In 2003, detectives hunting one of the most prolific serial killers in American history needed something they didn't have: someone who could read an ICU medication log. The case came down to Amy Loughren, a night-shift ICU nurse. Jon Haws RN breaks down what she actually did as a clinical skill set — reading the data behind the patient, trusting a pattern over a person, speaking up inside a culture of silence, and being competent at 3am when nobody's watching — and why every one of those skills is what nursing school is building in you right now. Plus: the new true crime podcast from the NURSING.com team, MURDER ROUNDS — the healthcare killer cases told with real clinical insight, starting with the full Charles Cullen story. Follow Murder Rounds wherever you listen. Keywords: Amy Loughren, Charles Cullen, The Good Nurse true story, nurses who caught killers, nursing assessment skills, Murder Rounds podcast.

It's the night before nursing school. The scrubs are laid out, the bag is packed — and around 10pm the thought shows up, the one you haven't said to anybody: "What if I'm not smart enough? What if they made a mistake letting me in?" After twenty years and hundreds of thousands of nursing students, Jon Haws RN says the things nobody says out loud: why you didn't sneak in (admissions doesn't make sentimental mistakes), why feeling behind on day one is the design and not your deficit, why your "before" life — waiting tables, the office job, motherhood — counts as arriving with skills rather than starting from zero, why your reasons don't have to be noble, what to do when people in your life get weird about your growth, and why showing up scared counts completely. No study tips tonight. Just the truth, the night before. Save this episode — play it before every semester. From NURSING.com. Keywords: night before nursing school, starting nursing school scared, am I smart enough for nursing school, nursing school imposter syndrome, first day of nursing school, career change to nursing, nursing school as a mom.

Start NURSING.com for free at: NURSING.com

It's 0645, you're outside the unit, and your brain is forty open tabs. The next five minutes decide whether today is a shift or a shipwreck. Jon Haws RN shares the exact 5-minute pre-shift routine he ran before every ICU shift of his career — and taught every student he precepted: Minute 1, the story (why is this human in this bed today?). Minute 2, the numbers that matter for THIS patient. Minute 3, lines and meds. Minute 4, three real questions that change how the whole building treats you. Minute 5, the one thing you verify with your own eyes. Plus the near-miss that created the routine, the night-shift variation, and why competence is a system, not a talent. FREE printable checklist card in the show notes — sized to fit behind your badge. Keywords: nursing clinical preparation, pre-clinical checklist, nursing student clinical tips, how to prepare for clinical shift, nursing report sheet, clinical day routine.

#nursingclinicals #nursingstudent #nursingschool #clinicals #studentnurse #futurenurse #nursingschooltips #firstclinical #nursetok #brainsheet #newnurse #rnstudent #nursingschoolhacks

SIMCLEX.com (start free — first 15 questions free)

Failed the NCLEX? Nobody tells you what happens next — not your school, not your program, nobody. Jon Haws RN walks through the exact 45-day retake roadmap: reading your Candidate Performance Report, why most retakes fail on format (not content), and how repeat test-takers turn a fail into a pass. Start a SIMCLEX free — first 15 questions on us at SIMCLEX.com. Keywords: failed NCLEX, NCLEX retake, candidate performance report, NCLEX fail what next, computer adaptive test, NCLEX simulation.

Start a FREE SIMCLEX at: SIMCLEX.com

That 98% NCLEX pass rate on your school's banner is real — nobody's lying. But 98% of whom? Jon Haws RN does the math admissions tours skip: how attrition and exit-exam gates shape pass-rate statistics, why programs protect the number (the incentive, not the people, is the monster), and the one question that reveals more than any brochure: "Of students who START, how many graduate and pass first try?" Plus the mindset shift for students already in a program — your school's predictor answers THEIR question; you need your own answer — and the playbook if you're blocked at an exit-exam gate right now. Not an attack on schools. A field guide to the system you're standing in. Get your own independent read: start a SIMCLEX free — first 15 questions on us at SIMCLEX.com. Keywords: nursing school pass rate explained, nursing school attrition rate, exit exam nursing school, HESI ATI benchmark blocked graduation, how to choose a nursing school.

#nursingschool #nursingstudent #futurenurse #nclex #prenursing #nursingschooladvice #hesi #ati #exitexam #nursingschoolproblems #choosingnursingschool #studentnurse #rnstudent #nursetok

Start a FREE SIMCLEX at: SIMCLEX.com

The screen goes black at question 75. You're certain you failed. You cry in the parking lot, you google "shut off at 75 did I fail" forty times, you grieve for 48 hours — and then: PASS. This story happens to thousands of nursing grads every cycle, and this episode explains why. Jon Haws RN breaks down how the NCLEX's adaptive algorithm is designed to make EVERYONE feel like they're drowning, why the better you're doing the harder your test feels, why a minimum-question shut-off is a neutral signal, and the parking-lot protocol for protecting your next 48 hours. Feeling dumb in there is often literally the sensation of passing. Make the shut-off boring before test day: start a SIMCLEX free — first 15 questions on us at SIMCLEX.com. Keywords: NCLEX shut off at 75, did I fail the NCLEX, NCLEX shut off at 85 did I pass, computer adaptive test NCLEX, NCLEX good pop up, NCLEX anxiety.

#nclex #nclexprep #nclexrn #shutoffat75 #nclexanxiety #newgradnurse #nursingstudent #nclex2026 #testanxiety #nextgennclex #nursetok #futurenurse #nclexstudying

TRY NURSING.com FOR FREE AT: https://nursing.com

The most-requested episode in the history of this podcast — completely re-recorded and updated for 2026, with a FREE printable study template. Jon Haws RN breaks down the 5-step system for passing any nursing school exam: studying the test before the content, turning objectives into questions, retrieval over re-reading (highlighting is banned), the 3-2-1 spacing method, and rehearsing real test conditions — the step that separates knowing it from proving it under pressure. Plus the worst exam of Jon's life and what it taught him about why hard-working students fail. Free template in the show notes. Prepping for boards? Start a SIMCLEX free — first 15 questions on us at SIMCLEX.com. Keywords: how to study for nursing school exams, nursing school study tips, study less score higher nursing, nursing exam study plan, retrieval practice nursing school.

#nursingschool #nursingstudent #studytips #nursingschooltips #studentnurse #futurenurse #nursingexams #studygram #studytok #nclexprep #nursingschoolhacks #medsurg #rnstudent #nursetok

Try SIMCLEX for FREE at: SIMCLEX.com

A 79.4. Passing was an 80. "I don't round." If you've ever felt like a nursing instructor was looking for a reason to fail you, this episode is for you — no instructor-bashing, just the truth about why subjective clinical grading keeps hurting good students, and the exact 5-move playbook to protect yourself: documentation habits, email trails, appeal deadlines, and how to fight with a rubric instead of emotions. Jon Haws RN shares his own story of being the student who stopped raising his hand — and the message from a 34-year-old career changer that inspired this episode. You belong here. From NURSING.com — tools built for the students the system isn't serving. Keywords: nursing instructor unfair grading, nursing school grade appeal, clinical evaluation unfair, failing nursing school by one point, toxic nursing instructors.

#nursingschool #nursingstudent #nursingschoolproblems #futurenurse #studentnurse #nursesoftiktok #nursetok #nursingschoolstruggles #clinicals #nursingclinicals #gradeappeal #nursingschooladvice #rnstudent #nclex