You must be thinking, this Lecturer Guy will surely pass any exam he appears because studying and teaching are his jobs. I am writing this article based on my experiences when I had not passed my NCLEX and I was not a Lecturer in Health Sciences. In other words I was in the same situation as you are today. I know many students who have passed NCLEX and I know many who did not make it. This article is based on my experiences as a Registered Nurse, A Teacher, and a Nurse Practitioner.
First, you really need to decide if you want to pass NCLEX. Many students fail because they are not motivated to be successful. In other words, they do not invest enough time and resources to be successful. If you are desperate to be successful, you will succeed. If you are not sincere about wanting to succeed, do not waste your limited time and resources. Failing an examination is de-motivating and demoralizing, you become the talk of the town for a negative reason. The failing will stay with you for the rest of your life. So, the first step to success is to deciding to succeed. Once you have decided to succeed you need to make an action plan to succeed.
The first decision you will need to make is to apply to sit for NCLEX and you must choose when you are going to write the examination. The target date must be clear. You need to visualize yourself writing the examination on that day irrespective of the rain and snow.
Now you need to set a realistic goal. We all know our weaknesses and our strengths. You are, most probably within the normal range of people who is not too smart and not too stupid. Be prepared to study the areas which are not your favourite, you are weak in these areas because you dislike them and therefore you have not been paying the same amount of attention to these areas. I had the most amount of problems with Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics. My strengths were psychiatric nursing, medical and surgical. So be prepared to spend more time studying what you have ignored in the past. You will not pass if you are not motivated to succeed.
Next, you need to decide which text to buy. There are hundreds of choices. This is a very important decision. Settle for one good text. I chose Mosby’s. Lippincot’s is equally good. Both of these have proved track records. They come with a self test CD which will further evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. You must do the self assessment under test conditions for the results to be useful. I do not recommend too many texts because too many texts sometimes confuse the issues.
Now you need to start with enthusiasm. Starting a habit is sometimes difficult. Set your study time, stick with it through thick and thin. After about a week, sticking to it will become easier and enjoyable. Also, by now you should be able to see some gains from your studies.
At the end of week one of study, your pace and confidence should be increasing. Of course there will be times when you will be feeling down, there will be times when you will be feeling artificially high. Whenever, you do well in the self assessed tests you will feel good. Use this energy to push your energy and motivation to new “highs”. If you do not do too good you may feel down. You need to kick yourself and remind yourself that you have passed many examinations before and you are not going let this happen now.
No matter what you do, please disassociate yourself from failures. You do not want to hear them tell you what they want to tell you. Remember, if you associate with failures, you will be a failure. Let me tell you one other thing, if you are looking for a successful partner you need to hang out with successful people and you will find yourself a partner who is successful. If you hang out in bars etc. you will find yourself a good alcoholic. You can interpret what a “good alcoholic” is for yourself! Many successful businesses deals are made on the golf course. It is not helpful to know why one failed. It is more productive to know how one passed.
Now, time is flying by. Some days are really good others are really bad. This is the norm. No need to loose sleep. Continue on your chosen path. Think of the benefits of passing the examination, better job, more income, being close to loved ones, getting the job which you really wanted all your life. All I wanted was a house and a Cadillac. So, get a picture of what you will gain from passing NCLEX. It is a great motivator. It will make you work harder, stress will disappear and there will be bountiful energy.
Buy Nursing Journals, look at the jobs you would qualify for, the income you would earn and the place where you would like to live. Good holidays, more time off and $40.00 per hour, This is not a meant feat.
Visually look at the result sheet. You have passed. A few more weeks and it will be over and you will be able to harvest the benefits of your hard work.
Now, you are in the examination hall. You are familiar with the question types. You will note that some of the questions are very similar to the ones you have been doing. Some will be more difficult, other will be more difficult. Use the rule of thumb, go for the safest situation for the patient.
When doing the examination, try and mimic your study conditions. For example, if you usually study after a cup of coffee have your cup of coffee for the examination too.
Passing NCLEX is a big deal. It will change your world. Say good-bye to poverty, unemployment and welfare etc. Say hello to respectable and enjoyable employment.
Remember, you want to pass this exam. You want the good things in life, you want to contribute to the advancement of humanity. You have to be prepared to make sacrifices. The rewards, you are going to get far out weigh the efforts you are putting in. Good Luck with your new job and newly found economic freedom.
