One more milestone

Yesterday was the big day. To become a registered nurse, you have to graduate from an accredited nursing program AND pass the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s RN Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) - known in my house as the Big Bad Boards.

The exam is only offered at a few testing centers in the state. The closest one for me was in Renton. Of course, they start it at 8am, which means everyone gets to deal with rush hour traffic to get there on time. Then you are photographed, fingerprinted, and all of your personal belongings are locked up. Sounds like jail, right? They give you a laminated sheet of paper & dry erase marker. You have the option of using their Kleenex and earplugs if you want them. You are fingerprinted again, then ushered into a room full of computer stations where you are monitored via audio, video, and in person.

The NCLEX is a computer adaptive test, which means if you answer a question wrong, it gives you an easier question. If you get that one right, it gives you a harder question. It keeps going that way until you have either shown that you are competent entry-level nurse, or you are too incompetent to be trusted with patients. You can pass or fail in as few as 75 questions, or as many as 265. As soon as you have proven your competence (or incompetence) it shuts off, giving you no idea whether you have passed or failed.

I tried hard not to watch the number of questions as I plowed through, because I didn’t want to freak out if I went over 75. But it gets harder not to look as the test goes on. The further I got, the more I wanted to be done. So when the screen went blank after #75, I felt a huge wave of relief. I felt certain I couldn’t have failed in so few questions. I raised my hand, turned in my notes, got fingerprinted for the third time, and was free to go. Still, I will be glad to get the results tomorrow online.

Next I wait for my license to be activated. Then I start orienting in my new job at the hospital. I’m sure this coming year will be a tough one, but I’m looking forward to the day, somewhere down the road, when I actually know what I’m doing!