The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc., otherwise known as NCSBN, has raised the passing standard for the NCLEX-RN Exam. The new passing standard is -0.16 logits (the unit of measure for the exam) on the logistics scale. The standard is 0.05 logits higher than the previous standard of -0.21. The new standard takes effect on April 1, 2010. The standard is reviewed by the NCSBN Board of Directors every three years. The Board...  Read More »

The American Nurses Association’s Nurse’s Career Center has now joined the National Healthcare Career Network. The Network brings healthcare associations together to provide job placement and advancement opportunities, as well as career development tools, training, and possible scholarships. The network currently has more than 136 professional membership and trade organizations. If you’re in need of a nursing job, remember,...  Read More »

Marsha-Gaye Elson-Joseph, BSN, knew her nursing career could take her anywhere. Different facilities. Different units. Different states. The former TV news writer entered the industry because “there are a million different things you can do in nursing.” But she never expected her career would take her to a Kinko’s Copy Center. After a particularly frustrating day at her job as a per diem nurse at Jackson South Community...  Read More »

Instructors at Ridgewater College in Willmar, MN, are hoping parmesan cheese and lemon juice are two ingredients that will cook up many successful nursing careers. According to StarTribune.com, mixed together, the two create “vomit” in one of the many graphic simulation exercises in the college’s nursing program, which aims to expose students to the real-life aspects of patient care. Practicing the art of “moulage,”...  Read More »

By Richard Freedberg, RN, MSN, MPA My family is already asking me for advice! What should I do? Hmmm, only part of the way through nursing school and you are already being hit up for free healthcare advice. Anyone else out there running into this type of situation? Absolutely! This is a common circumstance. Think about your own experiences. There is a certain nice guy with construction experience in my family who saved me from disaster when...  Read More »

By Richard Freedberg, RN, MSN, MPA Have you ever had one of those days? You introduce yourself to the patient assigned to you in clinical, “Hi, I’m Rick, your student nurse,” and he or she responds, “Great, another rookie! I feel like a guinea pig! Why don’t you just go practice somewhere else?”  Your experience seems to plummet from there. What went wrong? How can you establish a relationship? How can...  Read More »

Time is winding down (doesn’t it just fly?) before graduation for our Last Semester columnist, Chelsea. In her last few installments, she has taken us through her search for a job and her thoughts after attending the National Student Nurses’ Association convention in Grapevine, TX. Today, she dives into her own personal nursing philosophy. How does it compare to yours? This past semester, we were given the task of defining our...  Read More »

After finding out several weeks ago that she was accepted into nursing school, Joye has had some trouble getting into the routine. Difficult professors, lots of work, and uniforms made the going tough for our friend in her last installment. Today, she fights the boredom of class and gets excited about the prospect of actually seeing some real patients. Let’s join her. It’s two years ago on October 6 at 9:07 a.m. Teachers drone...  Read More »