The problem is that I am scheduled to take the NCLEX on December 11th. I am overwhelmed by the things I've forgotten in the last 18 months, and more seriously, by the things I never learned, which I need to know in order to pass. American RNs do several activities that British RNs do only once qualified, after on-site training such as giving IVs and taking arterial blood gases. They do other things that British nurses either never do, or do only after taking on advanced qualifications, such as auscultating chest sounds. I did know this, having lurked around on several nursing sites before I started training. So I knew that I would have to make a big jump up to the exam level. Thousands of nurses from all over the world do it every year. What I did not expect, was to have only 8 weeks in which to do it.
The practice books I have are full of sample questions, many of which I am getting wrong. I have met a wonderful neighbor who is an RN and now a lecturer on the faculty of UT school of nursing. She came over the other morning and talked with me for two hours about the exam and how to practice for it, and what items are most important.
What annoys me is that many of the things I need to learn are things which I would have expected to learn at the University of Surrey, but did not. Things like the normal lab result ranges for blood counts, and the side effects and contraindications for the 50 most commonly used medications. I can't really remember what we did instead of all this. I remember multiple lectures on various NHS and Department of Health initiatives, on the benefits of socialized medicine, and repeated labs on how to move patients safely, to avoid injuring ourselves and - presumably - lawsuits for our employers.
will post some more cheerful photos this weekend.
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