Writing multiple times?

itsnowornever, BSN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

The NCLEX indeed does not assure the world, really, that you're qualified to be a nurse. But that's not the real problem. The real problem is that nursing school teaches you NOTHING relevant to real world nursing...you learn to be a nurse by working as a nurse, and by having good sense, plain and simple.

I didn't buy this (as a student) until I had a student recently say to me "what are the signs of (some obscure disease, can't remember)?" I said "I have no clue, what are they" and she/he was in shock that I, an ER nurse had no clue. Once she told me I remembered and tried explaining that (a) I don't learn by rote memorization, if I saw it I'd remember it and (b) a patient will not always present the way the book says, you have to look at the whole picture. Needless to say, said student kept asking questions over and over- ugh. That's nothing like being in the moment.

Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs! :)

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

I've never claimed to want to work in the US. Nor have the majority of the regular Canadian posters.
My mistake, I read your quote of "I'm just glad I carry a tonne of travel insurance when I venture south of the 49th!" to mean you were doing travel nursing.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Sep 29, 2013

So, why is it that you're wanting to work in the stinky old US healthcare system?
That was uncommonly rude and uncalled for.

Fiona59 · Sep 29, 2013

My mistake, I read your quote of "I'm just glad I carry a tonne of travel insurance when I venture south of the 49th!" to mean you were doing travel nursing.
Apology accepted. I'm glad I bit my tongue and typing finger and didn't put down what I really wanted to say in my post.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

That was uncommonly rude and uncalled for.
Well, that's certainly not the response I expected to what I felt was a particularly innocuous question.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Sep 29, 2013

Seems like we're getting a bit off-track here. I personally was rather enjoying the original topic. :yes:

ebrooks1013 · Sep 29, 2013

I am a nursing student as well as an EMT. I would like to add that to become an EMT you only get 3x to take the licensing test. After that you have to go back to school for remediation. I don't see why nursing is different. I have not taken the NCLEX so I can't speak on how hard it may be but I would think you need to remediate after 3x.

wooh, BSN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

We're shocked when people have so little respect for our profession that they'll treat us like children and take away our chairs to punish us.

We don't even have enough respect for our profession to think we should have even minimal standards. Until we see having even a minimal amount of knowledge as being more important than being compassionate and all-inclusive, we can't demand respect.

The public won't know if it took 14 tries to pass the test. That's why we need to protect the public from someone that took 14 tries. Or even 7 tries.

Maybe it's mean to tell someone to give up on their DREAMMMMM. But if you can't pass a test, then I don't want you in a position where you can kill me or my loved ones. If it's your dream, then before try number 2 or 3, you need to figure out how to make it happen or find another dream.

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

I have a neighbor who works in a hospital. They had someone who failed the boards twice. Their manger came around and asked everyone to pitch some money in to help her pay for her third try. They all put money in and she tried again and failed. Now that's embarrassing.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

GrnTea normally I totally agree with you but with this comment you are very mistaken. It is not common fallacy nor a "new wives' tale' about the fifteen items that are being used for possible questions on upcoming versions. There are at LEAST 15 on every single NCLEX taken by testers.
The factual basis can be found NCBSN.org site
https://www.ncsbn.org/Reliability.pdf 3rd page, second section from the bottom.
Scoring Validity:
How does the National Council ensure that NCLEX scores are ?
During examination administration, each examinee receives at least 15 'tryout' items. These items are
not counted towards an examinee's score. Rather, examinee performance on these items is tracked
for all examinees. This allows the National Council to determine the exact difficulty of each item.
Using this information and Rasch measurement theory, the National Council can accurately calculate a
measure of each examinee's ability.

I stand corrected. Thank you.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

Oh, we read all about what Americans think of our healthcare/nursing/hospital system all the time here. We have that nasty universal healthcare that Americans are so afraid of.
Our system allows us three attempts at the registration exam and then we are toast. Remedial education is required.
Believe it or not, most Canadians don't see the US as a promised land for employment and not as many of us are heading south as in previous decades. I work with nurses who went south in the 90s and 00s, passed the NCLEX first try, hated the system they worked in and headed home. Several even broke their contracts due to racism from their patients that would never have been permitted here at home.
When we've had the occasional failure at writing either CRNE or CPNRE, the nurse involved has been called into the managers office and asked to explain their failure. A new grad nurse works at a lower rate of pay until the exam is passed. When the exam is passed on first writing, the nurse gets a retro paycheque back to the date of hire for full wages. When I brought in my PASS notice 13 years ago, I got a nice lump sum cheque of over $1000. You don't get the retro pay if you pass on the second or god forbid third attempt. In all the years I've worked I've only ever met one person who failed all three attempts. Walked out of the building by security. We've heard of the occasional nurse being removed mid procedure from the OR (that was during a period of massive overseas hiring which resulted in more local exam failures than normal)
I don't care if it doesn't make me "look better for it". I want to know that my healthcare system is staffed by reasonably competent staff and that the licensing colleges are looking out for the membership and the public. It is difficult enough to remove a poorly performing nurse from the system without having to worry about those who took umpteem tries to pass the exam.

I have no disagreement on the need to limit the number of attempts, and therefore keep better tabs on the standards we all hope to see in nurses. But that wasn't my point.

I was pointing out that your acid-toned fear of having to be in a hospital in the US was a tad over-the-top, and painted ALL American nurses poorly. We are not, I assure you, all losers who need umpteen attempts to pass that test. I passed on first taking, easily.

Maybe I'm a bit sensitive at the moment, but I am tired of hearing some people say that Americans are so bad at this and that and the other, as though we were all identical and interchangeable. It's stereotyping at its worst, and statements like you came on with just smack of bigotry. You say that you've had friends who did not like working in the US because of racism that they encountered; I wonder how that differs from prejudicial nationalism?

I have never bad-mouthed a Canadian, not once, yet I'm supposed to not mind being told that it's reasonable to fear being a patient in my care?

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

If you are in an ADN program, then in your last year you are a "senior." After all, you are taking the same nursing classes as the "senior" 4-year nursing students, for the most part.

Huh, ok. I've just never heard anyone ever say that. I was in an ADN program, and no one referred to themselves as "freshman" in Year One and/or "senior" in Year Two. We'd say "I'm graduating in May" or "I'm graduating next May". Just surprises me, I guess.