THE GAME PLAN FOR SUCCESS IN BEGINNING YOUR NURSING CAREER
THE GAME PLAN FOR SUCCESS IN BEGINNING YOUR NURSING CAREER
By Giselle Melendez and Kelly Siciliano
The journey to graduation , passing the National Council Licensure Examination ( NCLEX ), and securing your first nursing job is like being on the football team that wins the Super Bowl . You are the star quarterback for your football team . It is your goal to bring your team through the regular season , the playoff games , and ultimately to win the Super Bowl . The regular football season can compare to the years spent in nursing school . Graduation is like winning the first playoff game . Passing the NCLEX is like the championship game that sends your team to the Super Bowl . Landing your first job is like winning the Super Bowl . As the quarterback , winning the Super Bowl secures you a trip to Disney World . Do not book the flights yet as there is much that must be done to prepare yourself for the transition into practice , to prepare yourself for the most magical place on earth .
The regular season , nursing school , has come to an end and the subsequent weeks will be filled with various emotions . You have pushed yourself to the limit learning and studying to get yourself to this point . Enjoy the moments of pinning and graduation . Remember to thank those around you who have helped you get to this point . You would not have achieved greatness without the help of many . Because of your hard work and dedication in a rigorous program , you have earned a spot in the championship game . This is the next step in the journey to getting to that Super Bowl game , your first nursing job .
After pinning and graduation are behind you , start preparing for the first championship game , the NCLEX . “ The NCLEX test plan reflects what new grads actually do in the workplace , while the difficulty of the exam reflects the knowledge a new grad must possess to work in today ’ s challenging healthcare environment ” ( Ng , Lilyquist , Sanders , & Parsh , 2015 ). If you want to be successful at the NCLEX , you must focus on test preparation as well as stress management . The NCLEX is the last touchdown you need to score before you head to the Super Bowl . Ng , et al . ( 2015 ) outlined eight tips to get you started on prepping for the NCLEX . These tips include understanding the test , studying daily , applying the NCLEX Test Plan , preparing for the test day by answering test questions to master the test experience , taking care of yourself , and being a little but not too anxious . It will be extremely helpful for you to develop a test preparation plan . Maybe there is an area of content that you are weaker in ; take time to review that content . The quarterback of a football team is always watching old films of games to review different plays .
Next , you must study daily for the exam , just like a quarterback goes to practice every single day to prepare for the big game . To be successful at the NCLEX you must set aside time every single day doing test questions and practice tests . “ A salient theme emerging from the data was the importance of understanding the question structure and using questions to prepare ” ( Bonis , Taft , & Wendler , 2007 ). When choosing a review book , it will be useful to have a book that gives the rationale for the content and incorrect answers ( Bonis , Taft , & Wendler , 2007 ).
It is the night before the playoff game . You have put in long hours of studying and are prepared . Do something this day for yourself to help you relax . It is okay to be nervous and anxious before the exam . “ A small amount of anxiety heightens the senses , making you more focused on the test questions ” ( Ng , Lilyquist , Sanders , & Parsh , 2015 ). Go to bed at a reasonable time and try to relax . The morning of the exam , remember to eat a good breakfast , the last thing you want is to be hungry during the exam . Food is fuel for the brain . Give yourself enough time to get to the exam site . Running late for the big exam will add to the stress , and you want to minimize any additional stress you can before the exam .
The National Council State Board of Nursing ( NCSBN ) ( 2023 ) is dedicated to developing psychometrically sound and legally defensible nurse licensure and certification examinations consistent with current entry-level practice . The NCLEX is like the referee in a football game , setting the rules and regulations to help you become a safer practitioner . Once you complete the exam , you must wait for your results . According to the NCSBN ( 2023 ), candidates may access their “ unofficial ” results two business days after taking the exam by logging in to the website . When the word “ PASS ” appears on the screen , you might cry , scream , jump up and down . Everything you have worked for has come down to that one word . Congratulations , you are officially a Registered Nurse !
Landing Your Dream Job Because of the nationwide shortage of nurses , finding a job may not be difficult . “ Before you accept and dive in , you should make sure that you ’ re taking a job that will support you in the transition from nursing student to nurse ” ( Perkins , 2022 ). The final game is approaching , and
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