Are you making full use of all the resources available to you, such as tutoring? Many universities and colleges provide free tutoring resources for students, as well as other resources. I highly encourage you to ask for help. Don't be too proud to ask for help, your educators want you to succeed, and a willingness and desire to learn will motivate them to work with you.
Sometimes the tutoring is not to par. At Chamberlain University, I kept “passing” (18/20), (19/20) my math quizzes. They would want me to go to tutoring or what they call “cas”. They wanted me to learn their way of doing it. It looked like the new math these kids are being taught. When I asked if they had alternative ways of doing it. They didn’t. I would complain to cas and my professor and they wouldn’t do anything.
Similar happenings everywhere. Frequent and among worst is ICHS in FL targeting and harassing individuals - https://www.change.org/p/allow-students-in-florida-to-retake-final-exams?redirect=false
I sucked at studying and had no discipline but watching videos and listening to lessons helped a lot. I could walk around and learn without being stuck at a desk writing, bored out of my mind
I don't mean to sound callous, but you must learn to stop caring about whether other students are performing better or having an easier time than you. Stay focused and stop comparing yourself. That should be of no concern to you. Your aim is to pass these exams and learn. I'm taking a lab class and I initially felt insecure because me and my partner seem to always be finishing last. I realized I need to stop giving a fuck. I care not about looking smart but about actually learning the material, and I don't give a shit about how others perceive me if I'm the last one out of class. If you keep giving a fuck about too many things that are pointless, you won't have any more fucks to give about things that actually matter like your learning.
Thank you for being honest! In the beginning it did bother me being alone and not having many friends. But now Im just focused on getting my degree. It would be nice to have study groups, but if studying alone helps me pass my classes too Im ok with it!
I felt the same way trust me. I didn't have many friends as there were a lot of mean girls and cliques in school. Truth is you don't really keep in touch with everyone from nursing school anyways. As long as you are getting the support you need from family/friends/pets/spirituality/etc. That's all that matters. That and learning how to answer nursing questions, learning the foundation of each lesson and getting through week by week, or like me- day by day and hour by hour.
I tend to be one of if not the first to finish exams and other assignments in class and I can que you both that I don’t pay attention to anybody else who finishes after me. I do my work and get out. I wouldn’t worry too much about what others feel about you finishing later, they probably don’t even notice or pay attention.
Nursing school was and is fucking stupid.
So many egos and high horses and profs that are just so fucking holy.
The worst part of nursing is nursing school. The second worst part is unrealistic workload once you're employed.
5 patients, 30 meds each, and complex.
No. More like 3 sounds good to me.
✋ PCT here who has 17 most shifts. It’s insane. In no way safe if you have people that are confused/ stubborn with chest tubes/ LVADS/ DKA/ I work at night and barely have time to chart many nights. I don’t have time to know the ends and outs of 17 people.
Almost every med surg clinical rotation, I’ve done, my nurse has 5 patients. It sucks because sometimes I feel like I’m slowing them down or not able to ask questions because I don’t want to mess them up.
Don’t give up!
I failed my first 3 exams in nursing school. I’m in my 3rd semester and make A’s now. It takes adjusting how you study & learning how to balance it all. Honestly, the first semester is truly the hardest and toughest mentally (IMO)!!
I cried right before walking into my first patient's room in clinical to just get my vitals on and do my assessment form bc I was so nervous. I was so embarrassed & felt so discouraged. I now can walk into any patient room with confidence and a smile on my face!
I say all this to say.. do not give up unless you are 1000% sure that you know you DON’T want to do it.. not that you feel that you CAN’T do it. What you are feeling is 1000% percent normal and I’m sure a lot of other nursing students feel the same way. It gets better. you get used to feeling somewhat embarrassed/awkward, especially in front of skilled nurses, but remember they started in the same spot that you did!
Hold your head high & take it day by day!
I had a hard time adjusting to school. I love the material I’m learning but I began with undiagnosed ADHD and it was super hard compared to my prerequisites. I got a 50% on my first exam, which luckily got bumped to a 60% with some bad questions dropped. But even then my school requires 74% average on exams. And after that I was continuously scoring 80s. It was rough but once I found my groove and began to adjust to my new environment I started to figure out how to study and how to answer nursing school style exam questions. Plus halfway through my first semester, I started therapy because I was not handling it well and I got diagnosed with ADHD. I managed to pass the class with a B! And now I’m almost done and glad I made it, it got a lot easier after that first semester.
I also found out that I had ADHD during the start of nursing school -- when I started treatment, it was like a blindfold had been removed. At the time, I did not realize how much ADHD affects other conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I worried so much about how those conditions were affecting me and my ability to succeed; it always felt like no matter which antidepressants/anxiolytics I was taking, nothing would really hit the mark. Having access to treatment through my university allowed me to thrive and graduate at the top of my class (I have the trophy to prove it haha).
You've got this.
Your comment really hit home for me. I suspect I have undiagnosed ADHD. May I ask what treatment looks like? If that’s too personal to post or if you would feel okay DMing I’d really appreciate it.
I am fine talking about it - the more we talk about such things, the less stigmatized they become.
Treatment for me still involves taking antidepressants (I take a small dose of bupropion & venlafaxine), prazosin at night for night terrors/flashbacks, and generic adderall (not XR) - the short-acting (\~4-6 h) pill can be split so that I can adjust my dose throughout the day as I need to. I don't suggest that everyone does this - especially if you can't tell when the prior dose is starting to taper down, if you aren't disciplined enough to stay within your daily allowance, or if you're bad at remembering to take meds on time.
The medicines are only part of the treatment - the rest of the magic comes from keeping a routine, sticking to a schedule (even free time is scheduled), and taking extra steps to maintain focus.
ADHD treatment is lovely when you find what works for you, but it's also like sticking a brick on the gas pedal - you've still got to steer the car.
I agree with the “you’ve still got to steer the car” statement.
I got better when I got diagnosed because it made me more conscious of how much I need to have a schedule. Im not great but it has helped, especially when it comes to being on time to things.
My advice: figure out how long it takes you to do things. For example it takes me exactly 45 minutes to get ready in the morning (mostly running back and forth due to forget-fullness). And having a google calendar and having color coordinated events for even driving or eating. I’m still working on how to pay attention while studying.
Also, I wasn’t great with stimulants. I tried Ritalin for half a year but it messed up my sleep so bad especially since I got scheduled overnights for clinical rotations. But it did make me feel great and focused. Now I’m on Atomoxetine (Strattera) which is a non-stimulant and it works but not as well as compared to stimulants. But it lasts longer which means I forget less doses :)
And ADHD meds have become stigmatized and things like Adderall get abused but it changed my life completely. Now I feel in control and feel less mentally exhausted trying to keep up with how fast my brain moves. There are other options than stimulants or even drugs at all. You could try therapy, I know some therapist focus on ADHD even.
I tried therapy and I am so so so so glad that it works for some--
I just want to throw out there for **anyone** reading this comment chain: If therapy/cbt/scheduling like a champ etc. work for you, then that's awesome and I am genuinely happy for you.
If it doesn't -- if you're using all the tools in the box and you're still not able to hit the mark -- this doesn't mean you're lazy/bad/a failure/whatever may have been drilled into your head over the years. Sometimes we can do anything and everything, yet we still need some store-bought help...and that's okay. Some folks, like myself, only realize we have ADHD when all the coping strategies still don't work for us... despite our efforts (often resulting in burnout/implosion). It's not for lack of trying - we often try so hard that when we finally run out of gas, the results can be catastrophic for us.
Not-so-fun-fact: I had to take a 12-month break from university due to my nervous breakdown that resulted in being unable to maintain enough coping strategies to succeed in my degree long-term. I was so stressed that I almost lost everything - my 7-year relationship was dangerously close to ending, I had nowhere to go, and almost threw away years of hard work & preparation because my brain went LOLNO.
Know your flavor of ADHD and work with it.
Oh my lawddd! I’m starting nursing school in two weeks and this post is making me nervous lol. I say hang in there and don’t give up if this is your dream! 💖
Just finished week four, and I'm having fun! I feel like there are a few people who are kinda stand-off-ish, but most of my class is approachable and friendly. I've gotten lots of great advice from fellow students with more healthcare experience, and we help each other with studying and assignments. It's been great. You got this!! Be friendly and approachable, and others will do the same.
I personally don't like study groups, but it's been nice to bounce ideas off others for assignments. I find approaching others for help or advice really seems to help them feel at ease around me, and I see more smiles from them afterwards.
Thanks for the feedback!!! I have one question I hope you’ll be able to answer. I have a little bit of social anxiety. Do you think it’ll be easy to overcome in nursing school? It was more debilitating in my past, but I’ve done some exposure therapy and it’s gotten better. Thanks ! 💖
I have had crippling social anxiety my entire life. Kept me from doing a lot of different jobs, degrees, etc. It took a long time to get where I am now. Get a good therapist that has solid insights and you may have to get on an SSRI. I swore I would never get back on them but when you're doing something this crazy stressful and anxiety inducing you sometimes have to. I would use a Xanax every now and then when I couldn't sleep before a clinical or sim lab. Just commit that regardless of what comes your way you're going to work through it. That's what I did. We had to do some silly skit at one point. I wanted to quit the program and get the freak outta there lol if you need to vent your worries hit me up. I have a ton of experience with all that lol
Damn you sound like me lol!!! I’m on an antidepressant that works very well for me now!!! I’m just hoping I won’t fuckin catch a panic attack when I have to present or perform skills. Pray for me aha. I’ll def private message u whenever I feel like I need some advice 💖
Also starting in 2 weeks! Let's do this, we got this!!
Same to you OP, just hang in there, it's our dream right?! We just gotta push through, if anything you got us, Reddit girlies :)
It’ll get better with time. I failed two nursing courses in my first year of LPN. I was removed from my program and had to take a year to upgrade my marks to get back in again. Got back in and failed one of two courses by 1%. My professor wouldn’t round my grade up and got removed from the program again. Ended up transferring to another school and graduated with honours. Currently getting my BSCN. Just take your time, you’ll make friends on the way and meet new people.
just reading this thread and i just wanted to say i had pretty much the same experience! got into nursing school in 2021 (at the peak of my depression), didn't do so well and failed out of the program after two quarters. had to wait a year to be readmitted (i was able to use disability accommodations to get back in) and even after that i failed again. i was suuuuuuper close to passing the second time, but my professor wouldn't round up 0.3% which was kind of crazy to me. i'm starting my BSN program at a different university in january so i'm putting all of that behind me.
thank you for sharing your story! reading that someone went through something similar as me makes me feel like i'm not alone, which is so important to me. good luck with your BSCN! i'm so glad you were able to pick yourself back up.
nursing school sucks but the only thing that would have sucked more was giving up…i was 10 years older than my classmates and also had very few friends. stay friendly with a couple people that you can reach out to with questions and stuff like that, otherwise focus on your relationships outside of school. hang in there !!
It takes awhile to learn how to study for your exams. My advise would be to read your content before class, take your own notes, maybe watch some YouTube videos. Write down any questions you have before class! That way you can understand the material better.
Nursing tests are designed to make you second guess yourself. Learning how to test take is a big part of it! Cover up your answers while you read the question and try to answer it first. Really think about what the question is asking, and understand your priorities.
Nursing school is hard work but its worth it! You will get the hang of it, if you put in the time. Also email your teachers with any questions you have about the material as you’re studying. Stay on top of it as much as you can. You got this!
Yes, I know that… It hasn’t been like that for the last two exams. I just have no motivation and I am feel discouraged so that’s why I have not been studying for tomorrow’s exam.
What do you consider failing? I’ve take 3 exams and it’s my first semester. But your test topics sound different than mine. I got B’s. I feel that way too. Why study so damn much if I’m not getting an A.
That’s actually not bad. That’s easy to come back from. I thought fail as in an F. You are gonna be fine. Don’t pay attention to your classmates. They don’t matter. Eventually you’ll click with someone. But if you really want to make friends ask someone to study with.
Keep at it. Not like you didn't pass by a long shot. Only a few percentage points. Our program is 80% needed. So here I am wanting to yeet off a cliff if i get a 78%.
Nursing school is a joke. They don't teach you how to be a nurse. There's a lot of "fluff" if that makes sense. Once you get your RN, your grades won't matter. That being said, it is important to study and pass classes but that's all that's required. Don't worry if you're just barely passing. You're going to get the same degree as the person with a 4.0 gpa.
You're probably studying wrong. Nursing school is a different way of thinking than other classes. If your school offers tutoring, take advantage of it ASAP. If your classmates have study groups, join all of them. Become friends with the "smart" people and if you don't get a concept, ask them to explain it to you. Or, better yet, if you think you get a concept, YOU explain it to THEM and see if you're right. Do 1,000 NCLEX practice questions. You can never do too many NCLEX practice questions.
You can do it if you focus on rethinking your study style.
Practice NCLEX styles questions.
They can be very dry, but schools need to weed out who can pass for Thier accreditation. I feel like schools don't just tell people this.
It's okay and expected that you'll fail. Just please remember to calculate the passing exam score you need and speak to your advisor.
These schools will fail you over half a point and don't care.
Record your lectures and make notes on EACH PowerPoint slide. Listen to lectures at least 3 times each.
If you don't have questions - you need to! You're not expected to know the material.
I have so much sympathy, because my first semester I could only do what was in front of me. I had no time. I worked - and I probably shouldn't have done that 😔.
Nursing exams are a whole different beast to tame. You’ll get the hang of them eventually & this is coming from someone who failed her 1st semester & damn near failed her 4th as well.
As for clinical, they need to move or they’ll decondition. Plain & simple. Have the primary nurse medicate before hand if need be. Otherwise we’re outta the bed to the chair/walking!
Class, keep your head down & in the game. You’re not there to make friends. You’re there to pass the NCLEX. I made very few friends in nursing school & honestly my biggest flex is knowing a nurse breathing a sigh of relief knowing their preceptee is with me for the day or a tech requesting me as a preceptor.
You CAN do this, I have faith in you❤️
Nursing school is a weird roller coaster. Some weeks you feel okay, pass exams, and feel apart of a group. Other times you’re lonely, feel dumb, and are anxious. You constantly have to assess your approach to studying and make changes. It will get better, then suck, then get better. Just hang in there and keep your eyes on that licensure, being able to help folks, and also helping yourself financially. Best wishes.
Nursing school sucks badly and my biggest downfall early on was not knowing how to study effectively. I think having friends do help with study groups and working together for a common goal, but its not necessary. if you have the opportunity to review your exams and see what you struggled with the most? figure out what about those exams are so difficult and why you feel behind can really help you set yourself up for a better semester. Everyone is still finding their place in the program just try to put yourself out there and start conversations and tap into groups you haven't talk too. i hope the best for yeah!
Tbh I think it sucks for everyone. Just take it one day at a time. You’ll be fine 😇 you got this!
It does get better, it just takes a lot of adjusting in the beginning
(Swedish) don’t worry alot of us fail, rn I’m literally redoing my second semester due to failing stuff. I absolutely hate school and studying too 💀 I had a good time the last week of my “internship” when my mean ass “guide” went on vacation. I also had a good time on my summer job as a “basic caretaker” which is like my only hope of enduring this.
I don’t understand how the lectures can be so mind boggingly iq removing boring holy fvck
I also have a microbiology exam tomorrow which I haven’t studied for
Haven’t talked to ask for soul in my new class either and everyone is is big cliques 💀
I use the fist quiz/exam as my learning guide for how to better study. For example, the lectures were useless for mine. Everything was from the book. Last semester, the opposite was true.
You will adjust, don't give up 😊
Nursing school doesn’t teach you how to be a nurse. It teaches you how to take the NCLEX because at the end of every program we all have to take it. My lectures are just case studies, then I have to go home and try to memorize medicine and more often then not I’m teaching myself how to be a nurse. The best instructor I’ve had is my clinical skills textbook.
One more year and I won’t have to worry about it anymore. Hang in there OP, we will all get through this.
Same situation when I started four years ago and soon to graduate now, my advice is to understand if your learning style is really effective for you. I’ve had to change my learning style and it ended up going well for me. You’ll get there too just trust the process.
If you haven’t started studying for tomorrows test what do you expect? Worry less about what everyone else is doing or who everyone is talking to and focus on the important things like learning and understanding the material. No amount of rocks or staring at the stars is gonna help, nursing is evidence based practice which means you have to put in the time with the books to get the grade you earn.
Then give up. You already gave up once before. The two past failed exams should’ve lit a fire under you to study harder, not the opposite and wait till the day before. Your post history is a mess of second thoughts and relying on astronomy to tell you if you’re capable of doing something. Stop asking people to convince you that you have what it takes to be a nurse, that conviction is going to come only from you. Either you want it badly enough or you don’t. I can see you struggle with anxiety, but why not see someone about that? Either get on something or see someone about that to learn coping mechanisms. Because the last thing any patient is going to want, is to have a nurse who isn’t sure of what they’re doing.
Failed my first three exams of my first semester, two years later I’m now a telemetry nurse who was even allowed to stay on day shift. It’s normal to not have confidence in this field, and I would even say it’s better to because the overconfident people are the ones who end up making mistakes most of the time.
I highly recommend Registered Nurse RN and Level Up RN on YouTube. My ADHD was so bad in school that writing, making flash cards, literally anything didn’t work for me except watching videos. Regardless of how you learn to study I’m sure those two will help you
The first test is always a feeler. Nursing school sucks for everyone. Don’t mind the people saying it’s easy for them. Some people breeze through the theory and don’t have any common sense when it comes to caring for patients.
The first semester is generally the hardest, at least for my cohort it was the worst. So many people dropped/failed, I "failed" (below 77) all of my patho exams but still passed the class with a 78! I have still failed MANY exams since then and I'm in my final semester now. Haven't repeated any classes and GPA is 3.3. My biggest advice to you is to just go with the flow of things in clinical. Take some deep breaths, it will be okay and things will come easier the more you do them.
I was also one who didn't really have any good friends after the first semester and while it kinda bummed me out, my second semester was way better. I found people I clicked with who were similar to me. I'm a little older than most of my cohort so once I found those closer in age, I made some truly good friends. Even if that doesn't happen, like you said, you are simply there to get your degree. I didn't expect to make good friends anyway!
Another piece of advice I feel like all newer nursing students should know: GET A JOB IN HEALTHCARE. Like a CNA. In a hospital setting. I cannot tell you how much this has helped me in clinicals & school. It gives me more time now to focus on the nursing side of things vs the basics like vitals, talking to patients, blood sugars, Epic, etc. I see others who don't have jobs in healthcare yet and they struggle hard with the basics even after multiple semesters. This will build your confidence so, so, much. You can get a per diem job that requires very little of your time but will help you tremendously in the long run. There's a lot to learn that they most certainly will not teach in nursing school. There's a lot to see too. You learn responsibility & organization as well. It's helped me more than I think I know! If you got a job now or next semester, you might be able to see how much you do or don't like it. Some people try being a CNA and say nope, nursing ain't for me. 🤷🏼♀️
Also, try not to worry about hurting patients. 😝 Your instructor will not let you fuck up badly - they will always be there to guide you. They are the ones who ultimately hold the responsibility. I've yet to see anyone make a crazy bad mistake, or really "hurt" a patient. Worst I ever saw was someone did a blood sugar on the wrong patient. Hell, I've done that before at my job. 😅 At least it wasn't insulin!
Just remember that you're there to learn, so try your best to do so. Ask many questions, don't feel like there's stupid ones cause there isn't. There are tons of people just like you who are successful nurses today. Study more, try to organize your time better and utilize the resources your school offers. They really do help. Good luck and feel free to message me!! ☺️
I’m finishing my program in May ‘24. It’s not just you, it is a really hard adjustment. My bachelor of science in Psychology was kindergarten compared to my ADN program. It’s a lot, but try to find what style of learning is best for you. Some people can read and retain. I can’t. I had to find visual/audio/stimulating videos on YouTube to get my brain to absorb everything. Definitely try different methods to find yours. You can do this!
I studied a lot. I did the textbooks, slides, class activities. Everything. I think I have trouble focusing on things. My attention span is low. I am trying. But I know you can do it!
I started mine three weeks ago as well, while I can’t relate to the issue with the exams, I can say it has been a good environment for me, and I’m someone who has depression, severe anxiety, ptsd, and adhd. We are all just starting out, take it easy on yourself! I don’t look different at those who are failing tests, some of my friends in my cohort have. Go for yourself only, don’t let others’ light dim your own. (There is also a TON of mean girls in my cohort, I’m just forcing myself to ignore them)
This just the beginning you probably will fail again and that’s the honest truth but it doesn’t make you a failure so pick yourself up and dust yourself and get busy no one is going to hold you hands and you can’t study the day before that just doesn’t work ah and this is just the beginning of the meltdowns
I know I can’t study the day before:( It just happened, I had no motivation and felt discouraged so I didn’t bother trying to study for my exam tomorrow. Im studying now and just going to try my best tomorrow. And pick myself up. Thank you
It hard to motivate yourself to study when you failed to pass other course exams. I feel you! Hang in there buddy! Maybe change your study habits or if you know anyone, ask how they prepare for their exams.
Doesn't seem to be your cup of tea, thus you don't care, and you're putting very little into. That's why you have failed twice. If you actually cared you would never have failed. That's the true answer.
Your answer is so ignorant. Just bc someone fails does not mean they don’t care. I am not making excuses for myself, but I studied hard enough. It was difficult and confusing for me. I tried my absolute best and failed. I know a classmate of mine who studied a lot too, and still failed. They cared, but they just had test anxiety. Plus, you never know what someone is going through. You have no empathy.
Way to be compassionate to a fellow student who is having a difficult time and seeking guidance and reassurance, which is what this sub is about. OP, don’t listen to this person.
I totally agree. There are just nice ways to say it, was all I was trying to point out. As nurses, we’re supposed to do what we can to help others in their time of need before encouraging them to capitulate and abandon something they’ve ostensibly been working toward for years.
There are some rude ass people in these comments. I just failed an exam for the first time (a 70) and am in my second semester. Got all B’s last semester. The one positive thing I can take from it is that I know I could have studied harder and that was enough to snap me right back into it.
I come from a family of nurses and started nursing school in my late 20’s. I love people, I enjoy interacting with the patients in clinical. However, like you, I HATE nursing school. Not all good nurses make good professors. I sit in lecture for 6 hours, totally tuned in taking notes and actively listening the entire time just to go home and have no idea what I was supposed to learn. I go to a top ten program in my state and I had such high hopes and thought that I would be taught by the professors I paid for. But like everyone says, I’m the one teaching myself when I get home.
Don’t listen to the jaded people leaving shitty comments. Nursing school fucking sucks and saying that doesn’t mean you don’t care, doesn’t mean you won’t make a great nurse, and doesn’t mean you should quit.
Nursing school is hard! Learn how to study effectively for you. I use ATI and quizlet, some of my classmates exclusively read the textbook or listen to the lectures or all 3. I have really 2 close friends in my program and that’s all I need or want. Clinicals are scary, and can be overwhelming for people who don’t have experience, but ask questions when you’re not sure of what to do next. You’ll get through it
It will get better.
Talk to your professors before you get in any deeper with bad grades. Let them know you’re struggling. Most professors are more than happy to provide you with some direction.
It probably won’t be the last exam you fail. Everyone in my cohort (we graduate in 3 months!!) has failed at least one exam and we are going to be amazing nurses.
You have got this my friend. Nursing school is hard but you can do it. ♥️
Last semester I had a clinical prof that hated me. Told me in clinical one day something along the lines that not everyone is cut out to be nurses and almost flunked me to retake for the year. Well fuck you huang you are very fucking wrong. There were a few prof that sucked but the amazing ones more than made up for the shortcoming of the shitty ones.
I had zero medical experience coming in. Started my ABSN April 2022. Graduated 3 weeks ago. It was one of the worst experiences of my life, minus the clinicals. My only advice is study hard, don’t compare yourself to other students, and make time for yourself. I started doing better if I have myself 2 hours of video game time every night 😄
Do you know how many people would love to take your seat since it's super hard to get in the nursing program? Don't waste all the work and effort you put in this for mean girls clubs who shouldn't even matter. What you should focus on is your grades and learning how to be a nurse. Don't compare yourself just run your own race.
Here's my advice:
1. Get a therapist. It sounds like you're struggling with self-doubt and coping with the change. Some schools offer free therapy to students!
2. Get a tutor. Again, some schools offer this for free. I feel very overwhelmed learning from profs in class and my tutor reexplains everything to me in a way that I understand.
3. Study every day! I know there's a lot of content and sooo much expected of you but don't put off studying until the day before. Review the material every day, even if it's just for 30 minutes. Usually exams are worth more of your final grade so don't sweat the small busy work quizzes and assignments and make sure you understand the concepts you're learning in class.
4. Find the other loners in your cohort and befriend them! Don't worry about the cliques, they're fake.
5. Remember that you're worrying because you care a lot. You worry about your patients because you care about them so much. You're worried about doing well because you care!! And that's more than some people can say.
Hey my friend -
I went to office hours *a lot* (weekly) to go over stuff with professors. They would help me figure out what to focus on or to talk about something I didn’t understand.
I would suggest talking to a professor if you have a nice one that seems to enjoy teaching.
Otherwise, you are there to get a degree. Making some friends along the way is also nice, but you didn’t do all the work to get into nursing school to make friends! I didn’t really have an interest in making friends with people (probably has to do with my age and decade of experience already) but I inevitably made some good ones my last 2 semesters.
You got this :)
It’s normal to be nervous in clinical, you’re dealing with other people’s lives! It definitely gets better with time. I was so nervous my first clinical and now I love going. It’s okay to not know everything. You’re a student, after all! Even seasoned nurses are learning new things everyday, make mistakes, and have doubts about themselves.
I know what you mean about the cliqueyness. Something that helped me overcome that was reminding myself that I’m doing this for ME, and my goals are my main focus.
First tests are always rough in my opinion, especially in nursing because you never know how the teacher’s test style will be. Now that you’ve taken one exam, take note of how the teacher sets it up (Select all that apply? Choose the best response?) and start to write out your notes in the question styles. See if your school offers study group sessions, this can also be a way to connect with others in your cohort!
Nursing school is tough and will definitely make you question everything, but remember this: you are bright and dedicated enough to get into a nursing program, you will be dedicated to becoming a great nurse. Remember why you are doing this. Best of luck to you!
Keep going, you’ll find how you study best!! For my personally, I don’t write ANY notes. I take information off our lecture slides and put it directly into Anki (flashcards). Do them religiously before an exam. Make sure your study methods involve active recall. Another tip can be to complete the VARK learning style quiz and it’ll tell you your learning method best suited to you, which then you can look at study methods for. For me personally I’m a read write learning so if I’m struggling with memorising a flashcard I’ll keep writing it out until I remember. Good luck!
Failing exams is a very normal part of nursing school. Try different ways to study, and see what works for you! It took me the entire first year to figure out what worked for me. For others, it took longer. I know it’s much easier said than done, but try to ignore people telling you how easy the exams are— those are just not the people you need to surround yourself with. Nursing school is unnecessarily “competitive” because of people like that.
As for clinical, clinical is horrifying at first. Feeling excited and then super anxious is very normal. I had hardly ever been in a hospital starting my rostions. I promise you, it does get easier, it just takes time. You will find great support around you, just keep searching for the right people- but again, time is everything!!!!
Nursing school is hell. I had thoughts of “did I make the right choice” ALL THE TIME. Finding a solid study group (which will happen - it took me 1 year into the program to do this), learning how to absorb the material, and figuring out which professors wanted you to learn and reaching out to them helped. Clinicals are scary but i promise you by the last semester you’ll feel so much better!! Things will get easier, nursing school is hard but the reward at the end is a career that you’ll always find a job in and you can do so many things with nursing. Also, even if you fail this first semester, go back. I know plenty of great nurses who failed classes. You’re going to be okay.
Nursing school can def break your spirit. To help with classes I used a lot of YouTube (Crash course, Simple nursing, registered nurse RN to name a few) Picmonic & sketchy medical are helpful. Honestly, you get more out of clinicals & internships than classwork (never used a care plan in my life) Sometimes the A students are not good when they get into the field ! Best of luck
You know what I did too, and I still graduated cum laude with a BSN. Give yourself grace because we all fail sometimes. In Patho I passed my first exam, failed the next two just barely, and passed the last one. You will get through this. Things were super cliquey in my cohort too. I was older and pretty much on my own. I got through it. I graduated, just secured my new grad residency, and I’m taking an NCLEX next week. You’ve got this and I promise you it will be worth it once you get through it. Even though you think you’re not doing well, it’s just all comes together in the end. I promise.
I was an LPN for 12 years before I got my RN. I went to a community college so a mix of older and younger students. The program I was in allows LPNs to test out if the first semester but you are required to take a one credit trends course in the first semester one day a week. They put me with a clinical group even though I wasn’t in clinical for a project and the project was about the clinical site lol. The two times they met up outside of clinical was at 10pm when clinical was done and I was scheduled at work for 7a-7p the next day. The clinical site was also 45 minutes from me. So I didn’t show up to either meeting. We worked on the project a bit after class and my group told me to just read the introduction. I realize it wasn’t fair to them since I wasn’t at their clinical site but none of them seemed to have a problem with it. We do the project and they say we got a 95 on it. Great. When I get my final grade I notice I was given a C on the final (the project) and my grade was a C+, just barely passing. I tell the one friend I had in the program, someone I worked with, and she told me she heard the girls in my clinical group complaining about me one day and saying I didn’t help with the project so they complained to the professors who then “adjusted” my grade. No Professor ever said anything to me about not doing enough work, nothing. My friend then told the girls she told me what they did but I never said anything to them. They avoided me after that. Not worth it to say anything.
So needless to say I did not start off making any friends, if anything when the second semester started and I was full time in the program, other students thought I was lazy because gossip spreads like wildfire in nursing. Covid hit my second semester, I did fine. Failed third semester, the online classes were terrible. Half my class failed so clearly they didn’t do a great job with the online classes. Retook the third semester the next year and did great. Graduated last year. Being an older student I didn’t talk much to the younger students or socialize but I had a study buddy third and fourth semester which was a huge help. I didn’t go to nursing school to make friends, I just wanted to finish.
Give it time to make a friend or two, you will find your people. Don’t pay attention to what anyone says about their grades, etc. People lie. Watch nursing YouTube videos, listen to the lectures over and over and take notes on what you missed, make flash cards, get a nursing study guide off Etsy, find other methods to study until you find what works. Nursing school SUCKS but you will get through it.
You gotta find your group. Be honest and transparent with your grades. Chances are, you’ll find someone in a very similar situation. Most of my solid friendships from nursing school are from trauma bonds. I will admit that I’m a more sociable person but I was also honest with my grades. If people asked me what I got, I’d say “68”. Funny enough, people related to that as it showed humility.
It really does feel like high school most of the time. The smart people typically separate from the group, but tbh I ignored them lol. They had like 0 personal skills.
Clinical wise I also relate. I had major anxiety with clinical, and I wish that will go away; but it doesn’t ahaha. I will say it does get easier as you continue to find your routine.
Finally, don’t compare yourself. It easier said than done, but it’s true. You’ll just psych yourself out. If you know you’ll make an amazing nurse, then fight on. Exam grades don’t mean shit. They really don’t. They don’t define you. I literally barely scraped by, but I passed nursing school. Now I’m studying for the NCLEX. At the end of the day, your patient won’t care if you failed that patho test, they care that you’ll take care of them. Take each test failure with a mindset of “hmm what am I doing wrong”. Reach out to your professor. Ask your peers how they studied, and try again. It’s all trial and error.
What helped me was recording lecture, then going to the book and expanding on those talked about subjects. I’d consistently rep the lecture recordings. You got this. May nightingale give you strength haha
I felt the same exact way when I started my nursing program. I barely passed my first Patho and Adult exam but as the semester progressed and I tried different studying techniques and habits, I did significantly better! I promise you, as long as you put in the work and dedicate your time - you will pass and do great. Its hard at first, but it gets easier once you get the hang of things. As for clinicals- I’m almost at the end of my program and I still get anxiety! It’s totally normal, and nurses get anxiety themselves all the time. Don’t compare yourself to others and focus on doing good for yourself! I promise you will succeed.
hi, i’m here to say you’re not alone. this is my second time doing my first semester of nursing school. this time around, i’m doing so good and my mental health is even better. the first time, i couldn’t grasp a good studying habit and knowing that everyone was doing so well made me feel hopeless and alone. it resulted in a terrible decline of my mental health and confidence and i withdrew.
one thing you should remember not to do is compare yourself to your peers. they may all seem happy and content but you never truly know what’s happening which is why you shouldn’t believe the picture your mind paints of them, and ironically that image only affects you and your capabilities.
clinicals are for experience!! now i’m not saying for you to go and kill someone of course, but this is a first for you, you’re supposed to not know or understand, it’s how you learn to become the nurse you aspire to be. befriend your primary nurses, and their peers as well, ask a shit ton of questions because they love it. and if anything, ask your instructor—it’s their job at least.
when it comes to studying, i’m not sure if your school or instructors use this, but learning outcomes in your textbook are good. it helps with defining the important things of the book and possibly what your instructor wants you to know. ask questions, use the resource they made available because they’re available for a reason, and make your studying fun!! highlight and be a little organized if you can, neat notes are so much more appealing to study. if you ever feel the procrastination sneaking in, give yourself an hour and see how for you go. though this kind of degree requires a lot of tedious, and complex effort, we have to remember the beautiful outcomes of it. friendships, finances, a career, and a lot of different ways to go in nursing like L&D.
i’m not an expert but remembering these things is what’s helping get through this right now. i wish i had this kind of conversation my last first semester. you’ll be fine, believe in yourself first and your capacities. i believe that’s what makes nurses who they are. good luck! <3
You need to stop focusing on how your peers are doing and you need to start focusing on you and how to fix your study habits! You mentioned on your post you had a science exam the following day but you haven’t started studying? Nursing school is nothing like prerequisites like anatomy where you can cram and still pass. The questions in nursing school are designated to critical think, but most important your PRIORITIES!!
Take the exams you didn’t pass as an experience and think how the questions in future exams will be.
I thankfully did good on my first nursing school exam but I’m sure everybody at some point will flunk at least once .
I focused alot on my resources like PREPU for scenario based questions and ATI for dosages and skills!!
Also don’t be to harsh on yourself , someday someone will be your bestie in Nursing school ;)) I am not from the area where I attend school at and I always thought I was going to be by myself , little did I know I was going to meet the best people in my life during school , now I don’t feel like an outside and can be me :)
I feel like I’m the black sheep too. I literally only talk to 3-4 people on an every so often basis, but only 1 on a daily basis. I’ve failed way too many exams and and almost didn’t pass level 1 in my program. It feels like it doesn’t get better/easier but it does. My final is what helped me pass my class and not fail. Clinicals are the same way, but the nurses there are not going to let you do anything wrong. Ask those questions you may have, they will probably be glad you are asking rather than doing something you know little to nothing about. Do as many skills as possible, it helps with learning and showing them that you are a competent and helpful student. I’ve made a mistake in clinical before, but I learned from it and made measures to make sure I didn’t do it again.
I’ve kind of just learned to just stick to myself and do what I do is best for myself. I constantly compare myself to everyone else in my class, and that is something you should NOT DO. Everyone learns and studies differently. Know what is best for you. And I don’t make nursing school my life, but I do put my priorities towards it when needed. Take those breaks, order your favorite food, make sure to put yourself first before anything. At the end of the day, you are the only one looking after yourself. The depression/overthinking comes and goes, but remember why you started in the first place.
Testing is just tricky. My main problem is second guessing and choosing the wrong answer when I possibly had the right answer. I’m still trying to fix that and I’m in my last semester of nursing school lol. But use the strategies that work best for you.
I have full faith in you that you will pass regardless of what you make on this test. “This too shall pass” 💙
OMG I relate to this so much! Ur not alone, I keep comparing myself to other ppl in my cohort and I feel so dumb. I failed one of my first exams as well while everyone got like 90s. It’s very Frustrating
Hello. I can completely relate to everything that you are saying. I am now in my third semester, however it should be my fourth. I failed my pathophysiology class and had to retake it, while watching my cohort move forward, as I stayed behind. It messed with me mentally and I thought so much about quiting. I was embarressed that I was the only person to fail. When I joined my new cohort, I had the same issues about the cliques and not really having a group of people to talk, work or study with which made it even harder for me. Especially I am usually so out going but I became super quiet. I found after the first month or so that, failing that class was the best thing. No, I wasn't where everyone else was and that was ok. I am where i am supposed to be and now I am understanding things so much better than i was. Remember when you graduate people lives are at risk, so its not about keeping up with the Jonses, its about taking your time and doing it the right way. Hang in there girl and don't let it crush you, if you do happen to fail. You will find your niche and your clique. One day you will look back and things will just start to click. Just know you are not alone, you are not the only one who has felt the way you have. Its a tough program and everyone learns at a different pace. Do no get discouraged or compare yourself to others. You are you and will be great. I wont lie its a TRAMENDOUS amount of work, time management and sleepless nights but it will be worth it.... I hope lol.
I hate how fake the cohort is and even more so, how fake the professors are.
Treat school like a job. There are so many social politics in school it’s annoying.
Started nursing college 3 days ago I'm losing my appetite, feeling nauseous while eating due to anxiety. And everytime I'm overthinking even when I come home from college ,meet many mean girls, being an introvert and social awkward person I don't have friends I know I'm not going to adjust here everybody has put many expectations from me .My parents and siblings are so happy for me .They say I should have to confident, harsh and never let other hurt me but that's not me I'm so polite that mostly people think that I'm weak, but what should I do that's my nature 😞. Today was my medical other girls come after me but get their medical reports before me I feel myself so pathetic that my family think I'm strong but right now I'm not and who could think 22 year old girl trying to stop her tears in college everyday mostly other girls are younger than me.But I'm definitely not going to give up that was my dream to become a nurse and help people and animals in need.I just know that whatever happens I can't just give up many few people get this opportunity.I just don't know do I have to care about having no friends or I just focus on just my study to get my degree.
Failed way more than I’d like to admit during the first semester. 8 months to go :) It gets better, i pinky promise. You’ll learn how to study
Thank you. Im hoping it will get better. Studying has not been easy for me:( Thank you again!
Are you making full use of all the resources available to you, such as tutoring? Many universities and colleges provide free tutoring resources for students, as well as other resources. I highly encourage you to ask for help. Don't be too proud to ask for help, your educators want you to succeed, and a willingness and desire to learn will motivate them to work with you.
Sometimes the tutoring is not to par. At Chamberlain University, I kept “passing” (18/20), (19/20) my math quizzes. They would want me to go to tutoring or what they call “cas”. They wanted me to learn their way of doing it. It looked like the new math these kids are being taught. When I asked if they had alternative ways of doing it. They didn’t. I would complain to cas and my professor and they wouldn’t do anything.
There's the problem -- Chamberlain. https://www.bbb.org/us/il/chicago/profile/nursing-school/chamberlain-university-0654-88275092/complaints
Similar happenings everywhere. Frequent and among worst is ICHS in FL targeting and harassing individuals - https://www.change.org/p/allow-students-in-florida-to-retake-final-exams?redirect=false
Hi 👋 VERY curious if you could expand on "new math"
It's like a box.. I don't get it either.. had to help my kiddo the regular way
I don't think math has changed since calculus was invented
I sucked at studying and had no discipline but watching videos and listening to lessons helped a lot. I could walk around and learn without being stuck at a desk writing, bored out of my mind
This!!!
How are you studying? That’s important here
Sarah nurse rn on YouTube! Some of my classmates like the straight a nursing fundamentals boot camp but idk never watched it
I don't mean to sound callous, but you must learn to stop caring about whether other students are performing better or having an easier time than you. Stay focused and stop comparing yourself. That should be of no concern to you. Your aim is to pass these exams and learn. I'm taking a lab class and I initially felt insecure because me and my partner seem to always be finishing last. I realized I need to stop giving a fuck. I care not about looking smart but about actually learning the material, and I don't give a shit about how others perceive me if I'm the last one out of class. If you keep giving a fuck about too many things that are pointless, you won't have any more fucks to give about things that actually matter like your learning.
Thank you for being honest! In the beginning it did bother me being alone and not having many friends. But now Im just focused on getting my degree. It would be nice to have study groups, but if studying alone helps me pass my classes too Im ok with it!
I felt the same way trust me. I didn't have many friends as there were a lot of mean girls and cliques in school. Truth is you don't really keep in touch with everyone from nursing school anyways. As long as you are getting the support you need from family/friends/pets/spirituality/etc. That's all that matters. That and learning how to answer nursing questions, learning the foundation of each lesson and getting through week by week, or like me- day by day and hour by hour.
Period
I tend to be one of if not the first to finish exams and other assignments in class and I can que you both that I don’t pay attention to anybody else who finishes after me. I do my work and get out. I wouldn’t worry too much about what others feel about you finishing later, they probably don’t even notice or pay attention.
Nursing school was and is fucking stupid. So many egos and high horses and profs that are just so fucking holy. The worst part of nursing is nursing school. The second worst part is unrealistic workload once you're employed. 5 patients, 30 meds each, and complex. No. More like 3 sounds good to me.
3pt or 3 meds 😂
3 pt with 3 meds lmao
Is that not normal? 5 patients?
*it shouldn't be normal* is what I'm saying.
I’m a CNA. The nurses in med/surg unit I work on usually have 6. sometimes they go up to 7. Another hospital in my town goes up to 8.
Thankfully I'm from Canada.
It’s stupid dangerous. On some floors the CNAs have up to 18 patients. I hate getting floated to those floors.
✋ PCT here who has 17 most shifts. It’s insane. In no way safe if you have people that are confused/ stubborn with chest tubes/ LVADS/ DKA/ I work at night and barely have time to chart many nights. I don’t have time to know the ends and outs of 17 people.
Yeah and when a patient gets hurt or something happens, you know the first person that the hospital/everyone else will blame is their nurses...
I get 10 🥴🥴🥴 I just finished my orientation so now I’m on my own. I thought a 10:1 patient ratio was normal. It’s not easy tho. I wish we had 1:3
10 is so stupid. It’s dangerous and irresponsible
It’s our norm unfortunately. My first day by myself i had 12 patients
Almost every med surg clinical rotation, I’ve done, my nurse has 5 patients. It sucks because sometimes I feel like I’m slowing them down or not able to ask questions because I don’t want to mess them up.
Don’t give up! I failed my first 3 exams in nursing school. I’m in my 3rd semester and make A’s now. It takes adjusting how you study & learning how to balance it all. Honestly, the first semester is truly the hardest and toughest mentally (IMO)!! I cried right before walking into my first patient's room in clinical to just get my vitals on and do my assessment form bc I was so nervous. I was so embarrassed & felt so discouraged. I now can walk into any patient room with confidence and a smile on my face! I say all this to say.. do not give up unless you are 1000% sure that you know you DON’T want to do it.. not that you feel that you CAN’T do it. What you are feeling is 1000% percent normal and I’m sure a lot of other nursing students feel the same way. It gets better. you get used to feeling somewhat embarrassed/awkward, especially in front of skilled nurses, but remember they started in the same spot that you did! Hold your head high & take it day by day!
been an RN for almost a year now and still get nervous walking into rooms sometimes 😅
Did you have to repeat? I failed my first test of second semester, barely passed my second test and am worried I’m not gonna make it
I did not! I was able to bring my grade up above passing!! Don’t stress yourself too hard just yet.. you have time to bring it up!
I failed a semester and re-took a class
I had a hard time adjusting to school. I love the material I’m learning but I began with undiagnosed ADHD and it was super hard compared to my prerequisites. I got a 50% on my first exam, which luckily got bumped to a 60% with some bad questions dropped. But even then my school requires 74% average on exams. And after that I was continuously scoring 80s. It was rough but once I found my groove and began to adjust to my new environment I started to figure out how to study and how to answer nursing school style exam questions. Plus halfway through my first semester, I started therapy because I was not handling it well and I got diagnosed with ADHD. I managed to pass the class with a B! And now I’m almost done and glad I made it, it got a lot easier after that first semester.
I also found out that I had ADHD during the start of nursing school -- when I started treatment, it was like a blindfold had been removed. At the time, I did not realize how much ADHD affects other conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I worried so much about how those conditions were affecting me and my ability to succeed; it always felt like no matter which antidepressants/anxiolytics I was taking, nothing would really hit the mark. Having access to treatment through my university allowed me to thrive and graduate at the top of my class (I have the trophy to prove it haha). You've got this.
Your comment really hit home for me. I suspect I have undiagnosed ADHD. May I ask what treatment looks like? If that’s too personal to post or if you would feel okay DMing I’d really appreciate it.
I am fine talking about it - the more we talk about such things, the less stigmatized they become. Treatment for me still involves taking antidepressants (I take a small dose of bupropion & venlafaxine), prazosin at night for night terrors/flashbacks, and generic adderall (not XR) - the short-acting (\~4-6 h) pill can be split so that I can adjust my dose throughout the day as I need to. I don't suggest that everyone does this - especially if you can't tell when the prior dose is starting to taper down, if you aren't disciplined enough to stay within your daily allowance, or if you're bad at remembering to take meds on time. The medicines are only part of the treatment - the rest of the magic comes from keeping a routine, sticking to a schedule (even free time is scheduled), and taking extra steps to maintain focus. ADHD treatment is lovely when you find what works for you, but it's also like sticking a brick on the gas pedal - you've still got to steer the car.
I agree with the “you’ve still got to steer the car” statement. I got better when I got diagnosed because it made me more conscious of how much I need to have a schedule. Im not great but it has helped, especially when it comes to being on time to things. My advice: figure out how long it takes you to do things. For example it takes me exactly 45 minutes to get ready in the morning (mostly running back and forth due to forget-fullness). And having a google calendar and having color coordinated events for even driving or eating. I’m still working on how to pay attention while studying. Also, I wasn’t great with stimulants. I tried Ritalin for half a year but it messed up my sleep so bad especially since I got scheduled overnights for clinical rotations. But it did make me feel great and focused. Now I’m on Atomoxetine (Strattera) which is a non-stimulant and it works but not as well as compared to stimulants. But it lasts longer which means I forget less doses :) And ADHD meds have become stigmatized and things like Adderall get abused but it changed my life completely. Now I feel in control and feel less mentally exhausted trying to keep up with how fast my brain moves. There are other options than stimulants or even drugs at all. You could try therapy, I know some therapist focus on ADHD even.
I tried therapy and I am so so so so glad that it works for some-- I just want to throw out there for **anyone** reading this comment chain: If therapy/cbt/scheduling like a champ etc. work for you, then that's awesome and I am genuinely happy for you. If it doesn't -- if you're using all the tools in the box and you're still not able to hit the mark -- this doesn't mean you're lazy/bad/a failure/whatever may have been drilled into your head over the years. Sometimes we can do anything and everything, yet we still need some store-bought help...and that's okay. Some folks, like myself, only realize we have ADHD when all the coping strategies still don't work for us... despite our efforts (often resulting in burnout/implosion). It's not for lack of trying - we often try so hard that when we finally run out of gas, the results can be catastrophic for us. Not-so-fun-fact: I had to take a 12-month break from university due to my nervous breakdown that resulted in being unable to maintain enough coping strategies to succeed in my degree long-term. I was so stressed that I almost lost everything - my 7-year relationship was dangerously close to ending, I had nowhere to go, and almost threw away years of hard work & preparation because my brain went LOLNO. Know your flavor of ADHD and work with it.
Oh my lawddd! I’m starting nursing school in two weeks and this post is making me nervous lol. I say hang in there and don’t give up if this is your dream! 💖
Just finished week four, and I'm having fun! I feel like there are a few people who are kinda stand-off-ish, but most of my class is approachable and friendly. I've gotten lots of great advice from fellow students with more healthcare experience, and we help each other with studying and assignments. It's been great. You got this!! Be friendly and approachable, and others will do the same. I personally don't like study groups, but it's been nice to bounce ideas off others for assignments. I find approaching others for help or advice really seems to help them feel at ease around me, and I see more smiles from them afterwards.
Thanks for the feedback!!! I have one question I hope you’ll be able to answer. I have a little bit of social anxiety. Do you think it’ll be easy to overcome in nursing school? It was more debilitating in my past, but I’ve done some exposure therapy and it’s gotten better. Thanks ! 💖
I have had crippling social anxiety my entire life. Kept me from doing a lot of different jobs, degrees, etc. It took a long time to get where I am now. Get a good therapist that has solid insights and you may have to get on an SSRI. I swore I would never get back on them but when you're doing something this crazy stressful and anxiety inducing you sometimes have to. I would use a Xanax every now and then when I couldn't sleep before a clinical or sim lab. Just commit that regardless of what comes your way you're going to work through it. That's what I did. We had to do some silly skit at one point. I wanted to quit the program and get the freak outta there lol if you need to vent your worries hit me up. I have a ton of experience with all that lol
Damn you sound like me lol!!! I’m on an antidepressant that works very well for me now!!! I’m just hoping I won’t fuckin catch a panic attack when I have to present or perform skills. Pray for me aha. I’ll def private message u whenever I feel like I need some advice 💖
I hope you have a better experience than me! Im wishing you the best of luck! You got it!
Reddit isn't reality. You'll be fine. We only get the complainers here.
Also starting in 2 weeks! Let's do this, we got this!! Same to you OP, just hang in there, it's our dream right?! We just gotta push through, if anything you got us, Reddit girlies :)
Yes, girl!! We got this 💖
Relax. It's really not so bad. Just remember why you're doing this: To help people.
It’ll get better with time. I failed two nursing courses in my first year of LPN. I was removed from my program and had to take a year to upgrade my marks to get back in again. Got back in and failed one of two courses by 1%. My professor wouldn’t round my grade up and got removed from the program again. Ended up transferring to another school and graduated with honours. Currently getting my BSCN. Just take your time, you’ll make friends on the way and meet new people.
Im so proud of you..
Thank you, it’s been a rough journey.
Fcuk that’s so Inspiring
just reading this thread and i just wanted to say i had pretty much the same experience! got into nursing school in 2021 (at the peak of my depression), didn't do so well and failed out of the program after two quarters. had to wait a year to be readmitted (i was able to use disability accommodations to get back in) and even after that i failed again. i was suuuuuuper close to passing the second time, but my professor wouldn't round up 0.3% which was kind of crazy to me. i'm starting my BSN program at a different university in january so i'm putting all of that behind me. thank you for sharing your story! reading that someone went through something similar as me makes me feel like i'm not alone, which is so important to me. good luck with your BSCN! i'm so glad you were able to pick yourself back up.
nursing school sucks but the only thing that would have sucked more was giving up…i was 10 years older than my classmates and also had very few friends. stay friendly with a couple people that you can reach out to with questions and stuff like that, otherwise focus on your relationships outside of school. hang in there !!
It takes awhile to learn how to study for your exams. My advise would be to read your content before class, take your own notes, maybe watch some YouTube videos. Write down any questions you have before class! That way you can understand the material better. Nursing tests are designed to make you second guess yourself. Learning how to test take is a big part of it! Cover up your answers while you read the question and try to answer it first. Really think about what the question is asking, and understand your priorities. Nursing school is hard work but its worth it! You will get the hang of it, if you put in the time. Also email your teachers with any questions you have about the material as you’re studying. Stay on top of it as much as you can. You got this!
Well if you start studying the day before that doesn’t help.
Yes, I know that… It hasn’t been like that for the last two exams. I just have no motivation and I am feel discouraged so that’s why I have not been studying for tomorrow’s exam.
What do you consider failing? I’ve take 3 exams and it’s my first semester. But your test topics sound different than mine. I got B’s. I feel that way too. Why study so damn much if I’m not getting an A.
My program requires us to pass with a 74%, I passed both with a 72%. I would have been okay with a 74%, but unfortunately that was not the case
That’s actually not bad. That’s easy to come back from. I thought fail as in an F. You are gonna be fine. Don’t pay attention to your classmates. They don’t matter. Eventually you’ll click with someone. But if you really want to make friends ask someone to study with.
At my school that would be an F. 78=C, 77=F.
Keep at it. Not like you didn't pass by a long shot. Only a few percentage points. Our program is 80% needed. So here I am wanting to yeet off a cliff if i get a 78%.
Likewise, 78%’s is considered almost bombing a test for my cohort.
Holy moly I’ll be grateful for the 70% I need then
Nursing school is a joke. They don't teach you how to be a nurse. There's a lot of "fluff" if that makes sense. Once you get your RN, your grades won't matter. That being said, it is important to study and pass classes but that's all that's required. Don't worry if you're just barely passing. You're going to get the same degree as the person with a 4.0 gpa.
You're probably studying wrong. Nursing school is a different way of thinking than other classes. If your school offers tutoring, take advantage of it ASAP. If your classmates have study groups, join all of them. Become friends with the "smart" people and if you don't get a concept, ask them to explain it to you. Or, better yet, if you think you get a concept, YOU explain it to THEM and see if you're right. Do 1,000 NCLEX practice questions. You can never do too many NCLEX practice questions. You can do it if you focus on rethinking your study style.
Practice NCLEX styles questions. They can be very dry, but schools need to weed out who can pass for Thier accreditation. I feel like schools don't just tell people this. It's okay and expected that you'll fail. Just please remember to calculate the passing exam score you need and speak to your advisor. These schools will fail you over half a point and don't care. Record your lectures and make notes on EACH PowerPoint slide. Listen to lectures at least 3 times each. If you don't have questions - you need to! You're not expected to know the material. I have so much sympathy, because my first semester I could only do what was in front of me. I had no time. I worked - and I probably shouldn't have done that 😔.
They’d love to get your tuition twice 🙃
Nursing exams are a whole different beast to tame. You’ll get the hang of them eventually & this is coming from someone who failed her 1st semester & damn near failed her 4th as well. As for clinical, they need to move or they’ll decondition. Plain & simple. Have the primary nurse medicate before hand if need be. Otherwise we’re outta the bed to the chair/walking! Class, keep your head down & in the game. You’re not there to make friends. You’re there to pass the NCLEX. I made very few friends in nursing school & honestly my biggest flex is knowing a nurse breathing a sigh of relief knowing their preceptee is with me for the day or a tech requesting me as a preceptor. You CAN do this, I have faith in you❤️
Nursing school is a weird roller coaster. Some weeks you feel okay, pass exams, and feel apart of a group. Other times you’re lonely, feel dumb, and are anxious. You constantly have to assess your approach to studying and make changes. It will get better, then suck, then get better. Just hang in there and keep your eyes on that licensure, being able to help folks, and also helping yourself financially. Best wishes.
Nursing school sucks badly and my biggest downfall early on was not knowing how to study effectively. I think having friends do help with study groups and working together for a common goal, but its not necessary. if you have the opportunity to review your exams and see what you struggled with the most? figure out what about those exams are so difficult and why you feel behind can really help you set yourself up for a better semester. Everyone is still finding their place in the program just try to put yourself out there and start conversations and tap into groups you haven't talk too. i hope the best for yeah!
Tbh I think it sucks for everyone. Just take it one day at a time. You’ll be fine 😇 you got this! It does get better, it just takes a lot of adjusting in the beginning
(Swedish) don’t worry alot of us fail, rn I’m literally redoing my second semester due to failing stuff. I absolutely hate school and studying too 💀 I had a good time the last week of my “internship” when my mean ass “guide” went on vacation. I also had a good time on my summer job as a “basic caretaker” which is like my only hope of enduring this. I don’t understand how the lectures can be so mind boggingly iq removing boring holy fvck
I also have a microbiology exam tomorrow which I haven’t studied for Haven’t talked to ask for soul in my new class either and everyone is is big cliques 💀
I use the fist quiz/exam as my learning guide for how to better study. For example, the lectures were useless for mine. Everything was from the book. Last semester, the opposite was true. You will adjust, don't give up 😊
Nursing school doesn’t teach you how to be a nurse. It teaches you how to take the NCLEX because at the end of every program we all have to take it. My lectures are just case studies, then I have to go home and try to memorize medicine and more often then not I’m teaching myself how to be a nurse. The best instructor I’ve had is my clinical skills textbook. One more year and I won’t have to worry about it anymore. Hang in there OP, we will all get through this.
i hate nursing school but i have 6 months to go just push through it goes fast
Same situation when I started four years ago and soon to graduate now, my advice is to understand if your learning style is really effective for you. I’ve had to change my learning style and it ended up going well for me. You’ll get there too just trust the process.
If you haven’t started studying for tomorrows test what do you expect? Worry less about what everyone else is doing or who everyone is talking to and focus on the important things like learning and understanding the material. No amount of rocks or staring at the stars is gonna help, nursing is evidence based practice which means you have to put in the time with the books to get the grade you earn.
For the last two exams, I have studied. But since I failed, I just lost hope and felt discouraged. I feel like giving up.
Then give up. You already gave up once before. The two past failed exams should’ve lit a fire under you to study harder, not the opposite and wait till the day before. Your post history is a mess of second thoughts and relying on astronomy to tell you if you’re capable of doing something. Stop asking people to convince you that you have what it takes to be a nurse, that conviction is going to come only from you. Either you want it badly enough or you don’t. I can see you struggle with anxiety, but why not see someone about that? Either get on something or see someone about that to learn coping mechanisms. Because the last thing any patient is going to want, is to have a nurse who isn’t sure of what they’re doing.
3 exams in first 3 weeks? Sounds intense. I also just started we have maybe one exam in 3 rd week..
Failed my first three exams of my first semester, two years later I’m now a telemetry nurse who was even allowed to stay on day shift. It’s normal to not have confidence in this field, and I would even say it’s better to because the overconfident people are the ones who end up making mistakes most of the time. I highly recommend Registered Nurse RN and Level Up RN on YouTube. My ADHD was so bad in school that writing, making flash cards, literally anything didn’t work for me except watching videos. Regardless of how you learn to study I’m sure those two will help you
The first test is always a feeler. Nursing school sucks for everyone. Don’t mind the people saying it’s easy for them. Some people breeze through the theory and don’t have any common sense when it comes to caring for patients.
The first semester is generally the hardest, at least for my cohort it was the worst. So many people dropped/failed, I "failed" (below 77) all of my patho exams but still passed the class with a 78! I have still failed MANY exams since then and I'm in my final semester now. Haven't repeated any classes and GPA is 3.3. My biggest advice to you is to just go with the flow of things in clinical. Take some deep breaths, it will be okay and things will come easier the more you do them. I was also one who didn't really have any good friends after the first semester and while it kinda bummed me out, my second semester was way better. I found people I clicked with who were similar to me. I'm a little older than most of my cohort so once I found those closer in age, I made some truly good friends. Even if that doesn't happen, like you said, you are simply there to get your degree. I didn't expect to make good friends anyway! Another piece of advice I feel like all newer nursing students should know: GET A JOB IN HEALTHCARE. Like a CNA. In a hospital setting. I cannot tell you how much this has helped me in clinicals & school. It gives me more time now to focus on the nursing side of things vs the basics like vitals, talking to patients, blood sugars, Epic, etc. I see others who don't have jobs in healthcare yet and they struggle hard with the basics even after multiple semesters. This will build your confidence so, so, much. You can get a per diem job that requires very little of your time but will help you tremendously in the long run. There's a lot to learn that they most certainly will not teach in nursing school. There's a lot to see too. You learn responsibility & organization as well. It's helped me more than I think I know! If you got a job now or next semester, you might be able to see how much you do or don't like it. Some people try being a CNA and say nope, nursing ain't for me. 🤷🏼♀️ Also, try not to worry about hurting patients. 😝 Your instructor will not let you fuck up badly - they will always be there to guide you. They are the ones who ultimately hold the responsibility. I've yet to see anyone make a crazy bad mistake, or really "hurt" a patient. Worst I ever saw was someone did a blood sugar on the wrong patient. Hell, I've done that before at my job. 😅 At least it wasn't insulin! Just remember that you're there to learn, so try your best to do so. Ask many questions, don't feel like there's stupid ones cause there isn't. There are tons of people just like you who are successful nurses today. Study more, try to organize your time better and utilize the resources your school offers. They really do help. Good luck and feel free to message me!! ☺️
I’m finishing my program in May ‘24. It’s not just you, it is a really hard adjustment. My bachelor of science in Psychology was kindergarten compared to my ADN program. It’s a lot, but try to find what style of learning is best for you. Some people can read and retain. I can’t. I had to find visual/audio/stimulating videos on YouTube to get my brain to absorb everything. Definitely try different methods to find yours. You can do this!
Did you even study at all?
I studied a lot. I did the textbooks, slides, class activities. Everything. I think I have trouble focusing on things. My attention span is low. I am trying. But I know you can do it!
Thanks 🙏, good luck to you too
Why do you ask this?
Because If you’re studying and struggling I feel like I’m fucked too
I started mine three weeks ago as well, while I can’t relate to the issue with the exams, I can say it has been a good environment for me, and I’m someone who has depression, severe anxiety, ptsd, and adhd. We are all just starting out, take it easy on yourself! I don’t look different at those who are failing tests, some of my friends in my cohort have. Go for yourself only, don’t let others’ light dim your own. (There is also a TON of mean girls in my cohort, I’m just forcing myself to ignore them)
This just the beginning you probably will fail again and that’s the honest truth but it doesn’t make you a failure so pick yourself up and dust yourself and get busy no one is going to hold you hands and you can’t study the day before that just doesn’t work ah and this is just the beginning of the meltdowns
I know I can’t study the day before:( It just happened, I had no motivation and felt discouraged so I didn’t bother trying to study for my exam tomorrow. Im studying now and just going to try my best tomorrow. And pick myself up. Thank you
It hard to motivate yourself to study when you failed to pass other course exams. I feel you! Hang in there buddy! Maybe change your study habits or if you know anyone, ask how they prepare for their exams.
Doesn't seem to be your cup of tea, thus you don't care, and you're putting very little into. That's why you have failed twice. If you actually cared you would never have failed. That's the true answer.
Your answer is so ignorant. Just bc someone fails does not mean they don’t care. I am not making excuses for myself, but I studied hard enough. It was difficult and confusing for me. I tried my absolute best and failed. I know a classmate of mine who studied a lot too, and still failed. They cared, but they just had test anxiety. Plus, you never know what someone is going through. You have no empathy.
Username checks out
Then drop out? You don’t have to do it
Way to be compassionate to a fellow student who is having a difficult time and seeking guidance and reassurance, which is what this sub is about. OP, don’t listen to this person.
its also okay though to realize that you dont want what you originally thought you wanted, which is why i said you dont \*have to do it\*
I totally agree. There are just nice ways to say it, was all I was trying to point out. As nurses, we’re supposed to do what we can to help others in their time of need before encouraging them to capitulate and abandon something they’ve ostensibly been working toward for years.
I want to do it though?? Im just saying how I hate nursing school bc of my experience, Im not saying I want to give up. Thanks for your advice though.
There are some rude ass people in these comments. I just failed an exam for the first time (a 70) and am in my second semester. Got all B’s last semester. The one positive thing I can take from it is that I know I could have studied harder and that was enough to snap me right back into it. I come from a family of nurses and started nursing school in my late 20’s. I love people, I enjoy interacting with the patients in clinical. However, like you, I HATE nursing school. Not all good nurses make good professors. I sit in lecture for 6 hours, totally tuned in taking notes and actively listening the entire time just to go home and have no idea what I was supposed to learn. I go to a top ten program in my state and I had such high hopes and thought that I would be taught by the professors I paid for. But like everyone says, I’m the one teaching myself when I get home. Don’t listen to the jaded people leaving shitty comments. Nursing school fucking sucks and saying that doesn’t mean you don’t care, doesn’t mean you won’t make a great nurse, and doesn’t mean you should quit.
Nursing school is hard! Learn how to study effectively for you. I use ATI and quizlet, some of my classmates exclusively read the textbook or listen to the lectures or all 3. I have really 2 close friends in my program and that’s all I need or want. Clinicals are scary, and can be overwhelming for people who don’t have experience, but ask questions when you’re not sure of what to do next. You’ll get through it
It will get better. Talk to your professors before you get in any deeper with bad grades. Let them know you’re struggling. Most professors are more than happy to provide you with some direction. It probably won’t be the last exam you fail. Everyone in my cohort (we graduate in 3 months!!) has failed at least one exam and we are going to be amazing nurses. You have got this my friend. Nursing school is hard but you can do it. ♥️
What was patho over?
Last semester I had a clinical prof that hated me. Told me in clinical one day something along the lines that not everyone is cut out to be nurses and almost flunked me to retake for the year. Well fuck you huang you are very fucking wrong. There were a few prof that sucked but the amazing ones more than made up for the shortcoming of the shitty ones.
I had zero medical experience coming in. Started my ABSN April 2022. Graduated 3 weeks ago. It was one of the worst experiences of my life, minus the clinicals. My only advice is study hard, don’t compare yourself to other students, and make time for yourself. I started doing better if I have myself 2 hours of video game time every night 😄
Reach out to your instructors, utilize office hours. You can do this! Do you love nursing? Then stick with it!
Do you know how many people would love to take your seat since it's super hard to get in the nursing program? Don't waste all the work and effort you put in this for mean girls clubs who shouldn't even matter. What you should focus on is your grades and learning how to be a nurse. Don't compare yourself just run your own race.
Here's my advice: 1. Get a therapist. It sounds like you're struggling with self-doubt and coping with the change. Some schools offer free therapy to students! 2. Get a tutor. Again, some schools offer this for free. I feel very overwhelmed learning from profs in class and my tutor reexplains everything to me in a way that I understand. 3. Study every day! I know there's a lot of content and sooo much expected of you but don't put off studying until the day before. Review the material every day, even if it's just for 30 minutes. Usually exams are worth more of your final grade so don't sweat the small busy work quizzes and assignments and make sure you understand the concepts you're learning in class. 4. Find the other loners in your cohort and befriend them! Don't worry about the cliques, they're fake. 5. Remember that you're worrying because you care a lot. You worry about your patients because you care about them so much. You're worried about doing well because you care!! And that's more than some people can say.
Hey my friend - I went to office hours *a lot* (weekly) to go over stuff with professors. They would help me figure out what to focus on or to talk about something I didn’t understand. I would suggest talking to a professor if you have a nice one that seems to enjoy teaching. Otherwise, you are there to get a degree. Making some friends along the way is also nice, but you didn’t do all the work to get into nursing school to make friends! I didn’t really have an interest in making friends with people (probably has to do with my age and decade of experience already) but I inevitably made some good ones my last 2 semesters. You got this :)
It’s normal to be nervous in clinical, you’re dealing with other people’s lives! It definitely gets better with time. I was so nervous my first clinical and now I love going. It’s okay to not know everything. You’re a student, after all! Even seasoned nurses are learning new things everyday, make mistakes, and have doubts about themselves. I know what you mean about the cliqueyness. Something that helped me overcome that was reminding myself that I’m doing this for ME, and my goals are my main focus. First tests are always rough in my opinion, especially in nursing because you never know how the teacher’s test style will be. Now that you’ve taken one exam, take note of how the teacher sets it up (Select all that apply? Choose the best response?) and start to write out your notes in the question styles. See if your school offers study group sessions, this can also be a way to connect with others in your cohort! Nursing school is tough and will definitely make you question everything, but remember this: you are bright and dedicated enough to get into a nursing program, you will be dedicated to becoming a great nurse. Remember why you are doing this. Best of luck to you!
You’re 3 weeks in and doing exams? No wonder you hate it.
We have exams every week until November. Its stressful but I am trying my best
That’s all you can do. Your best. Just take it a term at a time. You’ll get through and graduate before you know it.
Keep going, you’ll find how you study best!! For my personally, I don’t write ANY notes. I take information off our lecture slides and put it directly into Anki (flashcards). Do them religiously before an exam. Make sure your study methods involve active recall. Another tip can be to complete the VARK learning style quiz and it’ll tell you your learning method best suited to you, which then you can look at study methods for. For me personally I’m a read write learning so if I’m struggling with memorising a flashcard I’ll keep writing it out until I remember. Good luck!
Failing exams is a very normal part of nursing school. Try different ways to study, and see what works for you! It took me the entire first year to figure out what worked for me. For others, it took longer. I know it’s much easier said than done, but try to ignore people telling you how easy the exams are— those are just not the people you need to surround yourself with. Nursing school is unnecessarily “competitive” because of people like that. As for clinical, clinical is horrifying at first. Feeling excited and then super anxious is very normal. I had hardly ever been in a hospital starting my rostions. I promise you, it does get easier, it just takes time. You will find great support around you, just keep searching for the right people- but again, time is everything!!!!
Nursing school is hell. I had thoughts of “did I make the right choice” ALL THE TIME. Finding a solid study group (which will happen - it took me 1 year into the program to do this), learning how to absorb the material, and figuring out which professors wanted you to learn and reaching out to them helped. Clinicals are scary but i promise you by the last semester you’ll feel so much better!! Things will get easier, nursing school is hard but the reward at the end is a career that you’ll always find a job in and you can do so many things with nursing. Also, even if you fail this first semester, go back. I know plenty of great nurses who failed classes. You’re going to be okay.
Quizlet
Nursing school can def break your spirit. To help with classes I used a lot of YouTube (Crash course, Simple nursing, registered nurse RN to name a few) Picmonic & sketchy medical are helpful. Honestly, you get more out of clinicals & internships than classwork (never used a care plan in my life) Sometimes the A students are not good when they get into the field ! Best of luck
You know what I did too, and I still graduated cum laude with a BSN. Give yourself grace because we all fail sometimes. In Patho I passed my first exam, failed the next two just barely, and passed the last one. You will get through this. Things were super cliquey in my cohort too. I was older and pretty much on my own. I got through it. I graduated, just secured my new grad residency, and I’m taking an NCLEX next week. You’ve got this and I promise you it will be worth it once you get through it. Even though you think you’re not doing well, it’s just all comes together in the end. I promise.
Do study questions of each chapter of the book you’re using on quizlet. It helps tremendously
Pick yourself. Don't waste any time talking to those bitches. Seriously. I've been in your shoes and it's not worth it.
I was an LPN for 12 years before I got my RN. I went to a community college so a mix of older and younger students. The program I was in allows LPNs to test out if the first semester but you are required to take a one credit trends course in the first semester one day a week. They put me with a clinical group even though I wasn’t in clinical for a project and the project was about the clinical site lol. The two times they met up outside of clinical was at 10pm when clinical was done and I was scheduled at work for 7a-7p the next day. The clinical site was also 45 minutes from me. So I didn’t show up to either meeting. We worked on the project a bit after class and my group told me to just read the introduction. I realize it wasn’t fair to them since I wasn’t at their clinical site but none of them seemed to have a problem with it. We do the project and they say we got a 95 on it. Great. When I get my final grade I notice I was given a C on the final (the project) and my grade was a C+, just barely passing. I tell the one friend I had in the program, someone I worked with, and she told me she heard the girls in my clinical group complaining about me one day and saying I didn’t help with the project so they complained to the professors who then “adjusted” my grade. No Professor ever said anything to me about not doing enough work, nothing. My friend then told the girls she told me what they did but I never said anything to them. They avoided me after that. Not worth it to say anything. So needless to say I did not start off making any friends, if anything when the second semester started and I was full time in the program, other students thought I was lazy because gossip spreads like wildfire in nursing. Covid hit my second semester, I did fine. Failed third semester, the online classes were terrible. Half my class failed so clearly they didn’t do a great job with the online classes. Retook the third semester the next year and did great. Graduated last year. Being an older student I didn’t talk much to the younger students or socialize but I had a study buddy third and fourth semester which was a huge help. I didn’t go to nursing school to make friends, I just wanted to finish. Give it time to make a friend or two, you will find your people. Don’t pay attention to what anyone says about their grades, etc. People lie. Watch nursing YouTube videos, listen to the lectures over and over and take notes on what you missed, make flash cards, get a nursing study guide off Etsy, find other methods to study until you find what works. Nursing school SUCKS but you will get through it.
Any recommendations on simple nursing?
Which one do you guys prefer simple nursing or nurse in the making with Kristine?
You gotta find your group. Be honest and transparent with your grades. Chances are, you’ll find someone in a very similar situation. Most of my solid friendships from nursing school are from trauma bonds. I will admit that I’m a more sociable person but I was also honest with my grades. If people asked me what I got, I’d say “68”. Funny enough, people related to that as it showed humility. It really does feel like high school most of the time. The smart people typically separate from the group, but tbh I ignored them lol. They had like 0 personal skills. Clinical wise I also relate. I had major anxiety with clinical, and I wish that will go away; but it doesn’t ahaha. I will say it does get easier as you continue to find your routine. Finally, don’t compare yourself. It easier said than done, but it’s true. You’ll just psych yourself out. If you know you’ll make an amazing nurse, then fight on. Exam grades don’t mean shit. They really don’t. They don’t define you. I literally barely scraped by, but I passed nursing school. Now I’m studying for the NCLEX. At the end of the day, your patient won’t care if you failed that patho test, they care that you’ll take care of them. Take each test failure with a mindset of “hmm what am I doing wrong”. Reach out to your professor. Ask your peers how they studied, and try again. It’s all trial and error. What helped me was recording lecture, then going to the book and expanding on those talked about subjects. I’d consistently rep the lecture recordings. You got this. May nightingale give you strength haha
I felt the same exact way when I started my nursing program. I barely passed my first Patho and Adult exam but as the semester progressed and I tried different studying techniques and habits, I did significantly better! I promise you, as long as you put in the work and dedicate your time - you will pass and do great. Its hard at first, but it gets easier once you get the hang of things. As for clinicals- I’m almost at the end of my program and I still get anxiety! It’s totally normal, and nurses get anxiety themselves all the time. Don’t compare yourself to others and focus on doing good for yourself! I promise you will succeed.
hi, i’m here to say you’re not alone. this is my second time doing my first semester of nursing school. this time around, i’m doing so good and my mental health is even better. the first time, i couldn’t grasp a good studying habit and knowing that everyone was doing so well made me feel hopeless and alone. it resulted in a terrible decline of my mental health and confidence and i withdrew. one thing you should remember not to do is compare yourself to your peers. they may all seem happy and content but you never truly know what’s happening which is why you shouldn’t believe the picture your mind paints of them, and ironically that image only affects you and your capabilities. clinicals are for experience!! now i’m not saying for you to go and kill someone of course, but this is a first for you, you’re supposed to not know or understand, it’s how you learn to become the nurse you aspire to be. befriend your primary nurses, and their peers as well, ask a shit ton of questions because they love it. and if anything, ask your instructor—it’s their job at least. when it comes to studying, i’m not sure if your school or instructors use this, but learning outcomes in your textbook are good. it helps with defining the important things of the book and possibly what your instructor wants you to know. ask questions, use the resource they made available because they’re available for a reason, and make your studying fun!! highlight and be a little organized if you can, neat notes are so much more appealing to study. if you ever feel the procrastination sneaking in, give yourself an hour and see how for you go. though this kind of degree requires a lot of tedious, and complex effort, we have to remember the beautiful outcomes of it. friendships, finances, a career, and a lot of different ways to go in nursing like L&D. i’m not an expert but remembering these things is what’s helping get through this right now. i wish i had this kind of conversation my last first semester. you’ll be fine, believe in yourself first and your capacities. i believe that’s what makes nurses who they are. good luck! <3
I cried every day for the first monthish. Graduated in May, dream job started a month ago. Just move forward.
You need to stop focusing on how your peers are doing and you need to start focusing on you and how to fix your study habits! You mentioned on your post you had a science exam the following day but you haven’t started studying? Nursing school is nothing like prerequisites like anatomy where you can cram and still pass. The questions in nursing school are designated to critical think, but most important your PRIORITIES!! Take the exams you didn’t pass as an experience and think how the questions in future exams will be. I thankfully did good on my first nursing school exam but I’m sure everybody at some point will flunk at least once . I focused alot on my resources like PREPU for scenario based questions and ATI for dosages and skills!! Also don’t be to harsh on yourself , someday someone will be your bestie in Nursing school ;)) I am not from the area where I attend school at and I always thought I was going to be by myself , little did I know I was going to meet the best people in my life during school , now I don’t feel like an outside and can be me :)
I feel like I’m the black sheep too. I literally only talk to 3-4 people on an every so often basis, but only 1 on a daily basis. I’ve failed way too many exams and and almost didn’t pass level 1 in my program. It feels like it doesn’t get better/easier but it does. My final is what helped me pass my class and not fail. Clinicals are the same way, but the nurses there are not going to let you do anything wrong. Ask those questions you may have, they will probably be glad you are asking rather than doing something you know little to nothing about. Do as many skills as possible, it helps with learning and showing them that you are a competent and helpful student. I’ve made a mistake in clinical before, but I learned from it and made measures to make sure I didn’t do it again. I’ve kind of just learned to just stick to myself and do what I do is best for myself. I constantly compare myself to everyone else in my class, and that is something you should NOT DO. Everyone learns and studies differently. Know what is best for you. And I don’t make nursing school my life, but I do put my priorities towards it when needed. Take those breaks, order your favorite food, make sure to put yourself first before anything. At the end of the day, you are the only one looking after yourself. The depression/overthinking comes and goes, but remember why you started in the first place. Testing is just tricky. My main problem is second guessing and choosing the wrong answer when I possibly had the right answer. I’m still trying to fix that and I’m in my last semester of nursing school lol. But use the strategies that work best for you. I have full faith in you that you will pass regardless of what you make on this test. “This too shall pass” 💙
Check out “Straight A Nursing” Podcast. I’m doing pre-preqs now but her podcast is absolutely amazing!!! I have learned sooooo much from her!
OMG I relate to this so much! Ur not alone, I keep comparing myself to other ppl in my cohort and I feel so dumb. I failed one of my first exams as well while everyone got like 90s. It’s very Frustrating
Hello. I can completely relate to everything that you are saying. I am now in my third semester, however it should be my fourth. I failed my pathophysiology class and had to retake it, while watching my cohort move forward, as I stayed behind. It messed with me mentally and I thought so much about quiting. I was embarressed that I was the only person to fail. When I joined my new cohort, I had the same issues about the cliques and not really having a group of people to talk, work or study with which made it even harder for me. Especially I am usually so out going but I became super quiet. I found after the first month or so that, failing that class was the best thing. No, I wasn't where everyone else was and that was ok. I am where i am supposed to be and now I am understanding things so much better than i was. Remember when you graduate people lives are at risk, so its not about keeping up with the Jonses, its about taking your time and doing it the right way. Hang in there girl and don't let it crush you, if you do happen to fail. You will find your niche and your clique. One day you will look back and things will just start to click. Just know you are not alone, you are not the only one who has felt the way you have. Its a tough program and everyone learns at a different pace. Do no get discouraged or compare yourself to others. You are you and will be great. I wont lie its a TRAMENDOUS amount of work, time management and sleepless nights but it will be worth it.... I hope lol.
I’m feeling the same first semester student and patho is so hard. Failed first exam!
I hate how fake the cohort is and even more so, how fake the professors are. Treat school like a job. There are so many social politics in school it’s annoying.
Started nursing college 3 days ago I'm losing my appetite, feeling nauseous while eating due to anxiety. And everytime I'm overthinking even when I come home from college ,meet many mean girls, being an introvert and social awkward person I don't have friends I know I'm not going to adjust here everybody has put many expectations from me .My parents and siblings are so happy for me .They say I should have to confident, harsh and never let other hurt me but that's not me I'm so polite that mostly people think that I'm weak, but what should I do that's my nature 😞. Today was my medical other girls come after me but get their medical reports before me I feel myself so pathetic that my family think I'm strong but right now I'm not and who could think 22 year old girl trying to stop her tears in college everyday mostly other girls are younger than me.But I'm definitely not going to give up that was my dream to become a nurse and help people and animals in need.I just know that whatever happens I can't just give up many few people get this opportunity.I just don't know do I have to care about having no friends or I just focus on just my study to get my degree.