My NCLEX Chronicles

In my last post, I mentioned that my NCLEX Day was January 15th. Looking at the calendar and seeing that it's January 21st, it's obviously past my NCLEX Day. So...? Pass? Fail? Loved it? Hated it? Is my signature now Kendra, RN? Answers coming up...

December 31st: Study Day #1. I had intended to start studying during the day...but I ended up getting other stuff done, so I started later that evening. I grabbed a notebook and the borrowed Hurst book and just started reading and writing. Over the next week(ish), I literally wrote notes on the whole Hurst book, pretty much copied it word for word. A few nights I went to the local college and studied in the student center for several hours, other nights I just made my space at the kitchen table at home.  My opinion on Hurst, based on just the book, not actually taking the review course or having access to the online materials - not bad. It was a pretty decent comprehensive review of content.

January 9th: Study Day #10. Started working through my Kaplan book. I read the chapters on how to interpret and answer different types of questions, then did the practice questions at the end of each chapter. My opinion on Kaplan, based on just the book, not actually taking the review course - not bad. It was good for strategy and teaching a different way to look at the questions.

January 10th and 11th: Study Day #11 and #12. I met up with my study buddy/partner in crime from school and we studied together.  He had a Saunders book, I had my Kaplan book. Over 2 nights, we went over probably 100 or so questions - 1 from Kaplan, 1 from Saunders. We'd each read the question out loud, read the answers out loud, then discuss rationale for answering together, then check the answer. Thankfully, we were getting more right than wrong...GOOD SIGN! We went our separate ways after those 2 nights and I spent the next couple of nights just doing practice questions in the Kaplan book, reviewing some of the Hurst notes, then doing more questions.

January 13th: Study Day #14. My final night to study, just spent hours going over practice questions, 10 at a time. Answer 10, check answers for 10, answer 10 more. Still getting more right than wrong.

January 14th: Mental Break Day, no studying. I spent the day doing my own thing...I went for a run (despite the temps being in the low 20's with a windchill of 12 degrees), ran a few errands, relaxed...then went to my parents' house for the night. They live 15-20 minutes away from the testing site where I was registered as opposed to living a good hour away, so I stayed with them. I didn't look at a single book or question that whole night - just watched some Duck Dynasty re-runs and relaxed.

January 15th: NCLEX DAY. Woke up early enough to get a good shower and eat a snacky breakfast before it was time to head to my testing center. I got there a little earlier than my 8:00 testing time and met up with the 2 classmates who had the same test date scheduled.  We got all checked in - including fingerprint scans, palm vein scans, picture taken (yowza!) - and along with the 3-4 other people there who were taking exams, we waited until we were called back to get testing instructions. Exam started before 8:00 am (not sure of exact time). Questions...yes, there were questions, I answered a few...question 1, question 2...question 25...question 38...question 68...OMG, getting close to 75...question 74...OMG NEXT QUESTION IS 75...question 75...*clicks Next, holds breath*...BLUE SCREEN...OMG IT SHUT OFF AT 75, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, DID I PASS OR DID I FAIL?!?!?  AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Did my exit stuff and left the testing center...only to wait by the elevators for my 2 classmates who were still taking the exam. One classmate walked out about 5-10 minutes later...she had 75 questions as well...and we were both thinking not-so-great thoughts about our futures in nursing. We decided to try the Pearson Vue trick on our phones while we waited for our other classmate to come out...and after a small amount of panic at exactly how the whole trick works, we both got the pop-up saying that we couldn't register at this time. PROMISING NEWS! Other classmate came out  - 75 questions as well - and we had him do the trick...same results. Looks like we all passed, but we were all waiting until we got official results before we could really relax and believe it.

Fast forward about 24 hours...I was furiously checking the Kentucky BON website to see if my license had changed from a provisional license to an RN license. The 9ish AM check showed provisional still...but then I decided to check at 9:40 AM....OMG, IT SAYS RN! DOES THAT REALLY SAY RN?!?! AM I REALLY AN RN?!?! OMG, I'M AN RN!!! I PASSED! I PASSED NCLEX! Later that afternoon, I got the official e-mail from KBN stating the same, that my RN license had been issued. KENDRA PASSED NCLEX, KENDRA IS NOW AN RN!

So there is my NCLEX adventure in a nutshell, from studying like it was a full-time job to the absolute WORST STRESS EVAR waiting for my results. But it's over, it's behind me, and I never have to do that again.

BUT...I passed. With 75 questions. Without having taken a formal review. I did it on my own, studying on my own. It can be done!

Kendra, RN  <----this is so cool. I'm really a nurse. All my hard work has paid off  :-)

NCLEX

As I mentioned a few days ago, I would put my NCLEX ramblings into a separate post...

My ATT arrived less than a week after I had graduated...and I was shocked that it had come that early! I figured I wouldn't see it until sometime in January, so I was planning on enjoying the holidays and the time off, then would worry about studying after the new year. Well...the early ATT kinda changed that, but it's OK, I worked it out.

I took a look at my calendar and figured out my schedule and looked at when I could devote a good 2 weeks to studying, and then the approximate date that I would want to test after a 2-week study session. I knew I wouldn't get any studying done this week of Christmas, based on holidays and traveling and kids being home from school, so I looked at starting my 2 weeks on December 31st (yeah, I know...NYE...but I have no life, so I have no plans...lol). So my first choice for test date was January 14th. I logged onto the Pearson Vue site, logged in, found my testing center, then took a look at the dates in January. January was pretty full already! The earliest date was January 2nd, which is WAY too early...and then the next earliest date was January 15th. Perfect! Just a day after I was hoping for. The only downfall is it's 8 AM, and I have to drive an hourish to get there. That will make for an early morning for me, but I'll be done early, not worrying and pacing and being all anxious all day before a later test time.

So...studying starts December 31st. Hardcore reviewing Kaplan, Hurst, ATI, content, questions, questions, and more questions. Will go through January 13th, then I take the 14th off to decompress, take a breather, relax a bit...then bright and early on the 15th, I seal my fate. I can do this, I know I can do this. I'll just be real glad when it's over!

So pardon me when I disappear for the first couple of weeks of 2013...when I return, I'm REALLY hoping it will be as Kendra, RN! YAY!!

How I'm Already Preparing For NCLEX

So I don't graduate for another year, probably won't be taking the NCLEX until sometime in January 2013...but I'm already preparing for it.  Not just by paying attention in classes and such..I'm actually making notes, note cards, and study materials.  I had mentioned this on twitter and some of my fellow nursing tweeps asked what all I was doing, so I decided to write up a blog post about it.  Who knows...someone else might get some good ideas from what I'm doing.  And if you do, and NCLEX cuts you off at 75 questions with a passing score, you totally owe me some chocolate or something  ;-)

Anyhoo...so there isn't anything real fancy about my NCLEX prep.  First of all, I'm depending a lot on ATI, which if your school isn't using ATI, this might not apply to you so well.  In my program, our instructors give us the ATI chapters that correspond to the content we're covering in class, so we're technically supposed to be reading our textbooks and ATI books to prepare for class.  I was much better at this at the beginning of the semester before clinical responsibilities ramped up, but what I would do was read the chapter and take notes in a designated ATI notebook.  I know...reading and taking notes, what a concept.  But reading it is one interaction with the material...then writing it is the second interaction with it...and there ya go, 2 interactions with the content.  Plus all your ATI notes are in one labeled notebook, so when the time comes for you to study hardcore before you take the NCLEX, your information is all right there, no having to look through class files for it all.  Now I admit I will need to go back and do a lot of reviewing and adding information to my notebooks, because clinicals kinda took over my life for a good portion of the semester...but I at least got started with a good method.

The second thing I did was to make Pharm Cards.  I got a little multi-colored index card spiral "notebook" (if you will) at Wal-Mart and started filling in drugs.  The first ones I added were psych drugs, since there are so many of them and they're kinda confusing, plus it helped me in mental health class this past semester!  But anyway, each class of drugs has its own page, with the class name, common drugs by generic and trade name, what they do (in simple terms), what they treat, and any other basic information.  Then on the back of the card I listed common side effects, contraindications, any special notes -- such as the toxicity levels and signs/symptoms for Lithium, not giving Digoxin if the full-minute apical pulse is less than 60 bpm, etc. -- and any other pertinent information.  I still need to go back and add some drugs we discussed this semester, but I have quite a few in there already, which makes for a really good start.  Then when studying for NCLEX, I'll just review my Pharm Cards and make sure I know the listed information.  Again, all info right in one spot, no need to go back and search through class files and notes.

Finally, I have another index card "notebook" that I've filled with various odds and ends information.  Like basic assessment order, common abbreviations, mnemonics, ABG's (the 4 ABG problems, their signs/symptoms, and common situations that cause them), and anything else that I decide to add in there.  This is one of those things where I just kinda know what I need to add in there...I may have the same information in my ATI notebooks, but if it's something super important, or something that can be confusing, it goes here.

Oh yeah...I do have one of those NCLEX prep books, with practice questions and such.  I haven't had a chance to really do anything with it yet, but it might be a good idea to start.  Plus I do the NCLEX Style questions at the end of every textbook chapter I read, plus any textbooks that are tied to the Evolve website, I get online and do the test-prep chapter questions.  Basically anywhere I can find questions, I will answer them, just to get the practice of thinking like the NCLEX wants me to.

So that's my NCLEX prep method.  I'd like to hope it will help me when that dreaded study week or two (or month...ick, that sounds horrendous!) finally gets here...that I won't be scrambling to find all my material, that having worked on it here and there throughout the semesters will prove to be a smart move...but we shall see!

Hope this helps!  :-)