NCLEX Study Material Piling Up – Where to Start?

As my summer ends and my last semester of nursing school looms near, I have become more and more overwhelmed by the pile of NCLEX study material that has accumulated in my house. I have put this pile near my bed in an effort to remind me to study when I wake up, but instead I see it right before I sleep.

This has led to numerous stress-related nightmares where I can never remember the right answer even though I know it.

I know that the best way to get over this stress is to just dive right in and study the material. But how do you even start? And where do you start?

Being a nursing student we cover such a wide variety of health information that crosses the whole lifespan of a person – it seems daunting to think that we can remember all of it. But, the truth is, we can’t. When I was doing my clinical in the ICU the primary nurse I was following made a wise comment. He said, “I never want to work with a nurse who thinks they know it all. They’re dangerous.” This man was probably the most intelligent nurse that I have come across, but he was wise enough to realize that it’s better to go find the right answer, then to just assume you know it. This is a very valuable tool to use with patients, also. I find that patients are much more comfortable and confident in my skills when I tell them honestly that “I don’t know the answer to that… but I will find it for you.” We have endless resources as nurses, and it is our duty to ourselves, the nurses around us, and most importantly our patients, that we use them.

In the context of taking the NCLEX I had a teacher tell me not to worry about the information at all. She said, “If you have sat through four years of lectures on this material – you know it. It’s just a matter of learning how to take the test.” This is one of the most valuable pieces of advice that I have heard on the NCLEX. Now when I finally stop procrastinating and start reading my NCLEX review books, I will look more to the style of the questions and learn how to objectively assess what the question is asking. This, after all, is one of the most important parts of nursing. Not just simply knowing everything, but knowing how to weigh a situation and assess for the best solution.

In the meantime, I think I will start off by learning how to read NCLEX questions. Tips and tricks are welcome!

Confidence in Nursing School

My biggest fear while I have been in nursing school has been starting my first IV on a real live patient. I have had plenty of time and practice on mannequins with plastic arms and red water, but even I knew that a plastic vein was a lot different than a human one.

While I have been doing my externship in the labor/delivery department of my local hospital I have had numerous opportunities to start IVs on admitting women. My first several attempts were complete disasters and I was absolutely horrified and embarrassed. One attempt was on a woman who had a gigantic pulsating vein on her hand that would seem to be impossible to miss - hit a valve. My second attempt on a patient I must have completely blown through the vein because her hand swelled up to the size of a softball. I felt sick. After many uncomfortable and embarrassing moments following these events, I think that I have finally gotten the hang of starting an IV. What a confidence boost!

I never thought that being only one month into my externship that I would have learned so much and gained so many basic nursing skills. I now think that I could insert a foley catheter into a women while blindfolded, prime and hang IV tubing and program a pump in complete darkness (and have had to on several occasions) and even gain a fairly good handle on doing a cervical check. I am so much farther than I would have expected at this time.

I guess this means that the goals that I had for this externship have been met. I wanted to do it this summer because I didn't want to spend my entire orientation as a new nurse trying to learn basic nursing skills while I should be focusing more on overall patient care and policies/procedures, etc. If anyone is having doubts or questions over whether they want to do an internship/externship—I would highly encourage you to do it. It is never a waste of time to have more practice! The confidence alone is invaluable.