Support Systems

Support Systems

In nursing school, it is truly important to forgo your journey with a solid support system.  Since you may will encounter hard times, whether it is failing a test, a patient dying, trouble with lab, or even trouble with your own health, it is very important that you know someone has your back.

Though out my nursing school adventure I had many supporters. I could always envision them on the sidelines cheering me on- wearing our school colors, waving pom poms, jumping up and down chanting “Go Casey!”  At our pinning ceremony, there they were- literally cheering me on.  It was so rewarding.

My biggest supporters were my mom, my husband, my grandmother (who passed away my senior year), my close family and a few select professors (especially one named Mrs. Fluellen- she is the type of nurse I want to be like most!)

I was very blessed to have this many supporters!  Some people had family hundreds of miles away and rarely saw them- it made me feel like I should encourage them more, be their supporter. 

While you are in nursing school, I feel like it is so important to reassure and boost the confidence of your classmates.  They are just as scared and stressed out as you are- so why not spread the love rather than spreading negative vibes?

Joining together to help each other will help each person ‘grow into their own scrubs’ as well as make your class stronger and closer as a whole!

So, the next time you are in class/lab/clinical make sure that you pass on nice words or inspiration to your peers! You could just make someone’s day- and isn’t that our goal as nurses? 

NCLEX need to know!

NCLEX: What You’ve all been Preparing for!

Eligibility: First things first! Late into your senior year you will receive a packet of information that will tell you how to register to take the NCLEX after you graduate.  You are able to register with the state board of nursing to create your account, after this is done you have to wait for your school to send the board of nursing your final transcripts- this takes a while!!!! You may want to fill your time waiting with a review sesh or review things that were previously not your strong suit.  After the State Board of Nursing gets your transcripts you will receive your ATT letter ( I received mine electronically and in the mail)- this tells you that you are now aloud to sign up to test! YAY!

Preparations: At this point you are most likely waiting (and waiting and waiting) for your ATT letter to grace your inbox- while you wait, I STRONGLY suggest taking a review course.  My school offered Hurst and Kaplan reviews at a discount.  Hurst was known for being a content review, whereas Kaplan is known to be a strategy review.  I chose Kaplan and I really recommend it! Both Hurst and Kaplan will have presentations at the campus- this is a great thing to go to if you plan on taking one of these courses.  They give out FREE stuff and everyone loves freebies!

Bottom line: you know how you need to study- so be sure to pick the review that best suits your style of studying!

 

Rules of NCLEX: There are very important rules when taking the NCLEX- here I am going to TOUCH on some of the ones that always stuck out to me the most.    

1.  The NCLEX questions take place in a “perfect world”- this means that you always have a script for a drug that you may need and you always have doctors’ permission to administer medications! In other words, you don’t need to question whether or not the doctor would approve what you are doing. 

2.  The NCLEX ranges from 75-265 questions.  The amount of questions you do does NOT predict whether you are going to pass or fail.  The NCLEX is a computer adaptive test (CAT) which means that if you get a question wrong, the next question will be a little bit easier (and vice versa)!  There is, however, a threshold that you must stay above in order to pass.   You will not be able to see the threshold, but you will be able to figure it out if you take the Kaplan course because they really lay it out for you!

The Threshold is the line running through the middle; Anything above is passing, below is not considered passing

Anything above Application is considered above the threshold!!!

3.  You get 6 hours for the NCLEX and yes, there are 10 minute breaks.  If you run out of time it does NOT mean that you have failed- your score will be calculated by the last 60 questions and that will determine whether you pass/fail. 

4.  The testing center you sign up to go to will provide you with dry erase boards for math problems or anything else you may need it for! While I was doing my Kaplan review I bough a dry erase board to practice with!!

The night before:  Get to bed at a reasonable hour! And DON’T study the whole day prior to the NCLEX- if you don’t know it by the day before- you don’t know it, and you’re not better off trying to cram!!!

The morning of:  Wake up earlier than you usually would- eat breakfast, after all, you could be there for 6 hours!!! Wear comfy clothes, no one wants to be testing for 6 hours and uncomfortable! On the way to the test, listen to whatever music gets you revved up!!! I remember blasting Kelly Clarkson’s “What Doesn’t Kill you Makes you Stronger” the whole way there! It got my blood pumping and I was ready to go!!!

What to expect:  There will not be any more than 50 people at your testing site- don’t worry about too many people! At my testing facility there were only 20 computers!  Once you get there you will present your ATT and reservation that you set online and they will give you a key to put all of your belongings into a locker.  Then you are off to the test!

I remember being SOOO nervous the days leading up to my NCLEX, but then it hit me- I can take this over and over if I fail.  As opposed to nursing school tests, if you fail, you fail! Although I had no desire to fail, this helped me to relax a bit and really, really read my questions carefully J Too much anxiety is not your friend, especially on this day. 

Once you have finished you can go home and check on the State Board of Nursing website to see if you have been issued a license number (this is a cheat way to figure out if you passed without having to wait the weeks to get your letter/license).  I remember RACING home to log on to their website and seeing my name next to my licensure number- I was GLOWING … yeah, there’s no better word for it, GLOWING!  I was so proud and couldn’t wait to get my license in the mail!!

Finding my Nursing Niche

Finding Your Niche

People often ask me what area of nursing I plan on entering.  What a loaded question.  I’m not sure if I am the only one who doesn’t know quite where I belong in the world of nursing- but I have a few great interests.

I feel like it’s a challenge to figure out what area of nursing best suits me.  I am interested in pediatrics, oncology, NICU, labor and delivery, women’s health, psychiatry- the list is almost endless. 

How do you figure out where you want to spend your life’s career? I find myself looking through job openings saying “yeah! I like that one- no that one- wait! This one sounds awesome!” I realize that it is possible to change jobs- but I don’t want to be job hopping until I find whatever it is I am looking for in a career. 

Luckily, I have had time to really think it over while I have been healing from my surgery, but the time is quickly approaching where I must make a decision.  I had an idea to play my own little version of Russian roulette and hand out my resume to all of the jobs that I found interesting and chose whatever one(s) I get an interview for- I‘d like to name this strategy ‘job fishing’.  I am not sure if it is effective or even the best idea I’ve had, but it is what I am going with for now because I am so indecisive!

Do you know what area of nursing you plan on going into? If so, how did you come to that decision?  For those of you already employed, did you get the job you really wanted or did you settle for something else?

Anxiety in Clinical

                                AnXiEtY                   

As nursing students or graduate nurses just starting out, it is completely normal to be plagued with anxiety when it comes to patient care.  Whether you are in clinical or starting your first job- nervousness and anxiety are something to be expected. 

I would be rather concerned if a new nursing grad or a student nurse on the floor for the first time was not a bit jittery.  The environment, the fellow nurses and the organization of the whole unit is quite a mystery. I feel that when you’re nervous, usually you take extra precautions to make sure that you are doing everything just right.

Some things that I have learned over the years in nursing school that helped me with my jitters are the following simpleton ideas. 

I make friends in my clinical – ones that I can talk to and connect with about how I am feeling- you will find that most feel the same as you!

I introduce myself to the nurses that I will be working with- they will be more likely to help you out and be friendly with you if you put your hand out there for them to shake and introduce yourself.  There! Now no one on the floor is a stranger anymore!

I am especially nice to my clinical professor- I know, I know there are some stinkers out there- but I promise you will get one or two that will touch your life forever and mold you into the best nurse you can be!  All the others must be tolerated and respected just the same, but it really makes a difference to have a GREAT professor guiding you.

I chew gum.   And yes, I know it’s against the rules- but if you hide it well enough when you are in front of people until you get a chance to dip into the supply room to find your IV tubing you can chew the HELL out of that gum and channel your anxiousness

I keep something fun in my pocket to play around with when I am getting nervous.  Usually it was one of those pens with the multiple colors on top and I would go around in the circle of colors Click Click Click – it helps!

Finally, STAY BUSY! If there is nothing for you to do, ask your patients if they need anything (water, snacks, warm blankets, etc.) they most likely will and you will be able to strike up a conversation with them and learn a bit more about who they are.  If you find this happening a lot, maybe its time to ask your clinical professor for a bigger patient load- GO YOU!

I hope that you learn to embrace clinical- even though getting up a the stinking crack of dawn and not having the rotation your heart really wished for is a pain in the booty- clinical is still worth the experience.  If you remain nervous and closed off during clinical, you are not going to get anything out if it!  You are going to tip toe through it and fail to learn the great lessons there are to learn. 

Note: people who have consistent anxiety (outside of clinical and nursing school in general) should seek help from a professional and get treated.  Anxiety is not a simple problem and can really wreak havoc on a person’s body and mind. 

Step out from behind the stigma and get your mental health in check- the only way you will be able to help others is by first helping yourself!

Do you suffer from anxiety? Let's talk about it! You're not alone.