Struggling through nursing school

[Bunsbuns]

I know every program does things differently, but I feel like I got the horrible luck of the draw. I am in a 16 month program with clinicals every semester and about 14-15 credit hours a semester.

I'm only in my first semester and I'm having trouble passing some of my classes. Of course I knew nursing school would be very difficult, but its when I hear some of my peers say things like "UGH I was 1 question away from an A" while I'm over here barely passing that make me feel like maybe I'm doing something wrong. The thing is, in high school and in my prerequisites at Jr. college, I was used to doing really well in all of my classes. All it took was studying, maybe some all nighters. In some rare cases, I could get away with procrastination. However, in nursing school: it seems no matter when I start studying, how hard I'm studying, if I read the book, or if I make study guides, I just can't pick the right answer. There's always two that I get stuck between and I pick the wrong one.

I enjoy the hands on part of clinical so I know I'm gonna love nursing. I don't have test anxiety and I'm not doubting if I'm a smart person because I was smart enough to be accepted to a program, right?

Has anyone else ever been through this? And are there some strategies to being a better test taker?

[drkshadez]

I do not test well, but somehow I made it through honors. But I studdied - my wife thinks I was obsessive about it. Notecards, repetitive notes....what I would do is take notes in class and when I came home I would restructure those notes to fit my learning style. Then I would read assignments and pick out important information not discussed in class. THEN I would restructure those notes AGAIN. Read, recite, repeat = retention.

Here is something key in nursing. LOOK FOR PATTERNS. Example: drugs that end in -pril are ACE inhibitors, -sartan are ARBs. Both control blood pressure. ACE inhibitors block the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II ("tensin: = think hyperTENSION). ARBs block the receptors for angiotensin II.

Same function, different mechanism of action

Both drugs in "common" language are "kidney protectors."

Emerging situations, use the ABCs - Airway, Breathing, Circulation.

MEMORIZE LABS. If there are lab values, this can really help direct you to the right answer.