I Passed

On Wednesday morning I took NCLEX, the nursing boards. I was so so nervous. With having a baby a month ago and being so busy with him and sleep deprived, I really hadn't put as much time and effort into studying as I had wanted to. This was the highest pressure test I have ever taken. It was $300 just to take and if I didn't pass it would mean that my entire college degree was pretty much worthless. I was so nervous I hardly slept the night before, and it wasn't all my baby's fault. I spent a lot of time praying for help. I knew I would need it in order to pass the test.

Also, for those of you not familiar with the NCLEX, it is a smart test. Meaning the more questions you get right the harder the questions get. If you answer a question wrong then you get easier questions. The test shuts off once you've either passed or failed (and it doesn't tell you which one it was until 2 days later). The minimum number of questions you can possibly get is 75, the maximum is 265 and you have 6 hours to complete the test. There is a test bank of thousands of questions so every person who takes it gets a different test.

My test took me just about one hour and the test shut off at 75 questions. When it shut off I completely felt like I'd failed. I've been told this is actually a good sign, everyone that passes leaves feeling like they failed. However, it's still not a good feeling to leave a test feeling that horribly about it.

I was completely relieved this morning to see an "ACTIVE" next to my name and an RN license with the Utah Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing. I have completely enjoyed the last few days, not worrying about studying and just hanging out all day with Chase. I'm also glad I don't have to go out and get a nursing job right away. I love nursing, but I love being a mom even more.