Almost didn't answer the phone...

The call came up PRIVATE number. But I remembered that I am not screening anymore and answered it. HR phone interview for an Acute care position at LARGE teaching hospital in the valley. Ummm... yeah so crazy! I got past the computer. I got past the the "no new grads", and the HR phone interview screening, to a live in person interview on Friday. I am sure that I won't get much further in the process, no current BSN in a job market saturated with qualified BSN students, but it's like they say, "It's an honor just to be nominated." I mean seriously it really is a trip.

How to sell myself to the next stage... I wish they could call my references first! They LOVE me! LOL. I am not a good interview I must admit. I always think of so many things I want to say afterward. But I impress on the floor! (Case in point my very first nursing job has called and asked if I would come back now that I have my RN and they knew that was why I left.)

So anyway..Can I do the job? Heck yeah! I am awesome! LOL Do I want the job? Heck ummm maybe? LOL Well it's not really my dream job and I know it'll suck, but it'll be awesome at the same time. So much to learn and skills to hone and all the cool toys! LOL Yeah I am a goober. It's Neuro btw.

Needless to say, I am shopping tomorrow for a suit coat to go with my skirt, courtesy of my NCLEX tutoring gig... here's hoping I get to the panel interview and beyond.

(Don't worry though I have a lot of irons in the fire right now when it comes to making the most out of the new RN)

A whirlwind of decisions and nondecisions

I have been filling out job applications for the heck of it. Doesn't hurt to put my resume out there and hope for the best.

I may be transferring out our Homecare department division and into the facility for the acute care designation. Apparently our parent company is listed as acute/subacute... woot! I am trying though to stay with the Homecare assignment as well, even if that one turns into part-time... because it's considered OT if I work both. Boooooo!

Let's see what else... school... so anyway I decided to drop Stats and enroll in the original RN-BSN program that I spoke about on here previously. It is just an overall better program for me and will take 18 months as well, without two extra math classes...lol! The focus is more on the liberal arts and humanities so for me, writing papers on these topics is way more in my wheel house then doing tons of useless math problems... yes useless, I already know this stuff doesn't affect my knowledge of medication calculations. Oh and my official start of that program is April 8th and there are 17 classes, I will take 3 every 11 weeks.

At this point I just had to pick one and do it!

So anyway I am still waiting to hear back on the 2nd job official plan to get me out there and seeing patients, but unfortunately it got slow all of a sudden for them. (Thus, the reason for me to apply to a few facility locations to get some guaranteed hours.) I need the extra income if I want to pay off all of my debt, pay for my degree completion and get the new house!

Now I have all of this extra NCLEX stuff...

So now I have all of this nursing school and NCLEX prep stuff I no longer need. I have about 60 days or so with Kaplan left and I have so many NCLEX study guides and stuff I have no idea what to do with it. I used a lot of NCLEX prep stuff while I was going through school, it's basically how I studied every semester, and I am positive it is how I got such a high score on my Exit HESI.

HESI-RN
Saunders Comprehensive Q&A (orange)
Kaplan Textbook
Kaplan Drug Guide
Hurst NCLEX-RN Review
Barron's NCLEX-RN Flash Cards (pharmacology review)

and a few Made Easy Books
*Med/Surg
*Cardiology
*Critical Care
*Fluids & Electrolytes

Not to mention my textbooks!

I really must go through them all now and take an inventory for craigslist or something.

My "Story"

Preparing:

Is not really that exciting. I have been doing NCLEX questions from some source or another since before the start of my RN year. However, for real I used HESI-RN for content review. I browsed through it. As in I just read the HESI HINTS, since I scored an 1147 on the HESI exit, I assumed it was enough. I just really could not get into content review. I mean after all of the studying that I did while in school, I really could not even force myself to do content review, my heart was just not in it. My school offered a 3 day class for free, but I didn't go to it. Who wants to go to more lectures on nursing content after Pinning? LOL... Kaplan had content review lessons on it, but every time I put them on, I'd fall asleep, no really I actually did, EVERY TIME. BORING! (BTW, if you want interesting Kaplan review, like for Cardiology, look up Conrad Fischer,MD on youtube.com loved him. Got me an A in that section too.)

So I did NCLEX questions every day from the day I got my ATT until the day before my NCLEX testing date. I used Kaplan-all the trainers and the QBank. I reviewed the Decision Tree they claim is a fool proof way, and after a few days of thinking it worked, well it didn't. I just answered questions the way I always did. My scores:
Diagnostic 77.78%
Qt 1 66.67%
Qt 2 77.33%
Qt 3 63%
Qt 4 70.67%
Qt 5 68.67%
Qt 6 67.5%
Qt 7 67.55%
Readiness (taken out of order ) 68.33%
QBank 50% Completed with 66%

Apparently these are good scores according to Kaplan. I did 150 questions a day + 1 test.

When I was bored, I did questions from PrepU, but they were really easy, even the higher level ones which say they are designed to get harder the higher your level, but when I was getting 95-100% on each set of questions, well I knew I wasn't being challenged correctly. So I thought yeah let's try the makers of THE test. So I bought a 5 week NCSBN program for $50 and well after about 4 quiz sets, HATED it! So only about 300 questions completed and I went back to Kaplan.

For lab values I google searched out "nursing lab value quizzes" and just did all the ones I could find.

There was also this "study guide" circulating around Allnurses.com I spent 1 whole day arranging that thing into a Type A Personality approved completely ordered by system, properly arranged study guide. I had to read and re-read it a few times to get it all categorized, so the things stuck I guess. It's pretty much just "gems", the sad part only 1 of those "gems" was on my test. (HINT: K)

NCLEX- So anyway, I was pretty burned out by day 26 and just did about 25 or so questions that whole day. On day 27 I did about 40 or so questions in 10 question sets. Sidebar: 10 question sets are about all I have the regular attention span for. Day 29, I went to the movies the night before, went to bed around midnight, got up the next morning@0630 for my 8am test time. Then I went to take the test. Pretty much straight forward, the TSA has got nothing on these folks. But overall, since I had been through it before, it was not as nerve wracking as it was the first time when I had taken the NCLEX-PN.

Despite studying when I answered the questions on NCLEX-RN I felt like I was guessing at every single one. You just can never gauge how that test goes because it is probably designed to make you fell like you failed it.

I drove home... the rest you know :-)

So that is pretty much it. I spent the entire night after the test searching everywhere for clues and reassurances that I had in fact passed. I checked the BON website about a million times, but when I got home at 0830 from work I was just too damn tired to stay up. Exhaustion set it and I fell into a restful sleep. I was awoken by my IM notifications from Facebook pinging all over the place (my cell phone notifies me if there is one). Since it kept going off and the dogs were barking I got up, it was 1230. I logged into the BON website and well... :-) Happy Dance!

This is a supper surreal feeling.

No longer "Like Practically a Nurse" ....

Now I am officially a REAL NURSE! RN Baby!



PS: I kinda figured I passed when I got the good pop-up but ya never want to be too confident over the unofficial. But seriously I walked out of there wondering if I had even studied.

PPS: I am NOT saying that an LPN is not a nurse BTW. I know we are. It is just ya know, ya know?

PPPS: Did I mention that the testing center tried to trick me. My computer said 12B... like I don't know that 13 comes after 12 and before 14?

Trick or Treat?

1.) Pearson Vue state's that I can not register for my exam again. = "Good pop-up"

2.) My test shut off at 75

3.) The test consisted of at least 80% alternate format style questions
SATA, Drag and Drop, Hotspot, and exhibit.

4.) What wasn't alternate was priority or medications.

5.) I felt like I answered every question wrong!

Twas the night before NCLEX

And I am thinking that I will try and avoid questions today. I have done so many NCLEX questions that I think my brain has shut off.

I know that everyone says to relax the day before and shut your brain off, so that is exactly what I intend to do.

I have an in-service training today for new job. Next week will probably be my official start seeing patients and making money. My hours at old job are 3 days a week right now Wed,Thur, Fri so it'll be clear for me to work Mon, Tue, Wed & Fri at new job. Since I can nearly self schedule everything except intakes, I should be able to stick with not working Thursday during the day. (I be too tired)

So after my in-service my plan is to veg. Maybe read a book for fun,like a smut book or maybe go and watch a movie or something. Hubby is home with flu-like symptoms so I'll be on my own there.

Tomorrow after NCLEX I plan to go and get my oil changed, tires rotated, and the car detailed. Then sign up at the new gym. (All are in the same plaza) Perhaps if I have money maybe I will also get a pedicure done, or my roots touched up. Anything and everything to try and get my mind off of the results. But I am also working tomorrow night, so there really is nothing to actually take my mind off of it.

I will be using the PearsonVue trick I know that for sure, I really really hope I pass this thing! The fact that people know I am taking it makes the stress that much more. What if I don't pass and it shows up on my BON -Applicant has failed the NCLEX?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Why on earth do we do this to ourselves?

One last thing... my inspirational revise from 2010 NCLEX :D Here's hoping!!

If i see one more NCLEX question...

Urgh! I can not wait to get this over with and I am freaking out about passing this. My Kaplan scores are ok, my HESI was great. But I am still freaking out because I feel like this actual test is just going to throw a bunch of things at me that are all on topics I am weaker at.

Wow I am seriously contemplating drinking a bottle of wine right now! lol

Top 25

Top 25 list click here

There are quite a few very amazing blogs listed in this list, many of which I follow and have used as guidance throughout my Journey.

Resume Padding with Advanced Certifications

So I have decided to finally get onto taking my ACLS, PALS & NRP certifications. I figure as much as I can pad my resume to make me stand out somewhere the better. As soon as I can get into that Perioperative Program, then of course that and my eventual BSN/MSN degrees will be good too right?

Now I just have to get the authorization form from work for reimbursement and pay for the classes and then the good part, they give me my money back. I love that part!

Oh yeah but first to pass the NCLEX.


I have just been plugging along with my Kaplan questions and have about a 70% overall in their QTrainers and QBank questions. Hope that means I am doing well. The instructors from Kaplan say that is good.

Classes for the Semester

In case you were wondering, I am taking classes this semester toward my BSN. Up first is Statistics. No matter which option I choose this class seems to be a pre/co req for them all. So no getting around it. What I AM trying to avoid however, is taking any higher Algebra classes. I just hate it that much! :-)

Ok now back to NCLEX studying... currently I am using Kaplan On Demand.

Conferred Degree

Yup this is awesome! 1 more BIG thing left to do!

After that it's all just frosting on top of my amazing dream come true. Now to get my ass back to studying! <-- so true

Just Studying

Not much else going on in the world of Nursing or Nursing School.

I have been actively studying for the impending testing just 14 days away now. I just purchased the NCSBN review, because well, I want questions directly from the makers of "THE TEST" to practice on.

I have been working as per usual, just at the Peds job, have not done any more hours so far for the visiting nurse position yet. I have to call to set up a good day for my ride-a-long training. I think that by the time all of this works out, I will just start as an RN and bypass the LPN status. I HOPE!!

I have still been researching BSN options but have yet as to decide on one... I think it's because I am just not ready right now to go back to school mode. I would like to just get this test out of the way and work as an RN for a bit and perhaps think about starting classes later. However, I do have a few info sessions and transcript evals pending soon to at least see where I stand. My biggest thing is that I do not want to take a bunch more Science or Math classes to fluff up a costly degree and waste too much time or money.

Well back to studying.

New Years Day

I am not going to write a year in review, because I blogged about it. But as I sit here in my LPN position I know that in a few weeks I will be sitting here as an RN!

So I really need to get my butt back into study mode to nail that NCLEX.

I have been a bit side tracked by our new adventure, and since I usually become all consumed with research when I attempt a new path, needless to say, it has been taking up my every waking moment for the past few weeks.

In March or early April, things could get a bit crazy again so I have added another blog to chronicle the adventures there.

I am afraid that soon this one will probably start to slow down, although, I have still been thinking of enrolling in the Peri-Operative Program at the College I just graduated from-if I can get a hold of the stupid adviser and program director for it! Plus I am going to be continuing toward my BSN (in April), but alas those classes are not really all that exciting. Paper Writing and more paper writing. Well the Peri-operative class could be pretty darn exciting!

Unfortunately, I don't think my "new grad" RN positions are going to be that exciting, unless I happen to end up in acute care, which is unlikely at this point. So I can't really expect to entice my readers with tales from the trenches. But I will try and keep ya'all posted on the different aspects of nursing care.

I have a lot of irons in the fire so to speak and perhaps one of these days I will manage to find the completion of all of my dreams... but until then...