Graduation and Preparing for the NCLEX
Wow! You made it. You survived your surgical rotation without fainting each time the surgeon made the first incision, you saw many births, held a few hands while patients faced death and even when one or two let go and left this world. You emptied a lifetime's share of bedpans and urinals and now your favorite dream is anything that doesn't include hours of breathing sounds and heart sounds and bowel sounds.
Celebrate! You passed and now it's on to the real world of nursing. You may receive your pin and/or diploma in a private ceremony. You might also attend the graduation exercises for your school, but you are done!
The Nursing OathOne of the most common elements of nursing graduation programs is the Nightingale Pledge, often referred to as the Nursing Oath.
I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous and will not take or administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.
This pledge is an adaptation of the physician's Hippocratic Oath. It was written in 1893 by Lystra E. Gretter and a committee from the Farrand Training School for Nurses in Detroit, Michigan, in honor of Florence Nightingale and all that she had done to elevate the profession of nursing.
Preparing for the NCLEXAfter graduation, many students experience a withdrawal syndrome. After spending such an intense time with their classmates, not seeing each other on a daily basis can be difficult. If you use this time wisely to gather your former classmates together for group study sessions for the NCLEX, it can be advantageous in many ways. Not only does group study relieve the withdrawal symptoms, but it re-establishes effective study habits.
Many schools require students to take NCLEX preparation exams all along their course of study and some require students to pass a mock test in order to graduate. Taking these tests as you go along in school not only helps to prepare you for the NCLEX by sharpening your test-taking skills, but also serves to reinforce your knowledge and point out your weaknesses.
