Friday, June 21, 2013

Top 10 summer must haves

So in honor of the first day of summer, even though its felt like summer here for nearly a month already, I put together a list of my top 10 must haves for the summer. Not everyone may agree or think some of these things are a necessity so these are just things Im glad to have this summer, hopefully you'll find one or two you like and can add to your summer must haves!!






                               ~10 Summer Must Haves~
1. Summer Attire: It may sound silly but pools & lakes arent very welcoming to jeans and long sleeve shirts. A good swimsuit that will last you a few good summers is always nice however they can be a little pricey, victoria secrets sells some great ones especially if you have a larger chest like myself however just a top can run close to $50 if not more. Target is a great place for swim wear, I love target's swim section they always have great choices and way more wallet friendly. I always like to have a good swim cover up from a tank top or a dress. I have a Victoria Secrets Pink swim dress cover up from 3-4 years ago and I am getting in a Marley Lilly tank top that I think will be perfect for the pool. Where I live you don't wear a long sleeve shirt in the summer, even when it rains it is simply too hot, but for you in areas where it gets a little chilly at night a long sleeve shirt over a swim suit is always a good cover up, Marley Lilly makes an awesome spirit jersey that would be great for year around wear. 

2.Good Music: I don't think summer is complete without music, and for me I keep ALL my music on my iphone. I love being able to take it to my pool, lay out and zone out to some great summer jams or just putting them on in the car just makes it feel more like summer. So here are my favorite summer songs (so far) in no particular order: You should be able to find all these songs on Itunes!
~See you tonight: Scotty McCreery
~Wild in Your Smile: Dustin Lynch
~Cruise: Florida Georgia Line
~Crash My Party: Luke Bryan
~Running Outta Moonlight: Randy Houser
~All Over the Road: Easton Corbin
~Redneck Crazy: Tyler Farr

3. Sun Protection: Now I love to tan and don't really follow the best skin protection routine in the sun (yes I'm in healthcare and I know the risks). But Im not the worst when it comes to tanning, I space my days out so Im out every other day or every 3 days, I do wear some sun screen but its mixed in with my dry tanning oil, I wear sun glasses, and I have a hat I use at the pool. With that being said I tan really easily so I use Hawaiian Tropic dry tanning oil with SPF 8 or 12 and I love it, I also have their after sun lotion which is really nice especially right after a shower. I don't have any special type of sunglasses, I think I got the pair I currently use at Marshalls. The baseball cap came from Marley Lilly, they also have derby hats and beach hats but really any hat is good! I don't have a hat collection like some people.

4. Stay Hydrated: Water bottles are a god send in the summer, especially here where we see 100+ temps all day every day with no humidity. I've had my CamelBak water bottle for maybe two years, I got it to take to the hospital during nursing school. I think they run about $15 at target. You can find a water bottle for any need at walmart, target, sporting stores, ect. I love my CamelBak!

5. Soft Feet & Hands: I hate dry feet and hands, its just my pet peeve and since new grads can't exactly afford pedicures on a regular basis I do them at home. The true blue spa line from Bath and Body Works has some great products such as foot soak crystals and their new avocado butter foot lotion. I soak, exfoliate, then lather on the lotion and my feet always feel smooth, I do this maybe 2-3 times a week. I use the hand scrub from the same line followed by the hand lotion to keep my hands nice and soft. Soft skin any time is a must but even more in the summer! (Bath and Body works is also having their semi annual sale right now!)

6. Soft and Hydrated lips: This goes along with number 5 but I hate the feeling of dry cracked lips, it bugs me. I use a homemade lip scrub, you can buy ones from different companies but those usually run around $15 and up, I make one at home using sugar, honey, and a little coconut oil, works wonders and doesn't cost me anything. I have a billion chapsticks and yes I use them all, I have the nivea lip butter which is really nice for soft lips every day where without feeling sticky or heavy. I also use Hawaiian tropic's SPF chapstick, especially if Im out in the sun.

7. Painted toes (and nails): I really hate unpainted toe nails, I know Im weird, but I think toes just look better with some nail polish on them! Just my personal preference again, I love Essie polishes and right now I'm in love with "Your Hut or Mine" its an older color but a great bright pink for the summer! I also loved refresh mint from China Glaze! I know not everyone is allowed to paint their nails due to work, school, ect (I spent two years there) but I am now taking full advantage and painting my nails too! I love Essie's eternal Optimist, its a lighter pink that is more appropriate for a work place color. 

8. A good book: I had to giggle at this one a little because after nursing school I don't read for fun, its not fun for me anymore. But while I love to just lay by the pool and zone out to my music sometimes I'll lay around and read or at least try. Since I just graduated and Ive had this book laying around for a while I'm finally getting around to reading it, its "Your first year as a nurse" ya never know it may contain some useful information I didn't learn in nursing school, I'll let ya know.

9. A good workout routine: I don't know about you but come summer I am lazy and couldn't be more content to lay in the sun and do nothing. I need to try and get a stable workout routine back in place especially now that I have the time. Spending your down time or less busy time of year getting into good habits like exercise will help you keep them during the winter months. Try Zumba, or water Zumba if its offered in your area, hot yoga, or even just running (its too hot to run outside here).

10. EXCITEMENT!: Its summer go out and do something crazy and fun! Once we all hit the real world where you no longer get a summer vacation you'll wish you were back in college road tripping with your friends to a summer concert series! Take a road trip to a near by lake or beach, find a concert youve been wanting to see load up the car and go, try new recipes youve been thinking about for a while, have a cook out, do something on your bucket list. Just find something so at the end of the summer you wont feel like you wasted 3 months doing nothing.

Those are my top 10 must haves! If you have any summer must haves I'd love to hear them or if you feel I missed anything Id love to hear from you. If your looking for some of the items I mentioned check out the Victoria Secrets and Bath and Body Works semi annual sales going on right now, target is one of my favorite stores for just about anything from swim wear to skin care. Itunes should have all the music I listed, and anything Marley Lilly can be found here: http://www.marleylilly.com/
Thanks y'all!!


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Did I pass my NCLEX...........

Well as many of you know the last step in becoming a nurse was taking my NCLEX for a state license. I sat for my exam on Thursday June 13th, 77 questions and 60 minutes later it turned off and I was walking out of the testing center in tears. For those of you who dont know the minimum number of questions is 75 if your doing very well or very poorly they can shut the test off at any given point after 75. Despite everyone being so confident in me and giving me positive support I felt like I failed despite using the pearson trick to try and re-register for the test, my local board of nursing should have released my license number the next day if I passed, at least everyone else in my class who took the test found out the next day, and pearson wouldn't release my unofficial "quick results" that you pay $7.95 to get for two business days. So I pretty much spent Friday and Saturday along with the remainder of Thursday in a complete panic just wanting to know already! I'm pretty sure I drove my friends and family crazy with my constant obsessive checking on the board of nursing website to see if I had a license and continuous complaining but unless your a nurse and have gone through the agony of waiting to hear the results of your boards you have no idea what its like.

So finally pearson released my unofficial results on Saturday evening right before their website went down for maintenance, so at this point I was pretty much ready to throw my hands up in the air and give up. I was still trying the website with no luck on the board of nursing releasing my license number. So finally after the website came back up around 8 or 9 at night I caved and paid them the $8 for an answer, while the page was loading I genuinely thought I was going to throw up with a billion bad scenarios flashing through my head. Finally the page loaded and.............I PASSED. I never never felt more relief in my life! However I still needed that license number to update all my applications with different hospitals, Monday afternoon around 2 I finally had a license number! I am so glad I paid for my results, I wouldn't have made it till Monday afternoon not knowing!

Once I had that license number I was on the phone calling every hospital I had a standing application with to make sure they knew I now had a license number and was legally allowed to work as an RN! I was able to get a hold of one hospital through the phone, two hospitals let me change parts of my application online, and one hospital I still havent heard back from after leaving a message Monday and Tuesday. This hospital is one I would really really really like to work for so its a little frustrating not getting to talk to any body. I have about 6 weeks left in my lease here and I am really hoping I have a job offer before than so I am able to move and have a plan as of right now I'm kinda hanging out in limbo with no job and no place to live starting August 1st.

Like I said in a previous post I used Kaplan NCLEX review and loved it! I owe my passing to that review and highly recommend it! I also got a little congrats on Twitter from the one and only Dustin Lynch after passing so that sure made me feel pretty special! For anyone else taking their NCLEX right around this time or even in the next few months best of luck to y'all! I know its scary and intimidating but be confident in your schooling and knowledge base and remember to read every single question carefully, don't panic if your blowing through questions super quickly (77 in 60 minutes, I was so scared I went too fast), if it shuts off early it probably means your doing really good, it is ok to panic and freak out a little after everyone who has ever taken their NCLEX has been on edge till they knew their results and if they say they weren't they are either lying or didn't really care if they got their license or not.

For any of my fellow Dustin Lynch lovers here is a little motivation for the NCLEX, sure was a nice little pick me up, I prefer him to Ryan Goseling any day. Good Luck on your NCLEX!

Monday, June 3, 2013

Kaplan NCLEX review vs Hurst NCLEX review

Alright guys I hope everyone has been busy these past few weeks, everyone enjoyed their memorial day weekend (safely of course) and that everyone is now out of school for the summer! I have been out of school and officially graduated from college with my BSN (bachelor's of science in nursing) for about three weeks or so and I would love to say I have been deeply enjoying my summer so far but I have yet to actually have a summer break. Starting the monday after graduation I was back on campus for the first of 4 days for the Kaplan NCLEX review course I signed up for back in February. I was there 9-4 M-Th for the review and boy it was a whole lot of info crammed in. It seemed to be a universal week for nursing students as many of the people I follow on twitter were sitting in NCLEX review at the same time. Since then I have pretty much barricaded myself in my apartment and studied like crazy. I will be sitting for my license exam on Thursday June 13th at 2pm and all I have done is study study study, however my motivation is slowly decreasing and my desire to lay by the pool, tan, and shop for a new apartment are itching to come through. I am very ready to actually start having a summer and enjoying the first chance I have had off in over 3 years, I have always worked fulled time, been in school or a combination of both. So I picked the earliest possible test date I was comfortable with, I would also really like to start getting some job offers or at least a chance to interview, I have been turned down for several residency programs and it has really begun to discourage me. I also gave up my birthday to spend time studying (I celebrated my 23rd birthday on May 31) I really wanted to be in Louisville KY seeing Dustin Lynch in concert but license exam comes first =/

As far as studying for the NCLEX I know two major companies that provide a review course and countless books you can buy. I choose between Kaplan and Hurst review and I ended up going with Kaplan for several reasons. I also have the Saunder's NCLEX comprehensive review book but I honestly haven't used it, I bought it more for my HESI Exit exam and used it more for that. Both Kaplan and Hurst offer some great programs for NCLEX and this is just my personal reasons for choosing Kaplan, please if you are preparing for NCLEX look at both programs. I'm just gonna list a brief over view of the programs and the reasons I choose Kaplan.

Hurst NCLEX Review:
They offer a ton of content and when I saw a ton I mean a TON! They almost retake you through nursing school in 4 days with quick to the point overviews of important topics. We had the Hurst videos circulating through my program for several years and if you know someone from the semester ahead of you or a faculty member who had them then you more than likely got a copy of the videos. However I think the videos are some of the older review videos from several years ago, Hurst does keep updated with the latest NCLEX test plan to provide the most current information. I got a copy last fall and tried to use them to study for HESI. Needless to say I couldn't cram all that info into an already fried brain. The women on the videos is hilarious and she keeps you entertained. If you feel you need a content review hurst is the way to go. Watching the videos I had so many "ahah" moments where things just made sense and I felt like "Duh why wasn't it this easy sitting in adult health one and two?!" however they don't offer much strategy I felt and I need strategy. A teacher helping me to pass my HESI told me "your really smart you just forget really simple things like turn your patient, or you can't remember how to look at a question and answer it". I needed a strategy to take the test not a review of everything I learned in nursing school. The videos were helpful and I did have some "ahah" moments where all the pieces fell together but they didn't provide me with enough strategy. I also went off the program people in the semester above me used because all of them passed their NCLEX the first time around (my school has an incredibly high pass rate for the NCLEX I think its like 98 or 99%). No one really used HURST before so I was a little unsure, this semester though quite a few people did sign up to take the review (I wasn't one of them).

Kaplan Review:
I choose Kaplan because everyone from the semester above me took Kaplan and passed the first time, they offered me a strategy or a way to think during the exam, I was going to get a zillion practice questions (Hurst offers practice questions as well), I got NCLEX testing area specific review videos, for example one area is health promotion and maintenance, if your getting lower test scores on that area you can watch the review videos that only deal with health promotion and maintenance. This I really liked because you weren't reviewing cancer, or renal disease, or pregnancy, you were reviewing areas the nclex tests on like activities of daily living, mobility/immobility, nutrition, ect. You can also download a free book from kindle/amazon that goes along with the videos (hurst gives you a physical copy of their book during the review). I liked Kaplan's decision tree process and I really felt their thought process and the way they teach us to approach the exam was really helpful and suited my needs. You also got a book with Medication to know for NCLEX which I was in love with because I am weakest in pharmacology.

Overall the price for either review is around the same and they both offer a money back guarantee that if you fail the test they will refund your money. I really liked Kaplan and I recommend it to others but I also recommend hurst,when I get asked which I prefer I'm honest and tell them Kaplan suited my need for a strategy and a way to approach the exam. I ask others to think about what they need, do they feel comfortable taking exams and can knock any test out of the park (I have huge test anxiety and this is NOT me) but they struggle retaining the content from nursing school. Or are they one of those people who retains the info no problem, can repeat things verbally at the drop of a hat and does great with hands on stuff like clinical (this is me I am great at clinical and verbally explaining something) but when it comes to taking an exam you freeze up and you can't remember if a patient should even be breathing or why they are turning blue. Then I recommend one based on their response. I am really satisfied with Kaplan and I have friends and people on twitter who love Hurst. Please if you have any questions about either review or studying for the NCLEX in general leave a comment below or find me on twitter @Ellie_Mae0103 & ask me!
This is the little book I take every where! I love it and I really hope it helps me improve in pharmacology



*I was not paid my Hurst or Kaplan for my opinion or review of their product, this was my thought/opinion of the different 
 reviews offered for NCLEX.*


***UPDATE: I will NOT send anyone the videos that were shared with me and fellow classmates from an instructor. They are not the recent videos and the information does change especially with recent changes to the NCLEX. If you feel one of the these courses will benefit you in your NCLEX journey I highly recommend signing up for one of them. They do offer a money back guarantee should you fail the test. Please DO NOT ask me to send you the videos, I will not do it. Thank you