#nclexready

Today I woke up and fully expected to have a good study day. Well things didn’t go in my favor and I needed to have some time to myself. I decided going to sit a coffee shop and reviewing was better than the other options I had. 

I was feeling angry and stressed and I just wanted to run away. I tried to remind myself that I am more than just my emotions and thoughts, and that I needed to do an opposite action of what I was feeling (thank you DBT skills). 

I packed up my stuff and drove to downtown and tried a new coffee place. I looked them up online before I came and I saw that they had the vibe I was looking for. When I walked in to order, I could feel the peace flood over me.

The barista was sooo nice. I told him about my upcoming test and how I was nervous and trying to stay calm. When I got my latte, he had wrote encouraging messages all over the cup. It was so nice to have support from a complete stranger, and honestly it really changed my emotions and day. I felt so much better and was happy that I had took the time to myself and found a place that I can at least review information at. 

The barista eventually came outside to talk and I can only say it was a message from God that it is going to be ok. I told the barista how nervous I was and he just encouraged me with such blind faith. It reminded me that I need to give myself the same blind faith in my abilities as well as in God. 

Normally I would never go and study at a busy coffee shop, let alone when I have to sit outside and have a lot of distractions (thank you lofi beats on Spotify for tuning out the world). But I know I need to keep myself mentally and emotionally calm, and this was my only option. 

I need to work on my boundaries and not letting people walk all over me. Now more than ever I am longing for my own apartment. For my own mental sake and healing, I need my own space. At the same time, I can hear God telling me to release my need for control and to just let Him take care of everything like He always does. 

I know it’s going to be ok, but my dependent personality disorder tells me otherwise because of my chronic low self esteem. I need to keep reminding myself that I can do amazing things and to believe in myself no matter what. I need to put my mental health first. I am worthy of all the good things that are going to come my way. I am loved by many. I am confident in my abilities and critical thinking skills as a nurse. 

Chapter 17: Theories of Growth and Development 

(development, health promotion)

Study guide focuses on:

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory

Lawrence Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory

and of course, Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Theory

As always, a mini quiz is provided at the end! 

So my therapist and I agreed it would be best if I self-isolated till I take my test. We really had to decide between the lesser of the two evils.

On one hand, going out to coffee shops, being around people and getting out of the house was really helping me in all aspects of mental health. I wasn’t feeling alone and it gave me something to look forward to.

On the other hand, if I get sick before my test and the testing site doesn’t let me in, I will probably die on the spot. I don’t think mentally it would be good for me to wait any longer to take this test. 

I am ready to take my NCLEX. 

My therapist seemed really happy with my progress and my acceptance of my dependent personality disorder. I am feeling happier, less anxious, and more confident. She loved my use of positive affirmations and proactive about easing myself into what the environment might be like when I take my test.

I’m taking my practice tests with a mask on, headphones on, and I’m going to see the testing center before the date of my test. 

I really want to work at a little coffee shop. Something about it makes me feel so at ease. Just thinking about making lattes, seeing people come in, making something I enjoy, it just really makes me feel complete. I would be so happy with just a little part-time job, one day a week, just as a way to do something I enjoy that isn’t stressful. Coffee and barista stuff is an interest of mine, and I would love to make it a hobby as well.

Tomorrow is the day. 

I have been keeping myself busy all day in order to stave off the anxiety from making me have a complete meltdown. I went to my coffee shop, the testing center, the library, the store (had to get some snacks to have available during the test), and then I made sure that my car was filled with gas for tomorrow. 

I have been watching Bob’s Burgers a lot and listening to lofi in order to keep me calm and distracted. It was also nice to do something that wasn’t so draining mentally. It was nice to just watch tv and laugh while listening to calming music. 

I will admit that there was one point in the day where my heart was pounding hard in my chest, but I did what I could in order to distract myself and become calmer again.

I know I’m going to pass this test. I also know that some anxiety is going to be present..and that’s ok. I would be more concerned if I wasn’t worried at all. I’m actually pretty concerned as to what to wear there. They say to dress in layers, but from my visits I know that the air works perfectly haha. I was thinking of wearing soft leggings and a T-shirt and also bringing shorts just in case. I know it is trivial, but I want to make sure I am comfortable so I can focus.

I can’t wait to have the letters RN after my name. I also can’t wait to not study for once in my life haha.

Here’s a detailed video of how to make your own NCLEX 2020 study plan

The Next Generation NCLEX is out and it’s making even the most diligent nursing graduates nervous.   

But, you don’t need to worry, because today, I’m here to tell you everything you need to know about it to pass it with flying colors.

Nursing students everywhere are (pretty understandably) feeling overwhelmed by the Next Generation NCLEX, and thousands of them have already failed the exam.

So, if you’re also feeling overwhelmed by the changes that are taking place, I want to tell you that this is normal and that you have come to the right spot to learn everything about the NGN, from the new question types to the updated scoring system. 

After this episode, you'll know exactly what to expect when taking the Next Generation NCLEX.

Are you ready?

Hi, Joanne here (but you can call me Nurse Jojo)!

Welcome to the very first episode of our brand new podcast, NCLEX Ready.

My goal through this podcast is to help you achieve your dreams and become a nurse. And I’ll be doing so by sharing my best tips with you every week.

In this first episode, I share with you my own personal journey. 

I haven’t had the best of times trying to pass the NCLEX. In fact, I failed it twice before I was able to pass it.

You see, I was born with hearing loss in both ears, which means I had to learn in a more visual way. 

As a visual learner with a short attention span, lectures were a hundred percent not my thing. Still, I survived nursing school. I went through the NCLEX lecture and reviewed the thousands of pages of the NCLEX review book. I did it all. 

And yet, I still ended up failing twice. 

So, suffice to say, after the second time, I was pretty defeated.

But I wasn’t ready to give up on my dream of becoming a nurse just yet.

Instead, I decided to create my own method to study for the NCLEX and pass it.

Listen to this first episode of NCLEX Ready to discover everything you need to know about my journey.