Resources for Success

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Nursing School Success

Learn to think like a nurse and improve your learning, test scores and skill application with our practical, holistic tools and coaching.

Success begins with learning how to think like a nurse.

Nursing School Success

Your success is in more than test scores. NCLEXRx coaching will give you the resources, practical tools, and holistic support for your success.

Coaching will help you:

improve your learning,
improve your study practices and test preparation, and
apply what you learn in the nursing lab and clinical simulation.

Invest in Your Success

Coaching is $75 for each one hour session: a small investment for the keys to your nursing career. Click here to purchase coaching.

Let's

talk!

Nursing School Success Stories

Dr. Thompson, I PASSED Med/surg!!!! I am so over the moon and happy. Thank you so much for the study tips and test-taking strategies you helped me with this semester. It worked!

Cassidy J.
I have already been able to benefit from what I learned. My thinking patterns, organization and test anxiety are improving. I no longer panic about NCLEX.

Coleen M.

NCLEX Success

Assure your NCLEX success with expert coaching. I work with you to evaluate your readiness and create a plan for you to prepare and be confident in your ability to pass.

My approach focuses on fostering critical thinking and active learning strategies to ensure success - Cheryl Thompson, DNP,RN.

NCLEX Success

Struggling with NCLEX can be overwhelming. Personalized NCLEX coaching with evidence-based strategies uniquely tailored to you can assure your success.

Whether you’re planning to take the NCLEX for the first time or you’ve failed NCLEX, coaching will help you.

With coaching you will:

identify what is interfering with your best performance,
improve your ability to learn and understand what you are learning,
improve your study practices and test preparation, and
apply what you learn in NCLEX questions.

Coaching can benefit any nursing student but is exceptionally helpful to anyone struggling with NCLEX.

Virtual and Individualized One-on-One Coaching

I have more than 30 years of experience as a nursing educator, having adopted a ‘guide on your journey’ approach to teaching. I will help you learn to think like a nurse so you can apply what you have learned to NCLEX questions.

Invest in Your Success

Coaching is $75 for each one hour session: a small investment for the keys to your nursing career. Click here to purchase coaching.

Many clients are able to achieve NCLEX success with two coaching sessions:

Session 1: Craft an individualized plan for NCLEX preparation

Session 2: Assess NCLEX readiness

Coaching will help you understand and overcome your NCLEX hurdles.

Beat test anxiety
Understand what went wrong if you failed the NCLEX
Identify knowledge gaps
Adopt strategies to teach yourself to understand and remember content.
Create a study plan calendar
Identify lifestyle practices that support learning and performance success

Retaking the NCLEX

If you’re here because you have failed the NCLEX, you’re not alone. In the U.S. 10 to 15% of nursing school graduates fail the NCLEX on their first try. On the second try, less than 50% of test takers pass.

You may believe you need to study more and work harder than you worked to prepare for the NCLEX the first time, but repeating the same methods often leads to repeated failure.

So, what steps should you take to pass the NCLEX? It’s a good idea to explore better strategies. Expert guidance can make a significant difference in your chances of success, whether you had the minimum or maximum number of questions on the exam.

Start by exploring the resources below, including a free tip sheet. Then, set up a free 15-minute consultation to find out if individualized coaching is right for you.

Let's

talk!

Resources for NCLEX Success

If you have failed NCLEX and aren’t ready to commit to coaching, get Dr. Thompson’s book, Overcoming NCLEX Failure: A Guide to NCLEX Retest Success.

NCLEX Meditation Audios

These meditations, referenced in Overcoming NCLEX Failure: A Guide to NCLEX Retest Success, will help you manage your NCLEX Success self talk.

Managing Test Anxiety
Mediation Change your NCLEX Success Mindset
Meditation Empowerment
Meditation Improving Focus for Test Taking
Meditation Study Session Focus

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Buy the Book

Your step-by-step guide to pass the NCLEX in one book. Whether it’s your first test or a retake, don’t get left behind! Buy the book today!

Start your success journey here.

NCLEX Success Stories

I didn’t pass NCLEX and had the maximum number of questions. I could not have figured out on my own what to do. Dr. Cheryl taught me how to prepare and on my second attempt, I passed with the minimum number of questions. I could not have done it without her.

Adam M.
My practice tests showed that I wasn’t ready and didn’t know what to do to get better. Dr. Thompson coached me and helped me to see exactly what I needed to do to pass. And it worked! I’m an RN!

Alex R.
I did not pass NCLEX on my first attempt. I had been confident that I was ready. Thankfully I heard of Dr. Thompson and reached out to her for coaching. She helped me see exactly where I had fallen short, and I passed on my next attempt.

John L.
I wasn’t your typical new graduate who didn’t pass NCLEX. I inadvertently let my license lapse and had to take NCLEX to get relicensed in my State. Dr. Thompson coached me using the methods outlined in this book. It worked so well, many years after finishing nursing school, I passed NCLEX to get relicensed.

Susan B.
I didn’t pass NCLEX and purchased Overcoming NCLEX Failure: A Guide to Retest Success. I didn’t need to use everything that was in the book. I didn’t have major knowledge gaps but I learned how to use QBanks to practice and also how to address my test anxiety. The methods worked. I passed.

Jimmy D.

Faculty Development

Enhance your nursing program, help students pass the NCLEX, and increase your program outcomes with curriculum consultations and faculty development.

Let's support and prepare the next generation of competent and compassionate nurses – Cheryl Thompson, DNP, RN

Throughout my career as a nurse educator, I have been dedicated to helping at-risk nursing students thrive. NCLEXrx.com grew when I developed a successful method for guiding students to improve their thinking and learning to achieve NCLEX success.

Over the years, I have worked with hundreds of students and nursing school graduates who were struggled and who overcame those struggles and are now thriving as licensed RNs.

I have found that an individualized, supportive and positive coaching approach is pivotal to success. My true passion is to equip aspiring nurses with critical thinking skills that transcend test-taking ability and support success on testing and in nursing practice.

I have numerous publications on the topic of supporting student and NCLEX success. I also provide Faculty Development for Schools of Nursing. My faculty development programs are tailored to assist nursing schools create and implement innovative teaching strategies that foster student success, meeting the needs of all students.

Curriculum

Consulting

• Design & refine curriculum • Align program outcomes with NCLEX readiness • Foster critical thinking

Through curriculum consulting, I empower nursing programs to exceed industry standards and equip graduates with the knowledge and skills required for success in the dynamic field of nursing.

I offer a range of services aimed at helping nursing programs thrive. Whether it’s conducting a comprehensive curriculum gap analysis or providing tailored solutions to enhance program outcomes, I am committed to supporting educational institutions in their mission to prepare the next generation of competent and compassionate nurses.

Relevant Publications

Thompson, C.W., Lutter, S., Pucino, C., & Thompson Buckland, S. (2023). Faculty coaching to support NCLEX-RN success. Teaching and Learning in Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2023.02.008

Abstract: Declining NCLEX-RN pass rates intensify the need to evaluate interventions to support NCLEX-RN success. This quality improvement project was conducted to analyze data about characteristics of students who received faculty coaching. Coached students (n=167) had a 90% first attempt NCLEX-RN pass rate. Achieving a pass rate of 90% among a cohort of students who tested at risk suggests coaching supports NCLEX-RN success. Students reported benefits from and satisfaction with the coaching.

Lutter, S.L., Thompson, C.W., & Condon, M.C. (2017). Tutoring for success: Empowering graduate nurses after failure on the NCLEX-RN. Journal of Nursing Education, 56(12), 758. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20171120-11

Abstract: Failure on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) is a devastating experience. Most research related to NCLEX-RN is focused on predicting and preventing failure. Despite these efforts, more than 20,000 nursing school graduates experience failure on the NCLEX-RN each year, and there is a paucity of literature regarding remediation after failure.

Curriculum Vitae

View Cheryl’s Curriculum Vitea and contact us to book a consultation today.

I will help you enhance teaching methods to support all students in developing clinical judgement skills and achieving program outcomes.

Faculty Development

Workshops

• Inspire teaching innovations • Elevate the quality of nursing instruction • Cultivate deep passion for nurturing critical thinking skills

Beyond Traditional Approaches

My faculty development workshops are crafted to equip nursing educators with the pedagogical tools and strategies needed to cultivate a nursing mindset in their students. I understand that the foundation of success in nursing education lies in the ability to foster critical thinking, clinical decision-making, and clinical judgment.

By participating in these workshops, educators gain insights into effective teaching methodologies that go beyond traditional approaches. These workshops aim to empower faculty members to inspire their students to think critically, make informed clinical decisions, excel in nursing programs, and confidently embark on their nursing careers.

Relevant Publications

Thompson, C.W., Lutter, S., Pucino, C., & Thompson Buckland, S. (2023). Evaluating outcomes of a critical thinking course, Teaching and Learning in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2023.06.018

Curriculum Vitae

View Cheryl’s Curriculum Vitea and contact us to book a consultation today.

Sample Faculty Development Workshops

The Power of Remediation: Brain Based Learning and Remediation as a Means to Foster Critical Thinking and Enhance Nursing Student Success

Learning Outcomes:

Differentiate the distinct characteristics of NCLEX readiness and NCLEX success.
Identify characteristics of students who demonstrate risk for NCLEX readiness and NCLEX success.
Describe educational, emotional and cognitive factors that influence NCLEX readiness and NCLEX success.
Describe the nuances of NCLEX testing that impact NCLEX success.
Develop skill for individual student NCLEX assessment to discriminate between knowledge gaps, testing strategy and test anxiety as contributing factors.
Describe active learning strategies that support knowledge retention for NCLEX success.
Identify program policies and curriculum factors that support NCLEX readiness and NCLEX success, identifying areas when enhancements can be made.
Discuss the elements of one on one faculty coaching as a strategy to support students who demonstrate risk for NCLEX success.

No Nurse Left Behind: Strategies for NCLEX Success

Learning Outcomes:

Describe the relationship between brain-based learning and remediation as a strategy to enhance the development of critical thinking thereby supporting nursing student success.
Identify strategies that inspire student self-determination in learning to support effective remediation.
Identify best practices for exam remediation.
Identify best practices for integrating remediation that aligns with competency-based learning.
Identify opportunities for program improvement in teaching, evaluation, remediation, and policy to support student success in competency-based education.
Develop a plan for early adoption of remediation to be incorporated throughout the curriculum.
Develop a teaching innovation to improve student engagement in remediation.