Latest / The Shift Podcast / 124. Navigating Test & Interview Anxiety

Transcript

124. Navigating Test & Interview Anxiety · The Shift Podcast

0:00
Welcome to Frontline Static, we will get to hear interviews with
0:02
some of my clients journeys of getting into flight and how they
0:05
utilize coaching to help them create success of getting hired
0:08
with less confusion and more ease.
0:10
Make your dream a reality of getting into flight.
0:12
Listen in as you hear some of the stories of the people
0:14
getting there and come join the Flight Prep group.
0:17
Welcome to podcast episode 124 of How to Become a Flight Nurse.
0:22
This episode is going to be one that you want to listen to and
0:27
replay and lean into. This week I'm going to be
0:30
talking about testing and interview anxiety.
0:34
This is something on the weekly basis I am talking to people
0:39
about both inside my programs and on my social media and in
0:44
emails. Testing for healthcare and
0:48
interviewing is something that we are constantly, constantly
0:52
bombarded with and I think that this is something that I have
0:55
actually become really good at. So this week I want to share
0:59
with you some tips on how to do really well and in testing and
1:05
an interview and environment. I want to start out by saying
1:09
that this is really common. I experienced a lot of this, but
1:14
I really, I think found the tools to help myself evaluate
1:18
each testing situation and interview situation and I
1:22
created a plan for myself to succeed and successfully
1:28
accomplish either a test or an interview.
1:30
I think I'm a really, actually really good interviewer.
1:33
This is what I coach on and teach on a lot in my program,
1:38
inside the flight prep Academy and inside my one-on-one
1:40
coaching that I do with my clients.
1:42
And I also can say to you that I am a bad test taker.
1:48
I am really, really not good at multiple choice and it takes me
1:53
multiple times to pass tests. And because I do know that about
1:56
myself, I have created a plan that has helped me create
1:59
success for any tests that I take.
2:02
And so I'm going to share with you guys a little bit about the
2:06
mindset, my tips and tricks that I use and how to really set
2:11
yourself up for both testing and interview anxiety and to really
2:16
successfully pass them and complete them and receive offers
2:20
after interviews. So the main thing that I want to
2:24
first start out by talking about is a lot of people, when they
2:28
come and talk to me, the problem, the most number one
2:31
problem that they're having is getting out of their
2:33
interviewers head and back into theirs.
2:36
Meaning they're having thoughts of I don't know the right thing
2:39
to say. I don't know what they want to
2:41
hear. And so they're trying to
2:43
navigate these interviews in a way where they're trying to be
2:48
someone that they're not and trying to deliver an answer that
2:52
they think that person wants to hear.
2:54
And so really all of these things I, I hope will help you
2:58
get out of their head and back into yours, help you with Austin
3:02
authenticity, help you really showcase who you are, what you
3:06
value and the team player you are.
3:08
And these other things that I'm going to talk about today are
3:11
testing, testing tips that will really help you bring yourself
3:15
back into guiding yourself of like, what are you really good
3:19
at? What are you not good at?
3:20
Being able to evaluate, being able to help yourself in the
3:23
situations or in the test taking that you're not good at.
3:27
So for example, I'm not good at multiple choice.
3:29
And I'm going to tell you how I evaluated that process, what I
3:32
walked myself through, and how I've learned to overcome that
3:35
piece of it. This is really important for
3:39
those of you guys listening because in healthcare or
3:41
especially as a nurse, testing and interviewing is something
3:45
you will do your entire career. It starts out before nursing
3:49
school. You got to take the tease test
3:50
for most nursing schools. And so it's a testing, it's a
3:55
testing realm already. Then you get into nursing school
3:58
and you're testing both in clinicals and inside the
4:03
classroom. And then you got to take your
4:06
boards, which is a huge test that you have to overcome and
4:09
take. And then after that you move
4:12
into interviewing and interviewing for your position
4:15
for the department that you want to work in.
4:17
The people that I work in are trying to interview so well into
4:21
a critical care position that they've never had time and
4:24
experience in before. So how do you do that?
4:27
And so having really good interview skills is key.
4:32
And then after you go work into critical care or your working
4:35
your department, it's continual testing, whether it's a CLS,
4:39
BLS, PALS and RP doing national certifications or testing out in
4:47
other areas that you are constantly being held
4:50
accountable for as a nurse. Then after you move out of
4:53
critical care, you are interviewing and testing for a
4:56
flight nurse. So most flight nurse companies
4:59
are requiring a critical care test and then a panel interview
5:02
and a case scenario. So that is like another testing
5:05
where you're using all of those things that you're kind of
5:09
learning both in in verbal case scenarios and in a testing
5:16
environment of multiple choice or fill in answers or being able
5:20
to verbalize your answer. I'm seeing some flight companies
5:23
move to verbal critical care test where they're reading you
5:26
the answer and then you're just having to verbalize they're
5:30
reading you the question, you're having to verbalize the answer.
5:32
So oral testing and then after you get into flight nursing, you
5:38
are going to have case scenario testing.
5:41
Most of the time it's going to be verbal.
5:43
Other times you are going to have a mannequin or something in
5:46
front of you. So you do simulations.
5:49
And then you all also are held to a high accountability of
5:52
continuing to test for all of your certifications that you
5:55
have to hold your BLSACLS, PALS, NRPTPATC and then eventually
6:02
your CFRN. So because of this, I want to
6:07
help you guys create success in this testing and interview
6:11
realm. One thing that I want to start
6:14
out with before I go over things that have helped me is one thing
6:19
that I want to offer you guys is to stop resisting what you're
6:24
not good at and create a plan to overcome it and compensate for
6:30
it. One example that I want to give
6:32
you, and I want to be completely transparent with you guys.
6:34
That's something that I feel like I am.
6:36
I value is transparency and integrity is just be honest with
6:40
yourself about what you're I'm not good at.
6:42
I am not AI am I'm a really, really good interviewer.
6:46
I can convey and stay in my head really, really well.
6:49
But what I'm not good at is on paper multiple choice,
6:54
especially electronic test taking.
6:55
And we've just moved into a realm of where most
6:58
certifications are electronic now.
7:01
And so for example, my NCLEX, it took me 3 times to pass it.
7:08
I took it locally and I didn't pass it.
7:12
I think I got all, I think there was like 150 questions right for
7:16
your NCLEX. I got all of them and I didn't
7:18
pass it. I took it the second time in a
7:22
different facility locally and I got 75 questions, I think, and I
7:27
didn't pass it. And then I was like, OK, I, I,
7:30
I'm going to try this. This time I went to a different
7:33
area of the state, spent the night the night before and a
7:38
hotel room was nice and relaxed. Showed up at a different testing
7:41
center, got all 75 questions. It cut off and I passed it.
7:46
So the NCLEX took me 3 times. I felt like I I was a really
7:51
good nursing student. I I just had to keep telling
7:55
myself this is an indicator of me passing off nursing school,
7:59
not an indicator of how I was going to be as a nurse.
8:01
Then my CCRN after working ICU for four years, I'm trying to
8:07
think when I took it, I think I took it after my second year of
8:10
working ICU. It took me 3 times to pass that
8:13
as well. And so I just know I'm not a
8:16
good test taker. And then when I got into flight
8:19
and they required the CFRN, it took me 8 times you guys to pass
8:23
it. And each time that I evaluated
8:29
it, I had to tell myself, this does not mean that I'm not a
8:32
good flight nurse. This actually did not mean that
8:35
I didn't know the material. It just meant that I needed to
8:40
evaluate and take these these online tests differently.
8:43
And so I'm going to tell you what helped me create success
8:47
for that. But the key thing with all of
8:50
this is that you cannot, you have to stop resisting what
8:54
you're not good at. And you need to get really clear
8:57
what you are good at. And So what I mean by resisting
9:00
is I had to stop telling myself that because I didn't know
9:04
multiple choice that I didn't, what first came up for me early
9:10
on in my career was like, oh, I don't know enough.
9:12
Like, oh, I'm not going to be good at this, but when I stopped
9:15
resisting that it didn't mean anything about me as my nursing
9:19
skills or me as a person. Then I could evaluate and figure
9:23
out how do I tackle these tests where multiple choice isn't my
9:28
Forte, where multiple choice isn't the thing that I'm really
9:30
good at. OK, so I want to offer you that
9:33
first, drop the resistance. Tell yourself and be transparent
9:37
and honest. What are you good at?
9:40
What are you not good at? I am really good at interviewing
9:43
face to face. I am not good at Test taking
9:46
online multiple choice when it's electronic.
9:49
So just get really, really clear on sifting out what are you good
9:52
at? What are you not good at?
9:53
OK, things that helped me #1 this is what I've already
9:58
alluded to. Get clear on what are your
10:01
strengths and what are your weaknesses?
10:04
What is it that you have to bring to the table?
10:08
So an example of this for me is I got really clear at I know
10:13
this material. I know it in patient settings.
10:18
I know how to apply what I am learning in the real clinical
10:24
setting. What I am not good at is
10:27
multiple choice. And so get really clear on what
10:29
you're not good at, what your strengths and what your
10:31
weaknesses are in interviews. Get really clear at hey, my
10:37
strength is I can get I can stay out of the interviewers head and
10:41
in my head because my thoughts are always like, I'm going to
10:45
always figure it out when I have doubt.
10:49
I know my resources. I know how to get to know
10:54
people. I know how to showcase
10:58
everything that I am because I know how to use examples.
11:01
I know how to draw on examples. I know what I value.
11:04
And so I'm going to share that with them.
11:06
I know how to confidently boast about myself and also let them
11:12
know that I don't know everything and I'm willing to
11:16
really, really work for it, figure it out, learn, continue
11:22
to ask out mentors and to seek out resources and people.
11:28
Be really clear at what you're not good at.
11:30
I told them I get really bad testing anxiety.
11:33
I'm not really good at multiple choice, but I am really good at
11:36
evaluating and asking for help. So get clear on what are your
11:40
strengths, what are your weaknesses, what do you have to
11:44
bring to the table specifically? And whatever your weaknesses
11:47
are, what are those? How are you, how are you
11:51
evaluating and how are you growing those things?
11:54
So I always told them in my interviews because I am a poor
11:58
test taker on paper. I always have a tutor.
12:02
I hire someone before I have to do any tests and I meet with
12:06
them. We verbalize, we go over
12:08
questions, we practice them. For me, since I'm for test
12:12
taking and multiple choice, for me the best way to practice
12:15
because I know the material is to just do lots of questions.
12:19
So for example, if my question, if my test is 150 questions, I
12:24
will just every day leading up to it for a week before do 150
12:28
questions and it's a repetition of that.
12:30
I also look, what's really helpful for me is I also look at
12:35
the rationales and why if I got it wrong or if I got it right,
12:39
why the rationale is that way. So it's repetition of doing
12:43
questions for me and all in one sitting.
12:46
So for example, if the test is 150, I'll sit down and finish
12:49
all 150. And I'll also go through the
12:52
rationale. So I know that that's really
12:53
helpful for me. So that's number one.
12:55
Get really clear on what your strengths and your weaknesses
12:57
are and stop resisting what your weaknesses are.
13:00
OK, Number two things that have helped me with test taking and
13:05
interview. Go through the questions that
13:10
you feel uncomfortable to answer or that you feel unsure about.
13:14
For example, if you are nervous about them asking about you
13:19
jumping from department to department.
13:21
So sometimes people come to me and they've worked multiple
13:24
departments and they've only stayed somewhere a year or less
13:27
than a year, but they have like 5 on their resume.
13:29
If you have doubt about that or uncomfortable answering that,
13:33
that's the question you need to practice.
13:36
So wherever the question is that you feel uncomfortable for them
13:40
to ask you, that's the one that you want to get really clear and
13:45
confident in answering For everybody.
13:47
That is something different. For me, going into my flight
13:51
interview, the number one question I was nervous about
13:53
answering is that I have only ICU experience.
13:56
I don't have any Pete's experience and I don't have any
13:58
pre hospital experience. So I had to get really
14:01
comfortable and clear on how I was going to answer that.
14:05
And especially the the the questions that you that you're
14:09
nervous about them asking. You want to practice that orally
14:13
with someone else and go through it in your head so that you are
14:16
really confident about it and sure and practice it.
14:20
OK, go to your worst case scenario guys too.
14:23
Like this is where you want to go.
14:25
What's the worst case scenario? What's the what's the worst case
14:27
scenario that could happen in my interview And I want you to
14:29
practice that for a lot of people.
14:30
It's like what if I don't know? What if they show me a 12 lead
14:34
and I totally blank? What if I don't know?
14:37
So you want to go through your worst case scenario for me every
14:41
time. One thing that I want to offer
14:42
you with worst case scenarios and something if, if your worst
14:45
case scenarios, I don't know, they just want to find out what
14:49
your resources are and how you answer it.
14:51
In fact, in flight interviews and if you have a really good
14:55
interviewer, both in flight and in critical care, they want to
14:58
get you to an, I don't know, answer because they want to see
15:02
how you're going to answer. They want to see how you're
15:04
going to deal with it under the pressure.
15:05
They want to see what you're going to do.
15:07
So what I want to offer is go to your worst case scenario and
15:09
then also think about if you don't know if that is your worst
15:13
case scenario, go to your resources.
15:16
OK, Let's just say for an example, we use a 12 lead.
15:19
Oh my gosh, you totally blank. You're like, I can't, I'm
15:22
blinking. I know how to read 12 leads, but
15:25
for right now, I'm blinking. So if I do blank and this is
15:28
real, what I'm going to do is I'm going to use my resources.
15:31
I'm going to look at my protocol book.
15:33
I'm going to look it up on my online tablet or whatever I
15:38
have. Whatever I go to, I'm going to
15:40
ask my partner and just say, hey, I'm blanking right now.
15:45
Help me with this 12 lead. I'm going to ask the sending
15:48
physician, receiving physician. I'm going to call my medical
15:51
director. Once I get that information.
15:53
I can also phone a friend, someone else who is in flight,
15:57
my base lead. So just give all of your options
16:01
of how you would work yourself through that and say, you know,
16:07
be just transparent. I don't know.
16:09
But if I didn't know in that situation, this is what I would
16:12
do and name off your resources. They just want to know how are
16:15
you going to handle, and I don't know, answer and they want to
16:18
get you to that. They want to see if you're going
16:20
to fold or they want to see how you're going to react.
16:22
So you're definitely going to want to brainstorm how you're
16:25
going to answer that. So for me, for that question, I
16:27
would say, hey, I would ask my partner first.
16:29
Hey, I'm totally blanking on a 12 lead.
16:31
Remind me. And if my 12 lead, if my partner
16:34
totally forgets, then I'm going to utilize my resources, my
16:37
protocol book. And I'm going to look at that
16:39
and then we're going to review that together.
16:40
And if I still have questions on reading that 12 lead, I'm going
16:43
to call my medical director and I'm going to talk to my medical
16:45
director about what's going on with my patient, with their
16:47
diagnosis, what they've given them.
16:49
And then we're going to workshop that through together.
16:51
So just know what you're going to go through if you have an, I
16:55
don't know, answer or for the questions that you feel
16:57
uncomfortable or that you're nervous about them asking you.
17:00
OK, that's number two. Number three, stay out of all or
17:06
nothing thinking. When you are taking a test or
17:09
when you're in a pressure situation of a interview, our
17:13
brains like to go into all or nothing thinking, meaning they
17:16
like to offer us these such thoughts, Oh, I really know
17:19
everything or I completely don't know anything.
17:22
And when we're in these situations, we want to stay out
17:26
of the all or nothing thinking. So we want to find what's that
17:28
thought right in the middle. For me, whenever I'm in a highly
17:32
pressurized situation, instead of letting myself go into all or
17:36
nothing thinking, my go to thought is I'm always going to
17:39
figure this out. So when you have a question that
17:43
they ask you in an interview or when you're in a test taking
17:46
environment where you know most of these tests are timed and you
17:49
have only have a certain amount of time, instead of letting your
17:52
brain go to I don't know anything, you want to go to the
17:56
thought that's going to bring you right in the middle of I
17:58
know everything. I don't know anything.
18:01
And for me, that thought for me is I'm always going to figure it
18:04
out. This new thought that I'm
18:06
actually playing with and working with when my brain wants
18:08
to offer me like you don't know anything or you know, or like
18:13
you're confident and, and all of these things is this is the plan
18:17
and I'm going to stick to it. This is my plan.
18:20
And if I don't know how, if I, if my plans not working, I'm
18:24
going to modify my plan and then I'm going to continue on with
18:27
the plan that I modified. So this is, I always will figure
18:31
it out is a go to thought that I've always gone to.
18:34
And then my new one right now I'm working on is this is the
18:36
plan and I'm going to modify and keep continuing to work the plan
18:40
until I get the results that I want.
18:42
And so I want to offer you stay out of all or nothing thinking
18:45
and then decide ahead of time what your thought is so that
18:49
when you get in the test and you start to have doubt or the time
18:52
starts to run out or they ask you a question in an interview
18:55
and you have no idea what the answer is.
18:57
What is your thought that's going to bring you right in the
19:01
middle? What's the thought that's that's
19:03
right in the middle of I know all the things, I don't know
19:06
anything. And what is that thought that's
19:08
going to help you when you have the doubt that you can go to?
19:11
But the key is you have to decide this thought ahead of
19:13
time. An example I want to give of
19:15
this is in a coding situation. I know maybe if this is your
19:20
first couple codes, you're thinking, I don't know anything.
19:22
I don't know what to do. OK.
19:23
But after you've seen multiple codes and after you felt the
19:27
pressure of it, you most likely are not continuing to tell
19:31
yourself, I don't know what to do.
19:33
You're continuing to work the plan.
19:35
So whatever that thought is that you're feeling in a coding
19:38
situation that continues to take steps forward and work your plan
19:43
and critically think, whatever that thought is, that's the
19:46
thought that you want to use. And for me in a coding
19:48
situation, I'm always thinking, we're going to figure it out.
19:52
And so that's the thought that I like to use.
19:53
But you have to decide what's that thought that you go to when
19:57
crap is hitting the fan with your patient and you have to
20:00
continue doing. You're not going to give up.
20:02
You don't usually go into all or nothing thinking in those
20:04
situations. Not not when it's happening.
20:07
Maybe afterwards you do, but not when it's happening.
20:09
So what is that thought that you go to in the critical
20:11
situations? That's the thought that you want
20:13
to use in the interview. That's the thought when you want
20:15
to use when you start to have doubt in the interview and or
20:17
during the test. OK, it's #3 #4 I'm going to say
20:24
this a couple times a different all different ways.
20:29
If you fail, if you do not pass a test, if you do not get an
20:34
offer in the interview, do not make this mean anything about
20:38
you. What happens is most people when
20:41
they fail a test or they don't get an offer in an interview,
20:46
they tell themselves these following thoughts, I'm not good
20:49
enough, I'm not smart enough. This isn't my time.
20:53
It's not meant for me. And that is the furthest from
20:56
the lie that your brain can offer you it.
21:00
That's a cop out. Your brain is offering you.
21:02
These are the moments where you have an opportunity to not make
21:10
this mean anything about you. If you did not believe that this
21:15
meant anything about you, if you did not believe that this wasn't
21:18
your time or you weren't meant for this, then you can evaluate
21:24
it, You can grow from it, and you can try again.
21:28
But when you make it mean something about you, then you
21:31
give up. You quietly pull back, you give
21:34
up, you wait longer. I see this all the time.
21:37
I see people not pass a test for flight or not get their first
21:42
offer in their first interview, and then they make it mean that
21:45
it's not meant for them. This isn't my time.
21:47
I'm not supposed to do flight. And then they pull back.
21:50
These are the moments where you want to lean in.
21:54
These are the moments where you want to double down when you
21:59
don't make it mean something about you.
22:01
Then you can completely, from this point of view, evaluate and
22:04
get better. You can say, OK, what went
22:07
really well on this test? What didn't go well, What do I
22:10
want to do differently? When you take the meaning out
22:14
that it's not anything about you, then you can evaluate this
22:17
critically and then you can tackle it again, tackle the
22:21
test, tackle the interview again, knowing what you want to
22:24
do differently. So this is huge.
22:27
When you don't pass, when you don't get the offer, it means
22:31
nothing about you. Flight is still meant for you.
22:34
You are smart enough, you are good enough.
22:36
It is meant for you. It is meant for all the people
22:38
who continue at it and who want it.
22:41
If you want it, it will happen for you.
22:43
So I want to be really clear with this one.
22:46
This is huge. I think this is also what I'm
22:49
really good at. This is my superpower.
22:51
When people would yell at me when I didn't pass a test.
22:57
I think what I became really good at over time is not making
23:01
this mean well. You're a bad nurse.
23:03
You're a bad flight nurse. You're not.
23:05
You're not. You're really not good at this.
23:07
I really like my superpower. Was just saying, oh OK, I could
23:12
see how I really messed up on that and I could also see this
23:15
criticism even if they're yelling at me in my face how how
23:19
they could see that and maybe what I could do differently to
23:22
prevent for that for the next time.
23:23
And I think that's what made me continually the better was being
23:28
able to take the criticism, whether it was constructive or
23:30
not, and look at it and say, oh, OK, what can I do differently so
23:34
that maybe we don't have this misunderstanding next time?
23:37
Or maybe I can't explain this in a different intonation or have a
23:42
smile on my face. And that's a big thing for me.
23:45
Like when I'm really thinking, I didn't have a smile on my face
23:47
and people would say, oh, you have RBF and I'm like, oh, I'm
23:49
so sorry. Like nothing about you.
23:51
It's just I'm really thinking. And so that kind of feedback
23:54
that I got from people, whether it was good, bad, ugly, I really
23:59
became the person who just like started to maybe put a little
24:01
bit of a smile on my face. And when I was really thinking,
24:03
I would think out loud so that they knew meant nothing about
24:06
them. So this is a big thing, not
24:09
making it mean something about you.
24:11
I know this is really hard for you guys to do, but if you can
24:14
get yourself to, the thought of this isn't anything about me.
24:18
This is time for me to evaluate what went well, what didn't go
24:21
well, what do I want to do differently.
24:23
Take the criticism and move on from it.
24:25
This will really, really, really help you in your career.
24:28
It will help you constantly grow.
24:30
It will help you be better. And after you do this, it will
24:34
help you solidify a plan of how to move forward both for your
24:37
test and for your interview so that you can keep on going at
24:43
it. OK, this leads me to #5
24:46
troubleshoot for what you're not good at.
24:50
So when I stopped, dropped the resistance that I'm not good at
24:53
multiple choice. And I am also not good at
24:56
electronic test taking. Some things that, and I didn't
25:00
make it mean anything about me as a nurse or as a person.
25:03
Some things that I implemented that worked for me, it took a
25:06
little bit of trial and error, but that some things that I
25:09
implemented when I could troubleshoot it from that point
25:12
of view was I would always, this sounds really silly, but for
25:17
electronic tests, a lot of them like your CCRN, your CFRN, you
25:22
can do a brain dump. They give you I think a whole 8
25:26
by 11 1/2 paper. And So what I would do in the
25:31
first, I don't know, 10 minutes, however long it took me, I would
25:36
brain dump everything. AB, GS, sepsis, everything that
25:41
I had to pH levels, everything that I had to remember, I would
25:44
brain dump it onto that one piece of paper.
25:47
And I would take however much time it took me to brain dump
25:50
it. So that's what helped me.
25:51
That way I could reference it whenever I wanted and I didn't
25:54
need to be thinking about it when the question came up.
25:56
So everything I memorized, I'd brain them onto that paper.
26:00
What I would also do for multiple choice questions, for
26:03
however many questions there were, I would write ABC and D
26:07
for every single question. And then I would go through and
26:10
I would mark off, OK, it's not A, it's not B.
26:12
And then that would help me bring it down to at least two
26:16
questions or two answers that I thought were the best answers.
26:19
So I would do that ABC and D write that down for every
26:21
question. Another thing that I learned to
26:24
do with having a tutor was I learned that my brain wants to
26:29
read the whole question and then like try to find the answer.
26:32
And that really didn't work for me for multiple choice.
26:34
So after some trial and error, I found out what really worked for
26:38
me was to read the answers 1st with multiple voice, multiple
26:42
choice. And this doesn't work for
26:43
everybody, but I I figured this out.
26:44
For me, I read the answers 1st and then I would read the
26:50
question. And that's what really helped me
26:52
create better success because I found I was really good at
26:57
deducting it down to the two best answers, but then I would
26:59
always choose the wrong 1. So what helped me with that is I
27:02
would read the answers 1st and then I would read the question
27:07
and that helped me have a better idea of which one to pick
27:10
between the two. So I'm not saying do all of
27:14
these things or implement these things.
27:15
I'm just saying I was able to troubleshoot it and get to these
27:19
ideas with multiple choice and electronic test taking with my
27:23
tutor after I stopped making it mean something about me.
27:27
So troubleshoot with someone I, I want to offer you troubleshoot
27:32
with someone outside of you because they can help you see
27:36
what's maybe going on with you. This is something that I do as a
27:40
coach with the people that I'm working with, both for
27:42
interviews and for test taking. Troubleshoot with someone that
27:46
that you trust that will be honest with you and can help you
27:50
look outside of what's going on in your brain and then create a
27:53
plan. OK, Number six, actually I kind
27:56
of bled this into number six. Number six is utilize a coach or
28:00
mentor to create that plan. So I hired a tutor for
28:05
everything that I did in flight because of my testing anxiety.
28:09
So before I did simulations, we had to do 4 patient simulations
28:13
a year and then we had to be tested on them verbally with a
28:15
mannequin. I would create a lot of testing
28:18
anxiety for that. So I hired a tutor before I did
28:20
that annually and we practiced, we verbalized, we walked through
28:24
them, and we created a systematic process.
28:26
And this is a systematic process that I teach inside the flight
28:28
Prep Academy to go through verbal case scenarios and how to
28:31
walk through them. And then we also created a plan
28:36
for everything that I just told you about for online test
28:39
taking. And that's how I eventually
28:41
created success and passing my CFRN.
28:44
So utilize a coach or a mentor that can help you create a plan.
28:49
OK, last one, number seven, this is really important.
28:54
You have this plan and your brains going to tell you to pull
28:57
back and #7 is execute this plan by trial and error.
29:05
Be willing to keep at it and be willing to fail.
29:10
Be willing to be messy. Be willing to do C minus work
29:13
until you can get the result that you want.
29:16
Be willing to commit to going all in until you pass the test
29:20
or until you get the interview and you get the offer.
29:23
This is the most uncomfortable thing because most of you guys
29:27
who are going for these big things are now comfortable with
29:30
where you're at. You're comfortable with being a
29:31
critical care nurse. You're comfortable with being in
29:33
the ICU nurse or the ER nurse who people go to.
29:36
You're the resource. You feel really good about the
29:38
job you're doing, your schedule, your pay, all those things.
29:42
When you make the commitment to go to the flight, you're making
29:45
the commitment to seek discomfort.
29:46
You're making the commitment to be uncomfortable, to be a
29:49
beginner again, be willing to be messy and fail and lean into it
29:54
and to work the plan over and over and over and over again
29:58
until you get it. You guys, this is what made me a
30:01
good flight nurse because I was willing to create a plan and
30:04
when the plan didn't go right, I was willing to be flexible,
30:07
modify the plan, and always figure it out until we got
30:10
there. I was willing to trust myself,
30:13
trust my pilot, trust my partner that together we would get it
30:16
done. And there's multiple times where
30:19
I could have given up for lots of flights and we didn't.
30:23
We kept pressing forward because getting the patient to that next
30:27
facility was going to save their life.
30:29
And I know you guys know this, especially you guys who who
30:31
worked through COVID, you know, there was a lot of situations
30:35
where if we would have left them at the sending facility, they
30:39
would have died. And maybe when we transported
30:41
them, they were going to die. But the best chance that we
30:43
could give them was to put them on that helicopter and get them
30:46
to the to the higher level of care.
30:48
And so there's going to be moments where you're going to
30:53
want to give up. And I want to tell you, be the
30:56
person who doesn't messy, who commits to figuring out and
31:00
commits to doubling down when it gets uncomfortable, seek
31:04
discomfort. And I promise you, you will
31:06
create the result that you want. And when you figure that out, I
31:10
have a nice little testing spot. Now that I figure that out, you
31:14
will become unstoppable. There will be nothing that you
31:17
will fear doing. And now when tests come up, I do
31:22
not fear them. I lean into them.
31:24
I'm willing to do trial and error.
31:26
I'm willing to fail at it. And when you become the person
31:29
who's willing to fail, you can do anything.
31:33
And I want to offer you, this is the work that we are doing
31:36
inside the Flight Prep Academy. We are evaluating, executing
31:41
plans, going through it over and over and over again so that you
31:45
do not keep making the same mistakes in your interviews and
31:49
you do not keep making the same mistakes in your test taking.
31:51
If you want to create confidence for yourself for every interview
31:55
situation, for every test taking situation, come join us inside
31:59
the Flight Prep Academy. This as a nurse, you will
32:01
constantly be doing and you can create in a plan that you can
32:06
work through all the way to the result that you want to create
32:08
all the way to a flight offer. And then you will get to the
32:11
support the whole way, especially in the moments that
32:14
you want to pull back. All right, you guys, that's it.
32:17
I hope this helped you think about how you can create success
32:21
for yourself in critical situations, in test taking and
32:26
in interviews. And if you want to create a plan
32:29
for you that is going to give you the confidence in every test
32:33
taking situation, in every interview interview that you
32:36
will ever be in, join us inside the Flight Prep Academy.
32:39
This is what we're doing. We are getting people hired in
32:41
the first flight interview. And that's not because they have
32:44
all the time and experience and their most knowledgeable.
32:46
It's because this is the work that we're doing every day.
32:48
And we're creating a plan so that they can get there and they
32:51
can show up confidently in their first flight interview to
32:53
receive an offer. All right, you guys, that's it
32:55
this week. Thanks for joining me on this
32:57
week's podcast. I will see all of you guys next
32:59
week. Bye episode sparked your
33:02
interest into getting into flight.
33:03
Come join my flight flight group.
33:05
We are an entire community that meets together on a weekly basis
33:08
with an ongoing group chat. And if you are already flying
33:11
and you are currently a flight nurse or flight medic, you can
33:13
join my all flight clinician group as well.
33:16
You can click on the link to join in the show notes or you
33:18
can DM me on Instagram. I hope to see all of you guys
33:20
inside.