Yesterday evening I drove to Richmond to have dinner with my nursing school study partners who are taking the Kaplan Course live this week. On the way, I stopped by the NCLEX testing location (PearsonVue). It's nice to visit the location, make sure you can find it and estimate time (usually test runs are done at the same time of day and same day of the week as scheduled test).
My friend's experience with the live Kaplan course has been disappointing. Apparently the instructor just rushes through each question and starts eliminating answers using Decision Tree BEFORE the students have even gotten the chance to read the answers for themselves. Uh, hello? Obviously the teacher is very familiar with the questions (same for every course) and has forgotten that these students haven't seen these Q&A's before. Too bad. My friends said that they've gotten out of class early EVERY DAY (and were ahead of schedule) - which obviously points to the fact that the instructor is rushing through the questions. I feel so bad for them- sounds like a less than ideal experience and possibly a waste of money. My online instructor was really great about pacing our class and we never got out of class early.
Anywhoo, the title of this post alludes to my indecision over NCLEX. What is there to be indecisive about? Basically the when & where. Why? Well, last night one of my friends said she remembered hearing rumors that it was better to test in a location other than Richmond and that she's planning to test in Lynchburg. The reasoning? Something about someone (or multiple people) who failed more than once at Richmond, and ended up passing in another Virginia testing location. Well, I could see several scenarios where this could happen. 1) This person simply wasn't ready and therefore third time was a charm (regardless of location) and 2) this person simply needed a change of location to reduce anxiety and remain calm--thus improving her performance. So I'm not really sure what to think of this rumor. Is this just one person's experience? Is it even feasible that there might be a glitch in the system that would make once testing center's experience more difficult than another? I have a hard time imagining that. Yet...I have rescheduled my exam...to the Lynchburg location. And because of the location switch, I had to move up my exam date. BUT that gave me a better testing time of 2pm rather than 8am. Which means I won't have to get up crazy early or get a hotel room. So now I can drive down late morning, grab lunch and then catch a snooze in my car before going into exam.
I didn't really want to test on a Friday (because it takes longer to get results from Board of Nursing website/phone), but I think because I used my driver's license (rather than SSN) when I registered with the BON, I probably won't get results the next morning anyways. I'm hoping that the PearsonVue trick will work for me (way to get unofficial results by trying to sign up to take the exam again; see allnurses.com), otherwise I'll just have to wait until Monday or Tuesday of the following week to get my results. But whatever. Reality is that once the exam shuts down, there's nothing more you can do. Worrying about passing/not passing is not going to change anything.
But thankfully, I can still change my test date. However, the closer we get to the date, the fewer the options are for rescheduling. The good thing about moving up my exam is that it's done that much sooner! I've re-worked my calendar (and will have some Saturday studying to do), but it's still very doable!
Showing posts with label Kaplan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kaplan. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Kaplan: Day Four
And it's over. I'm kinda relieved. I'm ready to get going on my studying for NCLEX. Haha! Not really, but I'm glad to have Kaplan behind me.
For the last session today (the first session was for independent taking of the Kaplan's Readiness Test) included a review of questions from the Readiness Test. Not all 180 questions but just the ones that students generally miss (not just our section, but Kaplan-wide). Helpful, but many of the questions I had gotten right. But there were a handful that I had gotten wrong and were surprised by the correct answer.
For the last half hour of class, our instructor talked to us about what we need to do going forward before taking our NCLEX exam. Completing all the Question Trainers (1-7), completing at least 90% of the QBank questions (total 1300), and aiming for a cumulative performance of 60% or higher on the QBank questions. Expectation is for us to review every question and rationale in every Trainer and after every QBank test. They suggest doing no more than 150 questions a day so that we really spend time reviewing every question and rationale and spend time looking up content that we don't know or understand.
My head is spinning. But I've broken it down and here is my initial plan with the materials provided by Kaplan:
For the last session today (the first session was for independent taking of the Kaplan's Readiness Test) included a review of questions from the Readiness Test. Not all 180 questions but just the ones that students generally miss (not just our section, but Kaplan-wide). Helpful, but many of the questions I had gotten right. But there were a handful that I had gotten wrong and were surprised by the correct answer.
For the last half hour of class, our instructor talked to us about what we need to do going forward before taking our NCLEX exam. Completing all the Question Trainers (1-7), completing at least 90% of the QBank questions (total 1300), and aiming for a cumulative performance of 60% or higher on the QBank questions. Expectation is for us to review every question and rationale in every Trainer and after every QBank test. They suggest doing no more than 150 questions a day so that we really spend time reviewing every question and rationale and spend time looking up content that we don't know or understand.
My head is spinning. But I've broken it down and here is my initial plan with the materials provided by Kaplan:
At this point, I do not expect to study seventeen days straight. No way. My goal would be maybe five days a week. Kaplan suggests answering questions every day. Eh. There certainly will be days when I simply can't. Plus, who knows what's going to happen regarding work. If I get the job, then this schedule will have to be modified in a big way. I'll know more after Monday's interview as to their goal for hiring and orientation. But reality is that if I'm offered a job it will be at least two weeks before I'd start work because there are drug tests and background checks that have to get done. So if I can get at least ten full days of studying done before starting work, that would be awesome. Maybe I really should push myself to study every day and then if I do get the job, I'll still be able to take the NCLEX in early July.
And of course this schedule is just reflecting Kaplan resources and does not take into account my earlier expectation to use Saunders and LaCharity resources. Maybe I won't need to? I will continue taking flash cards to the gym (this has worked REALLY well with the cards put on rings) and of course I can apply Decision Tree to the flash card questions.
So the question is... when to start?
At this point I am glad that I did Kaplan's prep course. I'm glad I did the "Classroom Anywhere" format. A few bumps (see Kaplan: Day One post) but these were largely due to the fact that I was going through my school for Kaplan and my school did not adequately communicate with us. Can't blame Kaplan for that. The Kaplan instructors and staff were all very good and very helpful and managed the online aspect very well. The only downside was the chat window and dealing with people who don't follow instructions. But that's life, right? I guess the true test will be whether I pass NCLEX the first time or not. But then again maybe I would have done fine without Kaplan. I DID get a good score on the Diagnostic before I'd even taken Kaplan course. Well, we won't know now will we?
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Kaplan: Day Three
Pretty much the same routine today. Just answering a bunch of NCLEX questions with the instructor walking us through each question using the Kaplan Decision Tree. Each day we cover a different area (see schedule on yesterday's "Day Two" post), so the content changes and there's still stuff to learn and to consider.
During our one hour break, I didn't really break, I just played on my computer and then got REALLY sleepy right before we were supposed to start back. So when class began, I laid back on the sofa, my head on a pillow...and oops! I dozed off for about 5-10 minutes. hahaha! Not good. So I forced myself to sit back up and drank some cold water...
Tomorrow's schedule has us independently taking our "Readiness Test" during the time period when we'd normally meet for our first session and then we meet back online for the second session late afternoon. My understanding is that we'll go through a select number of the questions from the Readiness Test - perhaps the most commonly missed questions--I'm not sure. But then they'll also generically discuss our results and what they mean for us and what we need to do to get ourselves ready to take the NCLEX using Kaplan's resources--based on the results of the tests within Kaplan's site.
I went ahead and took my Readiness Test this evening, so that I don't have to do it tomorrow. 180 questions in three hours! ugh. I'm glad it's over with! But I couldn't believe my eyes when I got my result! My score was EXACTLY the same as what I got on my Diagnostic Test (which was the test required to be taken before starting this class). So, I'm not sure what this means. Possibly, that I didn't learn anything or possibly that it didn't really help me. But I'm just very happy that I didn't score worse, as I'd interpret that as I just got lucky on the first test or else Kaplan just screwed me up.
Kaplan explains that for NCLEX the goal is 50%. That's just the way the Computer Adaptive Testing works to determine competency above or below the line. Below is the explanation we were given in class regarding goal scores:
"The goal score for Question Trainers 1-5 is 65%. For the Readiness, Question Trainers 6 and 7 and all QBank tests, the goal is 60%. Remember that every candidate taking the NCLEX®RN examination gets 50% of their questions correct and 50% of the questions wrong. The difference between passing and failing is level of difficulty of question. If you are getting 50% of your questions correct answering passing level questions, you will pass. Passing questions are written at the application/analysis level of Blooms Taxonomy."
So for those of you who have been online and have seen people posting their scores on the Readiness and Question Trainers, understanding the above, will hopefully help. Kaplan does a great job of explaining how NCLEX determines passing/not passing.
So I'm sure you are wondering what my scores were? Okay, okay. On both my Diagnostic and my Readiness Tests, I scored a 69%. So I'm well above the 50% and well above the 60% -- so that is encouraging. But I really don't understand why I didn't score higher on my Readiness Test after spending three days learning Decision Tree strategy. My theory is that I really just need to jump back into the content and review what I've forgotten or never learned. I've been surprised at what I have retained and how things will just jump back into my head when I'm working on NCLEX questions (even for the past two weeks). My biggest fear has been that it's been slowly draining out of my head. Review, review, review! Practice, practice, practice!
Well, it is late and I'm beat. Until tomorrow...
UPDATE:
My Kaplan instructor explained that the Diagnostic Test had questions from every level, but that the Readiness Test included only "passing level" questions. So the Readiness Test was actually harder, so the fact that I kept a high score was a good thing.
During our one hour break, I didn't really break, I just played on my computer and then got REALLY sleepy right before we were supposed to start back. So when class began, I laid back on the sofa, my head on a pillow...and oops! I dozed off for about 5-10 minutes. hahaha! Not good. So I forced myself to sit back up and drank some cold water...
Tomorrow's schedule has us independently taking our "Readiness Test" during the time period when we'd normally meet for our first session and then we meet back online for the second session late afternoon. My understanding is that we'll go through a select number of the questions from the Readiness Test - perhaps the most commonly missed questions--I'm not sure. But then they'll also generically discuss our results and what they mean for us and what we need to do to get ourselves ready to take the NCLEX using Kaplan's resources--based on the results of the tests within Kaplan's site.
I went ahead and took my Readiness Test this evening, so that I don't have to do it tomorrow. 180 questions in three hours! ugh. I'm glad it's over with! But I couldn't believe my eyes when I got my result! My score was EXACTLY the same as what I got on my Diagnostic Test (which was the test required to be taken before starting this class). So, I'm not sure what this means. Possibly, that I didn't learn anything or possibly that it didn't really help me. But I'm just very happy that I didn't score worse, as I'd interpret that as I just got lucky on the first test or else Kaplan just screwed me up.
Kaplan explains that for NCLEX the goal is 50%. That's just the way the Computer Adaptive Testing works to determine competency above or below the line. Below is the explanation we were given in class regarding goal scores:
"The goal score for Question Trainers 1-5 is 65%. For the Readiness, Question Trainers 6 and 7 and all QBank tests, the goal is 60%. Remember that every candidate taking the NCLEX®RN examination gets 50% of their questions correct and 50% of the questions wrong. The difference between passing and failing is level of difficulty of question. If you are getting 50% of your questions correct answering passing level questions, you will pass. Passing questions are written at the application/analysis level of Blooms Taxonomy."
So for those of you who have been online and have seen people posting their scores on the Readiness and Question Trainers, understanding the above, will hopefully help. Kaplan does a great job of explaining how NCLEX determines passing/not passing.
So I'm sure you are wondering what my scores were? Okay, okay. On both my Diagnostic and my Readiness Tests, I scored a 69%. So I'm well above the 50% and well above the 60% -- so that is encouraging. But I really don't understand why I didn't score higher on my Readiness Test after spending three days learning Decision Tree strategy. My theory is that I really just need to jump back into the content and review what I've forgotten or never learned. I've been surprised at what I have retained and how things will just jump back into my head when I'm working on NCLEX questions (even for the past two weeks). My biggest fear has been that it's been slowly draining out of my head. Review, review, review! Practice, practice, practice!
Well, it is late and I'm beat. Until tomorrow...
UPDATE:
My Kaplan instructor explained that the Diagnostic Test had questions from every level, but that the Readiness Test included only "passing level" questions. So the Readiness Test was actually harder, so the fact that I kept a high score was a good thing.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Kaplan: Day Two
So.... Class started at noon. Power went out at 12:30. hahahaha! Um, so what do you do? Well, after waiting a few minutes to see if the power might come back on, I called and reported the outage. Then I changed my clothes into something more presentable, all the while hoping that the power would come back on. I called a friend 2 miles away to see if his power was out (if not, I'd have run over there to use his internet), but his power was out too. So I shut down my computer, threw it in the car with a pair of headphones and headed to Panera (nearest free wifi). I texted that same friend and asked if he'd text me when the power came back on. I rushed into Panera (it's 1pm at this point) and find an empty table with a accessible outlet. I boot up my computer and then head over to the counter to order a drink. I head back to my table, pull out my headphones and log-in to the site. The audio is horribly choppy- I call it bit-mapped audio (again, Kaplan warned us about wireless being less than ideal). *SIGH* Then I get a text from my friend saying power is back on...it's 1:10 or so. The Panera connection is lousy and my power is back on...so I pack up my stuff and headed back home. I had to laugh. That's all I could do. The *only* thing I could've done differently was to wait at the house and *hope* the power would come on soon. But, this is me we are talking about...I made a plan and stuck with it...but then reversed course when the plan failed. Thankfully Panera is less than 15 minutes from the house, so I was home and logged back in by 1:30... exactly an hour after losing connectivity.
Sure, I missed an hour. But what did I miss? Oh, about 12 NCLEX questions. And rumor has it that I can go back onto Kaplan's course site and find those questions and walk through them myself! Kaplan recognizes that life happens sometimes, so they have really done a good job duplicating resources so that we can get them one way or another. I forgot to mention that yesterday, my online instructor lost video feed several times and had to reboot and reconnect. Apparently there were having pretty bad storms and tornadoes in her area. Thankfully the TA's are in a different location and were able to jump in and take care of the class details. I think we lost our main instructor for the last 30-45 minutes of the class - she just wasn't able to reconnect. But the TA's who are also Kaplan instructors were able to keep us going and getting us done on time.
Today I didn't do anything productive while watching/ listening to the class. I let the clothes sit in the washer (why???) and never pulled out any hand weights. I did get sleepy, but instead just got up and just got some cold water and sat back down. The class was was pretty much the same as yesterday. Six hours of answering question after question using the Decision Tree. There are definitely tips I'm learning - like questions to ask myself while going through the possible answers, but when I get a question wrong...it's because I don't know or can't remember the related content to justify that answer. I'm a pretty good tester in general and I surprise myself at times at how well I can guess, but sometimes I'm at a complete loss. I do think that having these isolated questions on a given topic, can somewhat help me with recall later for specific content areas--seeing as I've had to apply information or learn information after getting a question wrong.
I'll definitely need to do a fair amount of content review before taking the NCLEX. Kaplan's course site is going to help...but I'm a bit overwhelmed at all that I need to do before testing. Kaplan does provide several study plan schedules which can help. I think I'm still in a bit of denial that I really need to sit down and be ultra disciplined about studying for NCLEX. I suppose it doesn't help that I haven't selected a date to test yet, but I'm waiting until after my interview and until after I know what is going to happen with that job. I definitely plan to start studying for NCLEX in earnest next week, regardless of job, but having a test date will definitely drive the studying and give me a goal.
I should've posted the course schedule yesterday, but here it is:
Tomorrow I have Sessions 5 & 6.
Until then...
Sure, I missed an hour. But what did I miss? Oh, about 12 NCLEX questions. And rumor has it that I can go back onto Kaplan's course site and find those questions and walk through them myself! Kaplan recognizes that life happens sometimes, so they have really done a good job duplicating resources so that we can get them one way or another. I forgot to mention that yesterday, my online instructor lost video feed several times and had to reboot and reconnect. Apparently there were having pretty bad storms and tornadoes in her area. Thankfully the TA's are in a different location and were able to jump in and take care of the class details. I think we lost our main instructor for the last 30-45 minutes of the class - she just wasn't able to reconnect. But the TA's who are also Kaplan instructors were able to keep us going and getting us done on time.
Today I didn't do anything productive while watching/ listening to the class. I let the clothes sit in the washer (why???) and never pulled out any hand weights. I did get sleepy, but instead just got up and just got some cold water and sat back down. The class was was pretty much the same as yesterday. Six hours of answering question after question using the Decision Tree. There are definitely tips I'm learning - like questions to ask myself while going through the possible answers, but when I get a question wrong...it's because I don't know or can't remember the related content to justify that answer. I'm a pretty good tester in general and I surprise myself at times at how well I can guess, but sometimes I'm at a complete loss. I do think that having these isolated questions on a given topic, can somewhat help me with recall later for specific content areas--seeing as I've had to apply information or learn information after getting a question wrong.
I'll definitely need to do a fair amount of content review before taking the NCLEX. Kaplan's course site is going to help...but I'm a bit overwhelmed at all that I need to do before testing. Kaplan does provide several study plan schedules which can help. I think I'm still in a bit of denial that I really need to sit down and be ultra disciplined about studying for NCLEX. I suppose it doesn't help that I haven't selected a date to test yet, but I'm waiting until after my interview and until after I know what is going to happen with that job. I definitely plan to start studying for NCLEX in earnest next week, regardless of job, but having a test date will definitely drive the studying and give me a goal.
I should've posted the course schedule yesterday, but here it is:
Tuesday, Session 1: Orientation/Class
Start/Decision Tree
Tuesday, Session 2: Pharmacology/Reduction
of Risk
Wednesday, Session 3: Reduction of
Risk/Physiological Adaptation
Wednesday, Session 4: Physiological
Adaptation/Basic Care & Comfort/Mgmt of Care
Thursday, Session 5: Management of
Care/Safety and Infection Control
Thursday, Session 6: Safety and Infection
Control/HMP/Psychosocial
Friday, Session 7: Readiness Test (taken
online at home during class time)
Friday, Session 8: Review of the
Readiness Test/Roadmap for Future Study
Tomorrow I have Sessions 5 & 6.
Until then...
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Kaplan: Day One
My Specifics: I am taking Kaplan's Classroom Anywhere online review course. My school integrated Kaplan into our program's curriculum, so I did not have to pay extra to take this review course. It's part of the package. I could have taken this review course in-person on my campus, but I knew I'd prefer to take the course online (I'd read some online comments at allnurses.com that persuaded me). Plus that's less time and gas traveling to campus and back. I opted for the four day schedule with two sessions each day.
Below are some of my thoughts after Day One.
- There is a book (or two) that you need for the class...track it down! If you have access to Kaplan because your school has integrated Kaplan into the curriculum (like me), there's a good chance that your books will be shipped to your school. And if your school has not notified you, then you might be clueless that you are missing something (aka "class materials"). I got suspicious last week and tried to contact Customer Service about it and my school rep, but due to holiday weekend, I didn't get my reply until THIS MORNING. I literally picked up the "Course Book" from campus about an hour before my online course started. The only other book you'll want/need is "The Basics" book. My school gave this to me early in the school year when I signed up for Kaplan.
- There IS some stuff to do before the first day of class. I had received emails over the past couple weeks from Kaplan telling me how to log-in, test my connection, and to do a Diagnostic Test through the course site. But because I didn't have the Kaplan "Course Book" until this morning- I did not know that I should have also completed the online Question Trainers 1-3 and reviewed content areas where I was weak (based on Diagnostics and Trainers) using the Kaplan course site. They also recommend viewing the following videos: Orientation Video, Strategy Seminar, and Test Taking Workshop.
- Don't panic if you don't have the book/materials. After Day One (Sessions 1/2), I can say that I'm not lost and I'm not behind-even though I got my materials late. Reality is that it did not matter one iota that I had done/not done the Diagnostic Test or Trainers prior to today. Today was all about Orientation and the Decision Tree and beginning to answer NCLEX style questions using Kaplan's Decision Tree. In class, the instructor just encouraged those who had not yet done the Diagnostic Test to go ahead and do that tonight.
- There is homework for Day Two (Sessions 3/4). We are to read Chapters 1-2, which is basically the same stuff or a review of what they taught us today. The really great thing is that on today's classroom site (live classroom), they provided PDF's of Chapters 1-3. That way anyone who had not gotten their book yet, would still have the readings.
Tips for anyone taking the online course.
- Have a Post-It note on hand! There's a chat window for students to use. It's basically for classroom participation. However, you can EXPECT that there will be idiots in the class who feel it's okay to chat while the instructor is talking. Despite clear instructions and repeated reminders about NOT posting questions or answers/guesses while she's talking, people still do it. There's a special, private chat box for asking questions where TA's privately answer the question. Obviously they don't *get* that their chatting in the public box is basically the same thing as talking out in class. No one would do this in a lecture hall or in a live setting, but somehow people think it's okay to post "wow, the storms are really bad here" and other stupid stuff. The worst is when these people prematurely post the answer to the question we are attempting to go step-by-step through. The instructors are trying to teach a methodology for breaking down the question to get to the correct answer... so it's really ANNOYING when people jump the gun and throw out their guesses before we've even gotten to step two (out of five). And it's unbelievably distracting to have a chat feed moving constantly while trying to focus and listen to the instructor. I found it very helpful to cover up the chat box. A Post-It note works like a charm.
- Utilize the breaks. They have a one hour break between the two daily sessions, but they also have 5-10 minute breaks every hour or so. By utilizing the breaks, I was less tempted to log onto Facebook or check email during class.
- Find something to do with your hands to help keep you awake. There were times when I got sleepy! So it helped that I had laundry to fold that didn't completely distract me from what was being said. Tomorrow if I get sleepy I may pull out some hand weights. For others, maybe knitting or a set of push-ups would work? Obviously nothing that will steal your brain too much and something that you can put down fairly quickly. During the first part of the orientation when there wasn't much for me to see on the screen, I opted for sorting and starting laundry, and emptying and refilling the dishwasher while listening to the audio.
- Take Notes! There will ALWAYS be terms, drugs or conditions that you've never heard of. Regardless of the Kaplan format (Classroom Anywhere, Live, or On Demand), having a notebook that you can write down stuff to look up later is ideal. But it's completely unnecessary to attempt to copy the online slides or questions. For the most part the text on the slides come straight from the "Course Book" and can be reviewed later. And trying to copy down the Q&A's is unnecessary because you'll never see these questions again. Just sit and absorb the information and of course actively attempt to use the Decision Tree for every question. Occasionally some trick for remembering something might be mentioned...so jot those down if you think they'll be helpful.
Until tomorrow (Kaplan Day Two)...
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Ready, but not Ready to Schedule
I have received my Authorization To Test (ATT) -- which is the official document that I need to be able to schedule when I'm going to take the NCLEX. I've got until mid November to take this test.
My goal is to take the NCLEX in early July, however I have an interview in a little over a week, which, if I'm offered a job, may completely disrupt my plans to take it in July. Maybe not, but I'm not going to sign up to take it and then find out that I'm going to start work in late June and discover I haven't left myself with much time to study. So I'll wait. No big deal. It's just good to have the ATT in hand. If I don't get the job, I'll be sad, but then I really will be targeting early July as my goal.
I've completed 44% of my 3,000 NCLEX Questions goal- which is good. Next week I've got my Kaplan prep course. I haven't decided yet if I will include questions from Kaplan in my count. This week I had planned to take the assessment test on the CD that accompanies the Saunders Comprehensive NCLEX-RN Review book, but time got away from me (and increased nagging scapula/shoulder/neck pain). I'm hoping I can get to it tomorrow afternoon.
Tomorrow morning I'm scheduled to donate platelets and RBC's at our local blood donation center. So excited! I haven't been able to donate for a year due to my travels to Haiti. It feels wonderful to be able to donate again! I am a little nervous that my hemoglobin will be too low, but seeing as I've waited a year to donate, I'm pretty sure that waiting another week won't kill me.
Now that school is over and my the balance in my bank account is dwindling, I'm super glad I've maintained these temp jobs. I've got a few days on the calendar with the artist over the coming two weeks. However, I'm really hoping my interview (scheduled for 6/4) will go well and I will be offered a job. I'm psyched to get started on my nursing career -- FINALLY!!!-- but the side benefit of a paycheck and regular income is a definite bonus and makes going back to a full-time job much more bearable. In nursing school I was working my tail off, but never got paid for it. How nice to think I'll be PAID to do what I love!
Next week I'll be busy with my Kaplan review course, but I'm hoping to do a few posts about that experience. BUT the big challenge between now and then is to hopefully get my internet working more consistently/reliably by then. I'm not sure if it's my wireless router or if it's the cable service. We've had a lot of rain the past couple weeks and I'm wondering if the underground cable has lost it's loving feeling (like it did last year). Worst case scenario is that I have to camp out in a free WIFI spot in town for SEVEN hours a day. But I really need a place that will be relatively quiet and low-traffic. Sigh.
Well, until next week...
My goal is to take the NCLEX in early July, however I have an interview in a little over a week, which, if I'm offered a job, may completely disrupt my plans to take it in July. Maybe not, but I'm not going to sign up to take it and then find out that I'm going to start work in late June and discover I haven't left myself with much time to study. So I'll wait. No big deal. It's just good to have the ATT in hand. If I don't get the job, I'll be sad, but then I really will be targeting early July as my goal.
I've completed 44% of my 3,000 NCLEX Questions goal- which is good. Next week I've got my Kaplan prep course. I haven't decided yet if I will include questions from Kaplan in my count. This week I had planned to take the assessment test on the CD that accompanies the Saunders Comprehensive NCLEX-RN Review book, but time got away from me (and increased nagging scapula/shoulder/neck pain). I'm hoping I can get to it tomorrow afternoon.
Tomorrow morning I'm scheduled to donate platelets and RBC's at our local blood donation center. So excited! I haven't been able to donate for a year due to my travels to Haiti. It feels wonderful to be able to donate again! I am a little nervous that my hemoglobin will be too low, but seeing as I've waited a year to donate, I'm pretty sure that waiting another week won't kill me.
Now that school is over and my the balance in my bank account is dwindling, I'm super glad I've maintained these temp jobs. I've got a few days on the calendar with the artist over the coming two weeks. However, I'm really hoping my interview (scheduled for 6/4) will go well and I will be offered a job. I'm psyched to get started on my nursing career -- FINALLY!!!-- but the side benefit of a paycheck and regular income is a definite bonus and makes going back to a full-time job much more bearable. In nursing school I was working my tail off, but never got paid for it. How nice to think I'll be PAID to do what I love!
Next week I'll be busy with my Kaplan review course, but I'm hoping to do a few posts about that experience. BUT the big challenge between now and then is to hopefully get my internet working more consistently/reliably by then. I'm not sure if it's my wireless router or if it's the cable service. We've had a lot of rain the past couple weeks and I'm wondering if the underground cable has lost it's loving feeling (like it did last year). Worst case scenario is that I have to camp out in a free WIFI spot in town for SEVEN hours a day. But I really need a place that will be relatively quiet and low-traffic. Sigh.
Well, until next week...
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
NCLEX Strategy : Kaplan dates set
I got an email today from the Kaplan rep (for our school) and they are offering an on-campus version of the Live Review course. They are offering it the week after graduation, but it overlaps with my trip to Ohio. I didn't want to do the in-classroom review anyways, so I've sent them my preferred online course dates. So it looks like I will be busy the week after Memorial Day (Tues-Fri) spending every afternoon (12-7pm) online with Kaplan.
So it really looks like I will have about a week between Ohio and the Kaplan Course to sit down and make a study plan for the NCLEX and to get anything else out of the way (house cleaned, oil changed, seeds planted) because it looks like I will be entering NCLEX world as soon as I complete the Kaplan course. Still wondering if I want to push for an early July NCLEX date- which will give me about 3-4 weeks of self-study. Well, I've got a few weeks here to think about it. I can't sign up for NCLEX date until the VA Board of Nursing processes my paperwork--which is basically waiting on my school to send official transcripts/degree information.
Oh, I got my LaCharity PDA book in the mail from Amazon today and what a huge relief to discover that it's only 155 pages! That's compared to the Saunders Book which is 1200 pages!!! I also got the Saunders Q&A cards in the mail... the margins aren't ideal for hole punching, but I'm going to try!
Okay, back to studying for OB test.
So it really looks like I will have about a week between Ohio and the Kaplan Course to sit down and make a study plan for the NCLEX and to get anything else out of the way (house cleaned, oil changed, seeds planted) because it looks like I will be entering NCLEX world as soon as I complete the Kaplan course. Still wondering if I want to push for an early July NCLEX date- which will give me about 3-4 weeks of self-study. Well, I've got a few weeks here to think about it. I can't sign up for NCLEX date until the VA Board of Nursing processes my paperwork--which is basically waiting on my school to send official transcripts/degree information.
Oh, I got my LaCharity PDA book in the mail from Amazon today and what a huge relief to discover that it's only 155 pages! That's compared to the Saunders Book which is 1200 pages!!! I also got the Saunders Q&A cards in the mail... the margins aren't ideal for hole punching, but I'm going to try!
Okay, back to studying for OB test.
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