Okay, it has been a while since my last Contract #8 update and to be honest, not a lot has happened! I am still waiting for my On-boarding team to reach out from my agency. They usually reach out and start the process 4 weeks prior to my start date and since I signed my contract 6 weeks out from my start date, I don’t expect to hear from them until end of this week/early next week.
While I wait, though, my recruiter went ahead and sent me info on what test(s) I will be given on my first day of orientation. Now, if you have been following along on this travel nurse adventure, you are fully aware of my EXTREME test anxiety!! My recruiter is also aware, which is why she is giving me ample time to study and prepare.
Most hospitals have tests! Wether they are administered online prior to arrival or once I get there, I have never had a hospital not require some sort of anxiety inducing test. Some tests are nursing basics and end up being easy peasy, but some truly test my knowledge and are on subjects that I may not encounter regularly as an endoscopy nurse. But like ALL nursing tests, they are always tricky and remind me of my licensing exam (NCLEX). So, wether I feel like I know the subject matter or not, test taking is just not my favorite and I STUDY and prepare as much as possible to help reduce my anxiety and to make sure I know that I did my best.
Some hospitals will give me study guides to help ”guide” me on what I need to know, other hospitals just give me subject matters that will be covered in the exam. The latter is always the worst, but either way, I study study study!
With this being said, I have never failed a hospital test and I am determined to keep that winning streak alive!
So, this is what was sent to me! The test is an arrhythmia test… not surprising given my specialty!
There are 22 rhythms on my study guide… Some are the basic nursing knowledge ACLS type of rhythms that I get tested on with every contract, but there are also a lot of rhythms that I don’t see on a regular basis! This test will also be different in the fact that it is strictly identify rate/ identify rhythm… No word scenarios or questions about interventions, not even a word bank to spark the memory.
For these kinds of tests, I find that flashcards are my best friend! I have a set of ACLS flashcards that I made over 10 years ago and still use them every time I have to renew my certification. I can’t even count how many of my fellow nurses have borrowed them and also used them for their exams as well! They are worth their weight in gold and because I continue to run into these arrhythmia tests with every hospital I work at, I decided to make Rhythm flashcards!
With my new gold flashcards done, it’s time to study!
Keep following along as I get one day closer to starting Contract #8 and another crazy amazing Travel Nurse adventure!
