Walk with Confidence Towards NCLEX Success
Teresa M LaFave, NP, MS, RN
Nursing students experience anxiety, stress and self-doubt as graduation approaches and the reality of NCLEX is no longer an unreachable dream. Time management becomes a challenge with juggling responsibilities of final exams, completing clinical preceptor hours, submitting care plans, rehearsing for graduation and squeezing in time for self care. Sleep – who needs it? Students are simply waiting to exhale during the crunch time that is inescapable during the final stretch of their nursing program.
I'm here to tell you that you can survive. Below are some tips to help you escape the madness as you prepare for NCLEX success.
Set Your Mindset to Positive:
Give yourself permission to take a break from the whirlwind of graduation and celebrate the tremendous accomplishment of surviving nursing school and achieving a long held passion. Take time to sleep, eat a healthy meal and learn to enjoy life without a nursing textbook. After five days, your energy will be restored and your mind receptive to organizing content. Let go of all negative thoughts, self doubt and insecurities and replace them with positive thoughts, confidence and motivation. It's helpful to surround yourself with positive people and avoid the negative naysayers.
Prepare Time to Review:
Now that you have a positive attitude, it is time to say no to people/things (the laundry can wait) and yes to yourself. Schedule time in your daily routine to review content and answer test questions. Before selecting a review course to help you organize essential content, it's best to identify your learning style: audiotory, visual and/or tactile.
The best review is one that approaches all learning style, provides test-taking strategies, adheres to the most current NCLEX Test Plan and is taught by an NCLEX specialist, but once a review course is completed, preparation for success doesn't end there. Testing your knowledge with test questions helps identify your areas of strength and areas to improve. Test questions also improve your analytical skills, application of knowledge and priority-setting abilities.
Appointment to Test:
It is best to secure a test time that is no more than three months following your graduation date. When selecting a date and time for the examination, consider your most alert time of the day: early morning, mid-morning, afternoon, or evening. Once a date has been established, plan a play date with yourself the day/night before the exam to prevent anxiety on the day of the NCLEX. Indulge in a massage, enjoy music therapy, dance, exercise, play with a pet, watch a funny movie, etc. It may also be helpful to not disclose your test appointment with anyone in your life, even your closest loved ones. Their well-intended concern for how and when you study may only increase your anxiety.
Day of Test:
A few days prior to the test, take a test drive to the testing site to avoid undue stress related to construction, detours, traffic and parking issues. As your exam begins, take a deep breath and approach each question with calmness and confidence.
Believe in your journey that included graduation from your nursing program, completion of a review course taught by NCLEX specialists, familiarity with the NCLEX Test Plan and mastery of test-taking strategies. Questions on NCLEX are created to determine if you are a safe and effective nurse.
You May Begin:
Success on NCLEX is an invitation to a profession that will impact the lives of others, including your own. Continue the journey and remember what it feels like to be a nursing student. One day you will have the opportunity to help another student achieve his/her own success.
Teresa M LaFave, NP, MS, RN is a Nursing Education NCLEX Specialist with Assessment Technologies, Inc. (ATI) ATI offers a comprehensive array of NCLEX review programs.
www.atitesting.com
