What Can I Do With A BSN? (Without a license).

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I'm beginning to think that perhaps Nursing isn't my calling. I love mental health nursing. It's literally my calling. But maybe God is telling me that I can't be a nurse. I've volunteered at a psych unit and did all my leadership clinicals at one. I got through 4 years of school and graduated in December, and I'm 22 years old. But I failed the NCLEX twice so far. First time at 80 questions, second time at 265. I'm defeated.

What can I do with my Bachelors in Nursing without a NCLEX certification license? Job wise, at least. I really don't wanna go looking for a minimum wage job right now if I have a bachelors, you know?

Thank you for reading.

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Do a review class and pass the test. You can do it if you don't give up.

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Try Kaplan. It's expensive, but they teach a "decision tree" that I found very helpful. Also, if you don't pass, they offer further help. Another feature that I thought was useful was analyzing how I answered practice questions. For example, how long I spent thinking about a question or how often I changed an answer from correct to incorrect. (Usually because of over-thinking)

I think there's a lot of value in practicing relaxation, too. Try to recognize when you're flustered and do what works for you to clear your mind. Deep breathing, meditation, visualization etc...

You WILL pass. You just might have to change the way you prepare.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Without a license, your BSN is pretty much useless. Utilize your candidate performance reports to figure out which areas are your weakest. Take a review course, even if it means shelling out money and taking the time to go to class.

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Try Kaplan. It's expensive, but they teach a "decision tree" that I found very helpful. Also, if you don't pass, they offer further help. Another feature that I thought was useful was analyzing how I answered practice questions. For example, how long I spent thinking about a question or how often I changed an answer from correct to incorrect. (Usually because of over-thinking)

I think there's a lot of value in practicing relaxation, too. Try to recognize when you're flustered and do what works for you to clear your mind. Deep breathing, meditation, visualization etc...

You WILL pass. You just might have to change the way you prepare.

Thank you so much for this! I think I will try Kaplan!

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Without a license, your BSN is pretty much useless. Utilize your candidate performance reports to figure out which areas are your weakest. Take a review course, even if it means shelling out money and taking the time to go to class.

Thank you. I know I shouldn't give up. I guess if you get knocked down not once, but twice, sometimes it just feels like life or fate doesn't want you to pursue something but. I'm gonna keep trying.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

It's not over!! You can take the next 2-3 months and really devote your time to studying. You are so close. I agree about using Kaplan. I would even ask a few classmates what they used. You have already done the hard part. Stay positive!

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It's not over!! You can take the next 2-3 months and really devote your time to studying. You are so close. I agree about using Kaplan. I would even ask a few classmates what they used. You have already done the hard part. Stay positive!

Thank you! I have a wonderful family support system that tells me I'm too young to give up but, sometimes I just like to vent to people in the same field as me, you know? Talking to women like you who are ADN's or MSN's that tell me not to give up motivates me! Thank you!

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Specializes in Oncology.

A lot of people pass NCLEX after 2 fails. It's far from unheard of and certainly not a sign that you're not meant to be a nurse. You can't say nursing isn't your calling but mental health nursing definitely is. Mental health nursing is nursing. Your goals are within reach. Just keep plugging away.

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A lot of people pass NCLEX after 2 fails. It's far from unheard of and certainly not a sign that you're not meant to be a nurse. You can't say nursing isn't you're calling but mental health nursing definitely us. Mental health nursing is nursing. Your goals are within reach. Just keep plugging away.

Definitely! Nursing is nursing. And I love it haha.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

A BSN without licensure is worthless. Well, you could check off that you have a college/bachelor's degree on any job application, but that's about it.

If you really want to be a nurse, roll up your sleeves and do some more hard work. You wouldn't be the first nurse to get licensed on attempt #3. Look at the reports, see where you've gone wrong, and attack. Consider using a course--some here have recommended Kaplan. Figure out what you were doing wrong or should have been doing, and make that change.

This quote's made its way around AN quite a bit over the years, and since it kind of fits this situation, here it is:

The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people.” (Randy Pausch)

You're at your brick wall. It's up to you to decide whether it is going to stop you.

Best of luck.

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Specializes in Psych.

Hey!

I am a Canadian nurse working in psych.

I wrote the CRNE (CAnadian ver of NCLEX) when I graduated and have been working in psych ever since.

I recently wrote the nclex for the states to open up my options to go to the States.

Having only practied in psych since graduation (4yrs since graduating); studying for the NCLEX was definitely a challenge.

I took the advice of recent grads (who took the NCLEX) and subscribed to UWORLD to prepare myself.

Initially, it was very overwhelming because of the challenging contents but the more questions you get through the better you get.

Focus, focus FOCUS on the rationales, for all options (yes the wrong ones too).

Uworld has the same format as the actual nclex so it will help you relax! (although I still had a couple of anxious moments).

I wish you luck!

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