Too tired to study

I did not go to the cyber café to study this evening. This was not the smartest thing to do—skip out on a night’s studying considering that my NCBSN 8-week subscription is valid only until November 2nd (the same evening as parent-teacher conferences). I ordered it back in September, but only recently have I kicked it in high gear by studying regularly with this online program. I wasted some of my weeks because I do not have Internet at home so I have to either stay after work or make special trips to the local cyber café, which is extremely hot and filled with mosquitoes. Plus, I have had some challenges with the user-friendliness of the program.

Just getting through the pre-test was a drama in and of itself. The very first time I took it, I accidentally hit the “back” key and that totally erased my test and answers. There was no way that I could retrieve my answers. I had to start completely over. The pre-test is 150 questions, so I had to leave it for another day.

Second time around, I logged on and saw a message about maintenance scheduled. I was at a cyber café and thought that the message was related to the computer I was working on. On shared computers weird things always pop up. You learn to ignore them. The third time it popped up I realized that the program itself was going to shut off because of scheduled maintenance to start in less than an hour. I was on number 30 with 120 questions to go. What luck? Since I had already made the effort to leave the house, I decided to stay and answer questions until the program forced me off. I do not remember what number it stopped on but I did not get to finish the pre-test that day.

On my third attempt, I made it through all 150 questions but the feedback report would not generate. The window was just frozen. The program did tell me that I scored around 50-something%, but the opportunity to view the report that lists those questions I answered correctly and those I answered wrong with rationales was lost. I had to redo the test again. This would have to be another day.

I finally did get through the test on my fourth attempt, but not because I retook all of it. I tried as best I could to recheck the answers from the first, second, and third attempts so that I could generate the feedback report, but I was tired. In the end, I just wound up checking any answers to get through the 150 questions. This time my score improved to 64%. I obviously did better with random guessing. This time I got the report.

This was actually the last time that I tested and a percentage was calculated. Since that time I have just been constantly answering questions. There is no post-test that I can take as a measurement of progress. Although, over the weekend I am going to take the time to do Mosby’s Comprehensive Review CD-ROM which has two comprehensive tests, 1 and 2. They are 265 questions each. I will take test 1 on Saturday and test 2 on Sunday. That should give me some indication as to where I fall percentage wise.

As far as NCBSN, I went from the pre-test to answering the questions in the back of the lessons. I skipped the lessons. Don’t worry. Before my subscription is over, I will go through them all. I just wanted to get straight down to the business of answering questions. I have made it through all the questions with the exceptions of Pharmacology 1 and 2, as well as Alternative Type questions. I have a 75-minute prep period tomorrow in which I am going to attempt to answer both 40-question long Pharmacology sections (that’s a total of 80 questions). I will tell you this: my speed has increased. That does not mean that I get them correct 100% of the time, but I am reading questions and answering options faster than I was before. The other night at the cyber café I finished a 40-question section in 30 minutes.

Another reason why I have skipped the lessons is that I have a hard time reading on the computer. No, it’s not an eye thing. I would prefer to print something out and read it off of paper. On the paper I highlight, make side notes, circle and connect key concepts and phrases. I make the content my own. With this program printing out lesson sections is not easy, so plan to spend some serious time with your computer in order to get through it.

I will not allow myself to feel guilty about not going because I am exhausted. I am doing the very best I can. I came in immediately from work and hit the bed. Last week was particularly challenging for me at work. We had a broken arm and a lice outbreak in both elementary and middle schools. A fourth grade student fell out of tree and break her wrist. I immobilized her wrist (a NCLEX practice question that I remembered, good common sense too), packed it in ice, and whisked her off to the best possible clinic available. Once the cast was set, I phoned her parents to tell them about using a blow dryer on a cool setting to relieve itching and to watch for swollen and redden fingers (another NCLEX study question). She came back to the school sporting her new cast and arm sling thanking everyone that saved her life. She's such a joyous student. Now, climbing the trees are forbidden during recess.

Then the next day when an accreditation inspector was visiting, we had a lice outbreak. So, the for the rest of the week I found myself systematically going from class-to-class checking student's heads. We have a small school (about 130 students) so this much excitement in one week had the whole campus abuzz.

This week is promising to be just as challenging because it is the last week of the first quarter. Report card grades are due next Monday.

To top it off my computer recently crashed and I lost all my grades that I had registered in my electronic grade book. So, I have to start all over from scratch entering each assignment and corresponding grade manually one at a time.

I wonder if nursing is like teaching. We are so overworked and underpaid. I could literally live in my classroom around the clock and there would still be things to do. It is a job that is never finished. Most days I have to force myself to go home. When my spirits are low I fantasize about my work life as a full-time nurse.Call it the grass is always greener syndrome perhaps. It is more than that really. I sacrificed a lot to get a second-degree bachelor’s in nursing and I am looking forward to working in my field. My test next month is the final step on a very long journey.

I am the preschool, middle school language arts, high school Spanish teacher, and school nurse. I am also a wife, mother, and NCLEX candidate for next month.