RN student-I need a word of Hope

I'm in an ADN-RN program, second semester. Though I've always done well on tests before, I'm now failing Med-Surg. I've taken 3 tests (five to go before end of semester). I missed passing by 8 points on the first test, two points on the second test, and 10 points on the third.
I have to get at least an 85 on subsequent exams in order to pass this course and advance with my class.
I'm discouraged; very.
This morning I'm meeting with a woman who helps students with studying, test anxiety, etc. This may help but I need something else....Hope....like I said in the thread.
I want to hear that there are others out there who were failing and managed to pull it all together and pass. I suppose I need confirmation or something to "tell" me, or "reassure" me that my brain cells haven't died and that I'm not the first person to do so badly.....and that passing CAN be accomplished. My morale and confidence is at an all time low. Trust me, I'm not trying to sound whiney (I'm really not!) but admittedly I'm feeling weak and if there's someone out there who recognizes my post, has experienced it or seen others go through it and managed to prevail, I want and need to hear it.

been there...every subject, every test, every course, every year . I tend to procrastinate, therefore, rarely studied, did homework, etc. so I often times found myself playing catch up. I do my best when there is pressure.

You can do it. Just sit down and get to work. Take it one chapter at a time, one page at a time, and don't move to the next until you are good with the one you are on.

Also, talk to your instructor. Ask if you can do some extra credit work or earn some bonus points. It NEVER hurts to ask. It will show that you are concerned and that you are willing to do what it takes.

Plus, if you ask now, it will have more of an impact than if you ask with one week left.

Worst case scenario, it may help if you are a point short, and the instructor might just give you that little...ahem....bump.

Don't depend on it though. Improve your scores from here on out, and you'll do fine.

If you're taking multiple choice tests, look at it this way. You've already got a 1 in 4 chance to get it right. You can almost always rule out one answer. Now you have a one in 3 chance to get it right. Let's say you KNOW half of them. You've already got 50% on the test. You have a 1 in 3 on the rest of them. That's roughly 16%. So now your score is 66%.

You have a 66 and you still have another 25% of the questions left. If you get 25% of those right, you have a 73. 73% isn't bad for only knowing 50% of the answers....

Go in knowing 70% of them and you're GOLDEN!!!!

(how's that for positive spin!!!)

Being an RN student myself... I can't help but empathize with your current dilemma. But frankly there are only a couple of words that you should keep in your heart...

1. Enjoy what you are doing -- with this in mind you would hardly feel the burden of reviewing for your exams. Am not an A-1 student in my class. However, between the alternate daily exams that I used to get from my Anatomy and Health Care teachers, I have learned to enjoy and appreciate what I am doing right now.

2. Manage your time VERY WELL-- Med Surg is I think one of the most difficult subjects we have. But believe me when I tell you, a little glimpse on your book days before your lecture on the actual topic can actually give you the edge. It'll be easy for you to comprehend what is to be discussed not to mention you had prepared for the big day. This is better than cramming.

3. Lastly, find a STUDY GROUP-- the difference between having peers and having a STUDY GROUP who becomes your peers is that you get to have both worlds: having friends you enjoy being with and having someone who can motivate you to do better.


Well, I guess its not too short after all. lol. But trust me... it wouldn't be the end of the world. It'll never be too late. :-)

Thess

What worked best for me was getting a NCLEX review book and reading the chapters that went along with what we were studing. Luckily I have a good memory so if I heard it in lecture I'd remember it and not have to do much reading (I'd just sit and hold the book anyway and watch TV) But during lecture read along and highlight the high points. Study in intervals 15-30 minutes then a little break then again 15 minutes and a break. If you try to just read the chapter(s) you remember the 1st thing you read and the last but not the middle stuff.
Another thing on the multiple test questions almost always pick the answer that has something to do with assessment or looking for more information.

I hear you loud and clear!!! I went right from high school to nursing school (ADN) with my guidance counselor telling me "you'll never get accecpted to the program, the school mainly accecpts LPN's". So I was going into it with negative feedback and doubts. I was not big on studying and reading. But luckily I had a good memory and nursing came very natural for me. Keep on plugging away at your studies with peers and small groups...they will keep you motivated.
The NCLEX review book was also a biggie. Get yourself a copy and do practice questions. Keep the faith. If you love the profession and want to be a nurse, you can do it and will succeed. Best of luck to you!

I had an instructor 3 times in school....she told me she didn't know why I was in school, I'd never be a good nurse, my grades werten't up to par...etc. I passed boards the first time (I'm not a good test taker), and have loved nursing for 27 years! I hope to finish my NP by next year....you have to keep at it....but if you want it bad enough....you will do it, I did!! Best of luck

Thank you all for your replies! I've spent the last few days studying, walking with a book in my hand and reciting out loud. I met with some fellow students last night and we took turns calling out questions to each other from NCLEX-RN review books. I feel if I could only get the test-taking (those critical thinking questions) down pat I'd be okay. It's like I go in there expecting a trick question and end up overlooking the most obvious question. I suppose if you expect something to be hard, it WILL be hard, right? Hoping my brain is in top-notch working condition for this upcoming Monday when I will have my fourth exam. I'd so like to do well on it. Would boost my confidence immensely.
Again, thanks to all of you for the pep talk and the tips!

One thing that works for me is to learn stuff a night and then sleep on it.. Seems to help you retain the subject matter...Can't hurt to try it..

WR,,, three commas for Becca


MereKat motto:

Respect the Elders, Teach the Young, Cooperate with Family, Play when you can, Work when you should, Rest in between, Share you Affection, Voice your Feelings, Leave your Mark.

Good luck on Monday, kiddo. Keep with the study group, get plenty of rest on Sunday night, and take a DEEP breath before the test. I'm an awful test-taker as well...passed my boards the first time, and 20 years later am still in nursing!! I've got my fingers crossed for you!

Welllll, thought I'd update y'all.
I had that test on Monday, made myself stay calm and did my dangdest to pick out the keywords and the stem of the question. My goal, in order to pass Med-Surg, was to get an 85 for each subsequent exam. Well, this was #4....still 4 more to go and then the final. I missed that goal by 7 points. Again, I failed.
Okay, so Thursday was drop without academic penalty day. From Monday on I'd agonized over what to do, what to do.
I made the decision to stick it out, even if I ultimately fail. I feel if I dropped the class I would always wonder "but suppose....?"....The way I look at it; if I fail at least I'll know I tried. I did a calculation of my current exam scores just to see if it were possible. Well, yeah, it's possibly (not probable considering my obviously hampered critical thinking exam skills) but possible.
I'm admittedly confused as to how to correct the problem. I practice with the NCLEX style questions in the back of my workbook, the ones in my textbook, the ones in my Saunders NCLEX-RN review book, the ones in my Lippincott's Review Series: Medical Surgical Nursing book, etc. I do well in them! Even the instructor says she feels I really DO know this stuff (and I have no problems in clinicals)....She and I both just don't know how to fix my test taking disabilities regarding the exam she gives us.
I just don't know how I can do so well on those others and do so horridly in the classroom and it's like I always get so close, so terribly close,and still fail.

Do you take notes in class? Maybe you need to tape the class and listen to it again.. Maybe you are driving your self crazy studying tooo much...Why not just study the stuff your instructor gives you and never mind NCLEX and such.

I think you are getting yourself all confused with all this data and information.

JMHO

WR,,, three commas for Becca

Nursing school tests are the strangest tests I have ever taken. You know that many questions have 2 correct answers, its finding the "most correct" and some times that is in the teachers mind. (a place that would scare me to be). I would recommend to get a review book for boards and review what you are doing wrong. Most of the time it has to do with the "nursing process" (darn I hated that term) where we get most of our questions wrong not how tec. smart we are. I always got the questions wrong in Psych. that started with, "The nurse would". I always put what the nurse should not do. Keep plugging away, forget days off, put your family in the closet till you are finished with school.
If you have the heart, and nursing is something you want to do, you will do it.

Thanks I'm all set. I took the NCLEX in 1997. I answered 75 questions in about 20 minutes.. And that is the key.. You have to know how the tester thinks. They want you to do the nursey thing.. That's why in my last semester I took the test 10-12 time 2-3 times a week on the computer in the computer lab.. Gave me not only the questions but the feel of taking it on a computer.. I couldn't go back there and I couldn't go back during the test.. I don't like a book.. Heck I hardly read any of them in school why start just before the test???
I have to understand something.. I don't do rote.. It's too difficult.. I rarely learn anything I can look up..

Also, I will say I got lucky. There were approx 10-12 questions on ESRD.. My forte.. LOLL But how did the board know. My first question was about carafate.. I was working on a M/S Ortho floor at the time and gave the drug daily

WR,,, three commas for Becca

P.S. I was an LPN for 17.. I suppose that gave me an advantage...Again my theory of apprenticeship looks good IMHO.

I like the apprenticeship theory too!!

I had my exam on diabetes this past week. Was really thrilled to get my highest grade of the semester on it...an 86. Yes, would have loved to have done even better but I felt happy to know I COULD do this. Took my test up to the instructor after we reviewed the material and she said, "Great! I knew you could do it!....Too bad it's too late." Okay, that was a kick in the teeth but she may be right. My friends tell me that's negative thinking on my part and that I shouldn't give in to it but it's hard not to.
We only have two more exams (was supposed to be three but the instructor is going to combine two units into one) and then we'll have the final. This will make it even harder for me to bring up my average. Still not giving up; will give it every bit of fight I can but, realistically, I'm looking at having to retake.
Admittedly a bit bummed out about that.

Nursing schools and tests haven't changed much in the 32 years I've been working in this field...except for computers...wish I'd had them for research once upon a time!

The smartest phrase a nursing instructor once told the class to remember, however, is "C=RN." That's it...don't spend your valuable mental resources agonizing over getting A's...A "C" is all you need to pass...the rest of your nursing career will not be affected one way or the other whether you get A's or C's.

The "nursing process" questions always seem to trip students...the ones where 2 answers CAN be right, but one is better. In the end, your thought process on these is what will determine whether or not you are a good CLINICIAN (read: able to keep your patient alive..) ONE answer is always the "best". It is the one that you'll get asked on the witness stand, if you fail to follow what the state boards consider "what a prudent nurse would do," and end up testifying during a negligence trial.

Consider the patient, consider all the information you have at your disposal about the patient and their individual disease process and consider where they are at the moment in that disease...What do they look like? What are their vitals signs, labs, etc...Take all the information you are given, then based on that, choose the best and often the first course of action you should follow.

Doing what is BEST for the patient at a given time will not always be a simple choice, but one that can be made (and will hold up to scrutiny) if you look at the whole picture.

Good luck to you. You CAN get through this and you will. Trust your instincts, but don't forget the facts!

Jesse and all, thank you so much for all of your replies, your encouragement, and support.
I had my Nutrition final Wednesday and my Med-Surg final yesterday (the last part of A&P today)....I wanted to let y'all know that I passed. I managed to finish Med-Surg by the skin of my teeth but, well, I couldn't have been happier if I had gotten a perfect score. My instructor was in tears, my classmates were in tears....I feel I was their miracle. I'm not only glad I didn't let myself down but them as well. Yesterday was a beautiful day.....one of miracles. Had to share.
Again, thanks for everything.

Congratulations! Keep it up!

I hate to bust your bubble here, but there was no miracle. No such thing when it comes to nursing school. You passed on hard work, the drive to get what you want, and not giving up.

I tell you, there is no job application out there that will ask if you passed med-surg by the skin of your teeth. You passed and that is what counts. Keep up the good work. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hello,

As stated above" C=RN". That's what an instructor told me too!I was in my final semester, before graduation, and I was put on academic probation because of my grades. This was STRESSING me out, big-time! I thought" I might not graduate". That would have been awful. However, I pulled it thru and passed with flying colors. I graduated in August 2003 and passed my NCLEX on the first try! I was scared to death! I'm also a poor test taker. Kaplan helped me with test taking skills. When you are faced with a question, there will always be a "better" answer. One of my instructors said" What will the nurse do?"
Remember the nursing process? Well, just remember what CAN the NURSE DO? This improved my test taking skills. It's not that I didn't know the information, but I was unable to understand the test questions. Good luck to you!
Dina

Scatty, I am extremely proud of you.
First, you recognized that you had a problem, then you openly admitted it and asked for help. You took the information given to you, processed it, applied the appiliciabe data, formulated and implemented a plan. You applied the nursing process to your own circumstances!!! See how smart you already are??? *cries with pride!!*

And Jesse is very smart too, sharing the C=RN equation.

All the book work you do now is extremely important, but the best nursing education you will receive is out in the trenches, after you graduate. You are laying a solid foundation for the best to come, my dear!!!

I graduated 25 years ago, and to this day, if I don't learn at least one new thing everyday I work, I feel as though I've cheated my patients, my employer, my peers and myself. I go out of my way to find something new or refresh something old everyday I work. I'm constantly saying, "show me, explain to me, how about, what if"....No one gets tired of hearing it, in fact, I'm starting to hear my peers emmulate me, discussing journal articles, and challenging one another. It's great!!

You are going to be just fine. Everyone who has posted on this thread has given excellent advise. Digest it and use what is useful to you. From my perspective, the best thing going for you right now is that you aren't afraid to say "I don't know" and "help me figure this out". Those two phrases will serve you well throughout your career and you will be respected and trusted by yours peers and employers because you realize you still have a lot to learn. The day you become a know it all, will be the most dangerous day in your career.

One little thing that helped me test well was to personalize the theoretic patient. Instead of "Mr. Jones presented with...." I used to read "My father presented with...." and I pretended it was up to me to save his hide. On some psychologic level, it made me think a layer deeper, because the outcome was personal. Might sound goofy, and may not work for everyone, but it worked for me.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. You are grown, and I'm sure you get the picture!!! Keep us posted, and let us know if we can help. We care deeply about you. I'd let you be my nurse any day!!!

Hi! I am an ADN-RN student in my first year also. I did not do so well on my 1st few tests either, so I decided to change the way I studied. I started reading my notes, important parts of the chapters and definitions into a tape recorder. One of those mini tape recorders like a lot off students use in class. Of course, our program does not allow us to use tape recorders in class. Anyway, I listen to the tape all the time. Driving in the car, cooking, doing laundry, it has been a big help! And when it comes time to review for my comprehensive final, I can just refer back to the tapes I already have made. The head of our nursing school actually told me about this. She did this when she was in graduate school and her study time was cut down by having to drive 2hrs to school. Hope this helps.
Hang in there!