's not like they're babies), working full time, single mom..blah blah blah.

I'm just so worried that I won't pass the NCLEX because i struggled so much. I'm not the brightest bulb but I try, I really try! It took me four tries just to pass the nurse entrance exam!! I'm just really doubting myself...

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Take a deep breath and say, "I can do it!":up:

JUST BECAUSE YOU STRUGGLED IN NURSING SCHOOL DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU AREN'T GOING TO PASS. Nursing school is designed to be hard because they only want to make sure that they are putting out the best of the best. Whether or not you barely passed the program you need to take into consideration all the other people that might have applied to the program and didn't get in! Be proud that you made it to where you are. Being a single parent of four and working full time is hard but let that be your drive to keep pushing forward! I am the oldest of ten children and worked thirty hours a week, helping my Mother, while in a Nursing program that was four years. If I could do it so can you. In my times of desperation, I looked at my family and said to myself I was going to make it for them. BE PROUD; let your family and yourself be your desire to succeed :heartbeat.

The best advice for you that I can tell you is to invest into a review course. Whether its Kaplan, ATI, HURST, or anything else do it because these programs are designed to help you pass! I used Kaplan and did an online review with the materials that they provided and I passed my first time with 82 questions. YOU CAN DO IT! The NCLEX isn't about how smart you are, it's about how safe and competent you are.

After you have figured out what review program you're going to do, schedule your exam based on the amount of time you need to complete your course. It took me 5 weeks to finish my course and thats when I i scheduled it based on that.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!:w00t:

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Thank you for your kind words mfuentes!! Our school used ATI which is what i'm doing now. I can't afford any review courses :( I don't have a lot of time to study or prep..that's what has me worried! I do lousy on ALL the ATI's...i just don't think I'm cut out for this but i keep telling myself I can do this!! I am staying positive but it's so hard! I even had an instructor tell me that I wasn't very bright. I had a clinical instructor give me an unsatisfactory and told me that I shouldn't be a nurse. I'm letting stupid stuff get inside my head, I know... It's just..i barely passed exams in school and failed a lot of them. Did poorly on all our proctored ATIs that we took throughout the program. I'm just *sigh* i just don't know...

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Thank you for your kind words mfuentes!! Our school used ATI which is what i'm doing now. I can't afford any review courses :( I don't have a lot of time to study or prep..that's what has me worried! I do lousy on ALL the ATI's...i just don't think I'm cut out for this but i keep telling myself I can do this!! I am staying positive but it's so hard! I even had an instructor tell me that I wasn't very bright. I had a clinical instructor give me an unsatisfactory and told me that I shouldn't be a nurse. I'm letting stupid stuff get inside my head, I know... It's just..i barely passed exams in school and failed a lot of them. Did poorly on all our proctored ATIs that we took throughout the program. I'm just *sigh* i just don't know...

I can't relate to you in many ways because I had an instructor tell me the same thing but I proved her wrong by graduating my program. We had about sixty student in the beginning && we were cut down to only nineteen! I was one out of nineteen shinning stars! You are amazing && don't let someone tell you other wise! ATT is a good resource. There's a section that teaches you how to break down questions like Kaplan. Do all the tutorials && I'm sure you will be fine. I have faith in you!!

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Take all the time you need until you feel confident and are able to relax. I struggled through my LPN course as well and I waited until 3 months after graduation to take my boards and passed on the first try. I got a hot tub room for the night before my boards and spent the evening relaxing. I know that's not feasible for everyone to do but the point is to relax and do whatever you need to feel confident. Best of luck to you!

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Had to log in just so I could reply: For an instructor to actually tell you you are not very bright speaks to the poor quality of the instructor rather than your abilities. Ditto the instructor who gave you an unsatisfactory rather than providing you with guidance along the way to fulfill course objectives. I can only assume from your work ethic that you DID NOT deserve unsatisfactory -- the instructor failed you.

Don't let the ******** grind you down. Get yourself a good review program, possibly one led by an instructor who actually knows what the hell he/she is doing, and PASS THAT TEST. I have no doubt you can do it.

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